I had always read about the debate, but to be honest until I really got into detailing I never quite understood it. Now I'm smack in the middle of my own personal battle with it.

My wax of choice is P21s, and for sealant I haven't found much better than Zaino(although FMJ is next on my list).

For sealant, I feel like Zaino truly does give the car protection and gloss to the point that I almost feel like when I look at my freshly sealed car that it has a plastic coat on it. Very hard looking, very reflective, literally a "shield" on the car. Almost fake even, but I've grown to realy like the look. Bugs, dirt, and dust seem to stick to the car less, and the beading is excellent. Car always seems clean. Negatives: as with any sealant I've used, not really any depth.

P21s I have found gives warmth to the car, and when layered the depth really pops out...which on my Ivory Pearl is hard to do. Really easy to apply and remove, and the reflective properties are great. Beading is excellent, and dirt and bugs wipe right off. Negatives: I feel like dust sticks to the car more, requiring more Cali Dusting, QDs, and in turn washes to keep it clean.

I just ordered Finishing Touch Glaze(thanks as always to George and Detailed Image) to add to the mix. I'm interested to see what this does to both products over the next few weeks of experimenting.

Right now...to my own surprise...I'm leaning towards sealant for its clean feel. I'm hoping that the glaze will add a bit of depth while keeping that crisp look that the sealant delivers. With Ivory Pearl I'm realizing depth is too hard to get, so might as well get what look can be achieved at a high level on this color.

Anyways, just wanted to share. Any ideas and thoughts welcome.

 

I feel what you're saying. Zaino is amazing but the look can be a bit plastic on some cars so I too use P21s to warm is up. A new combo I am crazy about is Ultima Paint Guard Plus which is a wipe on and walk away sealant. I top that with Danase Wet Glaze and the reflectivity and depth is just amazing. What's also great about this combo is that DWG is a acrylic glaze so you can actually lay another coat of the UPG on top of the DWG which normally would would never be able to put a sealant on top of a glaze. Really good stuff.

 

Have you tried Pinnacle Signature? I really like it a lot topping EX-P or UPP and loved it when I had a silver car.

These days I'm loving Pinnacle Souveran topping AIO & EX-P. I have a friend with an ES that is close to IP and he swears by AIO+ Souveran.

 

I use Meg's #21 becuase its a sealant that doesn't have the plastic look to it. I don't bother topping with any carnuabas because it makes no difference on DG

 

I also have IP and use zaino and P21. Zaino for longevity & protection and P21 for the wet look. Love the combo so far.

 

I use sealant AND wax....

 

I could not disagree more, just sayin.

 

I need to give my car a good detail, but in the past I used FTG, then FMJ, then Natty's Red, thou I kind of want to give Souveran a try next

 

what part don't you disagree with? that megs sealant doesn't give a plastic look or that a caranauba topped on megs sealant doesnt make a difference on a DG?

 

i use s100 as my wax, and i bought meg sealant. next time i am going to try the megs sealant and top it off with s100 wax.

 

The added depth to a metallic silver paint is minimal when topping with a carnuaba, and it is gone within a month. To me, its a waste of time for the slight benefit. I'll even post a comparison with half the hood topped with a carnuaba and I'll bet most people won't be able to tell the difference

 

please do post the pics. but by topping with a carnuaba on my blueslate do you think it would make a different?

 

Yes, darker metallics benefit from carnuabas, light metallics such as silver do not IMO.

 

i see i see. i remember from a previous thread you told me about using a megs 21 sealant. well when i went to napa autoparts they had megs #20 polymer sealant, are you mixing your numbers up or am i missing something?

 

#20 and #21 are different products, #20 is their polymer sealant and #21 is their synthetic sealant. I've used both and prefer #21. It lasts a bit longer from my experience and is slightly easier to apply/remove. If they don't have #21 though #20 is a good alternative