The Duragloss process for daily drivers

[steelwindmachine]

Firstly, let me say that I've never machine polished a vehicle. I've gone as far as doing Iron-X decon, clay bar and then hand polishing with Poli-Seal.

Secondly, I have two daily drivers that sit outside year round. They've both been through machine washes and hand washes in their lives. I've stopped machine washing as of a year ago.

My wife's car is bright silver 2005 Subaru Forester that has never been machine polished, has had a handful of clay bar, Meg's Cleaner/Wax treatments in its life. It has large black plastic body panel trim that I treated with Solution Finish last year. It's doing well and I'll be re-treating this year. The paint has its share of small scratches, swirls, some water and bird poop etching. You can see your reflection in it, but I wouldn't try shaving in it lol.

My car is a 2014 Kia Sorento in a darker, metallic titanium silver. It has a fingernail catching scratch in one of the doors, small scratches here and there and swirls. I've owned it a year and it had previously been a lease by someone in Long Island, NY who had messy kids. I've machine washed it once and hand washed it the rest of the time I've owned it. Last year I did do a full decon, clay and hand polish with the Poli-Seal.

I somewhat recently picked up an HF DA and a 3D Products 5.5" backing plate. I'm on the precipice of buying into LC ThinPro pads and some kind of compound/polish/AIO/LSP product. I need the process to be easy and make sense for my situation. I'm not going for perfection. These will always be daily drivers subjected to all weather, road grime, rain and other outside crap.

So that's the preface to the conversation I just had with Jerry at Duragloss. I've read about Duragloss throughout this site and haven't found a bad comment about the products. I didn't really know much about their products beyond the frequent reference to their part numbers (601, 105, 652, etc.) on this site. I decided to call them and explain my situation and find out what process and products they'd recommend to restore and protect my cars' paint.

He surmised that given the type and age of my paint, more so with the Subaru, that it surely has oxidation and to go through the work of polishing that will just dimish, oxidize and require a repeat of polishing, that having the paint wet sanded and a fresh coat of clear with enough catalyst and hardener would produce a new level of UV and oxidation protection to the paint, give a refreshed gloss to the car and not require as frequent polishing to maintain.

I had never heard this type of recommendation before, but to my mind, particularly on the 2005 Forester, makes a lot of sense.

As for my 2014 Kia, it certainly would benefit from a similar fresh, harder clear coat, but may not be as dire since it's still a relatively young car.

He suggested I then apply a pre-mix of their 601 and 105 to further protect the finish and give a brilliant shine. Or I could use their Pre-Cleaner + 671 + 105/601 mix. If want did want to do some paint correction, use the 671 Swirl Remover or for a bit more aggressive cut, use the 652.

And, use 921 or 951 between washed to prolong protection and revitalize the shine.

So, the new clear coat thing was interesting and not just an outright sell on a ton of compound/polish/protect products that I'll need to repetitively use due to the aged and continuing to age clear coats.

Anyone else put on a new clear or have any notes on Duragloss when it comes to outside living daily drivers?

Either way, it was great to talk to Jerry. He was very informative and helpful!

[dlc95]

I would be reluctant to sand and shoot new clear on something, when polishing and protection would most likely suffice.

I really like DG101 for what you're looking for. For more cleaning power DG501.

My vehicle is kept out side all year, and so far DG111 has held up the best out of any that I have in rotation.

[JustJesus]

Interesting recommendation with the new clear coat. That's basically a new paint job. Seems a bit extreme, to me, especially without looking at the car(s).

My own 2008 Toyota most definitely needs a new paint job; it has clear coat failure. The parts that aren't failed, a simple paint cleaner can do wonders. Top it off with some decent LSPs, and I'm set.

My wife's 2014 Kia Sportage still looks great. It's really hard to see a difference between a panel I haven't polished, versus one that was paint cleansed, sealed, and waxed.

Then again, I'm not living through harsh winters like you guys are.

Still, I'd be curious to see what your paint actually looks like, though.

[DMiglio]

Big fan of their products, I have used quite a few over the years! I think they work great and offer long lasting protection. Some great products for your situation or really anybody’s would be:

Polishes: I’ve only used 501 myself but always heard great things about 105 as well. I worked the 501 into the paint with light pressure and 4-5 passes with a polishing pad. Minimal correction generally provided by the pad but excellent cleaning ability.
Duragloss Marine RV Polish #501 cleans, polishes, and shines gelcoat fiberglass boat and RV finishes. Duragloss durable boat and RV polishes.
Duragloss Total Performance Polish (TPP) # 105

Sealants: 111 clear coat polish is a pure polish with no abrasives or cleaners. Mixed mine 4to1 with 601 polish bonding agent to make a quick and easy sealing process. Can be done by hand or machine with a wax pad. Easily got me through an extremely tough winter a few years ago here in Chicago.
Duragloss Clear Coat Polish (CCP) #111
Duragloss Polish Bonding Agent (PBA) #601

Maintenance: 951 Aquawax, used this as a drying aid after either a rinseless wash or regular hose wash. Easy as can be to use, only a spray or two on larger panels and the smell is welcome in the freezing months as it always reminded me of Summer!
Duragloss Aquawax (AW) #951

Car wash: 901 for regular hose and bucket wash or 931 for rinseless washes.
https://www.autogeek.net/duragloss-c...ncentrate.html
https://www.autogeek.net/duragloss-rinseless-wash.html

That’s it! Extremely easy to use and great working products! The hardest thing about DG products as I’m sure you read in your searches is deciphering the DaVinci code that is their product numbers haha.

[MattPersman]

While it’s possible to scuff and add more clear even on a new car it’s pretty un cost effective. That’s gonna be around 3 grand at most shops. And some probably won’t even touch that job and look at you like you are crazy. They will offer a full repaint though. Either way you are pretty much gonna be charged for a full paint job

I would just go along with maintaining what you got. I don’t think Subaru’s are big on clear failure. Any car can yes, but it’s not one that comes to mind off the top of my head as common. If the paint has been severely neglected since 2005 then anything is possible

Can just do 105, 101, 501 or 111 depending if you want cleaning or not. Probably apply every 3 months and call it good.

It will ultimately cost the same to have it painted now or down the road if it ever fails to your dissatisfaction


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[BadgerRivFan]

Duragloss is a good product line and their prices are excellent. You can’t go wrong with anything that you choose from them.

Having said that, I find it crazy that Jerry would recommend wet sanding your paint based on a phone conversation. Listen to Mike Phillips’ advice, and always choose the “least aggressive method to get the job done.”

If you have never machine polished your vehicles, start there and I think you’ll be amazed at the results you can achieve.

If you have kept some level of protection on your car over the years, the clear coat should be in good enough condition to handle a compound and polish.

Watch a few “how to” videos and go for it!

[BillyJack]

I, too, agree that Duragloss is an excellent product line for daily drivers. I have almost all of their sealants and wash products on my shelves and use them regularly. If you're new to machine polishing, just pick up a bottle of Meguiar's Ultimate Compound at your local store. It's very user-friendly and paired with a decent pad, will probably remove your minor defects and leave a wax-ready surface. You can further enhance with a 105/601 cocktail and even layer on some 111/601 for extra longevity. Buy yourself a few 3-4 oz. squeeze bottles at the drug store and mix your product with 601 using a ruler, as it's simpler than using measuring spoons. Eventually, 601 will cause the mix to thicken a bit, so using a small bottles helps preserve the product.
You didn't mention if you bought any DG stuff yet, so PM me if you'd like a care package of samples.

Bill

[evtifosi]

After using Aquawax for the last 2 years I just bought and used 105/601 combo on our red Nissan LEAF - the car is almost 3 years old and has only been washed by hand so the paint was already in really good condition, but it is our daily driver.

The car now looks better than new. Using 105 and GG DA I was even able to remove a few minor scratches and various minor swirls and scuffs. The only area that needs more aggressive treatment is the hatch/trunk which has a few deeper scratches that I think will come out with a quick compounding...

I have the 111 sealant (polish), I think I will try next on our Acura TSX that I just used HD Speed on in March...

I like the look of the 105/601 better than the HD Speed wax - I will be curious to see what the 111 looks like.