Tropi Care Mini Review/Testing (photos)

L

LouisanaJeeper

New member
First things first, here are the pics (click photo for hi-res)



Approx 2" off finish







**edit**better pics/comparison photos****

first two are TCx2 on the hood





Z2 on roof



here's one last shot of the entire car, this is the click and brag forum afterall



**end of edit**





Procedure Used (hood only, I have Z2 on the rest of the stang):

NXT wash

3M FCRC, yellow cutting

3M PI III, white polishing x2 (perfection :) )

Alcohol wipe off

NXT Wash (uh, compounding dust is terrible with the FCRC, had to do a wash)

Tropicare polish x2 (I used mabey approx 1/8-1/4 oz total)



Impressions/ Review:



I got a free sample kit from Tropi-Care www.tropi-care.com last week (free sample offer expired, I believe it is $10 now). It contained 4oz of polish, a MF applicator, and 1oz of wash (wash not tested).



Ease of use:

This stuff goes on EXTREMELY nice, easier than NXT or Zaino, or just about anything. Again comes off just as easily, easier than NXT.

It idries/cures extremely fast, almost as soon as it is applied. Supposedly there is no cure time necessary, I let it sit for 15-20 min before wiping off with a MF



Packaging/Smell

Kind of has a cherry smell and is hot pink in color, I smelled some solvent, IMHO, but could have been the strong artificial scent.



Cleaning

Appears to have some chemical cleaners (determined via sharpie test), not abrasive cleaners



Slickness:

Rivals that of my Zaino upon initial application.



Apperance:

I would describe it as a Zaino Shine/Refectivity but extremely WET. Really adds some depth to the paint.



Long Term:

Not tested yet



Trim: It did not appear to stain plastic trim, although it has only been on for a couple hours.



Comments:

As above, this goes on and off with no mixing or curing time (unlike zaino). It also give it an extremely wet look. If this product withstands 4months+ of weekly washings and maintains the look and tight beading, I will definately be purchasing. If it is like NXT and looks good for 2 weeks then starts to slack off, I probably wont.

Either way it is worth a test, cause it really does look great upon initial application
 
Guess I'm one of the last to get the free deal as well. Thanks for the review. Keep us posted on the longevity of the product. I have not had a chance to use my samples yet. I really like the smell though.
 
LouisanaJeeper said:
Impressions/ Review:



I got a free sample kit from Tropi-Care www.tropi-care.com last week (free sample offer expired, I believe it is $10 now). It contained 4oz of polish, a MF applicator, and 1oz of wash (wash not tested).



Ease of use:

This stuff goes on EXTREMELY nice, easier than NXT or Zaino, or just about anything. Again comes off just as easily, easier than NXT.

It idries/cures extremely fast, almost as soon as it is applied. Supposedly there is no cure time necessary, I let it sit for 15-20 min before wiping off with a MF



Packaging/Smell

Kind of has a cherry smell and is hot pink in color, I smelled some solvent, IMHO, but could have been the strong artificial scent.



Cleaning

Appears to have some chemical cleaners (determined via sharpie test), not abrasive cleaners



Slickness:

Rivals that of my Zaino upon initial application.



Apperance:

I would describe it as a Zaino Shine/Refectivity but extremely WET. Really adds some depth to the paint.



Trim: It did not appear to stain plastic trim, although it has only been on for a couple hours.



Comments:

As above, this goes on and off with no mixing or curing time (unlike zaino). It also give it an extremely wet look. If this product withstands 4months+ of weekly washings and maintains the look and tight beading, I will definately be purchasing. If it is like NXT and looks good for 2 weeks then starts to slack off, I probably wont.

Either way it is worth a test, cause it really does look great upon initial application [/B]
Click to expand...





Great review. I was about to post some of my own thoughts.



I washed my car today, for the first time in a while. I used Pinnacle bodywash to wash(was trying to use up some bottles I have laying around), I then dried the car and ran over the whole car with Z6 to pick up any leftover water.



I then did my wheels and tires and pulled it into the garage (it was getting dark).



After that, I sat around for a while trying to decide wether or not to try it out tonight, I gave it a whirl on my hood and two front fender flares.



Like LouisianaJeeper said, it went on VERY easily.. I probably applied it a hair thick, a nickel sized dob for a panel, or half the hood. But it wasn't an issue, i just kept spreading it until the paint was slightly hazy.



I found, that after I was done with half the hood, or one whole front fender flare area that this stuff was ready to come off. So unlike LouisianaJeeper, I took it off within 3-5 minutes of application with a PakShak MF Towel (non ultra).



This stuff came off with very little work, it did make my towel pinkish, but I'm sure it'll wash out. I felt this product was easy to apply, easy as HECK to take off and left a nice glow on my car (as much as silver can glow right). -- The lack of setup time, the ease to take off and no cure time really make this nice! I am impressed.



I'm not too keen on the smell myself, being a cherry hater. But I won't let the smell interfere with a fair review.



The slickness felt good, overall I'm not quite sure if it's slicker than Zaino, or on par. Basically I can comment "like butter" when you run your finger over the paint surface.



I too also found it didnt stain any of my plastic trim, a big + from what the instructions said... I was concerned about this at first.



Anyway, sorry if I trampled over your post Jeeper, I just thought I'd share my thoughts, in a not-so-organized fashion!



Thanks again from Steve at Tropi-Care. I am truly impressed by your product, like Jeeper said, if the longevity holds out I think you'll find some loyal fanbase here!



P.S I'd love to try the Tropi-Care QD (for comparison with Z6). I have yet to try the Tropi-Care Carwash.
 
Nice reviews. Maybe once I clear out some of the other testing I have going on, I'll have to give this stuff a try.
 
Great reviews, both of you. What is the consensus of the category this fits into. From the site, I gathered that it is a "one-step" with no waxes or silicones. Thus, I would compare it to #20. However, it is called a polish, thus I am confused. Is it a longer lasting cleaner wax (minus the wax) or a sealant with cleaners or a polish (paint cleaner) with durability?
 
I would put it right there with NXT. It has some light chemical cleaners to prepare the surface for the sealant to bond. The cleaner seems a *tad* more that that in NXT, but less than that of something like AIO.
 
Ahhh, thanks. Now my curiousity is up.



LouisanaJeeper said:
I would put it right there with NXT. It has some light chemical cleaners to prepare the surface for the sealant to bond. The cleaner seems a *tad* more that that in NXT, but less than that of something like AIO.
Click to expand...
 
LouisanaJeeper said:
I would put it right there with NXT. It has some light chemical cleaners to prepare the surface for the sealant to bond. The cleaner seems a *tad* more that that in NXT, but less than that of something like AIO.
Click to expand...



Thanks for the informative and thorough review. Very nice pictures of your car. :bow



I noticed that the tropi-care instructions call for a dawn-wash. The dawn-wash seems like a poorman's substitute for a sealant primer such as AIO, designed to leave a surface free of oils for a sealant that has no cleaning abilities to bond. I would guess that tropi-care has little cleaning ability because of the dawn wash recommendation, and also because their website implies that it can be layered. I also do not notice much of a solvent smell in my sample of tropi-care (if a solvent smell can be correlated to cleaning ability).
 
raymond_ho2002 said:
Thanks for the informative and thorough review. Very nice pictures of your car. :bow



I noticed that the tropi-care instructions call for a dawn-wash. The dawn-wash seems like a poorman's substitute for a sealant primer such as AIO, designed to leave a surface free of oils for a sealant that has no cleaning abilities to bond. I would guess that tropi-care has little cleaning ability because of the dawn wash recommendation, and also because their website implies that it can be layered. I also do not notice much of a solvent smell in my sample of tropi-care (if a solvent smell can be correlated to cleaning ability).
Click to expand...



I think the Dawn wash is actually because Steve was a long time Zaino distributor and with Zaino, that's just how it's done. I've done a couple of vehicles, some I Dawn'd, some I didnt and I cant tell much of a difference either way.



I also wanted to comment on the trim staining issue. I think that's more of a standard disclaimer than a warning. Ive never seen Tropi-Care stain any trim on any vehicle Ive used it on. On the flipside, my wife's CRV's trim was ruined by a product that's very popular on these forums so I guess you need a standard disclaimer just to cover your own ***.
 
JayC said:


On the flipside, my wife's CRV's trim was ruined by a product that's very popular on these forums so I guess you need a standard disclaimer just to cover your own ***.
Click to expand...





Well spill it, which product? It'snot forbidden to mention products that have caused you grief.
 
Mindflux said:
Well spill it, which product? It'snot forbidden to mention products that have caused you grief.
Click to expand...



Na.. Im not going there. The manufacturer of said product knows what happened to my vehicle, did their best to try to help me out with it and in the end, the trim was just ruined.



Im not going to name names and get into a flame war with people like the guy did who badmouthed S100 in a Tropi-Care thread. I will, however, post some pictures of the trim. Maybe someone has some ideas on something I didn't try.
 
JayC

I really do not think it is a flame or knock to mention the product. If your incident was no isolated than it may help someone from repeating the same mistake and grief.



Many products fail at some aspect when used but if the positives out-weigh the negative(s) said product still has a place in detailing.



This is probably not the post to discuss but start another one. JMHO
 
Hey, I emailed Steve at tropi-care and he was able to confirm a few questions:



"There are some mild cleaning agents in the TC-3 Polish as evidenced by the marker test. "



" I have applied 3 coats(less than 1 ounce product

applied per application) of the TC-3 in 5 months to a 2003 yellow Neon here and have measured the water beads on the surface to be in the range of 1/8 to 1/4 inch on the surface after washing with the TC-6 Car Wash. Even though the surface feels 'squeaky clean', there is no diminishment of polish protection as evidenced by the water beading. "
 
LouisanaJeeper,



So how long does TC-3 last? Do I need to use a polish and/or cleaner before applying TC-3?
 
Coincidentally it smells a lot like *cough*CHERRYWETWX*COUGH* oops.



Maybe there is only so many varieties of the "cherry" smell you can get?



I don't know, I don't want to start a debate like the last one!
 
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