Joe, can I ask what your recommendation would be in my situation? No PPF, no ceramic coat, I enjoy weekly cleaning my car (it's like therapy to me, haha), but I'm not obsessive about it. Any thought? Thanks!
Hey, AC2DC. Glad Topper worked out for you!
From the pics, it looks like your paint is in great condition. Here are two options for you:
The "Simple" option:
I think if you just keep washing it regularly (whether it is with Jersey Devil waterless wash, Wash Wax All, or other mediums) and then maintanining it with Topper either as a drying aid or on its own, you should be good. What's great about both Jersey Devil and Topper is that both products are ceramic-infused, so they actually offer a bit of protection all on their own. PolySeal offers more protection than either JD or Topper. So I would apply PolySeal at least once every 3 months as my main protection, esp on paint that has no PPF or ceramic coating. Then use Jersey Devil for weekly washes and Topper every 2-3 washes. Some people have actually mixed Jersey Devil and Topper 50/50 and used that as a waterless wash, which might save you a step.
The "Not Quite as Simple Option":
Because sealants bond best to clean, bare, unprotected paint, the other option is to wash your car with a wash medium that leaves no waxes, gloss enhancers, or anything else on the paint. My favorite for this is Mckees37 N-914 Rinseless Wash. You can even use N-914 at a "Paint prep" strong dilution strength, which will not only clean the paint but strip any old waxes or sealants. After this wash, you can check your paint to see if you need to clay the paint to remove embedded contaminants. The risk of claying paint is that even with a lot of lubrication, you can often easily marr the paint. Some people say if you are going to clay, you should always follow up with a polish to remove any marring. Some people also use an iron remover such as Iron-X to further decontaminate the paint.
Once your paint is squeaky clean and all contaminants are removed, you can then apply PolySeal as your base level of protection.
The three products of PolySeal, JD, and Topper work really well together.
One last thought. The only negative about Jersey Devil is the cost. It comes in a ready to use solution in a gallon for about $65. It is more cost effective to use a rinseless or waterless wash solution that comes in a concentrate. For example, ONR or ONRWW. Since you are using PolySeal, which is ceramic-infused, you could go for a ceramic-infused rinseless wash such as those offered by Mckees37 or Wolfgang. I actually emailed Xtreme Solutions and suggested that they consider offering Jersey Devil in a concetrate form to make it more cost effective.
Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions and hope that helps,
Joebruin77