Suggestions? Most durable paint sealant, that’s easy on-off?

[Ike21]

Hi All,

I’ve been away from the detailing scene for a while, and was hoping to ask you guys for some product pointers.

What’s a good sealant that balances longevity and chemical resistance (touchless washes, acid rain, etc.) with ease of application?
Mainly, is there something out there there days that would last ~1 year, but is forgiving enough with respect to non-staining or removal from plastic and rubber trim to skip masking?

I’m in a tough situation where I only have enough time to do a chemical strip hand wash, then sealant. May have some time for Tar/iron removal, and spot clay only, but that’s TBD.

Thanks!

[CleanIT]

I like Griot's 3 in 1 at the moment. Very easy to use. Proved to be very durable as well.

Ultimate Ceramic Spray Coating Test UPDATE 11 - 20 products compared - 7 MONTH UPDATE - Top 3? - YouTube

[oneheadlite]

I would second the Griot's 3 in 1. Not sure you can say it'll last a year, but it's so easy to apply and factoring in it's price that I don't think that's a big negative.

I put it on my car last July. I can say it's been really great as far as resisting bird bomb etching and I haven't noticed water spots being a problem. The beading isn't hyper insane, but even after 6 months you could still tell it was doing it's thing (based on how the water was beading, even if the car was dirty) when it rained. It's not going to self clean itself in the rain and make you dinner like some products claim, though I still haven't used one that's delivered on that yet.

After a MN winter, you can tell the beading is diminished on the sides of the car, I'm sure due to road film build up. In a perfect world I'd give the car a good decontamination wash and see if it's still hanging in there, but time hasn't allowed for that to happen yet.

No worries about trim/rubber/etc. I used it on all the glass as well (FWIW, they say not to use it on the windshield).

Good stuff.

[Rsurfer]

Collinite 845..apply thinly.

[CleanIT]

I would second the Griot's 3 in 1. Not sure you can say it'll last a year, but it's so easy to apply and factoring in it's price that I don't think that's a big negative.

I put it on my car last July. I can say it's been really great as far as resisting bird bomb etching and I haven't noticed water spots being a problem. The beading isn't hyper insane, but even after 6 months you could still tell it was doing it's thing (based on how the water was beading, even if the car was dirty) when it rained. It's not going to self clean itself in the rain and make you dinner like some products claim, though I still haven't used one that's delivered on that yet.

After a MN winter, you can tell the beading is diminished on the sides of the car, I'm sure due to road film build up. In a perfect world I'd give the car a good decontamination wash and see if it's still hanging in there, but time hasn't allowed for that to happen yet.

No worries about trim/rubber/etc. I used it on all the glass as well (FWIW, they say not to use it on the windshield).

Good stuff.

I noticed this too. I don't know how much beading matters, but the 3 in 1 has produced decent beading in my use. Not the best. At one point I had thought it failed early on, however after washing all the pollen off the car, it was still there and still very functional. It's more durable than I had thought.

[dwaleke]

I'd be tempted to use Meguiar's Hybrid Paint Coating.

Typically I'd never recommend coating a vehicle without polishing first. But in your case it ticks all your boxes for performance, ease of application, etc, and if a ceramic sealant like Griot's 3-in-1 will bond I don't see why this wouldn't.

Perhaps clay the whole vehicle first if it needs it. And apply HPC over everything except glass. So no issues with staining trim or other plastics, etc.

[Prange]

FK1000p.

[Farmallluvr]

I like Jescar Powerlock +,,machine applied with a wax pad of your choice,,,I was looking at some Griots 3n1 earlier today and am curious about it as well

[Rsurfer]

I like Jescar Powerlock +,,machine applied with a wax pad of your choice,,,I was looking at some Griots 3n1 earlier today and am curious about it as well

Have you tired Jescar Ultra Lock + with ceramic?

[Texchappy]

I’m just short of two months on the Griot’s 3in1 ceramic on my son’s Aegean Blue Civic and so far, so good.