• If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Water beading on tech wax/ultimate wax

Collapse
X
Collapse
 
  • Page of 1
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
Previous template Next
  • #1

    Water beading on tech wax/ultimate wax

    Ive used ultimate wax a few times following proper technique, applying thin and even and allowing plenty of time to dry check with a finger swipe etc. etc. and the results are meh...water beading is terrible, water pools up and doesnt run like it should, ive used it twice on my car with a perfectly prepped surface, clay bar and compounded and it looks shiny and feels smooth as silk but water does not bead like it should. Keep in mind im using liquid wax which i normally dont, but on a foam pad to assure even spread.

    Same thing yesterday first time using NXT wax in paste form and about an hour after i finished it rained and i have never seen water bead like i did. They formed into little spheres it was amazing. No other meguiars product ive used did this. And i didnt even clay bar his...

    Anyone else find the tech wax working better than ultimate wax? Is it something to do with paste vs liquid?
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Water beading on tech wax/ultimate wax

    I haven't had the opprtunity to test out ultimate liquid wax in almost a year. My daily driver had klasse on it for the last 7 months until a recent detail where it is now wearing ULW/M26. From what I remember prior to using klasse is the ULW would sheet better than bead for me. On my mom's car and dad's car I used M21 which is simlar to NXT, I noticed that the beading was deceiving. Sometimes it would bead nice and sometimes it would not bead. But it did sheet quite well. M26 has some nice beading and sheeting but this is not a full synthetic like ULW or NXT/M21.
    99 Grand Prix
    02 Camaro SS

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: Water beading on tech wax/ultimate wax

      I had similar experience with NXT 2.0 the first time I used it. Expecting that incredible water beading, well, it didn't bead as well as I wanted. But when I used it again, the beading still wasn't as well rounded. However, I did notice that water didn't just sit on the surface like it would on an unwaxed surface, there was a certain laziness in the way the water just fell off the car's panels. Synthetic waxes to me seems to offer better protection and slickness, but not water beading. I expected Deep Crystal Carnauba wax-like water beading.

      Maybe you should allow the Ultimate wax to cure for 12-24 hours (cross-link), it could address your Ultimate beading issues.

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Water beading on tech wax/ultimate wax

        I use the NXT 2.0 paste and it beads just fine for me! I took this picture probably 3 years ago because it was my car (the Taurus) parked next to a Focus in a similar colour that I really liked. Mind you, this picture was taken in October (last wax was probably in August) so it's not like I had just waxed it the day before or something...




        I wish the quality was better, but they were taken on a pre smartphone cell phone :P

        Comment

        • #5
          I find that I prefer two coats of Ultimate Wax for optimal performance.

          With NXT 2.0, it needs to dry fully before it's removed, to deliver optimal performance.

          I used NXT 2.0 two winters ago on my girlfriends truck, and it held up all season.

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: Water beading on tech wax/ultimate wax

            Originally posted by ffboy View Post
            I had similar experience with NXT 2.0 the first time I used it. Expecting that incredible water beading, well, it didn't bead as well as I wanted. But when I used it again, the beading still wasn't as well rounded. However, I did notice that water didn't just sit on the surface like it would on an unwaxed surface, there was a certain laziness in the way the water just fell off the car's panels. Synthetic waxes to me seems to offer better protection and slickness, but not water beading. I expected Deep Crystal Carnauba wax-like water beading.

            Maybe you should allow the Ultimate wax to cure for 12-24 hours (cross-link), it could address your Ultimate beading issues.
            I think that is perfect way to describe what I see also.

            Bill

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: Water beading on tech wax/ultimate wax

              Til this day, I still do not understand the fascination with beading.
              I rather have the water sheet right off the car. Guess what happens when dust settles on all those tiny beads when it dries.... tiny dust spots all over the horizontal surface of your car.
              2012 Acura CBP TL SH-AWD Tech

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Water beading on tech wax/ultimate wax

                Beading is nothing more than an indication of surface tension. It has nothing at all to do with protection. You can apply a coat of M07 Show Car Glaze, which has zero protection to it, and it will bead water like crazy. At least until you wash it off, that is.

                C8N makes a great point about sheeting versus beading, but unfortunately there are a couple of pitfalls to that. There is simply no way to create a wax that will allow water to sheet off of a flat, horizontal surface. You are still going to get some pooling or beading of water on those surfaces no matter what. Put the car in motion, however, and whether a wax sheets or beads, the surface tension is going to be such that the water is going to get blown off the surface anyway.

                The video clip below shows what happens when you've got a wax causing water to bead on a surface and then you run a nice, clean, laminar flow of water over it. We like to call this "Drying With Water". For the record, the wax on this car is Ultimate Paste, probably a couple months old, but you can do this with any wax in our lineup.

                Michael Stoops
                Senior Global Product & Training Specialist | Meguiar's Inc.

                Remember, this hobby is supposed to be your therapy, not the reason you need therapy.

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: Water beading on tech wax/ultimate wax

                  One of the most difficult things is to convince a person that water beading isn't everything when it comes to paint protection (I'm one of those persons). It's so easy to be drawn to a wax/sealant because of the impressive water beading demos.

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: Water beading on tech wax/ultimate wax

                    That's an awesome sheeting demonstration Mike! It never works that well for me when I try!
                    Originally posted by Blueline
                    I own a silver vehicle and a black vehicle owns me. The black one demands attention, washing, detailing, waxing and an occasional dinner out at a nice restaurant. The silver one demands nothing and it looks just fine. I think the black vehicle is taking advantage of me, and the silver car is more my style. We can go out for a drive without her makeup and she looks fine. If I want to take the black one out, it is three or four hours in the "bathroom" to get ready.

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: Water beading on tech wax/ultimate wax

                      I'll throw this into the mix as well. 4 month old ultimate liquid wax.
                      99 Grand Prix
                      02 Camaro SS

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Another thing I just encountered with ULW, is that it needs to be shaken well. I found that this particular bottle I have thins out during the course of use, and reconstitutes upon being shaken up. I notice this more when using my machine to apply, and I have to dispense product on pad.

                        I also noticed when viewing how different sections of the car would bead up. I could only deduce that the consistency of the product was the one noticeable variable, because due to weather, I was polishing and waxing one panel at a time. Also, I was not keeping the bottle shaken.

                        Comment

                        Previous template Next
                        Working...
                        X
                        gtag('config', 'UA-161993-8');