K-A

Sweet, thanks guys. I think I'm going with the F.T.P Polymer (with Teflon) stuff, since I already payed for it, and it bugs me to not use it. I've been doing Wax VS Sealant research ALL DAMN DAY and it seems like I still don't know more than I did before, lol.

I kind of am afraid to lose that gorgeous Wax look, but since I've never used Sealant, I don't know first-hand how it will compare.

AZN mentioned the "hard candy" VS "warm depth glow", that seems to be very apparent. Has anyone seen first-hand how these two differ on the same WHITE paint? I.e, will my car look "plastic-y" with Sealant. M-B's Arctic White is such a warm, creamy, depthy White, that I'd hate to detract from that.

Then again, I've heard people say that White in theory has NO depth whatsoever, so using a Sealant wouldn't make a difference?

2 other questions: Pretending that I wouldn't Clay (which I am), after 4 months, in the conditions I described above (garaged, babied, not a total work-horse, etc.), is there realistically any Wax left on my car? It feels protected, but if I dab some fresh Wax on a section, you can tell a difference in "slippery-ness".

Argh, I should just wrap my car in Matte White and forget about all this Waxing nonsense.

AZN Optics

If it's a synthetic wax, you might have some left over wax left. Carnauba wax will probably be mostly gone. Lack of slipperiness doesn't mean the wax protection is gone. You still want to strip prior to applying a sealant so the sealant can properly cure and bond to the paint.

If you don't want to lose that wax look, you can usually layer the wax on top of the sealant. I say usually cause it'll depend on what kind of wax you're using. Some wax will contain cleaners (Collinite 845 for instance) that will negate the sealant underneath.

White is very hard to see depth of paint on and the only combo I've found to really show any depth has been Blackfire Wet Diamond sealant topped with Wolfgang Fuzion Wax.

JFOUR

Funny, I was just thinking about this thread earlier this week. Unfortunately I had to drive my W204 for most of this winter because my beater car succumbed to rust.

We had a very difficult winter here in Massachusetts and despite my best efforts, my black paint now has some minor flaws in it.

My thoughts were to take it to my local MB dealership and have them machine the exterior (they have done a really nice job for me in the past for $99.00) then I will do a glaze and sealant myself using a high quality product. I wish I could afford a massive professional detail, but I am currently in the unemployment line and need to be conservative.

Any thoughts or suggestions on this would be welcome.

K-A

Okay, cool, thanks. So looks like White is a color that's "safe" to go with Sealant on, since I might not lose out on the depth of Carnuba.

I always wonder when wax is REALLY off a car. For example, when my car was brand new and unwaxed, the paint had almost a matte texture, then after my first wax, it developed that slick texture. Even after 4 months, it still doesn't feel anything near as "matte" and unprotected as it did when I first got it, but I doubt much "Meguier's High Tech Yellow Wax" could be left on it after 4 months.

lamonsas

guys just go to a car wash haha, i live in new york and i just go to an automatic car wash, i never get scratches , swirls obviously start to appear after many many car washes but thats with hand washing too.

i dont wash my car if its not needed, only when its really dirty like after a storm or something.

AZN Optics

If you want to get into basic detailing, you can pick up a good DA polisher for a bit over $100 and a few pads, and start with some consumer line polish like Megs Ultimate Compound for a one stepper. Won't give you perfect results, but you should see some improvements. Then later on if you want to, you can expand and use better products. I'd much rather trust myself than the hacks at dealership who'll leave holograms galore.


For 90% of the public, this will do, but this is really for those 10% who care about their finish and suffer from a bit of OCD. You can get scratch and swirl free hand washing if you do it right. Hand washing with an old rag or T-shirt will leave just as many defects as an auto wash. Hand wash with proper two bucket method and sheep skin mitt or premium microfiber will be paint safe.

lamonsas

yes i agree, the reason i said what i said above is cuz i washed by hand before and it scratched more than a car wash lol and i use the 2 bucket method and all but still i guess im not good at car washing lol.