Duragloss...what is they hype about? OPINIONS???

[magnum12]

OK - i wanted to try a system on my girlfriends nissan. It is a white 2005 with heavy oxidation being we live in HOT virginia and have not washed or waxed it in about a year or so.

So I read a ton about Duragloss and the order in which to apply so I figured I would try a couple of things. Firts, I tried putting on #501 RV polish first, it completely left swirl marks all over the place and did not clean well at all. So I used durgloss swirl mark remover and it did get rid of most of it and overall seemed to work decent. Then i re-applied the #501 and it did the same thing. Am I the only one who HATES #501? What is the deal with it leaving swirl marks all over the place, not to mention the swirl remover cleans just as well?
Then i skipped the #501 and went right to the #601 bonding agent, then the #105 top coat. I tried with and without the #601, I saw absolutely no difference. I was also disappointed in the #105 after hearing such GREAT reviews on it, it barely left a sheen on my car. I put some 10 year old turtle wax next to it for comparison and it left the same smoothness.

So where did I go wrong? Was it using duragloss products? I know that I messed up not using clay to remove that heavy oxidation and the paint is still pitted, but the car looks the same as before I applied all this to it. Shouldn't the duragloss products done some removal from oxidation, fading, and brightening? I would like to hear your replies being I still have heard so little bad things about these products, expecially the #501, what is going on with leaving swirl marks everywhere?

Feed back please

[02CAMSS]

I also live in Va so Hello!! Now if the the car was neglected or in bad shape (as in the finish not maintained in a years time) The car should have been polished by machine or hand(Scratch-ex) and also clayed to help lay a nice foundation for the duragloss.As far as 501 I have never been impressed with this stuff but some swear by it so each to there own.

[Lowprofile]

Maybe it was in your application. Have detailed 11 cars as well as my own with it and turns out perfect everytime. And you tried the DG 105 with the 601 and without? How many cars were you detailing? Thought it was this white Nissan. If you had such a terrible time with it why would you use it on another car?

Here is a link to my photobucket page. Detailed a black Miata that was in terrible condition. They didn't want any paint correction. Just a detail. Did the same process you claim gave "no shine". I posted before and after. And I'm a beginner also.I Used to use Synthetic Ice by Turtle Wax :)

Pictures by Damage762 - Photobucket (http://s371.photobucket.com/albums/oo157/Damage762/)

The car had not been waxed or sealed in yearsand was parked outdoors in direct Florida sun all day. I didn't even use clay. Just 501 followed by 601/105. Maybe I have just been lucky.

[richy]

OK - i wanted to try a system on my girlfriends nissan. It is a white 2005 with heavy oxidation being we live in HOT virginia and have not washed or waxed it in about a year or so.

So I read a ton about Duragloss and the order in which to apply so I figured I would try a couple of things. Firts, I tried putting on #501 RV polish first, it completely left swirl marks all over the place and did not clean well at all. So I used durgloss swirl mark remover and it did get rid of most of it and overall seemed to work decent. Then i re-applied the #501 and it did the same thing. Am I the only one who HATES #501? What is the deal with it leaving swirl marks all over the place, not to mention the swirl remover cleans just as well?
Then i skipped the #501 and went right to the #601 bonding agent, then the #105 top coat. I tried with and without the #601, I saw absolutely no difference. I was also disappointed in the #105 after hearing such GREAT reviews on it, it barely left a sheen on my car. I put some 10 year old turtle wax next to it for comparison and it left the same smoothness.

So where did I go wrong? Was it using duragloss products? I know that I messed up not using clay to remove that heavy oxidation and the paint is still pitted, but the car looks the same as before I applied all this to it. Shouldn't the duragloss products done some removal from oxidation, fading, and brightening? I would like to hear your replies being I still have heard so little bad things about these products, expecially the #501, what is going on with leaving swirl marks everywhere?

Feed back please

A couple of things come to mind here. One I would not jump to 501 on heavily oxidized paint. I would have hit it with an aggressive compound/pad combo to remove that crap. That would be followed with a mild polish/pad combo to remove any compound marks and after DG 501 would have been used, probably with a green or white pad to really give it some cleaning. At that point the 601/105 combo would be used. Did you remove the 601 or apply the 105 into it? You're not going to physically see that much of a difference between using both or just 105 on its own. The 601 allows it to cure more quickly as well as adds longevity to the 105.

[RTexasF]

A couple of things come to mind here. One I would not jump to 501 on heavily oxidized paint. I would have hit it with an aggressive compound/pad combo to remove that crap. That would be followed with a mild polish/pad combo to remove any compound marks and after DG 501 would have been used, probably with a green or white pad to really give it some cleaning. At that point the 601/105 combo would be used. Did you remove the 601 or apply the 105 into it? You're not going to physically see that much of a difference between using both or just 105 on its own. The 601 allows it to cure more quickly as well as adds longevity to the 105.


I am in agreement. It appears to me that you expect a miracle wipe on wipe off product to transform a severely neglected car to pristine condition. If it sat for a year without even a wash it makes me wonder about the previous years' neglect. You are asking too much of ANY product if machine polishing is not used.

[Al-53]

By the sounds of it..your paint was heavily oxidized..and no product is going to remove that unless you use a cutting compound and polish....the reason you had swirls was the oxidation just absorbed the 501 ..it was to thisck for it to clean it....

now you said you have the 501 RV polish..if so ..it is a real old product....it was made into a Marine polish a few years back..so you must have bought this OTC some where and it very old stock and maybe expired....

you went wrong in not first using a polishing compound to get most or all of the oxidation off....and that take a machine like a PC or a rotary to cut the oxidation off..as you said it was heavy..first problem..HEAVY.....

Al

[Emile]

How did you apply the 501? By hand or by machine?

If I were you, I would have started by claying and then polishing the vehicle to remove the oxidation. And I don't mean polishing via the 501...just using an actual polish. I think even first applying Meguiar's ScratchX by hand would have worked better than 501.

Then follow up with the Duragloss 105. Duragloss products aren't miracle workers, but they are an excellent value. They feature a dark, scratch-and-swirl-hiding shine that is decent, but nothing especially glossy.

[Larry A]

As far as cleaner-waxes/sealants go 501 is a miracle worker. It is the strongest product of its type. Did you shake well, did you rub it well into the paint. Maybe the bottle was to old. Ive used many products and I find Duragloss makes some of the best products , even better then Collinite. Ive put 501 on my wifes van and Collinite paste wax on my car and the 501 lasted longer and felt slicker then the Collinite.

[Pats300zx]

I love 501 !!!! I just used it this weekend on my boat with spectacular results. It will always be in my detailing arsenal.

[magnum12]

I knew the replies would be harsh. Many of you say that I should have used a polish, I thought I did. Jerry with Duragloss told me that I should use duragloss #671 (swirl remover) which is a polish, then follow up with #601, then top with #105. I tried this process along with adding in the #501. The only product that worked was #671, then everything else left HUGE swirl marks.
I did everything by hand whereas I don’t have a machine to use – so I understand that critisim, but I expected more. I also tried all different combinations, such as 671, then 501, then 601, then 105. Everytime the 501 left swirls which I had to take out again with the 671. Then I tried 671, then 601, then 105 and HUGE swirl marks again. The only combo that had the least swirl marks was just 671, then 105.
Several of you recommend megs scratch-X, do you think this is much more effective that duragloss swirl remover #671?
So for you duragloss lovers, I read so much about these products being ok to hand apply. Would using clay first step make a big difference? The thing is this, I did side by side comparisons of all these products, and also put on some 10 year old turtle wax paste and I found it to be easier to apply, remove, and left less swirl marks, how is this crappy turtle wax beating everything else?

[bunyz06rabbitt]

You really need to get a machine and not the orbital buffer from Sears. Working by hand with the paint you're describing, sounds almost impossible to do by hand. You do have good products though!

[Emile]

magnum, you must be doing something weird. Applying a coat of wax to your car should not install new swirl marks. When applying the Swirl Mark Remover, you probably have to work it into the surface in circles, and then buff it off. But when applying the Polish Bonding Agent and the Total Performance Polish, you have to apply it in straight lines.

Make sure you are using a different applicator pad for each product and that the applicator pads are completely fresh and clean. Also make sure that you are completely buffing off all of the Swirl Mark Remover before moving onto the next product.

Finally, I know this sounds stupid, but please tell me that you thoroughly WASHED the vehicle before trying any of this stuff. In your original post, you said you haven't washed or waxed the vehicle in about a year but you never stated if you washed the vehicle before using any of the Duragloss products.

[mrGolfRider]

something I have not seen mentioned in the many replies to your problem is that you are dealing with a sealant. In most cases with very well prepared car a sealant will do just fine with giving gloss and depth. In your situation I would recommend a topper of a decent OTC wax. Most sealants do not have fillers to mask any minor imperfections, as where some (if not most imo) wax's have fillers to help finish off the process. You could be getting your great results with your old tw wax because of the fillers that it has. All of that is just an opinion, I do read alot through various forums, and that is my best analysis of your problem.

[Surfer]

You didn't prep the car, so even a high $ wax on a non-prepped paint won't look any different then otc crap. You need to clean well with a quality wash, clay, machine polish probably in multiple steps to finish down going by how bad you said the paint is, use Klasse AIO... then go from there with the Duragloss products.

I have a ton of products and some high $ waxes, and the only things I use now are 105 and AW, mainly for the speed with AW as I don't have much time to detail, but that combo right there looks top notch, and one of my vehicles is white too.

[Tony L]

The main issue is the prep. Heavy Oxidation is almost impossible to be removed by hand and with using a swirl remover you would probably need Tommy john surgery afterwards. If you are not claying you will not get an exceptional finish like explained earlier. If you can only do it by hand you need to do small areas and put in the steps required, Compound, polish, maybe light finishing polish. Wipe down or wash between steps. Remember just enough product to do the small area less is more.. Then protect with sealer and then topper wax if you want. You need to be using new applicator pads for each step and then clean and bag with the pads name listed for future use. IMO