Shelf Life of Menzerna Compunds and Polishes

[anderson3754]

Wondering what the shelf life is on the Menzerna FG400, 2500, 3500, etc, if keep at room temperature. The reason I ask is I bought several quarts this summer and now want to buy a few more quarts to round out my arsenal, but now have a mild concern on shelf life of the products I only do this as a hobby my personal vehicles and other family members vehicles. These quart bottles are going to last me a long time.

Thanks

[zmcgovern45]

Honestly.... I have some compounds and polishes that are 2-3 years old and they still perform absolutely fine. I don't use Menzerna specifically.... but I wouldn't be concerned if I were you. Just keep them away from freezing cold and extreme heat.

[anderson3754]

Very pleased to hear that. When I finish ordering this week I'll have probably $300.00 or more of their products, and it could take me 2-3 years to use it up. I wished they would market their compounds and polishes in 16oz bottles. The quart bottles are actually too much for me and the 8oz bottles are cost prohibitive for me to purchase.

Regards

[LSNAutoDetailing]

I keep my stuff in the house, roughly sits at about 78-80 degrees (yeah, I'm in AZ... even with AC the house is still 80 inside).
I shake them every few months, and they're holding up. You can get a roll of "press-n-seal" and wrap the opening then place the cap over that.
These products will last a long time as long as they don't sit in the garage and suffer extremes.

Heck, back in the late 70's I remember my older brothers having 1 Gal of #7 hanging around for years, and years... give it a shake and she was as good new.

[anderson3754]

I keep my stuff in the house, roughly sits at about 78-80 degrees (yeah, I'm in AZ... even with AC the house is still 80 inside).
I shake them every few months, and they're holding up. You can get a roll of "press-n-seal" and wrap the opening then place the cap over that.
These products will last a long time as long as they don't sit in the garage and suffer extremes.

Heck, back in the late 70's I remember my older brothers having 1 Gal of #7 hanging around for years, and years... give it a shake and she was as good new.

Great that's good to know, my stuff is keep in the basement basically 70*-75* and brought up to the garage when needed.

Regards

[FUNX650]

Wondering what the shelf life is on
the Menzerna FG400, 2500, 3500,
etc, if keep at room temperature.

____________________________________

"Shelf life, technically, is 2 years. However,
if the bottles are kept closed, and the product
has not separated, there would be no problem
with use for many years after sale date."

Best regards,

Jeff Silver
Menzerna USA
(ca. ~2009)
______________________________________


As a Follow-up Note:
Product separatation would be indicative
of products undergoing the “aging process”...
(but not necessarily causing them to be
considered past their useful-life).

In a separation-scenario: I shake the
container thoroughly, to see if the products
will re-mix, before tossing them aside.


Bob

[ducksfan]

I have some Final Polish 2 that is probably 18 years old. I tried it out about a month ago. Seemed to work fine.

[Eldorado2k]

I consider myself to have a great memory... But I seriously have no clue what my intentions were when I bought this or which 1 of my previous cars I bought it for.. The only thing I'm sure of is that it's at least 13yrs. old and possibly up to 17yrs. old... Still works just fine and I won't be running out anytime soon. Lol.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171019/58bac92e1f348f8be4d4b6df85cf8e0a.jpg

[mwoywod]

IME Menzerna compounds/polishes tend to be less susceptible to becoming runny or separating.

It kinda seems like my compounds/polishes that have move solvents like M101 and FG400 seem to remain good for longer.

Of all the abrasives I own, I never had issues with any of them until this past year. So far, I've had issues with HD cut+ and 3D 501 cutting compound which I even convinced myself they were just bad compounds until I gave them both another chance and found the working time, ease of removal, consistency was completely different. I have seen many other guys complain about HD Cut+ and 501 Cutting Compound becoming runny and becoming less user friendly over just a few months time.

Lots of guys including me have had Boss Correcting Cream and Fast Correcting cream become EXTREMELY runny which makes it far less user friendly IME

I am extremely anal about keeping all of my abrasives in my basement which is always around 68 degrees which seems to help but I think newer water based formulations may not keep as long for some reason. Once a month I go down to my basement and thoroughly shake all of my compounds and polishes but I've actually never had a product separate before.

[Paul A.]

A few months ago I discovered an old bottle of Menzerna PO106FF. I bought that probably 10 years ago! It was about half full. I shook it up for a long time just to make sure it was as fully mixed as I could get it again and then felt a bit in my fingers. It seemed fine so I tried it on the wife's white Nissan Altima. Worked perfectly fine.

The real test was working it like I always use to...fine cut pad and breaking it down to flash state and wiping off. It performed like I remembered. I've since gone through a few newer bottles of both 3500 and 3800 but will have no problem using this old 106 up in lieu of my current 3500.

I should say it was kept in the house in FL at about a constant 72-74 degrees.

Almost as good as finding a $20 bill in the pocket of some old jeans!

[Desertnate]

As another data point, I've got bottles of the Klasse twins which are over ten years old that are just fine. I've also got bottles of the Meguiars UC/UP which are over five years old and some Blackfire SRC duo bottles which are pushing four years old. Despite not being kept in a temperature controlled garage, they all work great.

[Rsurfer]

Great that's good to know, my stuff is keep in the basement basically 70*-75* and brought up to the garage when needed.

Regards

How cold does it get in your basement during the winter months?

[dlc95]

I keep my Menzerna abrasives in zip lock bags, stored in Sterilite gasket boxes in my basement. I don't actually feel It's necessary though.

I've purchased used Menzerna products that have held up beautifully over the years, and perform flawlessly.

I think part of the reason I like Menzerna so much is that the the level of quality that goes into all aspects of their product. The abrasive, the lubricants, the user experience, the bottle. The only thing I don't like is the new label - which has nothing to do with the stuff inside the bottle.

As far as products separating to the point of not being usable, were Chemical Guys FP Final Polish.

I also have a bottle of Meguiar's M21 which performs flawlessly, but smells like someone broke wind. I think I'm going to pass it along to a friend. Pun intended.

[MattyL]

A few months ago I discovered an old bottle of Menzerna PO106FF. I bought that probably 10 years ago! It was about half full. I shook it up for a long time just to make sure it was as fully mixed as I could get it again and then felt a bit in my fingers. It seemed fine so I tried it on the wife's white Nissan Altima. Worked perfectly fine.

The real test was working it like I always use to...fine cut pad and breaking it down to flash state and wiping off. It performed like I remembered. I've since gone through a few newer bottles of both 3500 and 3800 but will have no problem using this old 106 up in lieu of my current 3500.

I should say it was kept in the house in FL at about a constant 72-74 degrees.

Almost as good as finding a $20 bill in the pocket of some old jeans!

Similar experience here w/the PO106FF. A year ago I purchased a bundle on Craigslist from a guy who was unloading detailing supplies he had been keeping in his basement since 2008-ish. This included several bottles of opened and unopened Menzerna polishes and other products (FMJ, Acrylic Shield, etc.). The ones I haven't traded away perform perfectly. In fact, I actually prefer working with the old Menzerna PO106FF that I kept more than with the latest version of PO85RD (i.e. 3800).

OP- IMO you'll be fine as long as you keep the products in the house somewhere, and not in the garage.

[anderson3754]

Ya know, this is turning into a very nice thread. Thanks to all that are responding.

It appears that with prudent care the Menzerna products have a fairly long shelf life. Now if Menzena can be convinced to package their products in a 16oz bottle. I can't help but think they would actually sell more to people like myself, who are simply weekend warriors with car buffing and detailing.

Regards