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Durability Test: Wolfgang SiO2 Paint Sealant
A few months ago, the hosts of this fine forum provided me a bottle of Wolfgang SiO2 Paint Sealant to try out. My first experience using it on my neighbors Porsche Cayenne was very positive (2017 Porsche Cayenne S Exterior Detail). The only problem was I don't see the vehicle all that often and I don't maintain it. This makes it really hard to learn much about a product beyond how well it goes on and how it looks.
So, in order to see what it's really like to live with Wolfgang's SiO2 Sealant, I've applied it to my own car and I'm going to run it all winter. The car is daily driven and sits out in the elements all day long when I'm at work and it will see a couple road trips. The weather here is typical just-below-the-snow-belt mid-west USA. It will experience snow, salt, ice, rain, cold, and long periods of being covered in grime.
As for maintenance, I'm not going to treat the car any differently than I would any other vehicle regardless of LSP. I'll wash it by hand when able (i.e. not too cold), otherwise it will be run though a touchless. If a QD spray is needed for any reason, it will be EcH2O.
Starting now, the clock is ticking. Let's see where this takes us. I applied two coats simply to ensure I covered everything evenly. For here on out, that's all it will get.
EDIT: I forgot to mention. Periodically, I'll be updating this thread with pictures and thoughts on how the sealant is holding up. I'm sure everyone assumed this to be the case, but I'll just put it out there to make sure my plans are clear.
Since I finished after sundown and today is another dreary, gray fall day, the best image I can offer from a really bright garage. The kind of conditions that make just about anything look good.
A couple other notes from working on my car this weekend.
- Everything I said about the sealant from my first use still stands. The product is really easy to use and looks amazing
- The CanCoat I polished off was still going strong from a protection standpoint...12 months later. I'm sure regular applications of Cure and Elixr probably had a lot to do with it's long lifespan. There is no telling how much longer it would have lasted. However, after 12 months of life and environment and multiple QD and booster sprays, the car just didn't look as good. The paint started to look dull and lifeless.
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Re: Durability Test: Wolfgang SiO2 Paint Sealant
Wow!
Looks freaking amazing!
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Re: Durability Test: Wolfgang SiO2 Paint Sealant
Awesome job, I look forward to updates. I hope it does well.
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Re: Durability Test: Wolfgang SiO2 Paint Sealant
Originally Posted by Mike Phillips
Wow!
Looks freaking amazing!
Thanks, Mike!
I have to admit, I uttered a "whoa!" when I walked into the garage this morning to drive to work. Can't wait for a sunny day to get a really good look. I've really been impressed by the look of the sealant.
Originally Posted by acuRAS82
Awesome job, I look forward to updates. I hope it does well.
Thanks. I'm curious too. I've never used a Wolfgang sealant for my own vehicle, and I haven't used any sealant in years. I'm really interested to see how this one behaves. Their is rain in the forecast for this afternoon, so I may get my first introduction to water behavior!
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Super Member
Re: Durability Test: Wolfgang SiO2 Paint Sealant
Here we go with the first update. Never thought I'd do one this soon.
We had hours of pouring rain yesterday, so the car was literally, "ridden hard and put away wet." I drove it home via a couple errands and parked it in the garage.
Water beading is shown below. I'd put them as better than any sealant I've used, but not quite like a coating. Not bad...just different. I didn't get any better pictures since because I didn't want to get my phone too wet. Also, the water beads do easily roll right off at fairly low speeds (around 45 mph) which provides a few hints the water sheading ability is pretty decent.
After sitting in the garage I didn't notice any water spotting, which is also a good sign. There is more gloom and rain today, so still no good chances of any bright sun pictures.
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Re: Durability Test: Wolfgang SiO2 Paint Sealant
I just wanted to provide another update in case anyone is interested.
A couple of weeks ago before our weather finally turned cold for the winter, I had a chance to give the car a quick bath. The sealant is still holding up great, and as you can hopefully see from the picture, the sheeting is quite good as well. Water beading is still excellent also.
One thing I've noticed after living with this sealant for a while is the difference in the appearance compared to the coatings I've used on the car in the past. Maybe, this is a Wolfgang trait, maybe it's simply coating vs. sealant characteristic, but the car has a very "smooth" glossy wet look to it. Coatings in the past all have a very sharp reflective look which seems to highlight every crease and seam in the body panels...which on this generation of BMW there are plenty. I won't say it's better or worse because I like the look. It's just different.
At this point I'll also note I'm not sure where this test will go. The week of Thanksgiving I was put back on telework due to local pandemic conditions, so the car has gone from daily driver to garage queen until at least the beginning of the new year. We'll see where it goes from there. The weather has been unseasonably mild, so it really hasn't missed much while sitting in the garage. I'll still run this test until at least spring, but right now I'm not sure conditions will allow for much of a stress test on this product.
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Re: Durability Test: Wolfgang SiO2 Paint Sealant
It’s all good about the amount of stress, just let us know and keep us updated.
I know exactly what you mean about the smooth versus sharp. A number of SiO2 Sprays are either one way or another.
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Re: Durability Test: Wolfgang SiO2 Paint Sealant
Please keep the updates coming; this product might make it onto my Spring buy list.
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Re: Durability Test: Wolfgang SiO2 Paint Sealant
Originally Posted by waddell64
Please keep the updates coming; this product might make it onto my Spring buy list.
And it should. This is what goes on my personal vehicles, and I love it. Super easy application and wipe off, with outstanding results.
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Re: Durability Test: Wolfgang SiO2 Paint Sealant
Originally Posted by briarpatch
And it should. This is what goes on my personal vehicles, and I love it. Super easy application and wipe off, with outstanding results.
I agree based on what I've experienced so far. It's easily my favorite sealant at this point.
The updates will continue to flow, they just might not be as frequent or as interesting as I planned. Regardless, I'm in it for the long haul and there is still most of the winter ahead of us!
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