Review: Sonax Paint Cleaner

**CEE DOG** · 07-19-2010, 09:49 PM

Review: Sonax Nano Technology Paint Cleaner
(Not to be confused with Sonax Premium Class Paint Cleaner)

Introduction:
When the Sonax line was introduced to Autogeek Meghan sent me 3 Sonax products to review. Thanks again to Meghan and AG for their generosity!! This is the 3rd of the 3 products. Because of a couple of the products claims I’ve had a little difficulty deciding how to do my testing. Initially I wanted to find an old panel that was in not all scratched up but did have severe fading and oxidation. However after finding more information on the product I decided the black Lexus panel should work fine for my review in spite of the scratches. I also cleaned my entire Saturn SL with Sonax NTPC as part of my testing. The directions for use on the bottle describe hand application but also note that you can use a machine.

Product Description (from back of bottle):
Based on a newly developed combination of effective ingredients, specially formulated for heavily weatherworn paintwork and painted parts. Highly effective nanosized abrasives easily remove the damaged clear coat layer. Hazing disappears and color is restored, leaving a new, deep gloss shine. Nano technology engineered, Carnauba wax particles penetrate the small cracks and crevices protecting the paint for several weeks.

Initial Product Observations:
1.- Manufacturer Claims: True
2.- Packaging: Fancy Bottle with a very pronounced flip up nozzle (Lid doesn’t seem to be removable)
3.- Directions: Very detailed and fairly clear
4.- Consistency: Very thin lotion (Thin enough to drip if your not careful)
5.- Color: White
6.- Scent: None
7a- Size: 16.9 oz. (500 ml)
7b- Additional Sizes available: N/A
8.- Current Price: $24.99 ($1.48 per ounce)
9.- Manufacturer: Sonax
10.-Made in: Germany

Additional products used for prep, during application, or removal:
1.- Flex 3401
2.- Microfiber towels
3.- Wolfgang Finger pocket
4.- Crimson Hydro Tech Foam Pad (6 1/2")
5.- Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo
6.- Carrand Chenille Micro Fiber wash Mitt

Method of Application, and noted Observations:

Hand Application (Lexus Rear Lid - Black)
First I applied Sonax NTPC by hand with a Wolfgang finger pocket. After it hazed I gave it about a minute and wiped it off. I say wiped because it comes off so easily. It’s really nice as far as that goes. I was also very impressed with how quickly and easily it brought the gloss back to the paint. Of course with the panel as scratched up as it is it’s still a mess but as you’ll see in the pictures it did it’s job.

Machine Application (Lexus Rear Lid - Black)
Next I took out my Crimson HT pad and centered it onto my Flex 3401. I placed a fair amount of NTPC onto the pad and spread it quickly across the paint. Then I cranked up the machine and worked it into the paint with medium pressure until it hazed. The product spreads very easily and is very wet going on. After setting aside my 3401 I waited about a minute and buffed it off. Again it wiped off extremely easy.
I decided that I’d like to remove as much of the swirls, scratches, and water spots as possible and test it as a finishing polish as well. With the aid of SYN 1, and M105 I corrected the paint across 2 more sections of the panel. Next I finished the paint on one section with M205 using a white LC flat pad. Finally it was back to the Sonax. I took out my Crimson Pad, which I had kept in a sealed Ziploc baggie in the meantime and placed it back on the Flex. With this combination I finished the paint in the final section removing pretty much all of the marring in that section that had been left by the previous step.

Machine and Hand Application (Saturn SL1 – Green with Flake)
I gave the car a quick wash with Megs Gold Class and a Carrand Chenille MF wash Mitt. Then I took about a 5 minute brake while most of the water dried off. On the bottle the directions note that “The vehicle does not need to be completely dried”.
I placed a LC flat gray finishing pad on my 3401 and applied a fair amount of product. This time I had decided I would see how much area I could effectively cover using the product as paint cleaner. I completed about 1/3rd of the hood in 1 section. At this point I also decided instead of letting it sit for a minute after hazing and removing it I would complete the vehicle before buffing or wiping it off. I repeated the process by machine across the majority of the car.
It was broken into sections as follows:
Hood: A total of 3 sections
Roof: 2 sections
Driver’s side: 4 sections
Rear lid: 2 sections
The rear lid was not protected from the sun (by the canopy) so I got to test application of the product on a hot panel as well. I wasn’t too fun when the sun was out but when it dipped behind a cloud I finished it up and it wasn’t a problem even though the panel was very hot. The driver’s side gave me a couple seconds of trouble due to some water that was forced from the window seals but it wasn’t a big deal. Without stopping operation I just picked up the seeping water with the pad and worked it another minute. The passenger side and the rear (around the license plate) I completed manually. The rear was much easier to access by hand and I figured the passenger side would give me some more feel for how I liked applying it manually. Now was another moment of truth. Was I going to have a Klasse HGSG moment? I got the polish removal towels out and started wiping/buffing the hazed product from the paint. For the most part it was very easy to remove and I had no regrets. The problems were in a few small locations at certain edges of certain panels or in tight lines where a little bit of product had gone and not been worked properly. At these locations (probably having nothing to do with the wait time) it was a pain to wipe off. So, I grabbed my ONR QD and those areas came clean very easily. As I was removing the product I was treated to a nice glossy finish beneath. The Sonax NTPC had also easily removed some kind of staining which had been on my passenger side doors.

Please see the pictures and rejoin me afterwards to see the listed Pros, Cons, and Summary. Oh, by the way I think some of the pictures of the black panel make it look a little better then it does in real life.

Machine Application (Lexus Rear Lid - Black)

01.- Conditions

02.- Products

03-06.- After washing with ONR / Before Anything Else

07.- Before on Left / Hand Application on Right

08.- Before on Bottom / Hand Application on Top

09.- Before on Bottom / Hand Application and then IPA on top

10.- Before on Left / Hand Application and then IPA on right

11.- Machine application products

12.- Using Crimson HydroTech pad with Sonax Paint Cleaner

13.- Before on Left / Machine Application and then IPA on right

14-15.- Removed Defects (Then 205 with white pad on left / Sonax with Crimson HT Pad on right)

16-17.- M105 & 205 on Left / SYN 1 and Sonax in Mid / Sonax alone on right

18.- Finish w/ M205 on Left / Finish w/ SONAX on Right

19.- Finished w/ SONAX

20-21.- Finished w/ SONAX between tape lines

22-25. Finished w/ SONAX

Machine and Hand Application (Saturn SL1 – Green with Flake)

26.- Conditions

27.- BEFORE

28.- AFTER (Waxed as well)

29.- Hood with Hazed Sonax Paint Cleaner

30.- Wiping off Haze

**CEE DOG** · 07-19-2010, 09:50 PM

31-37.- After

38.- Next time I’ll be careful buffing near this spot. Almost tore my thumbnail out. Ouch!

For more after photos see the Liquid Natty’s Blue Review coming soon

Pros:
1.- Restores gloss with a very easy hand application
2.- Easy removal
3.- Has the ability to remove marring
4.- Leaves behind carnauba wax

Cons:
1.- Price
2.- Leaves behind carnauba wax

???:
You tell me

Final Observations and Summary:
This product is a little more then just a paint cleaner. Using it by hand I was able to very quickly and easily restore gloss to the paint. I think that is where it excels but it can also be used to do a little more. Using it with a machine and a HT Crimson pad I was able to remove marring. It also protects for “several weeks” as “Carnauba wax particles penetrate the small cracks and crevices”. That is not always good and not always bad. Depending on the LSP you are going to apply this might hurt the bonding process. If you were to use sealant I would suggest an IPA wipe down or a different paint cleaner from that sealants line. However if you were to use a wax then this product may still work fine. More specifically if you were to use the Sonax wax then the 2 are probably very good friends and work well together. (The bottle specifically states: “For an even longer lasting deep gloss shine try SONAX Premium Class Carnauba Wax or SONAX Liquid Wax.)
I am testing whether this paint cleaner will interfere with the Liquid Natty’s Blue I applied and will get back to you on that. The test is comprised of the majority of the vehicle being waxed after cleaning it with this product. Half of the trunk I came back and wiped down with an IPA mix after using this product and later applied the Natty’s to that cleaned section along with the rest of the vehicle. Will keep you updated.

And the link: http://www.autogeek.net/sonax-paint-cleaner.html

**DARK HORSE** · 07-19-2010, 10:04 PM

You know Corey, I feel like a broken record; but when your the best at what you do, your the best, and you are definitely the best at reviewing products! Thanks for taking the time to provide us with such a detailed, and thorough review. I am sure we all appreciate it very much!!!

**rwright** · 07-19-2010, 10:04 PM

Excellent review as always! I can't wait to hear your experience with Liquid Natty's Blue...

**DARK HORSE** · 07-19-2010, 10:10 PM

Originally Posted by rwright

Excellent review as always! I can't wait to hear your experience with Liquid Natty's Blue...

Ya, me too. As I may have an in that has already provided me with some feedback. I won't say anymore, as I wouldn't want to bias (nor could I if I tried) your review...

**Bulgari** · 07-19-2010, 10:14 PM

Thanks for taking the time to review this product!

I'm surprised with the results, it looks great.

Cheers!

**rwright** · 07-19-2010, 10:14 PM

We have been chatting a lot about this one, both of you for the most part know my opinion at this point.

**CEE DOG** · 07-19-2010, 10:22 PM

Originally Posted by DARK HORSE

You know Corey, I feel like a broken record; but when your the best at what you do, your the best, and you are definitely the best at reviewing products! Thanks for taking the time to provide us with such a detailed, and thorough review. I am sure we all appreciate it very much!!!

Thanks Tad! It makes all the time invested well worth it!

Originally Posted by rwright

Excellent review as always! I can't wait to hear your experience with Liquid Natty's Blue...

I can't wait see your Liquid Natty's Blue review my friend!
Like I said when we chatted a bit ago- mine is all written and ready to go. The pictures are sorted on my PC and I even figured out how to upload a couple videos thanks to Scott (killr)... Anyway, like I was telling you I gotta get some sleep since I was up till 2AM last night. I would post it but I figure it'll take another hour to upload all the photos and get everything just right. Sorry

Gotta get more then 5 hours sleep tonight! Talk to you tommorrow

Originally Posted by DARK HORSE

Ya, me too. As I may have an in that has already provided me with some feedback. I won't say anymore, as I wouldn't want to bias (nor could I if I tried) your review...

Hmmm, who could it be?

I think I may have a sneaking suspicion that I may have heard a bit from him as well. I'll PM you a very quick sneak preview (same stuff Richard and I chatted about).

**mchess1** · 07-20-2010, 07:24 AM

As always Corey, quite an impressive and detailed review.

Can't wait to return home from my vacation and test out the bottle of Natty's that is waiting for me. Since I like Red so much, I am anxiously waiting how the liquid will work.

Damn family reunions!