Hello guys, As a person in non English speaking nation, I have learned about the word " Snake Oil " from a person from FL. Well, we do have the matching or say the similar word to express the same thing. And there are tons of those car care products which could be called as the " SO " and many of those are in the world of polymers. Luckily, my wife's brother is a chemist and he tells me things about how a polymer is being developed and how those works. Before going further, here in Japan, there are so many new polymer wax like coating products which claim as it creates the glass-like film with hardness of 9H and presents the wet look. Some idiots tell that theirs are so called as the " Fiberglass Polymers " which doesn't make sense at all. What they claim is that theirs have the material Si ( = Silicon, not Silicone ) in the link of polymer. But what the polymer which has the Si in it is called as the Silicone. So basically, it is the family of silicone polymer and claiming a " glass " or " glass fiber " is a pure non-sense. Si is the main ingredient of the glass and that's true but no one calls the Silicone as glass. One other thing about the polymers is that when forming the protective film by chemical reaction, there is something to work as the catalyst. Oxygen, water or UV, there is something to lit the fire and to let the polymer link together to form the film. And such film is not always work as expected. For example, about 10 years ago, Nissan had the dealer option of what they called as the Super Hard Coat. It required the professional work including buffing before applying the polymer and it sure looked good and water run and disappear like snakes with the most slippery skin. But it sure made the surface hard and brought the unexpected problems; paint chipping. Stone or even the pebbles could crack the hard film an the film was bonded on the paint and so it too the paint with it when the film cracked and chipped. After a few months, Nissan pended the dealer option and spend a lot for the complaint claims for removing the cured polymer film and touch up works. But now, the chemical or say the polymer technology had some leaps and there are good products out there. However those are very hard to find, or say hard to figure out as it is good or not because usually, those are buried in the other snake oil sorts. One thing to make the thing clear is that how the water gets on the finished paint surface. If the water forms the beads, then the polymer creates the wax/ oil like surface. If the polymer creates or forms the glass-like surface, the surface would be pro-water and the water will not form the beads. The " now " glass-like surface producing polymers are hard but have the sheerness to prevent the paint chipping like those used to have. My colleagues and I did the series of tests on the Japanese car magazine and tried on those new polymer paint protectants which forms the wet look. And t make the long story short, almost all the water bead generating polymers will present the real wet look but those last for a month or two. Most of them forms the single layer polymer link film and the characteristic of the film could be said as that of the silicone. The other types which forms the pro-water surface are more complicated and those are the true product of the now chemistry. Most of them have the two layer polymer link films and protects the pant much longer and the make the in between car wash much easier. The best or say the one which lasts the longest was about 6 months. In Japan, cars kept in the garage is rare. So if the car is kept inside the garage, the strength of the film could be hold for about a year or so. But one thing to make it clear is that to form the protective film which presents the better look on the paint is up to the quality or say the condition of the paint surface. So the buffing or clay cleaning is recommended before applying the polymer. After all, the overall impression and the comments from all the staff who worked on the series of feature was the same. The better product is always easier to work on. There are products which forms the tough and long lasting film which shines beautifully, but most o those requires " hard " work and care until the polymer forms and cures correctly as the manufacturers expect. Sometimes that is too much for the ordinary person, or even for the pro. For example, a product required the full prep work wit buffer and or the clay, and the paint surface has to be dead dry when applying the polymer, and then after the application, the car has to be exposed under the UV for at least 4 hours ( the directions tells as full sunshine is preferred ) and then keep inside the air tight garage where you are sure to avoid any morning dew or a drop of water to touch the finished surface, for 48 hours. This is the typical chemical product produced by the chemist who seeks for good or the best but never thought of the users. And if there was something wrong even you followed the instructions correctly and did as they said, they will ask you as " are you sure ? ". We hated this product. However it did formed the great protective film on the surface of the recently show paint finished pedal car. If the car is in this size, or say the motorcycle and you have the air tight garage, and patient enough to wait for 48 hours, then this product is for you. But it was the most expensive and it had the most caution marks and notes on the box and the instructions. The very best products we have chosen are 1. easy to work on, 2. don't have to worry a lot after application, 3. you don't need a garage, and 4. easy to clean with the simple car wash in between the next coating which required for the understandable intervals. I would like to tell you the name of the product which collected the most points and selected as the best product but will do that next time, after checking whether I am allowed to do that here. If someone could tell me the rule for that, it is appreciated. We were told by the manufacturer that they are having many contacts from those TV informercial people in the States. And they are not sure they are able to use the same product name there due to the registered trademark matters. But they said as they are willing to go to the States. The president of the manufacturing company is the chemist and the true gear head who knows about the car buffs. I wish him having the success. WIll come back with the more information on this.
Good post! Can you tell me please this product? We hear relatively little about Japanese car care products. I'm personally would be interested in coatings like G'Zox Glass Coat or D Crystal Coat or similar. How are they perform in real world conditions? Here in Hungary they are completely unknown, but the technology is really interesting. BTW, I'm fondly remembering my days at the Sakata Business School... Ah, and you can mention the products; it is an open discussion on a great board!
Currently, those polymer coating wax products being offered by the leading manufacturers are above the average line. But I don' think as those " Glass " or the " crystal " words used to express the image of the finished surface is not as believable in the real world. Right after the application is completed, it looks as the product name image express. But after a few weeks or so, the ease of regular car wash won't be enough. Some parts of the body seems to be in the need of the extra additional work. That's why they offer the maintenance spray which is to touch up the surface losing the expected strength f the film. The product which we have selected by voting of in total of 12 editorial staff after testing and using those products was the one called the Bliss. It has three different products which are improved and had the evolution from version 1 to 3. All of them re so easy to apply. First wash and clean the car thoroughly and if you have the time and passion or say the energy to do the clay work after that, you will be able to have the best result. The good thing about the Bliss is that all of them are so easy to use. It can be used when the car is still wet ( and it is better to apply on wet surface ), and use the sponge to spread the polymer on the surface. It comes with the spray bottle and a few squirts will be good for even the biggest and widest hood. Then spread out with the sponge and that's it. It can be used on rubber, plastic glass and any materials on the car's surface and that's another good part of the products. Then use the microfiber cloth which comes with the package and then wipe the car fry with the terry cloth or the artificial shammy like absorbers and those water sucking sheets. Using the V.01, you will be able to have the water beading surface film for 2 to 3 month and all you have to do is to just do the regular car wash. The rest of V.01 and V.03 are basically the same. But the latest V.03 forms the pro-water surface which drains the water with sheets and not by beads. It is quite impressive when you see the water run away like water like creatures. The Bliss V3.0 forms the dual layer polymer on the surface and it sticks to the bofy with the chemical reaction of the water, and then forms the mighty film by exposed to the oxygen in the air. Takes about 48 hours to cure but you can drive the car even in the pouring rain. It just takes 48 hours if you want to have another coat on the former one. This product made our test car VW W8 Passat and VW Beetle and Chevy Camaro '69 with the wet shiny look for at least months and all we need to do is to have the regular hose water and wash mitt car wash. If you want that distinctive shiny look of the carnauba paste wax, you can apply that on the Bliss coated surface, too. The other good ting about the product is that you don't have to worry the polymer fluids go on to the weather strips and other plastic and rubber like trims and other parts. SO this is very good for the motorcycles as well. I heard that the manufacturer has hired the good business consultant in the States who is the gear head as well and he is the auto paint expert. So the chances are, the product will be offered to the U.S. and other nations in Europe as well. But I am not sure they could have the same Bliss name as well. I believe they are working on it and if I could hear the new, I will post the report on here. Since the appearance of he 2K paint and the same with the water bourne, both uses the clear coats with the VOT but get hardens with the hardeners and not by the VOT vapors out and leaves the paint film just like the old lacquer paints. The 69 Camaro we used for the test car had the same one as the original lacquer paint but had no any problem. One last thing to tell is that these polymer products can be removed with the regular degreaser. So paint touch ups and other paint work will be no problem.
Okay, I had this new polymer product on my car ( black VW Passat W8 ) and approx. a month have passed and this is the report for the past 4 weeks. 1. It is so easy to clean the car and the wheels The strength of the invisible film is still there and all I need to do is to have the simple car wash with just the water. I did it by both pressure washer at the car wash booth and hosing the tap water and wiped the whole surface with the fully water soaked wash mitt and that's it. Dirts and other stuff which attached on the body with the morning dew and dried out, came off so easy and the dusts on the front wheel. I've tried about more than dozen polymer liquid wax like protectant and many came to this level. But after a week or two, the strength of the film gets weak. Usually, the sign of the coming situation could be seen at this moment but the film of the Bliss is still holding its strength well. 2. The liquid polymerizes in film and bonds to the surface in 48 hours but there's nothing to worry with. Some products tells you to drive the car for an hour under the full sunshine and then keep the car inside the air tight garage for 48 hours without the possibility of morning dew or any water to get on or say to touch the painted surface. THose kinds of products requires UV to trigger the polymerization but a drop of the water could ruin the perfect polymerization and the strength and the bonding onto the surface. For me, this is too much. Bliss is so easy to use. Just wash the car throughly , use the clay if you think it is better to be used, and remove the water spots and those marks with light compounds. Then hose on the water to the whole thing and then apply the bliss sparingly and spread it out with the sponge which comes with it. Then wipe off like spreading out the remaining fluid with the microfiber cloth which comes with it, and then dry off by using the terry cloth or the artificial shammy like the absorber. That's it. The Bliss and water mixture will not mess the windshield and glass windows. All you have to do is to wipe with the soft damp cloth. It never harm the plastic, metal and rubber. Basically, Bliss is the polymer of the silicone family. But it has the more complicated polymer design and their own additive is making the polymerization in the good way and taking the film off is easy. So you don't need to worry for the body shops for fisheyes. I did a touch up on my VW Passat an all I had to do is to sand the chipped area with the glass fiber pen and that's it. The touch up paint stayed on as it should. I had an order from the editor of the car magazine for testing the Bliss and so I met the chemist who created the product. Telling you frankly he is the only honest man who answered to all my questions without any hesitation and never said the phrase of " sorry that's our trade secret " which I heard so many times in the past. All his description was understandable and the experiments he has done in front of us have proven that the whole development work was done right. I have to see the more for how the strength of film will hold but so far, I think this is the best polymer wax like protectant I've ever tried. As the consumer product, it should be easy to be used by all means. And my car looks clean as it was about a month ago.
Thank you for posting. There are some interesting developments within the polymer industry- instant bonding - extended durability, and etc. I would be interested in Japanese polymer technology as it relates to auto detailing. As a side note- with the mix of professions found in serious detailing forums (i.e. DB, Autopia, etc) the so called 'Snake oil salesmen' don't last very long as they cannot back the claims they make for their products (polymer or otherwise) under scrutiny
Thanks for sharing 67c2, good one!!! in Thailand we have quit similar to this systems. They call Crystal Coat and claim for 5 years protection! unbeliveable!!!
I have read about Bliss on a japanese website, but now I can´t find it. Did a search for "Bliss" with no results. Could you please post a link where we can read about Bliss. I am also very interested to know wich paint coatings you tested.
