Here’s my problem as of late. I have no time. I work 40 to 55 hours any given week. I go to school plus a girlfriend. I have been testing out easier and simpler ways to keep my car clean and nice looking. As of right now I use Liquid Glass on my car and it doesn’t take me to much time.
What I have learned is it doesn’t matter to much what you put on your car. Any wax/sealant can work for you if you properly prepped your car beforehand. You just need to research the product you want to use and see if it suits your needs.
To learn how to properly prep your car for perfection you need to go here ---->
Junkman's "How to Completely Repair Your Paint Damage - The Videos! . Junkman is an excellent source of information/technique/skill that any novice can learn and use with a porter cable. I learned how to use a porter cable on my car from Junkman’s videos alone and no extra help. This leads me to believe anybody can do it if you want to.
You do not have to polish your car with a machine before using any products. If the swirls, spider webs don’t bother you then don’t waste your cash on polishing products. It’s just that you get better results with products with good polishing. It’s a personal cost choice.
More things I learned:
• Nothing is really going to protect your car from daily driven damage. You’re going to get scratches and marks and not even know how.
• Just washing your car runs risk of scratching it
Products I tried in hopes of saving time with protection and shine:
• Klasse
• Liquid Glass
• Liquid Glass Legend Durable New-Age Carbon/ PTFE Finish
• Liquid Glass Detail Spray
• Optimum Instant Detailer & Gloss Enhancer
• Optimum Car Wax (spray bottle)
• Meguiar's ULTIMATE WASH & WAX
Klasse:
Claims:
• 100% acrylic based
• Protective seal against ultraviolet rays, salt water, acid rain and industrial pollutants.
• A minimum of 6 months longevity on your car.
What I read:
• Really good stuff but hard to use.
What I found out after using it:
• Streaks like a mofo when put on, too hard to apply on a black car without making it look worse.
• You need to be a pro with Klasse before you want to put it on your nice car.
Tests I conducted:
• Clayed a civics hood. Applied one side Klasse, one side Liquid Glass. Sprayed water on hood one week later. Liquid glass beads up still, Klasse does not. Liquid glass still felt marble smooth, Klasse felt okay but not as good as Liquid Glass.
Verdict:
I didn’t like it based on how hard it is to apply. I made a bigger mess than I wanted. The water beading test didn’t leave me impressed either, but that doesn’t prove anything anyways. Maybe acrylic doesn’t bead water. I never attempted to become a pro at using it so I don’t know its benefits.
Liquid Glass:
Claims:
• Key ingredient in Liquid Glass is crystal clear carbon, the same element found in DIAMONDS.
• Resists acid rain, road salt deterioration , tar, sap, rust, corrosion, dulling, minor bird dropping permeation, bugs, tree branch scratches and just about everything that mankind and mother nature can dish out.
What I found out after using it:
• It does go on easy and comes off fairly easy.
• Put it on too thick and removing it can require force.
• Too thick leaves tiny white specks stuck to the car. Not hard to deal with.
• It resists bug guts better than anything I have used.
• It doesn’t resist tree branch scratches. I gained scratches while using it from bad wash techniques like any other sealant.
• It works great on our wheels as brake dust repellant.
• It shows off your flaws in the cars paint. No properties to hide scratches
• Good shine.
• If you want to layer you have to bake in the sun for 4 hours.
Tests I conducted:
• The Klasse vs. Liquid glass hood test mentioned above.
• Put on 5 layers of Liquid Glass. I let a summer drives bug guts sit on my bumper on a hot day, all night, all hot afternoon. It was a full spectrum of bugs of different sizes and an uncountable amount. After I washed them off after 24 hours and I couldn’t see any etching on my soft Nissan clear coat. I would not dare do this with 5 layers Zaino ever for I would etch up like crazy.
• I put it on my wheels. The brake dust will coat the wheels but soon as you hit the wheels with water, the dust literally washes off like it can’t stick and your wheels are freaking clean with no effort.
Verdict:
I like using it for the ease of use and bug guts protection. The only way you can avoid the scratches showing is polishing your car before hand and proper maintenance. If you’re looking for a product to hide swirls this isn’t it. Even if you don’t like the product you can put on some layers on your bumper to resist some bug guts etching. It’s a great wheel product too.
Liquid Glass Legend Durable New-Age Carbon/ PTFE Finish:
Claims:
• PTFE, also known as Teflon, gives Liquid Glass Legend the ability to repel dirt and grime. The super slick finish feels like glass to the touch and it reduces drag on vehicles. In fact, Liquid Glass Legend increases the top end speed on racing cars, planes, and boats!
• After 25 coatings, the finish is stone chip resistant. Imagine a paint sealant that prevents chips and nicks - Liquid Glass Legend does!
• Resists acid rain, road salt deterioration , tar, sap, rust, corrosion, dulling, minor bird dropping permeation, bugs, tree branch scratches
What I found out after using it:
• I suspect it’s the same as normal Liquid Glass
• It makes your wallet 100 dollars lighter for 16 ounces
• It can’t protect against scratches like it claims. I didn’t make it to 25 layers but I got 15 or more.
• Goes on and comes off easier than normal Liquid Glass.
Verdict:
The only pro of this Liquid Glass Legend is if you want to layer Liquid Glass, you can bake in sun on hot day for 1 hour minimum and then reapply. While normal Liquid Glass makes you wait 4 hours per layer. I can’t recommend this product due to its cost and I don’t think it does anything better than normal Liquid Glass. I may buy it again if I want to put many layers on my car in one day. For example one day I put on 5 layers.
Liquid Glass Detail Spray
Claim:
• High lubricity waterless wash to safely remove road grime and oily films from painted, plated, glass, and plastic surfaces.
• Eliminates static electricity and dust cling
• Increases durability of Liquid Glass Polish/Finish with no residue
• Eliminates streaking and hi-lo spots
What I found out after using it:
• It works better than Z-6 when it comes to removing water spots.
• I still find plenty of dust on my car.
Verdict:
Its crazy expensive for a quick detailer. I still switch back and forth from Z6 and Liquid Glass Detail Spray. I do have to say it works VERY VERY well on water spot removal after washes. I will keep using it sparingly due to its cost but I do like it.
Optimum Car Wax (spray bottle)
Claim:
• The formula combines high-grade carnauba wax and sealant polymers to give you outstanding shine and protection
• Paint has a beautiful, wet shine and is protected from the sun, acid rain, and pollution for up to 5 months!
• It only takes 15 minutes to wax your whole vehicle and it lasts for up to 5 months.
What I found out after using it:
• It does apply easy for a spray on wax.
• You can do your car in 15 minutes.
Verdict:
I haven’t tested it enough but I suspect it doesn’t last anywhere near 5 months. I think it’s a great product for quick waxing. If you don’t have time for anything else then I think this can work. I think it’s a good patch up product like if you need some sort of wax on your car real quick after a wash. I read others say it will last a month.
Optimum Instant Detailer & Gloss Enhancer
Claim:
• Flouropolymers give Optimum Instant Detailer & Gloss Enhancer its repellency to dirt, dust, oil, and grime
What I found out after using it:
• If your mixing and matching with other non Optimum products it may be repelled or smear around. I think
Zaino CS-Clear seal might actually repel this stuff causing it not to work as intended
Verdict:
Its okay if you use it with Optimum products. Its not okay mix and matching it with other brands so far.
Meguiar's ULTIMATE WASH & WAX
Claim:
• premium carnauba wax and synthetic polymers provides protection and shine while you wash
What I found out after using it:
• I dont think it works properly in cold weather. I have gotten decent results in hot weather.
Verdict:
My only goal for this product was to foam gun it on my car on rainy days to wash the car quickly. Hoping that I would get some protection with no effort. I sat outside in the rain and just foamed this on the car and washed off the dirt then foamed it again. I did not put the product itself in my foam gun. I mixed it in a bucket then filled up the foam gun with the mixed water. This was a rainy day strategy that I am not sure I will use again.