Spray wax / detailer recommendations?

This is the one Steve mentioned

 

I put Reload on half of the hood on both mine and daughter’s trucks yesterday, and Sonax on the other. At first glance, they produced similar results. I’ll do a water test this evening and report back. I didn’t want to do it immediately after applying, so it could cure some.
The Reload is easier to apply. The Sonax is thicker, and doesn’t spread as easily.
I also did a fender using Sonax as a quick detailer. It did ok. The thickness of it makes it a little tougher to use. I’d make sure it didn’t dry. Wipe it off fast.

 

Cool! I look forward to seeing the results!

I ended up ordering some Reload (500ml spray) and ONR shine (32oz no wax).

I’ll play with them independently before trying to mix into a detail spray. Just me and the kids until Sunday evening, hopefully I can take an opportunity to play with it.

 

worth taking the plunge and buying a gallon?

 

So, both seemed to have pretty equal water shedding levels. I got a good test with all the rain yesterday. One thing strange though. When wet, the Sonax side appears to have a lot more haze in it than the Reload side. It’s not apparent when dry. They look the same until covered in water. I didn’t get a pic yesterday because of the storm, but I took this one this morning, when it was wet from dew. Though it isn’t visible when dry, it is a turn off for me. They both seem to coat the same, but the Reload is easier to apply, so I’ll stick with that. The only advantage the Sonax has is the price.

Reload on left, Sonax on right:

 

I'm a big fan of Reload.

 

For a quick and easy shine between waxes I use turtle wax spray on as I dry the truck

 

I really like reload as a sealant and ech2o for a detailed. I will be using some spray wax soon to add some depth and luster. Not sure what yet, either meg untimate spray was or megs gold class carnuba. I read the gold class carnuba looks better on dark paint but the ultimate is easy to use and lasts longer

 

Guys - just leave the research to Obssesed Garage. Matt will figure it out. Search YouTube and follow him. You won’t go wrong.

 

OPT Optimum (NR2010Q) No Rinse Wash & Shine - 32 oz.

$19 Optimum No Rinse Wash and Shine - ONR Car Wash, New Formula Version 5, Safe on Paint, Coatings, Wraps, and Interior, Rinseless Wash provides a Car Wash Soap Alternative (32 oz)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D8DR0AO/

ONR: as a rinseless wash I’m not really impressed. I did an evening wash after the sun went down behind the houses. The water I rinsed the truck off with was already mostly dry by the time I got to the hood (washed roof then drivers side doors and worked my way forward). Also not great at cleaning much off other than light dirt. I probably only put 50 mi on since my last wash, a few bugs on the grille didn’t seem to want to scrub off. I used 1.5oz in 3 gal of water.
I’ll probably stick with a mr pink wash for now. I’ll try ONR as a detail spray next. Then maybe mix in some Reload and see how I like that.


CarPro Reload Spray Sealant 500 milliter with Sprayer

$40 CARPRO Reload 1.0 500mL (Version 1.0 - Discontinued in 2023)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L9A0AC8/

Love the way Reload goes on and buffs off. Love the feel of the paint after as well. Super excited to see how this does over the long haul!

I’ll take a few pics tomorrow after the sun comes up. It was dark when I’d finished.

 

For the bugs, use bounce sheets and water. I spray water over the area, rub the bounce sheets over it, then rinse off. It works really well. I’ve seen guys put the bounce sheets in a spray bottle full of water and use that as well.

 

Just tried this for the first time this afternoon. I ordered some after seeing your post. Wow. My first impression is that this stuff is top notch. You’re right about the slickness. Holy crap. I’m excited to use this more extensively. Thanks for the recommendation!

@driverdog @SouthBoundSteve have you guys tried this?

 

Based on every review I saw, I ordered a gallon of this...Autopia has 25% off sale...can not wait to get it

 

I also went ahead and ordered a gallon.

 

Do you ever listen to the Auto Detailing Podcast? There’s some pretty good stuff on there.
A very interesting episode where he interviewed Berry Meguair:

https://podtail.com/podcast/the-aut...-ca/-tbt-the-meguiars-empire-w-barry-meguiar/

 

If you want to try it I can send you some. I think you’ll be impressed.

 

I just washed my truck and then dried it. Decided to try out Megs ultimate wax which is a spray and only $8 at walmart.

About 2 weeks ago I did a pretty extensive detail on my truck including clay mitt and megs polish followed by a coat of carpro reload.

I will say the megs ultimate wax was very very easy to apply. Mist the panel, wipe it around then buff it off. The whole truck took maybe 20 or 30 minutes once it was all dry.

I started with half the hood and while there was no noticeable change in the way the pain looked it was definitely smoother and slicker on the side with the megs wax. Even though I had just used reload 2 weeks ago. From there I worked my way around the truck. It did not leave any residue once buffed off. Even on black plastic trim. I also did the lights and there were no issues there either.

My car was beading very well from the reload already so we'll see if this makes a difference or not.

All in all I'd say this is a good product. They say it has very good longevity, more than most spray wax which leaves it maybe more towards a sealant than a wax.

My next bottle of spray wax will be something specifically made for black or dark pain. I have read it actually does make a difference. If anyone has anything they recommend I'd be open to ideas.

This is a good product overall and very affordable. It wont replace my beloved reload but is well worth having in the garage.

Didnt take pics of the truck because I felt the thunderstorm moving in. Got her back in the garage for the afternoon.

 

Anyone have anything the recommend for a dark paint? Or something you've tried that's specifically made for black or dark paint?
I may try this beadmaker stuff when it's time for a new bottle of spray wax but hear good things about black paint specific products working well on dark blue cars

 

If you're talking about a quick detailer or spray wax, I've not seen one advertised as more beneficial for dark paint versus lighter colors. I have a pyrite mica truck, and have not noticed any difference between the products I've used. There are glazes, however, that are billed as 'for darker paint', such as PoorBoys Black Hole and Chemical Guys Black Light. I've tried Black Hole on a dark car, mainly to fill some light scratches the customer did not want to pay to correct. I also tried their White Diamond Glaze, for the same issue, which is geared toward lighter paints. There was no noticeable difference

 

The meguiars quick (quik) wax and ultimate QW - maroon and black bottles, respectively - can’t be beat for results, ease of use, and forgiveness.

It can literally be sprayed on your windows and plastic without causing the white spots. Can be applied in the sun and to a wet (minimally) surface.

Can’t be beat in my opinion

 

So, an update to this experiment. I applied these to the hoods of mine and my daughter’s trucks on August 7th. I washed both again this past Saturday, so August 25th. The Reload was still in effect, and repelling water like a champ. The Sonax side was pretty much gone. Water was not repelled at all. So, after about 2 1/2 weeks, the Sonax had failed.

After the wash, I used Carpro Eraser on my whole truck, washed again, and put P&S Bead Maker on the whole thing. I’ll report back in a few weeks to how well it held up. If it does the same as the Sonax, then I’ll just stick with Reload. I’ve actually yet to see Reload fail, though I do reapply it pretty regularly when I’m not testing other things.

 

Thanks for posting this. I'm a big fan of reload as well. I first used it this summer. Last year I used their hydro2 and got a few months of protection, but I hear reload will last even longer.
Only caveat to reload IMO is the lack of a good deep shine or gloss. Dont get me wrong it is shiny but not a really deep gloss. Interested in the beadmaker for that, or maybe aquawax which I've been ready alot od great things about.

 

I have Aquawax, and it does shine up very well. I haven’t used it a ton though, so I can’t speak of how well it holds up. I’ve just done a few panels here and there. I like the Reload because it feels like it spreads better than the competition. I think it does a pretty good job of shining paint up. I know that people have raved about it when I’ve done other people’s cars.

The only real downfall to Reload is the cost. It’s much more expensive compared to its competitors. That said, I feel like the same amount of product goes a long way compared to others. For example, as much as I love Bead Maker so far, it takes quite a bit of product to cover the truck. You have to put it in pretty thick. I used almost an entire one pint bottle on my truck. I also did my wife’s Sequoia, and it took the whole bottle, and I didn’t even do the roof. It’s nowhere near that much Reload to do the same thing.

So, Reload costs at least twice as much, but I get at least twice as much coverage in my opinion.

 

Used this griots speed shine today to get off a shit load of smashed bugs on the front end and touch up a few spots from sap and finger prints. Worked well, very very nice spray nozzle, wipes off easily, leaves a good shine. It's cheap too, this big just was $10 at I think walmart. I think ech2o is better but this is solid for quick wipe downs and bug cleaning. It's slick too, but definitely on the thin watery side, it would be a great clay lube IMO especially for the price and amount you get.

 

Great buy if u got that for 10.00...its normally 13.99 online. It is a solid quick detailer, and its what I use as clay lube. As silly as it sounds, Griots spray nozzles are some of the best out there. I save mine and re-purpose them when I empty a bottle of their product.

 

I got it with a coupon from detailed image with some polishing pads, not Walmart like I originally thought. To many orders lately lol.
And I agree about the spray nozzle, it's really good and I'll definitely hold onto it when the bottle is empty

 

I use the turtle wax ice.it does a good job and can use on the windows and doesn't leave any white residue.I use my California duster first then the wax.1/2 hour later looks awesome! That is how I have taken care of my 2000 tundra .

 

I’ve used that some also. Not bad at all.

 

This will likely be my go to clay lube and used for quick debugging of front grill.

It won't replace the ech2o I used for waterless washes and quick detailing, it just doesn't seem as good.

 

No, but it’s pretty good. There’s just better.