My search for a spray sealant that protects and gives tons of gloss is over...

[joebruin77]

Over the past few months, I have been searching for a SiO2 (ceramic) spray sealant that provides protection as well as extreme gloss. I have tried and liked Opticoat's Hyper Seal, The Last Coat 2.0, and Technician's Choice Ceramic Detail Spray. I still recommend any of these products.

However, today I tried a new sealant and it is by far and away my favorite. It is Xtreme Solutions Poly-Seal. They call it a hybrid sealant because it contains SiO2 AND carnauba. There are several different ways to apply it. You can apply it to a wet car or you can apply it using a damp MF towel. But you do have to apply it with some water. The result is amazing. The paint has the glow of a traditional carnauba wax and the slickness and protection of SiO2.

Here is a shot of my P3D. My apologies for it not being the best shot. It was over a 100 degrees when this shot was taken today and I just wanted to get back into the air conditioned house asap. I also included a pic of the Poly Seal bottle in case you wanted to check out the product.

 

[bpobill]

Looks like every other clean car I’ve ever seen. I don’t get all the hype with ceramic. People are paying astronomical prices for ceramic products but it looks no different than a clean waxed car.

 

[c615586]

For me one of the advantages of a ceramic coat is that it lasts longer than regular carnauba wax and the car is easier to clean the next time around. I had a professional detail guy put ceramic coat on my old Model S but didn't put it on my wife's X. Whenever I wash the cars, the dirt and grime sort of falls off the S but I have to use more elbow grease to get the X clean.

I applied ceramic coat to my new M3P a few weeks agoe, but haven't washed it, yet. It will be interesting to see if my application works as well as the detail guy.

 

[c615586]

Question--do you need to strip all the previously applied wax/sealer off the car to apply this Xtreme Solutions stuff?

 

[joebruin77]

Looks like every other clean car I’ve ever seen. I don’t get all the hype with ceramic. People are paying astronomical prices for ceramic products but it looks no different than a clean waxed car.

I respect your opinion, that ceramic is overblown and not worth the extra money. And I do see the value in using traditional washes and waxes. They work well enough and don't cost as much. However, I think your criticism only applies to some overhyped products. For example, I personally think F-11 sealant is way overpriced and way underperforms. But others, such as Poly-Seal and the others I listed perform much better than traditional waxes and sealants. And honestly they are not that much more expensive than traditional waxes. For example, Poly-Seal runs $24.95 for a quart-size container. If you register on xtreme solutions facebook page, you get a coupon for 20% off. And Technicians Choice is a tremendous value at $40 a gallon!

If you love as much gloss as possible as I do, then you will see a noticeable difference in shine and gloss. You can do an experiment where you apply Optimum's polymer sealant Opti-Seal to half your hood. Then apply Opticoat's Hyper Seal to the other half. You will be able to see a noticeable difference in gloss on the Hyper Seal side. And there are videos of reputable detailers on youtube using gloss meters to prove that the difference is real.

Here is one such video that reviewed Poly-Seal. It is from Brian with Apex Detail and I really respect his work and reviews. In this video, he used a gloss meter to show that Poly-Seal bumped up the gloss on black paint by 6.2 Gloss Units.

 

[joebruin77]

Question--do you need to strip all the previously applied wax/sealer off the car to apply this Xtreme Solutions stuff?

Whenever I apply a new sealant, I do remove the old sealant first. That way, it forms a stronger bond directly to the paint. I personally use Mckees 37 N-914 rinsless wash at the paint prep strength to accomplish this.

That said, if you don't want to go to the trouble of removing any existing sealants, you can try Poly-Seal on top of your existing sealant after a normal wash. My guess is that it will still improve the appearance of the paint, but it may not be quite as much or last quite as long as compared to applying it to clean and bare paint.

 

[TLLMRRJ]

Looks like every other clean car I’ve ever seen. I don’t get all the hype with ceramic. People are paying astronomical prices for ceramic products but it looks no different than a clean waxed car.

True. Any pics of recently ceramic coated cars are useless unless half the car was ceramic coated and the other half used some modern, but much easier and much less expensive products. But if you did that, you wouldn't see a difference, so people don't.

Most of the benefits from ceramic coating really comes from the deep cleaning and polishing of the paint, not the ceramic coating. Now, modern products (i.e. not your grandpa's Turtle Wax Spray Wax) just spray on, wipe off, and give months of easy cleaning and shine, and then can easily be reapplied after a wash. Most ceramic coatings require "boosting" every few months, which is really just using these same type of spray on products because ceramic coatings don't last as long as advertised. Might as well just use the spray on products like the one in the OP from the start and save yourself a big expense and headache.

 

[SweetLou]

Interesting product. With traditional waxes and even newer sealants, the paint prep (correction) has the vast majority of influence on the gloss (aka reflectivity or perceived depth)with a slight amount of final gloss or "warmth" depending on the final product. There was an interesting read a few years ago on a popular UK detailing forum comparing dozens of final products with the same prep work across cars. One of the cheapest waxes (collinite) was a top choice based off final impression, beading, and punched up there with the most expensive products and lasted significantly longer.

You mentioned opti-seal for a comparison, which got a bunch of buzz when it first came out. Personally, I did not care for it except on trim, headlights, and wheels as there is no need to dry it or worry about staining. Other spray products (my personal favorite is duragloss aquawax) are much cheaper and last longer.

Might give this stuff a try. Currently looking at gtechnique C2 liquid crystal, and

 

[joebruin77]

Interesting product. With traditional waxes and even newer sealants, the paint prep (correction) has the vast majority of influence on the gloss (aka reflectivity or perceived depth)with a slight amount of final gloss or "warmth" depending on the final product. There was an interesting read a few years ago on a popular UK detailing forum comparing dozens of final products with the same prep work across cars. One of the cheapest waxes (collinite) was a top choice based off final impression, beading, and punched up there with the most expensive products and lasted significantly longer.

You mentioned opti-seal for a comparison, which got a bunch of buzz when it first came out. Personally, I did not care for it except on trim, headlights, and wheels as there is no need to dry it or worry about staining. Other spray products (my personal favorite is duragloss aquawax) are much cheaper and last longer.

Might give this stuff a try. Currently looking at gtechnique C2 liquid crystal, and

Thanks for your post. I am a huge fan of Collinite waxes. I have used both Collinite 845 and 915 and they are the best carnauba waxes I have ever used. But there are two reasons why I do not currently use them. First, they can stain black trim. So if you use them, you have to be very careful not to get them on any trim. And no matter how careful I am, I always get at least some on black trim somewhere. You can tape off the trim, but that is an extra step and a hassle. Second, my car has Xpel PPF and the Collinite waxes have not been designated as safe for PPF.

I agree with you about OptiSeal. It is not my favorite polymer sealant. But Hyper Seal is like OptiSeal on steroids. Hyper Seal is one of the best SiO2 sray sealants on the market. I will check out the duragloss aquawax you mentioned.

In a way, Xtreme Solutions blends the best of both worlds - carnauba wax combined with SiO2. It is an easy to apply spray form and can be applied to all exterior surfaces. And at $24.95 for a quart, it is a good value.

 

[TyH2009]

Interesting.

If I didn't have a ton of other stuff left over, I'd like to give this a try.

Have you heard that there's a new formula of TW Seal n Shine? Supposed to have Si02 in it and a more "pleasant" scent. I actually bought a bottle from Walmart and will pick it up someone this week. Not many reviews of it yet. Pan the Organizer did a review and liked it, nothing really in depth about it's chemical resistance YET, but he said it's coming.

I do still have 2 bottles of the original, a 80% bottle left of TW Ceramic Spray Coating, 80% left of the Technician's Choice, and now a new bottle of the new SnS, so it's hard for me to buy anything else. I also just washed the car yesterday and finally used the TW Ceramic Wet Wax and I loved it.

Honestly I wasn't super thrilled with the Ceramic Spray coating itself, applying it was nice and easy, but at least for the length of time it seemed to be active, granted it did see winter with salt/other chemicals on the road so it did take a beating, and I only did 1 coat, but it seemed to really only give maybe 3 months of solid protection.

 

[enigmata]

Gave it a try on both the Model 3 and S. There is the gloss factor but I don’t think it’s any replacement for ceramic coating. Easy to apply, though took me about an hour for both cars after wash and shampoo.

 

[linuxguyInMD]

joebruin thanks for posting this, I see that you've posted many times around detailing. Is this a topcoat? Did you throw away your towels (SiO2) after applying the product?

 

[joebruin77]

joebruin thanks for posting this, I see that you've posted many times around detailing. Is this a topcoat? Did you throw away your towels (SiO2) after applying the product?

Poly-seal is an LSP (Last Step Prodcut) designed to provide gloss and protection for your paint.

You do not need to throw away your towels after applying, as the concentration of SiO2 is not nearly as high as say in a true ceramic coating. However, after I am done with towels used to apply it, I place them in a washbucket filled with my rinseless wash solution such as ONR or Mckees 37 N-914. This prevents any possible chance that the SiO2 particles would harden. And then I wash them as soon as I am done cleaning and detailing the car. As with any microfiber towels, dry them on the ultra low dryer setting and do NOT use fabric softener.

Hope that helps.

 

[mikeymike88]

So could I use this as a drying aid for ONR washes? I've been doing purely ONR washes with a SiO2 infused drying aid, but was considering getting Hyper Seal to use as a drying aid. Would you recommend this over Hyper Seal in that scenario as a drying aid? Wonder if it has the same protection properties as Hyper Seal...

 

[joebruin77]

So could I use this as a drying aid for ONR washes? I've been doing purely ONR washes with a SiO2 infused drying aid, but was considering getting Hyper Seal to use as a drying aid. Would you recommend this over Hyper Seal in that scenario as a drying aid? Wonder if it has the same protection properties as Hyper Seal...

Yes, you can use this as a drying aid for ONR washes. I have used Hyper Seal as a drying aid for an ONR wash and it works great. Since ONR and Hyper Seal are made by the same manufacturer, the two products are guaranteed to work well together. Hyper Seal leaves a slick, glossy surface. My only two negatives about Hyper Seal as a drying aid are 1) the smell and 2) the cost. Hyper Seal does have a bit of a chemical smell that slightly detracts from the overall experience of using it. Also, Hyper Seal is more expensive at $49.99 for a 16 oz bottle. Yes, a little goes a long way. But if you do weekly ONR washes, there are more cost-effective drying aids out there.

Xtreme Solutions Poly-Seal works great as a drying aid. It needs to be applied on a wet surface or with a damp MF towel. And because it contains carnauba as well as SiO2, you get the glow and gloss of carnauba along with the protection of SiO2. And it is more cost effective than Hyper Seal at $24.95 for a quart.

If you do frequent ONR washes, I think Technicians Choice Ceramic Detail Spray is a great option for a drying aid. Of the 3 products, it smells the best (sort like a coconut/pina colada scent), leaves almost as much gloss as Poly-Seal, and leaves the paint feeling super slick. And at $40 a gallon, it is a much better value than Hyper Seal.

 

[mikeymike88]

Yes, you can use this as a drying aid for ONR washes. I have used Hyper Seal as a drying aid for an ONR wash and it works great. Since ONR and Hyper Seal are made by the same manufacturer, the two products are guaranteed to work well together. Hyper Seal leaves a slick, glossy surface. My only two negatives about Hyper Seal as a drying aid are 1) the smell and 2) the cost. Hyper Seal does have a bit of a chemical smell that slightly detracts from the overall experience of using it. Also, Hyper Seal is more expensive at $49.99 for a 16 oz bottle. Yes, a little goes a long way. But if you do weekly ONR washes, there are more cost-effective drying aids out there.

Xtreme Solutions Poly-Seal works great as a drying aid. It needs to be applied on a wet surface or with a damp MF towel. And because it contains carnauba as well as SiO2, you get the glow and gloss of carnauba along with the protection of SiO2. And it is more cost effective than Hyper Seal at $24.95 for a quart.

If you do frequent ONR washes, I think Technicians Choice Ceramic Detail Spray is a great option for a drying aid. Of the 3 products, it smells the best (sort like a coconut/pina colada scent), leaves almost as much gloss as Poly-Seal, and leaves the paint feeling super slick. And at $40 a gallon, it is a much better value than Hyper Seal.

Thank you for the info! Think I'll order a pint of the PolySeal and see how I like it and then decide whether to keep that or try Hyper Seal or the Ceramic Detail spray. Glad to hear you like it though!

 

[TypeRx]

I'll have to try out Xtreme Solutions Poly-Seal next time I place a detailing products order. I do have to say though that either P&S Beadmaker or Optimum Car Wax are both great drying aids that also provide residual protection and gloss. OCW smells better than Beadmaker with both being pretty simple to use post ONR or traditional car wash.

 

[Adam3]

I applied CarPro ceramic myself and use CarPro Reload to refresh shine and protection. Do you think I should just stick with Reload?

 

[joebruin77]

I'll have to try out Xtreme Solutions Poly-Seal next time I place a detailing products order. I do have to say though that either P&S Beadmaker or Optimum Car Wax are both great drying aids that also provide residual protection and gloss. OCW smells better than Beadmaker with both being pretty simple to use post ONR or traditional car wash.

I tried Beadmaker. If you want lots of gloss and slickness, then Beadmaker is great. But I personally did not care for Beadmaker for two reasons. First, it provides very minimal level of protection and durability. There are lots of videos on youtube showing that Beadmaker was stripped after just a couple of car washes. I prefer a sealant that provides more durable protection from bird bombs and chemical contaminants. Also, despite its name, Beadmaker is not the most hydrophobic spray sealant. There are many others that provide better water beading. Plus, when used as a topper for certain ceramic coatings, Beadmaker actually degraded the hydrophobic properties of the ceramic coating.

I have an older post about Technicians Choice Ceramic Detail Spray on TMC. In that post, I talked about how TC CDS is like a ceramic bead maker. I personally would chose TC CDS over Beadmaker. But again it is a personal preference and I get why many people love using Beadmaker as a drying aid. The gloss and slickness are addictive.

I have not yet tried OCW but plan to try it after I have used up my Meguiars D156.

 

[joebruin77]

I applied CarPro ceramic myself and use CarPro Reload to refresh shine and protection. Do you think I should just stick with Reload?

I am not an expert, but since your coating and Reload are made by the same manufacturer, my guess is that they work well together. On the other hand, you can always experiment with a small bottle of TC CDS and see how it compares. Here is an interesting video that speaks to your question: