sealant vs. wax

[mthorn]

what are the biggest differences between a wax and a sealant? which is better and why?

[Rsurfer]

You will get a 100 different answers. Why not use both, this way you can see the difference for yourself.

[Joshs2013MSAltimaSL]

I would say a sealant is more for protection purposes. Although a sealant like Wolfgang leaves a great finish behind and doesn't call for a nuba topper. A wax is more for looks and offers little protection. Like Rsurfer said...just try out both :D.

[Emile]

Sealants are typically liquid formulas and waxes are traditionally paste. Sealants typically provide better durability, whereas waxes typically provide better shine.

Plenty of people on this forum use a coat or two of sealant as their base coat for durability, and then top it with a nice carnuba wax for maximum shine.

Thanks to technology, many waxes are in liquid form and many waxes can offer sealant-like durability. Additionally, there are plenty of sealants that offer wax-like shine.

Autogeek has an article on sealants vs waxes and if you do a search on the forum, this topic has been thoroughly discussed before so you will get lots of different answers.

[ScottB]

Heres my 2 cents :

waxes --- created many years ago, they offer wetness and depth that sealants cannot seem to match. They protect quite well especially from birdie doo-doo's. Their durability is short in length and reapplication needed around 6 weeks for max protection and looks.

Sealants --- synthetic waxes made by man in a quest to duplicate the benefits of waxes and add to them. They are quite durable but bond to paint versus sitting on top of paint. Most are quite reflective (must be do to polymers or other ingredient). They use gloss to try and mimic wetness but dont always show the depth. (plastic saran wrap look). Quite durable with 2-6 months protection.

[supercharged]

Heres my 2 cents :

waxes --- created many years ago, they offer wetness and depth that sealants cannot seem to match. They protect quite well especially from birdie doo-doo's. Their durability is short in length and reapplication needed around 6 weeks for max protection and looks.

Sealants --- synthetic waxes made by man in a quest to duplicate the benefits of waxes and add to them. They are quite durable but bond to paint versus sitting on top of paint. Most are quite reflective (must be do to polymers or other ingredient). They use gloss to try and mimic wetness but dont always show the depth. (plastic saran wrap look). Quite durable with 2-6 months protection.
:iagree::whs::goodpost: This is why many of us like sealant topped off with carnauba wax, this way you get the best of both.

[Jimmie]

Heres my 2 cents :

waxes --- created many years ago, they offer wetness and depth that sealants cannot seem to match. They protect quite well especially from birdie doo-doo's. Their durability is short in length and reapplication needed around 6 weeks for max protection and looks.

Sealants --- synthetic waxes made by man in a quest to duplicate the benefits of waxes and add to them. They are quite durable but bond to paint versus sitting on top of paint. Most are quite reflective (must be do to polymers or other ingredient). They use gloss to try and mimic wetness but dont always show the depth. (plastic saran wrap look). Quite durable with 2-6 months protection.
:iagree::whs: and supercharged said too.

[macman3130]

i might be totally wrong but when i clay and polish sometimes i use both do the sealant after a polish cause it last longer generally and gives depth, then i put a hard wax on to kinda top it all off. the wax usually last bout 3 weeks than then sealant around a month and it makes keeping your car smooth and clean longer easier. ive had great results going that way.

[Surfer]

1 thing I've noticed with waxes, like Scott said, is not only to they protect more against bird bombs, but even water spots etc that have been on for a couple days sitting in the sun for the most part wash off easier then same on a sealant. That's why I love AW as its got that character of waxes.

[lgtspecb]

]They use gloss to try and mimic wetness but dont always show the depth. (plastic saran wrap look). Quite durable with 2-6 months protection.LOL @ saran wrap, very true... I've always wondered why the car is so glossy but lacks any depth. I thought it was just the paint and all the orange peel. Wax over the sealant doesn't give it any more depth though, not that I have noticed anyhow.

[spamlova]

1 thing I've noticed with waxes, like Scott said, is not only to they protect more against bird bombs, but even water spots etc that have been on for a couple days sitting in the sun for the most part wash off easier then same on a sealant. That's why I love AW as its got that character of waxes.


+1, i've noticed the same thing. Bird bombs and water spotting has more of an effect on paint sealant vs wax