Review:
I have a brand new 2007 Sparkling Graphite Metallic BMW 335i Conv. I got it from the dealer "dirty". The dealer did not even wash the exterior of the car. I took it home 2 weeks ago and washed it with Z7 and put on 2 coats of Z2 using Z6 detail spray in between. Anyway, the car looked great. Wet Wet Wet and beautiful.
Out of curiosity I bought from David the Elastrofoam Cleaner and a full bottle of UPG+. Total cost was over $110.00. I washed the car with Dawn to remove what Z2 I could and then dried it. I then used the Elastrofoam Cleaner according to directions. I used plenty of gel. It grabbed some surface areas just like clay would and then became smooth. It is much easier to use than normal clay bar. Out of fear of marring a perfect surface I used a good amount of the lube gel but no more than I would normally use to get the right feel. If you have clay barred you know what I mean. Anyway, it cleaned the car and it was quick to do a full car. I must have saved myself at least 20-30 minutes using the Elastrofoam instead of Clay.
Problem: Wiping the lube off required 3-4 good MF towels. They quickly became soaked with lubricant. The lube also seemed to leave a film on the surface. But the car was definitely clean.
Because of this film and feeling that the car was not ready for the UPG+ I washed it again with Dawn and dried it.
I took the UPG+ out of its wrapper and put on the spray nozzle that came with it. I immediately had problems with the spray noozle. There is a piece under the trigger that was displaced, not sure during shipping or during final assembly. Anyway, after 10 minutes of futzing with it I finally got it in it's proper position.
BIG NOTE: The sprayer that comes with the bottle of UPG+ feels like a mismatch. I realize that it must be difficult finding a micro mist sprayer (atomizer) that would work comfortably with the bottle. It was awkward to use. The bottle is very slick and an average size man hand does not work well with this delivery system. Perhaps the bottle should be redesigned so that the whole delivery system has a more user friendly feel to it. The sprayer itself came with a plug for the nozzle that you have to save and put back on. This should NOT be the case for a $70 bottle of product.
OK now for the product itself. I applied it according to directions and waited for it to dry for an hour. It looked great. The product does work as advertised. The shine was wet and very lustrous for a sealant. It was mush easier to apply than Zaino since there is not a buffing off phase. I just applied another coat 12 hours later after wiping down with Final Inspection which is a non-silicone based detail spray. I plan on putting 4 coats on in the next 2 days. The final finish is comparable to Zaino. Is it better? Who knows. They are both top rated product. Side by side it would be hard to see any difference. I guess durability and washability will be my next milestones to review.
Final notes: I use a little more than 1/3 of a bottle of the Lube gel with the Elastrofoam which means that I will be getting about 2.5 or so uses per bottle. I am going to have to find a replacement for the gel. I have stuff in the garage that I can use, FI or soap and water. For the price David should include 2 bottles of gel for this to be of value.
As I mentioned previously I would appreciate a more user friendly and better built sprayer for $70. The bottle and sprayer should work with you and feel good in the hand. As it is it is awkward.
Bob
I have a brand new 2007 Sparkling Graphite Metallic BMW 335i Conv. I got it from the dealer "dirty". The dealer did not even wash the exterior of the car. I took it home 2 weeks ago and washed it with Z7 and put on 2 coats of Z2 using Z6 detail spray in between. Anyway, the car looked great. Wet Wet Wet and beautiful.
Out of curiosity I bought from David the Elastrofoam Cleaner and a full bottle of UPG+. Total cost was over $110.00. I washed the car with Dawn to remove what Z2 I could and then dried it. I then used the Elastrofoam Cleaner according to directions. I used plenty of gel. It grabbed some surface areas just like clay would and then became smooth. It is much easier to use than normal clay bar. Out of fear of marring a perfect surface I used a good amount of the lube gel but no more than I would normally use to get the right feel. If you have clay barred you know what I mean. Anyway, it cleaned the car and it was quick to do a full car. I must have saved myself at least 20-30 minutes using the Elastrofoam instead of Clay.
Problem: Wiping the lube off required 3-4 good MF towels. They quickly became soaked with lubricant. The lube also seemed to leave a film on the surface. But the car was definitely clean.
Because of this film and feeling that the car was not ready for the UPG+ I washed it again with Dawn and dried it.
I took the UPG+ out of its wrapper and put on the spray nozzle that came with it. I immediately had problems with the spray noozle. There is a piece under the trigger that was displaced, not sure during shipping or during final assembly. Anyway, after 10 minutes of futzing with it I finally got it in it's proper position.
BIG NOTE: The sprayer that comes with the bottle of UPG+ feels like a mismatch. I realize that it must be difficult finding a micro mist sprayer (atomizer) that would work comfortably with the bottle. It was awkward to use. The bottle is very slick and an average size man hand does not work well with this delivery system. Perhaps the bottle should be redesigned so that the whole delivery system has a more user friendly feel to it. The sprayer itself came with a plug for the nozzle that you have to save and put back on. This should NOT be the case for a $70 bottle of product.
OK now for the product itself. I applied it according to directions and waited for it to dry for an hour. It looked great. The product does work as advertised. The shine was wet and very lustrous for a sealant. It was mush easier to apply than Zaino since there is not a buffing off phase. I just applied another coat 12 hours later after wiping down with Final Inspection which is a non-silicone based detail spray. I plan on putting 4 coats on in the next 2 days. The final finish is comparable to Zaino. Is it better? Who knows. They are both top rated product. Side by side it would be hard to see any difference. I guess durability and washability will be my next milestones to review.
Final notes: I use a little more than 1/3 of a bottle of the Lube gel with the Elastrofoam which means that I will be getting about 2.5 or so uses per bottle. I am going to have to find a replacement for the gel. I have stuff in the garage that I can use, FI or soap and water. For the price David should include 2 bottles of gel for this to be of value.
As I mentioned previously I would appreciate a more user friendly and better built sprayer for $70. The bottle and sprayer should work with you and feel good in the hand. As it is it is awkward.
Bob
:grinno: