Spray-on sealant (CarPro Hydro2) vs. "conventional" sealant

[Zune]

Hi guys,
I've used Blackfire's Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection for a few years on our vehicles with excellent results. I love the ease of application & the results are impressive. Although it seems they've been out for a few years, I only recently became aware of "spray on" sealants (such as CarPro's Hydro2 Touchless Silica Sealant) & am curious about them. I'm not a professional detailer by any means, but would still love to save some time when detailing our daily drivers. Just curious about people's experience with this class of products in terms of (1) ease of application, (2) gloss/shine effect, (3) longevity. Also, just curious if there is any advantage to adding a wax as an LSP at the end. I often apply Blackfire Midnight Sun wax over the sealant for extra gloss & was wondering if I could do the same after the Hydro2? Thanks!

Cheers,

Zune

[evo77]

I've used Hydr02 and it can't get any easier than that. We own a Dodge mini van and waxing that thing is time and labor intensive so a spray on sealant was a perfect choice. Took less than 15 minutes to do the whole vehicle.

Although water beading was instant and it was protected, I don't remember it lasting more than a few months. And there was no perceivable added gloss.

If your looking at saving time and want protection for a few months then this is the product for you. If you want extra gloss than you'll have to hand apply your favorite choice of something else and then top with Hydr02 however that sort of defeats the purpose of saving time.

[Zune]

Thanks evo77! I don't mind applying a wax over the sealant for that extra "glossy pop". The Blackfire sealant is very easy & relatively quick to use, but combine the time to do that with the wax & it does get a bit lengthy lengthy. I also don't mind reapplying the products every 2-3 months, so I'm not all that worried if the Hydro2 doesn't last as long as a true coating product. I generally only sealant/wax my car(s) anyway...sealant only on my wife's as she doesn't seem to care! 15 mins. to do that bit sounds extremely attractive. Thanks for the feedback!

BTW - you mentioned about applying my "favorite choice" for gloss & then topping with Hydro2 ?? I've generally felt that an LSP (like the Midnight Sun wax) would go on OVER/AFTER the sealant. Have you had any luck applying the Hydro2 as an LSP OVER something like a wax??

[rlmccarty2000]

Hydro2 doesn't bond well to wax (or a sealant). You would most likely get streaking if you tried to apply Hydro2 over wax.

[evo77]

Thanks evo77! I don't mind applying a wax over the sealant for that extra "glossy pop". The Blackfire sealant is very easy & relatively quick to use, but combine the time to do that with the wax & it does get a bit lengthy lengthy. I also don't mind reapplying the products every 2-3 months, so I'm not all that worried if the Hydro2 doesn't last as long as a true coating product. I generally only sealant/wax my car(s) anyway...sealant only on my wife's as she doesn't seem to care! 15 mins. to do that bit sounds extremely attractive. Thanks for the feedback!

BTW - you mentioned about applying my "favorite choice" for gloss & then topping with Hydro2 ?? I've generally felt that an LSP (like the Midnight Sun wax) would go on OVER/AFTER the sealant. Have you had any luck applying the Hydro2 as an LSP OVER something like a wax??

I have not experimented with topping or pre-topping the paint with any other sealant or wax in conjunction with Hydr02. I suppose one could argue that there may be a bonding issue (although Carpro's website does not indicate that it would be an issue). I guess its really hard to say how two different products from different brands will react when they are merged together.

That's a good thing about detailing as a hobby. We are all free to experiment despite what others may say will work or not work. :) Try out your method and report back how it works. :)