Originally Posted by WhizkidTN
I applied this product but not quite as directed (my mistake).
My paint was washed then clayed with a synthetic clay bar/lubricant, washed again with stripper soap and dried it, glazed it, then used Extreme Top Coat, and finally Butter wax coated back in December with all Chemical Guys products (1st usage for me - yes a couple of days). It really needs a cut and polish but I've only recently purchased the tools/chemicals to do so. My car is daily driven, garage kept during the night and weekends but sits out at work during the day. It is nearly 8 years old and has what I would think is a fairly thin clear coat from the factory. I do have lots of swirls and car wash machine scratches cause I was too lazy for several years to do a proper car wash.
For this product, I washed/rinsed as normal and then applied the HCW (1st application) to the wet car after I fully shook the bottle. I then used a dry microfiber towel to spread the product around and pseudo dried it but keep using the same microfiber towel (now saturated with water and HCW). I then washed that panel down and moved to another panel (using the same saturated microfiber towel). I did a final whole car rinse and then using a clean/dry waffle weave microfiber drying towel, dried the car off before water spots could hit. Yes, I was out in the full sun (my bad) and surface was very warm to the touch. I had to hit just a few spots with another dry microfiber towel to remove the slight haze left due to not applying this correctly. I should have used a dry microfiber towel per section and buffed it dry which I believe is their intent for the first application.
So far, I like the shine and I will use the simple HCW spray on, rinse off and microfiber towel dry technique for future car washes. I'll be able to judge how long it lasts then but my final rinse did result in plenty of water beading and was super easy to dry off.
The one rain storm that has hit me so far only left some pollen water spots as it dried before I drove the car. Pollen is super bad this time of year and I'm hoping the HCW will help allow it to just "blow off" by driving it at highway speeds rather than another full wash. We'll see but I'm hopeful.
So it has been 1 month since I last washed my car and applied the foundation layer (incorrectly as I stated above). While the car was very dirty (pollen, dust, bugs, tree sap), it seems to hose off most of the dirt since when I washed my car, I got very little "dirty water" in my rinse bucket. I did the normal application of the HCW this time around and noticed little difference in the very good performance of the water beading/sheeting off my car. After she was completely dry, I did notice a slight, occasional hazing on the glass that buffed right off with a microfiber towel which was the result of my misapplication of the foundational layer. I also buffed some of paint by hand just a little bit as well (roof, hood, trunk lid, all glass).
While I do need to do major paint correction on my nearly 8 year old Kia (polished only twice), I have been impressed with the HCW beading action and ease of re-cleaning my car. It held up very well in 100°F full sun and heat.