hey there, i have recently detailed a jet black porsche 997 which got just one (!) coat of crystal rock some 6 months ago. So....before I detailed the car again I went to see how well CR was doin its job after I washed and clayed the car. The results can be seen in this video (after 37 sec or so): YouTube - Porsche 997 detailed car is kept in a carport and has been driven about 10k km's since it was detailed! handwash only and really really well taken care of! cheers mac
I always thought claying helped remove the wax? :shrug: Also, you can get beading just from having a smooth surface. Not saying there's no CR there, but it's less likely since you had just washed and clayed it :shrug:
maybe to be a little more precise: the only place where this car needed claying was just above the numberplate in order to remove some killed bugs and that sort of stuff. it barley needed claying when i checked the car after a good 2bm wash and prior the dryin stage.
Just to be thorough, if you were washing with a shampoo that contained polymers, that would also help to maintain the beading effect. And like doot said, beading is not a sure sign that anything is there.
dunno your order when it comes to detailing a car but i usually polish the car AFTER i washed it ! maybe the beading doesnt really show up that well in this video, right, but i do think that the sheeting is very good - especially on the bonnet!
Haha that's not what I mean. I'm assuming that the beading you're experiencing is just the polished surface and not still protected by wax. The beading doesn't look fast enough to me.
I agree. There is no way a carnuba will last 6 months.. especially if it's regularly washed. Most SEALANTS don't even last 6 months, hell, even 4. I would be happy to get a month out of a 'nuba on my metallic silver.
Further more, we all know there are several factors that make waxes and sealants degrade faster. UV rays are normally the biggest factor, but anywhere bugs have hit or bird bombs have been dropped are of course at higher risk of protection failure. Additionally though, color plays a major role. On a recent clients black Jeep, we took temperature readings of 134 degrees for a front fender that was in the sun for 10 minutes, while a rear fender in the shade was 51 degrees. The rapid heating and cooling over time no doubt will affect any protection agent, and darker colors absorb more heat much quicker than lighter colors. On the other hand, I have no doubt that Crystal Rock will last 6-12 months. Of course that's on a white car that is only driven at night once a month and is stored inside a climate controlled garage, under a car cover.
I think people just want to believe CR has special superwax abilities because you have to think something to make the $1200 price tag worth it! I just want to say that I am in no way knocking it, I have heard it is nothing but fantastic, easy on, easy off, looks great, very durable for a nuba... but I just can't see spending that money... but hell give me another few weeks around here and I'll prolly want it...
I thought this guy did a wax test and some carnauba waxes (Vintage and Glasur) lasted 6 and 1/2 months Biggest Wax Test Ever - Detailing World
togwt also did some testing (or at least has the results) of temperature differences depending on color.