Review: Duragloss 901 car wash and AquaWax

[Kurt_s]

I've been fortunate to try several products recently provided by friends. Mark, thank you again for the 901 sample.

Today, I first washed my Artic White '99 BMW 528iT with Duragloss 901 then dried the car using AquaWax spray wax as a quick detailer drying agent.

I used ~3 oz of 901 with approximately 4 gallons of soft water. Yes, it has a cherry cough syrup smell to it. The mixture produced sufficient bubbles and a lubricated solution for use with my sheepskin wash mitt. I used a two bucket wash method with a grit guard for the painted surfaces.

The car was waxed with WG Fuzion this summer and still beaded well. I am a carnauba-look lover that appreciates more of a 3D, golden glow than a flater, shiny, defined edge finish. I find that look with WGDGPS, Fuzion, OCW and other carnauba waxes used over the years. I also like OID as a quick detailer that works well with DGPS, Fuzion and OCW.

901 did a fine job of removing dirt from the paint surface which was just exposed to nearly a constant week of rain. I noticed that the small beads produced with Fuzion grew into larger beads after washing with the 901. I also noticed that the nuba glow associated with Fuzion diminished after washing with the 901, which I didn't expect after washing my wife's car (DGPS Sealant) with 901 the week before.

I dried the car with a Cobra Guzzler MF drying towel and used a mist sprayer to apply AquaWax as a drying aid. While the car looks shiny and clean, it no longer has the nuba glow that I associated with Fuzion, DGPS or OCW. It has a flatter, finish that looks both clean and shiny, with nice reflections of the sky.

I parked the car in a dirt parking space while my son attended a XC meet today. The car didn't appear to attract dust to the paint surface, so AQW seems to have some type of antistatic properties. I noticed a few more swirls in my paint after this car wash. I planned to polish out the paint and reseal with DGPS soon, but I was surprised.

I think that Duragloss 901 is a fine car wash and perhaps I should have used 4 oz of 901 instead of 3oz. Since I have more 901, I will increase the car wash concentration per gallon of water next time. At 3 oz, it didn't seem to have the same level of lubrication as Megs Gold Class, OG Blue 33, CG Citrus Wash and Gloss or ONR (when used as a no rinse). Both Gold Class and Blue 33 seem to add a little more glow and gloss to the paint and beading is different too (larger water beads with 901). I think that I prefer both Megs Gold Class and OG Blue 33 as a car wash. I want to try Optimum car wash as I am already a fan of ONR, OID, and OCW.

At this point, I prefer OCW as a spray wax to AquaWax as OCW leaves more of a golden, 3D glow to it. My white paint seems to pop more with OCW. Knowing that OID becomes more slick after 24 hours, I will update my comments regarding AQW tomorrow if my opinion changes.

In summary, 901 did a nice job of removing dirt from the paint. It left a clean surface with a shiny but flatter looking finish with good reflections, whereas my paint had a deeper glow to it before using the 901 and Aquawax combo. The car does not seem to attract dust, which is a great for keeping the car looking clean. I will give 901 a few more tries, but I prefer either OID as a drying aid or OCW as a spray wax to AquaWax.

[rwright]

Excellent review Kurt. How are you mixing your water/soap? I'm not saying this has anything to do with it, but try filling your bucket with water then pour in the DG CWC and mix with your hand. Then blast it with a little water to build up the suds. This is my method and it continues to provide very slick wash water.

[WRAPT C5Z06]

Excellent review Kurt. How are you mixing your water/soap? I'm not saying this has anything to do with it, but try filling your bucket with water then pour in the DG CWC and mix with your hand. Then blast it with a little water to build up the suds. This is my method and it continues to provide very slick wash water.
Almost exactly what I do. Only difference, instead of mixing the soap with my hand, I turn the grit guard upright and swish it back and forth. This really mixes it well. Then I hit it for 1 second with the pressure washer.

Kurt,

ALL of your posts are very well explained, and this review is nothing less. No problem on the sample. Thanks for the samples you've given me. It's so great that you all feel like my friends, even though I've never met you. :dblthumb2:

[CEE DOG]

Excellent review(s) Kurt!! :dblthumb2:
Thank you for taking the time to write this up for the rest of us.

[Dubbin1]

Nice review Kurt!!!

I got a chance to try 901 from a blind sample that Tad sent me. While I did like it I still find that it just didn't seem to have the high lubricity as others.

[WRAPT C5Z06]

Nice review Kurt!!!

I got a chance to try 901 from a blind sample that Tad sent me. While I did like it I still find that it just didn't seem to have the high lubricity as others.
Did you use 1 ounce per gallon? Which others are you referring to?

[Kurt_s]

Excellent review Kurt. How are you mixing your water/soap? I'm not saying this has anything to do with it, but try filling your bucket with water then pour in the DG CWC and mix with your hand. Then blast it with a little water to build up the suds. This is my method and it continues to provide very slick wash water.
Thanks Richard!

I often add soap to water, but I was in a hurry and poured the soap into the bottom of the bucket because the soft water hose didn't have a nozzle on it and I didn't want water running on the driveway. I didn't use a hard stream to dilute the soap and build bubbles. I got lots of bubbles anyway and it cleaned well, so I'm fine with the car wash as a soap. This is also the second time that I used 901, and both cars looked good after washing.


Almost exactly what I do. Only difference, instead of mixing the soap with my hand, I turn the grit guard upright and swish it back and forth. This really mixes it well. Then I hit it for 1 second with the pressure washer.

Kurt,

ALL of your posts are very well explained, and this review is nothing less. No problem on the sample. Thanks for the samples you've given me. It's so great that you all feel like my friends, even though I've never met you. :dblthumb2:

I try to explain what I see and photos are very difficult to take that properly explain what we see from a comparison standpoint. Corey does a great job with the pics!

I need to give the upside down grit guard mix a shot. :xyxthumbs:

I still have to write up the Mothers Protectant, OPP, DIA+ and Silk Shine review. I still can't figure out how to say what I think about Silk Shine nicely.


Excellent review(s) Kurt!! :dblthumb2:
Thank you for taking the time to write this up for the rest of us.


Coming from the master, I am humbled by your words!

I checked out the paint this morning. It is really hard to describe a look that other people will recognize especially with the subtle differences between some of these sealants/waxes.

What I thought was so weird yesterday was how the finish on my paint changed. The paint does not quite feel as slippery as WGDGPS, Fuzion or when using OID, although if feel very smooth and slick. My wife and several of our friends independently said that WGDGPS feels soft and slick like velvet.

The 901/AQW combo gives a wonderful reflective finish. If I didn't know what Fuzion and WGDGPS looked like, I would be very happy with the combo. This morning, I noticed that the whole car has the same "look" including windows and paint. I also noticed that I don't have any water spotting or wet towel drying swirls on the windows. Very interesting!

This may also sound weird, but I look at the car finish now and it reminds me of the old "Mop and Glo" shine on a freshly cleaned vinyl floor. It's reflective, clean, shiny with a little acrylic thickness look to it, if that makes sense.

I have another 3 car washes left in the bottle, so I will continue to play with it. I really need to try the Optimum car wash, Optima and a few others for comparison. I also have a 2 oz Sonax sample to try as well, but I'm afraid that it's really not enough to use with a grit guard.

[Dubbin1]

Did you use 1 ounce per gallon? Which others are you referring to?

I may have been just shy of 1oz/gal but not much. Others would be DP, Pinnacle and Wolfgang. I just got a sample of PB super slick & suds that I cant wait to try out. I do have a blind sample shampoo that needs tested first.

[rwright]

I may have been just shy of 1oz/gal but not much. Others would be DP, Pinnacle and Wolfgang. I just got a sample of PB super slick & suds that I cant wait to try out. I do have a blind sample shampoo that needs tested first.

Is it yellow by chance?

[Dubbin1]

Is it yellow by chance?

Gee how did you know that ;)

[akimel]

901 did a fine job of removing dirt from the paint surface which was just exposed to nearly a constant week of rain. I noticed that the small beads produced with Fuzion grew into larger beads after washing with the 901. I also noticed that the nuba glow associated with Fuzion diminished after washing with the 901, which I didn't expect after washing my wife's car (DGPS Sealant) with 901 the week before.

I dried the car with a Cobra Guzzler MF drying towel and used a mist sprayer to apply AquaWax as a drying aid. While the car looks shiny and clean, it no longer has the nuba glow that I associated with Fuzion, DGPS or OCW. It has a flatter, finish that looks both clean and shiny, with nice reflections of the sky.

A point of clarification: you used the Aqua Wax as a drying aid, correct? Was it after the car had been dried that you noticed that the nuba look had disappeared, right? If yes, then we do not know if the 901 contributed to this effect or not. I would expect the car to take on a sealant look after the application of a sealant, even if that sealant is only used as a drying aid. Does that sound right to everyone?

So to find out whether 901 diminishes the nuba look, you would need to dry the car without the use of a drying aid and then evaluate the paint. I don't know if you would want to test this, but it's something to consider the next time you wash the car after you have re-applied your Fuzion.

Personally, I don't really associate Fuzion with a carnauba look. I find Fuzion's initial look to be wet and glossy, but I don't recall it giving my car the glow that I have seen after applying Souveran or SV Smaragd or even Harly Wax. Fuzion reminds me more of Blackfire Wet Diamond than the other carnauba waxes I have used. But perhaps I need to look more closely. My eyes aren't very good, and I often don't see things that others see.

[CEE DOG]

I would expect the car to take on a sealant look after the application of a sealant, even if that sealant is only used as a drying aid. Does that sound right to everyone?

I had the same thought.

[Rob T]

Excellent review Kurt!

I probably wouldn't use AquaWax on a car that has a carnauba based LSP on it for fear of the very thing that you found: it reduced the carnauba look.

I washed my red vehicle yesterday. It has Fuzion on it. It went through a couple of days of rain (the beading is great!) so I had to wash with a hose (instead of ONR). I used Perl's shampoo which I have always been a huge fan of, but I thought perhaps the paint had lost some of it's carnauba look as well.

What do you normally use as a car wash soap with Fuzion?

[Kurt_s]

A point of clarification: you used the Aqua Wax as a drying aid, correct? Was it after the car had been dried that you noticed that the nuba look had disappeared, right? If yes, then we do not know if the 901 contributed to this effect or not. I would expect the car to take on a sealant look after the application of a sealant, even if that sealant is only used as a drying aid. Does that sound right to everyone?

So to find out whether 901 diminishes the nuba look, you would need to dry the car without the use of a drying aid and then evaluate the paint. I don't know if you would want to test this, but it's something to consider the next time you wash the car after you have re-applied your Fuzion.

Personally, I don't really associate Fuzion with a carnauba look. I find Fuzion's initial look to be wet and glossy, but I don't recall it giving my car the glow that I have seen after applying Souveran or SV Smaragd or even Harly Wax. Fuzion reminds me more of Blackfire Wet Diamond than the other carnauba waxes I have used. But perhaps I need to look more closely. My eyes aren't very good, and I often don't see things that others see.

I used a soft water hose rinse without a nozzle to flow water off the paint surface. The paint acted differently from before washing with 901 and after washing. Beads went from small beads to large drops after washing and before AQW.

I also didn't use AQW on the windshield, and the windows have a similar glaze or finish to the paint. I noticed that water ran off the windows differently after washing with 901 vs other car washes. The effect was quite pronounced and I noticed it both times that I used 901.

I also noticed a similar finish change with my wife's car a couple weeks ago, when I didn't use the AQW. I have WGDGPS on her bimmer. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, it kind of reminds me of a Mop & Glo finish or shell on a clean kitchen floor. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that it's bad, just different.

Fuzion has a reflective, 3D gloss with some light from within glow that I associate with a carnauba wax. To me, reflective images are not quite like as sharp edged mirrors, so there is a little "body" or richness to the curves of the vehicle. Fuzion is a hybrid wax, not a pure carnauba, and there are subtle differences between waxes anyway. Contrary to Fuzion prior to 901, there now seems to be shell over the finish.


I had the same thought.

AQW seems to have more of a muted, plastic look with less sparkle, if that makes sense. I get a sense that I have a layer of something over the finish. I would say that AQW is complimentary to 901 and overall a pretty cool combo, just maybe not the look that I'm after.

I wanted to get a feel for it versus OCW, so I'm glad that I had a chance to try it. Product synergy can be so important and what one person may love, another may hate.


Excellent review Kurt!

I probably wouldn't use AquaWax on a car that has a carnauba based LSP on it for fear of the very thing that you found: it reduced the carnauba look.

I washed my red vehicle yesterday. It has Fuzion on it. It went through a couple of days of rain (the beading is great!) so I had to wash with a hose (instead of ONR). I used Perl's shampoo which I have always been a huge fan of, but I thought perhaps the paint had lost some of it's carnauba look as well.

What do you normally use as a car wash soap with Fuzion?

Thanks Rob.

I've been using One Grand Blue 33, Megs Gold Class or ONR. The Megs seems more lubricating than Blue 33. Both seem to add a little more sparkle than 901. Blue 33 is the new wash developed for OGBW users and seems to compliment the carnauba-look leaning LSPs. Neither Megs or Blue stripped the Fuzion even after several months of car washes.

I'm still searching for the perfect car wash. I want it to clean without stripping the LSP, produces a safe lubricating wash solution, doesn't cost an arm and leg to use, and helps maintain the look of the LSP that I'm using. I need to pick up some Optimum car wash and I have sample of Sonax car wash to try too. I probably should give the WG car wash a shot too since I'm using their sealant and wax.

I have lots of options to try, one car wash at a time... :xyxthumbs:

[Old Tiger]

I've been fortunate to try several products recently provided by friends. Mark, thank you again for the 901 sample.

Today, I first washed my Artic White '99 BMW 528iT with Duragloss 901 then dried the car using AquaWax spray wax as a quick detailer drying agent.

I used ~3 oz of 901 with approximately 4 gallons of soft water. Yes, it has a cherry cough syrup smell to it. The mixture produced sufficient bubbles and a lubricated solution for use with my sheepskin wash mitt. I used a two bucket wash method with a grit guard for the painted surfaces.

The car was waxed with WG Fuzion this summer and still beaded well. I am a carnauba-look lover that appreciates more of a 3D, golden glow than a flater, shiny, defined edge finish. I find that look with WGDGPS, Fuzion, OCW and other carnauba waxes used over the years. I also like OID as a quick detailer that works well with DGPS, Fuzion and OCW.

901 did a fine job of removing dirt from the paint surface which was just exposed to nearly a constant week of rain. I noticed that the small beads produced with Fuzion grew into larger beads after washing with the 901. I also noticed that the nuba glow associated with Fuzion diminished after washing with the 901, which I didn't expect after washing my wife's car (DGPS Sealant) with 901 the week before.

I dried the car with a Cobra Guzzler MF drying towel and used a mist sprayer to apply AquaWax as a drying aid. While the car looks shiny and clean, it no longer has the nuba glow that I associated with Fuzion, DGPS or OCW. It has a flatter, finish that looks both clean and shiny, with nice reflections of the sky.

I parked the car in a dirt parking space while my son attended a XC meet today. The car didn't appear to attract dust to the paint surface, so AQW seems to have some type of antistatic properties. I noticed a few more swirls in my paint after this car wash. I planned to polish out the paint and reseal with DGPS soon, but I was surprised.

I think that Duragloss 901 is a fine car wash and perhaps I should have used 4 oz of 901 instead of 3oz. Since I have more 901, I will increase the car wash concentration per gallon of water next time. At 3 oz, it didn't seem to have the same level of lubrication as Megs Gold Class, OG Blue 33, CG Citrus Wash and Gloss or ONR (when used as a no rinse). Both Gold Class and Blue 33 seem to add a little more glow and gloss to the paint and beading is different too (larger water beads with 901). I think that I prefer both Megs Gold Class and OG Blue 33 as a car wash. I want to try Optimum car wash as I am already a fan of ONR, OID, and OCW.

At this point, I prefer OCW as a spray wax to AquaWax as OCW leaves more of a golden, 3D glow to it. My white paint seems to pop more with OCW. Knowing that OID becomes more slick after 24 hours, I will update my comments regarding AQW tomorrow if my opinion changes.

In summary, 901 did a nice job of removing dirt from the paint. It left a clean surface with a shiny but flatter looking finish with good reflections, whereas my paint had a deeper glow to it before using the 901 and Aquawax combo. The car does not seem to attract dust, which is a great for keeping the car looking clean. I will give 901 a few more tries, but I prefer either OID as a drying aid or OCW as a spray wax to AquaWax.
Real nice review Kurt.. You would love DG AW if you lived in humidity. OCW and OID work great here on low humidity days. DG AW works much better here in SC.