Are you guys using sealant on your garage queens?

[Z06Seal]

Just curious. I don't see any negative effects of using it (not like it makes the paint any less shiny or dull looking) so I was curious why someone would skip out on it...

 

Curiosity killed the cat.

Edited February 20, 2015 by Z06Seal

[DaveVY]

For me the garage queen is all about enjoyment - and since I enjoy applying Americana and how Americana looks I tend to stick with Americana. I will use spray sealant on the leading edges on the garage queen when driving at times when bugs are heavier.

Edited February 20, 2015 by DaveVY

[SJC96GT]

For me the garage queen is all about enjoyment - and since I enjoy applying Americana and how Americana looks I tend to stick with Americana.

Exactly, it is all about the enjoyment of detailing your garage queen and making sure it's looking it's best all the time. When I take my '96 GT out whether it be a mile to the local car show every year or to a cruise-in/car show 40+ miles away, once I get it home it's immediately rinseless washed. Afterwards, detail spray and then the car cover is put back on till the next time I get it out.

[Chewy]

My GXP gets less than 1000 miles on it a year.  Last year I started with Quick Sealant as a base and topped with Patriot. 

 

GQ or not, I want the protection of a sealant. 

[Ricky Bobby]

^^I like this man.

[Chris@Adams]

I have in the past, however most of the time my GTO gets waxed with Patriot........ and for the front fascia I use QS, especially when I drive it in bug season.

[Z06Seal]

Very interesting. seems like half and half on this subject 

[Team Adam's]

Nope. The amount of exposure it sees wouldn't be enough to justify the sealant. My truck comes out only on fair weather days and only for fun. After it comes back it gets a rinseless wash and occasionally another coat of Patriot... I never give it a chance to get to a point where sealant would be necessary honestly.

[Z06Seal]

Nope. The amount of exposure it sees wouldn't be enough to justify the sealant. My truck comes out only on fair weather days and only for fun. After it comes back it gets a rinseless wash and occasionally another coat of Patriot... I never give it a chance to get to a point where sealant would be necessary honestly.

 

Sounds like a step that isn't totally necessary for cars that get parked outside very infrequently.

[Team Adam's]

BINGO!

Again, you can do it if you want, but the odds are you'll never expose your car enough (if its pampered) to ever kill the wax, so the sealant would never be of any benefit.

[Z06Seal]

BINGO!

 

Again, you can do it if you want, but the odds are you'll never expose your car enough (if its pampered) to ever kill the wax, so the sealant would never be of any benefit.

 

Doc,

 

I'm not TOO big of a fan of putting layers and layers of stuff on my car, so the less layers I have to put the better. (I rather spend less time detailing, more time admiring and driving)now while I have you here 

 

clay > Polish > glaze > wax... followed by some glaze whenever I'm taking the car to a show or want to bring some shine before a cruise. 

 

now another step saving procedural question... Can I go from the paint finishing polish to glaze then to wax without wiping it? I know you guys have shown in videos going from clay to paint correction to paint finishing and not wiping in between. Does this apply to paint finishing to glaze and wax as well?

 

lastly. I read your FAQ about what to use and explaining what each product is. (which I get 100%) but you suggest using glaze then wax. Doesn't glaze evaporate though eventually? which will take the wax off with it? or am I confused here.

Edited February 20, 2015 by Z06Seal

[Team Adam's]

Doc,

 

I'm not TOO big of a fan of putting layers and layers of stuff on my car, so the less layers I have to put the better. (I rather spend less time detailing, more time admiring and driving)now while I have you here 

 

clay > Polish > glaze > wax... followed by some glaze whenever I'm taking the car to a show or want to bring some shine before a cruise. 

 

now another step saving procedural question... Can I go from the paint finishing polish to glaze then to wax without wiping it? I know you guys have shown in videos going from clay to paint correction to paint finishing and not wiping in between. Does this apply to paint finishing to glaze and wax as well?

 

I'll line it out like this:

1. wash
2. dry
3. clay
4. correcting polish
5. finishing polish
6. WIPE RECOMMENDED but not required when you go to glaze.
7. Glaze
8. Wipe
9. Wax

Glaze has some light cleaning properties to it, so it will take the polish residues with it, however there is going to be some degree of sacrifice of function by muddying the mix with polish residues. Its a great time saver, but there is a drawback. To what degree I really don't know as I've not tested it extensively reason being I always wipe my polishes off for a final inspection before I go to the last steps. I want to be confident I fixed the paint to the degree I wanted before I start topping it with things. Theres no way to know what the polishing results were if I don't remove the residues first. Jumping to glaze only to find you put another layer down and now have to go back and hit a panel again to correct it more creates a large waste of time.

 

So long story short - if you want a fixed number of steps and will live with the results no matter what - skip the wipe between polishing and glazing. If you are going for a specific level of result, regardless of how many steps it takes, then wipe the polish and inspect before going to glaze.

 

Wax has no cleaning properties, so waxing over the glaze without first wiping down would just leave a mess.

 

 

I read your FAQ about what to use and explaining what each product is. (which I get 100%) but you suggest using glaze then wax. Doesn't glaze evaporate though eventually? which will take the wax off with it? or am I confused here.

 

Not really. Glaze is essentially (after the solvent content evaporates during application) a mixture of waxes and oils. While they're weak as a top coat they have nowhere to go while a higher durability wax is over the top, essentially locking the glaze down to a degree.

[The Ryan]

My ST has been sealed in the past, because I used to drive it daily. Now that it's a garage queen, it pretty much just collects dust.  I do a rinseless wash on it every other month, havent waxed it in over a year I think.  I pretty much start it up and drive it around the block once a week, other than that it's not even much of a weekend car...

 

As I'm sitting here thinking about it...

 

Edited February 20, 2015 by The Ryan

[Z06Seal]

I'll line it out like this:

1. wash
2. dry
3. clay
4. correcting polish
5. finishing polish
6. WIPE RECOMMENDED but not required when you go to glaze.
7. Glaze
8. Wipe
9. Wax

Glaze has some light cleaning properties to it, so it will take the polish residues with it, however there is going to be some degree of sacrifice of function by muddying the mix with polish residues. Its a great time saver, but there is a drawback. To what degree I really don't know as I've not tested it extensively reason being I always wipe my polishes off for a final inspection before I go to the last steps. I want to be confident I fixed the paint to the degree I wanted before I start topping it with things. Theres no way to know what the polishing results were if I don't remove the residues first. Jumping to glaze only to find you put another layer down and now have to go back and hit a panel again to correct it more creates a large waste of time.

 

So long story short - if you want a fixed number of steps and will live with the results no matter what - skip the wipe between polishing and glazing. If you are going for a specific level of result, regardless of how many steps it takes, then wipe the polish and inspect before going to glaze.

 

Wax has no cleaning properties, so waxing over the glaze without first wiping down would just leave a mess.

 

 

 

Not really. Glaze is essentially (after the solvent content evaporates during application) a mixture of waxes and oils. While they're weak as a top coat they have nowhere to go while a higher durability wax is over the top, essentially locking the glaze down to a degree.

 

Perfect, Thanks Doc

[Z06Seal]

My ST has been sealed in the past, because I used to drive it daily. Now that it's a garage queen, it pretty much just collects dust.  I do a rinseless wash on it every other month, havent waxed it in over a year I think.  I pretty much start it up and drive it around the block once a week, other than that it's not even much of a weekend car...

 

Sophisticated Cat.jpg

 

Yeah... you should probably sell it. maybe time for another toy lol

[PDC]

I am so impressed with the most recent iteration of the Liquid Paint Sealant that I actually ran with it as a stand alone product on my Garage Queen last spring. First, I completed a thorough "Type-A-I-Need-A-Therapist" correction ant slathered on a smooth, even coat of LPS. Added a second coat the next morning (car never left the garage between coats). It gave me the most unbelievable finish I have ever seen. Noticably 'slipperier' than a natural wax. Practically repels dust. Laid a coat of glaze on top by hand the day of a significant car show, and the paint looked positively luminescent. This year I will probably skip correction altogether. Wash, clay, LPS, and add glaze when you really want to make an impression. To each his own, but I'm all done trying products. Adams LPS is it.

[Z06Seal]

I am so impressed with the most recent iteration of the Liquid Paint Sealant that I actually ran with it as a stand alone product on my Garage Queen last spring. First, I completed a thorough "Type-A-I-Need-A-Therapist" correction ant slathered on a smooth, even coat of LPS. Added a second coat the next morning (car never left the garage between coats). It gave me the most unbelievable finish I have ever seen. Noticably 'slipperier' than a natural wax. Practically repels dust. Laid a coat of glaze on top by hand the day of a significant car show, and the paint looked positively luminescent. This year I will probably skip correction altogether. Wash, clay, LPS, and add glaze when you really want to make an impression. To each his own, but I'm all done trying products. Adams LPS is it.

 

Crazy... perhaps soon we'll start seeing synthetic products like LPS that will outshine and outperform traditional waxes in every way possible?

[BrianT]

I've sealed it twice in 7 years. Poor thing doesn't get driven much at all.

[Team Adam's]

The fact is the gap between waxes and sealants in terms of gloss has gotten smaller. LPS and HGG are closer than anything we've done before.

[Beemer]

Why choose?  Sealant for longevity AND wax for dripping wet depth.  Worth the small amount of time it takes to apply both.

[Odds and Ends]

The fact is the gap between waxes and sealants in terms of gloss has gotten smaller. LPS and HGG are closer than anything we've done before.

 

Agreed.....the shine of today's sealers is very comparable to most waxes.  While there are some guys who claim that they can see a difference and the sealers are shiny, but look "fake", while a wax will offer more "depth", I'd be hard pressed to tell much of a difference.

 

As for my garage queens/weekend cars, I use 2 coats of LPS.  The slickness and shine is unbelievable and I get lots of questions from customers and friends when they see the cars in the shop as to what's on them to make them look so "glossy and wet".  I maintain both of those cars with a combination of Rinseless Washes and Bucket Washes, but top them with a coat of Brilliant Glaze about every other wash.  The layered LPS creates a super base of protection and the glaze keeps them ready to drive and/or show.

 

- Darryl

[Ricky Bobby]

^Agreed on all fronts Darryl.

[j-r35]

Love the new liquid paint sealant.  Tried it on the wifes vw and it looks far glossier than the previous gen.  Seal the gtr since it's technically my summer ride but never my daily (tundra). 

[Z06Seal]

The fact is the gap between waxes and sealants in terms of gloss has gotten smaller. LPS and HGG are closer than anything we've done before.

 

Maybe in the next 5 years with improvements in the technology, waxes will be a novelty thing.

[goheels]

Maybe in the next 5 years with improvements in the technology, waxes will be a novelty thing.

A topic that certainly has been covered in other auto care forums. iMHO less than 5 years, and with the great sealant options out there that have similar shine than premium waxes, for me they already are obsolete.

[Ricky Bobby]

^agreed. They shine as well and last 2-3x longer. Wax is obsolete as of now for me