What product provides the best protection.....

mafpo

New member
I use Zymol on my LS430 and Wolfgang 3.0 on my wife's A8. The Wolfang does not seem to provide any more protection nor life than Zymol. I use both products according to manufacturer's instructions.



We just bought a Mini convertible, which will have to live outside. So, it will need protection from UV, rain, leaves, (fall and winter), etc.



What product provides the best protection, so we can keep the paint looking great for many years?



Suggestions please. Keep in mind that I don't mind re-applying the product a little more often....happy to do it every three months, etc.
 
I'm probably somewhat old school or in the minority with current public opinion, but for protection I still think KAIO followed by layered KSG should be considered as one of the best.
 
mafpo said:
..What product provides the best protection, so we can keep the paint looking great for many years?



Fellow Audi nut here :D



First, I'll note that most products will need *some* kind of refreshing after 3 months or so.



To be honest, I've been able to keep my wife's '01 A8 in great shape with just good ol' Meguiar's #16. That car gets used *hard* including long road trips (in all kinds of weather). A can of #16 lasts me around a decade, so a) it lasts prettylong and b) it only takes a very thin application of the stuff.



Conversely, the UPP I like on my '01 S8 (and which I'd consider similar to the Wolfgang) doesn't protect all that well and I have to do far more redos even though that car is basically a garage-queen that doesn't go through nearly the same conditions as the A8. Gee, an old-fashioned wax can protect better than a modern sealant!



But the *best* protection I've ever experienced has to be heavily layered Klasse Sealant Glaze (6 layers). No stains, no etching, even, I think, less wash-induced marring. BUT...gotta layer it to get that much protection (at least 4 layers IMO). And looks-wise, well...I dunno; it's the only LSP I disliked so much (on Audi silver) that I stripped it off and applied something else. That's totally subjective though, and you might like it just fine. It looks fine on my silver Mazda.



Six layers of KSG will last a *LOT* longer than three months; I don't redo my KSGed minivan (daily dog-hauler, gets used *really* hard) until the beading starts to change to sheeting, and that takes so long that most people would need to repolish long before then anyhow.



For good protection with fewer applications, I do *VERY* well with Collinite 476S and so far I'm also very impressed with FK1000P. Either will last for months.



IME the best way to do Collinite is a base of their 845, then a coat of their 476S, then maybe some infrequent refreshers with the 845 as needed (the 845 is sooo easy to use that it's not a PIA).



I apply the FK1000P over a base of KAIO or ZAIO.



If I were doing that Mini, I'd choose between the KSG, the Collinite, and the FK1000P. The feasibility of doing multiple layers would probably determine whether I'd go with the KSG. Any of those products will protect great and a single can/bottle will last a long, long time so any of them will be very cost-effective.
 
Can someone help me with all the acronyms - I am bot sure what all these acronyms stand for; although, I have decoded a few of them.



Thanks for the help.
 
I am currently using Zaino AIO with a Z2 topcoat. I applied it in November and it is still very slick and shiny.



I have also heard great things about Blackfire wet diamond sealant and once I use up my Zaino I am going to have to give that a try.
 
Having been a traditional carnauba wax with natural ingredients like Zymol for so many years, I have a question. Do sealants over a long period of time damage your paint - i.e. dry it out, UV damage - like putting glass over carpet in the sun, etc.
 
mafpro- Sorry.... :o In case the decoder ring is too much of a hassle:



#16 = Meguiar's #16 paste wax

UPP= Four Star Ultimate Paint Protection

KSG= Klasse Sealant Glaze

Collinite 476S= 476S Double Coat paste wax

Collinite 845= 845 Insulator Wax

FK1000P= Finish Kare FK1000P High Temp "wax" (it's really a paste sealant)

LSP= Last Step Product (i.e., wax or sealant)
 
Thank you for the abbreviated version. I was blown away by the full list, but I saved it to my favorites.
 
In addition to my question above: "Having been a traditional carnauba wax with natural ingredients like Zymol for so many years, I have a question. Do sealants over a long period of time damage your paint - i.e. dry it out, UV damage - like putting glass over carpet in the sun, etc."



I also want to ask - of the products described to me by everyone, are any of them pollen resistent. My experience (including Wolgang 3.0) is during pollen season...car accumulates some pollen. it rains, all protection gone.
 
mafpo said:
..I also want to ask - of the products described to me by everyone, are any of them pollen resistent. My experience (including Wolgang 3.0) is during pollen season...car accumulates some pollen. it rains, all protection gone.



In that regard, the KSG seems to work the best IME.
 
Accumulator said:
In that regard, the KSG seems to work the best IME.



Same here, well Werkstat Acrylic in my case. Pollen+rain=acid. Acrylics are most resistant to this. Zaino is horrible in this regard...
 
wfedwar said:
Same here, well Werkstat Acrylic in my case. Pollen+rain=acid. Acrylics are most resistant to this. Zaino is horrible in this regard...



I've had really bad luck with Zaino as well in the protection dept, the only LSP, of the 30+ that I currently own, that I have used enough (length and on various cars) to really make a endorsement on protection is Collinite 845.
 
So, waxes breathe and sealants don't - are sealants bad for your pain long term.



I understand that sealants last longer, but are they harmful in any way, or do they provide similar benefits as wax i.e. protect your paint from UV, acid etching, etc, so that many years from now, your car paint still looks great?
 
Neither of them breathe. Both of them protect paint. Sealants *can* last longer, but not necessarily will. Heavy carnaubas with their *thicker* layers often protect better physically than sealants.



Technically, the best physical protecting products are the covalent silane coatings, but the traditional LSPs mentioned above are good as well.
 
Bence said:
Neither of them breathe. Both of them protect paint. Sealants *can* last longer, but not necessarily will. Heavy carnaubas with their *thicker* layers often protect better physically than sealants.



Technically, the best physical protecting products are the covalent silane coatings, but the traditional LSPs mentioned above are good as well.

How do you layer nuba's with their solvent content. (Besides spit shinning)
 
The best thing you can do is wax the car regularly, but the most important is to keep your car CLEAN. Don't let dirt and grime sit on the car for weeks at a time. When the car is very dirty and you wash it, that's when the wash scratches occur, and also that's when you're breaking the surface tension of the wax, and removing the wax. Hope this helps, best of luck.





John
 
Back
Top