Is beading overrated?

[Mike Honcho]

While I was taking the trash to the curb yesterday I noticed my neighbor's work truck parked in his driveway. It's about 3 years old, sits outside 24/7 and I know he has never waxed it. Hell, I've never seen him wash it yet it still beads. Am I missing something here?

[FUNX650]

•I'm one of those people that doesn't like the
possible damaging affects that water-beading
can levy against auto paint-systems. As such:
Water-beading is overrated to me.


•As to your neighbor's vehicle, this comes to mind:
-While being utilized as a means of transportation,
vehicles can pick up/take on road contaminates,
such as: "oils", that can often effectuate the
water-beading phenomenon.


Bob

[Mike Honcho]

Good point, Bob. Didn't think about that. I'm sure if I felt the paint it'd feel like petting a porcupine against the grain.

[7.3powerstroke]

Good question. I think way to many times we associate water beading with protection. I mean just because a sealant beads water better than another sealant doesnt mean it protects any better.

[zmcgovern45]

In your neighbor's case, is it likely that he has driven through a car wash that uses a "wax" of some sort.... you know, a rain-x wash or something like that?


In any case, yes, beading is highly overrated. IMO there is no benefit to water beading other than it looks cool. If a surface would simply sheet, rather than bead, it would be ideal.... but I am not sure that is possible as the same surface tension which allows water to slide off in a sheet also creates water beading as I understand it.

[7PaintGuns]

Good thread! I have WGS on my entire car except for the hood which has Collinite 845. It seems the hood beads up "better" than the rest of the car but I feel the sealent is doing a better job from a protection stand point. I'm just basing that off of how slick the WGS is though.

[Mike Phillips]

I have a LOT of experience with this topic. It was a huge topic of discussion when I worked for Meguiar's. I'm also a veteran of the Zaino vs NXT wars and a lot of those wars were about water beading.


Here's what I was told by a chemist friend of mine years ago...

The best paint protecting ingredients don't beat water very well. That is they don't create surface tension.


Water beading can lead to Type II water spots and anyone that's ever had to deal with Type II water spots knows these are some of the worst types of defects to have to remove. I think I also state this in the chapter on water spots in my book, The Complete Gide to a Show Car Shine.


Here's the thing though....

Perception is reality


People, that is the masses perceive water beading to be a visual sign of protection. Thus if your wax doesn't bead water and doesn't bead water for a long time a consensus will be formed that it doesn't protect well and it doesn't protect for a long time and the product will lose favor among the masses and lose sales.


I could go on and on for this topic but I don't have time. Suffice to say...

Perception is reality


Whether it's real or not doesn't matter... at least to the masses.


:D

[DarrylR]

Holy #### you guys are geeks!!!

And I mean that in a good way. :)

[SeanChav]

so I wonder what are some of the best paint protectants out there then, since pretty much everything here has some pretty good beading to it

[FUNX650]

so I wonder what are some of the best paint protectants out there then, since pretty much everything here has some pretty good beading to it
IMO:
-While, in some cases, pretty good water-beading
may not be a true indicator of an LSP's paint
protection ability...
-Totally ruling out, in other cases, that water-beading
can/will indicate paint-protection...may prove to be
inconclusive, at best.


•What are some of the best paint protection products?
-Any of the vast assortment of Waxes, Sealants,
and Coatings sold at AGO will more than suffice
in that department...(again IMO).


Bob

[zmcgovern45]

I believe he is referring to raw ingredients used within the waxes, sealants, and coatings to provide protection.

[Jaretr1]

I have no idea, but I love beautiful round beads on my paint! I have also noticed that when my paint beads water well, it also sheets water well.

There must be something to the argument though that surface tension if being caused by a protectant is a good thing as if water wont stick to the surface, neither will all the other harmful things. However if that surface tension is being created by contaminants, thats not good.

[zmcgovern45]

Well, if surface tension would cause bird bombs to bead up and roll off of the paint that would be one thing.... But clearly that isn't how it works.

Water beading can actually do more harm than good if a car is sprayed with hard water and left to dry, those droplets then create the water spots we all hate.

[ski2]

Didn't Megs try to promote sheeting a few years back and was never able to get people to accept the idea that sheeting was really superior to beading??

[Mike Honcho]

I have a LOT of experience with this topic.

Duh.

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: