Thread: Meguiar's Sealants (aka Synthetic Wax) Review

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  1. #1 Meguiar's Sealants (aka Synthetic Wax) Review 
    GrandPrix Junkie The Guz's Avatar
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    Well I have been an avid user of Meguiar's products. Their products are economical, affordable and simply just work.

    They offer 3 sealants. Sealants are different than a carnauba wax. Carnauba's offer that warm deep glow. Their weak point is longevity. They typically last 1-3 months depending on the surrounding environment. A sealant on the other hand offers more longevity and protection. They typically last about 4-6 months. Again this depends on the surrounding environment.

    Meguiar's offers three sealants. There is NXT 2.0, which is their first introduction into the synthetic market. Ultimate Wax then followed, which is longer lasting than NXT 2.0. It was the longest lasting form of protection until a new product was introduced in 2015 by the name of Paint Protect 365. It claims to offer 1 years worth of protection. One thing to note is that on the professional side they offer M21 Synthetic Sealant 2.0. This is the pro version of NXT.

    Paint Protect 365 is claimed to "bead water like crazy". I wanted to test this claim against M21 and Ultimate Wax and see how they behave.

    I took my OEM hood and prepped that and taped it off and applied each product.

    These are the products.



    This is the hood taped up to apply each product to it's area. From left to right the hood is set up as follows.

    Far left - used a 15% IPA wipe down to remove M205's polishing oils. This will be a control area #1.

    M21 - The next section has a coat of M21 on it. I didn't remove M205's polishing oils.

    Paint Protect 365 - The middle section has a coat of 365 on it. I didn't remove M205's polishing oils.

    Ultimate Wax - The next section has a coat of Ultimate Liquid Wax. I didn't remove M205's polishing oils.

    Far right - used a 15% IPA wip down to remove M205's polishing oils. This is control area #2.



    I chose to remove the tape lines. Well not entirely true. There are small areas underneath each section that I left tape on to give me an idea of where the tape line was. I did not notice any darkening of the paint from each product popping out right in front of me. It's hard to tell on a light color. Gloss/shine levels also appear to be the same on a light colored car. This is good news for someone that owns a light colored car. This would probably be different on a darker colored car. As we all know gloss comes from the prep work and this has hood has been prepped with D300 on a thin foam cutting disc and M205 on a thin polishing foam disc (will post this review up later).




    Meguiar's claims to let each product cure for 24 hours prior to getting the surface wet and also prior to topping with a carnauba product. Meguiar's also claims to let Paint Protect cure for an additional 7-10 days prior to getting it wet to get the most benefit of the products beading properties.



    So the hood had sat undisturbed for 15 days. Here are some beading photos and some videos. These were taken with my iphone.

    I used the mist setting on the nozzle for these photos.

    Here is the unprotected side



    Here is the beading of ULW



    Beading of Paint Protect 365.



    Beading of M21. Looks a little like Paint Protect.



    Some more beading shots from a different angle

    ULW



    M21



    Paint Protect 365




    Based on beading alone, I would give ultimate wax the win on this. Meguiar's is known for having their products be a sheeting type behavior rather than beading type. The reason for this is to avoid water spots which is the biggest concern to the average person. All three products sheet water off the surface very well. All three products should be applied thin.

    One thing to note is that I did put Paint Protect 365 on the hood of my grand prix which sits outside 24/7. Some have claimed that Paint Protect was gone after 1 month. I can honestly say that it was at the 4 month time frame and it was still beading strong and sheet very well. Will it last a year? I don't know as I have polished it off the hood and moved onto another product. I did notice the beading for Paint Protect 365 got better as time passed.

    Due to the drought here in California, I did not finish the testing of all 3 products on my OEM hood. I did wash it 10 times with Meguiar' Hyperwash Soap and all three products were still on the paint and holding up strong.


    Here's the pro and cons of each product. I can't really comment on Paint Protect as I only evaluated it for 4 months. In my opinion it's an ok product. M21 and Ultimate Wax would still be my choice as they perform very well.

    All can be layered. But one thing to note is that the behavior seen will be that of the topper. I would recommend to leave Paint Protect 365 untopped with any other wax or spray wax to not hinder it's performance. Ultimate Wax and M21 topped with M26 Hi Tech Wax is a great combo. All three should be given a minimum of 12 hours prior to topping with another product.

    NXT/M21:

    Pros:
    A little goes a long way
    Easy to apply and remove. Very user friendly.
    Provides good protection.
    Average longevity for me is about 4-5 months
    Provides good shine
    Affordable

    Cons:

    Needs to haze like a traditional wax. This is not really a con but it can be for some people
    M21 is purple and can be hard to see on dark colors
    Will stain trim

    Ultimate Liquid Wax:

    Pros:
    A little goes a long way
    Easy to apply and remove
    Provides good protection
    Average longevity for me is 5-6 months
    Provides good shine
    Can be removed within 3-5 mins from a panel. Will not haze like a traditional wax.
    Will not stain trim

    Cons:

    It has been known to streak on darker colors if applied to thick or if applied at high temp/high humidity.

    Paint Protect 365:

    Pros:
    Can be reomved after 3-5 mins from a panel. Will not haze like a traditional wax.
    A little goes a long way.
    Will not stain trim. It will actually enhance it and protect it. It will not restore severely faded trim.


    Cons:

    Oily product
    Can be difficult to remove
    Will not add shine
    Last edited by The Guz; 08-02-2015 at 11:02 PM.
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  2. #2 Re: Meguiar's Sealant (aka Synthetic Wax) Review 
    GrandPrix Junkie spazzz's Avatar
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    Can't go wrong with M21 or Ultimate Wax. My choice is Ultimate Liquid Wax.
    Great review as always.
    Thanks for taking the time to do this.
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  3. #3 Re: Meguiar's Sealants (aka Synthetic Wax) Review 
    GTX Level Member JDrach's Avatar
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    So is ultimate wax just a wax or a sealant? It seems to have done the best
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  4. #4 Re: Meguiar's Sealants (aka Synthetic Wax) Review 
    GXP Level Member Timing's Avatar
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    I have used the ultimate line for the last year or so and i have to say working in a parts store and using pretty much everything on the shelf, it is by far the closest to a professional product 1/4 of the price.
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  5. #5 Re: Meguiar's Sealants (aka Synthetic Wax) Review 
    GrandPrix Junkie The Guz's Avatar
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    Meguiar's recommends two coats for even coverage. One coat is good if one gets good coverage. Additional protection is not built upon additional layers.

    Quote Originally Posted by JDrach View Post
    So is ultimate wax just a wax or a sealant? It seems to have done the best
    Anything synthetic is a sealant. Ultimate Wax is a synthetic product thus making it a sealant. The term wax is used as the average person does not know what the term sealant means. They however identify with the term wax. Ultimate wax performed very well for me personally. Stand alone I get 6 months out of it. When I topped it with M26 Hi Tech Wax (which is a carnauba based wax), I got 8 months out of that combo with spray waxing in between washes.


    Topping is when a sealant is laid down as the base coat and then topped with a coat of carnauba. In theory one gets the best of both worlds. The longevity of the sealant and the look of the carnauba. The carnauba will become the sacrificial layer and once that wears off, the sealant is left behind.


    Quote Originally Posted by Ginseng View Post
    I have used the ultimate line for the last year or so and i have to say working in a parts store and using pretty much everything on the shelf, it is by far the closest to a professional product 1/4 of the price.
    Ultimate wax is an excellent product. I always keep some around as it's a typical go to product that nets excellent results.
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  6. #6 Re: Meguiar's Sealants (aka Synthetic Wax) Review 
    GTX Level Member xxpappas13xx's Avatar
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    Subbed. Great advice from Guz and he is a truly helpful person! I started detailing my old dark blue metallic grand prix because of him and it looked 10x better than before. Removed most of the swirls and now working on silver which is very difficult as he stated
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  7. #7 Re: Meguiar's Sealants (aka Synthetic Wax) Review 
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    Great review! I have a dumb question. After you polish and wax, how do you wash it? I'm scared to use the wrong stuff and wash off all my hard work lol. Are there cleaners to stay away from? Will going through a car wash strip it all off?

    And these waterless washes, are they good and safe for paint?
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  8. #8 Re: Meguiar's Sealants (aka Synthetic Wax) Review 
    GrandPrix Junkie CrazyGuy03's Avatar
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    Good question ^
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  9. #9 Re: Meguiar's Sealants (aka Synthetic Wax) Review 
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    If you want to strip off all old wax, use a good dish soap such as dawn. Otherwise I would suggest just using a normal car wash soap and it will stay on. I haven't waxed mine in about a month and I use the ultimate liquid wax like Guz does and it is still beading very well; however, your question about using a car wash, do not use them. The drive through especially is terrible because think about how much grime and dirt they pick up and you don't know if they ever clean off the parts to it or replace them and have seen people come out with way more swirls than before. As far as a spray off one, that's not too bad but I use mainly just the water like during the winter and have the foam drip out over my car and use my own mit/brush.

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  10. #10 Re: Meguiar's Sealants (aka Synthetic Wax) Review 
    GTP Level Member Ultra440's Avatar
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    Use dish soap to wash dishes. Clay your car to strip the wax, like you're supposed to.

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  11. #11 Re: Meguiar's Sealants (aka Synthetic Wax) Review 
    GTP Level Member Ultra440's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bandook View Post
    Great review! I have a dumb question. After you polish and wax, how do you wash it? I'm scared to use the wrong stuff and wash off all my hard work lol. Are there cleaners to stay away from? Will going through a car wash strip it all off?

    And these waterless washes, are they good and safe for paint?
    I just spent 500 bucks on autogeek a few months ago and went through the same thought process. Get a good car wash shampoo and some grit guards with the double bucket method. Microfiber mitt and you're ready to rock. Just make sure you rinse the mitt often.

    Use a good wax after you polish and re wax every couple months to stay ahead of the game.

    The waterless wash works but use a lot of it, and don't expect to take off more than some water spots after a rain or some bugs after a cruise. It's not a substitute for a real wash. I use about 10 towels doing my whole car and they are pretty dirty by the time I'm done.

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  12. #12 Re: Meguiar's Sealants (aka Synthetic Wax) Review 
    GrandPrix Junkie The Guz's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by xxpappas13xx View Post
    Subbed. Great advice from Guz and he is a truly helpful person! I started detailing my old dark blue metallic grand prix because of him and it looked 10x better than before. Removed most of the swirls and now working on silver which is very difficult as he stated
    Thanks. I do what I can to pass on what I have learned onto others.

    Quote Originally Posted by bandook View Post
    Will going through a car wash strip it all off?
    First off stay away from the drive through car washes. The brushes will scratch and swirl up your paint. If anything use a touchless.

    Quote Originally Posted by bandook View Post
    I have a dumb question. After you polish and wax, how do you wash it? I'm scared to use the wrong stuff and wash off all my hard work lol. Are there cleaners to stay away from?
    This is not a dumb question. This is actually a great question. My recommendation is to invest in a good car wash soap. There are a lot on the market that work very well. My two favorite car washes are Meguiar's D110 Hyperwash from their detailer line and Adams Car Shampoo (the blue version). The reason for that is that is that for me personally I like a soap that leaves no gloss enhancers or wax behind. The wax within a soap is not that durable but I don't like to disturb whatever protection I have on the car.

    Meguiar's Hyperwash is the most economical of the bunch. It's dilution ratio is 400:1. That comes out to 1.5 oz's in 4 gallons of water. Adams Shampoo dilution is pretty darn close to that.






    If I was to pick up a soap locally I would recommend Meguiar's Gold Class. It cleans well and offers good lubricity.



    The wash media is just as important as the soap. Cheap wash media will scratch the paint. One of my favorites is the Meguiar's microfiber wash mitt. It's soft and it won't scratch the paint. I recommend to wash it after each wash to keep it clean. They are only about $5 and work very well.



    The number one thing is to follow proper wash techniques. Do that and you will protect your hard work until you are ready to reapply a fresh coat or polish once again. Swirls are still going to happen but by practicing proper wash techniques you will limit the number of them that appear on the paint.

    This is one of my favorite references on how to properly wash a car.

    Last edited by The Guz; 08-04-2015 at 02:07 AM.
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  13. #13 Re: Meguiar's Sealants (aka Synthetic Wax) Review 
    GrandPrix Junkie The Guz's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bandook View Post
    And these waterless washes, are they good and safe for paint?
    This may get a little technical so I will do my best to not get that technical.

    Waterless and rinseless washes are very good and are paint safe. But there is a certain level of dirtiness that one should not be used on. It's a good idea to use this in areas where there are water restrictions or places where there is no access to water like an apartment complex. My personal favorite rinseless wash product is Meguiar's D114 Rinse Free Express Wash. It's a very versatile product based on the dilution ration.

    A majority of the time 1 oz in 2 gallons of water is all that is needed. If the car is a little dirtier then 2 oz in 2 gallons would be the ratio to use. If the car is muddy, then stick with a traditional bucket wash or pressure rinse the mud and follow up with a rinseless.

    I use it by using the Gary Dean method.



    Since I use mine in 2 buckets, I save the clean rinseless solution. I will fill up some empty spray bottles or pump sprayer so that I can use it that as a waterless wash for light dust and dirt or as a pre-soak to loosen up dirt prior to a rinseless wash. Due to the drought and water restrictions here, I have been utilizing rineless washing as my wash regiment. It takes less time that a regular wash and I can maintain a swirl free finish by doing it properly and using very good towels.

    Meguiar's has a waterless wash on the market by the name of ultimate wash & wax anywhere. It can get expensive so I that is why I recommend to buy in bulk. Saves more money in your pocket in the long run.

    One thing to note is that rinseless washes are great for those that own a motorcycle.
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  14. #14 Re: Meguiar's Sealants (aka Synthetic Wax) Review 
    GrandPrix Junkie The Guz's Avatar
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    Here is Meguiar's video on rinseless washing



    Quote Originally Posted by xxpappas13xx View Post
    If you want to strip off all old wax, use a good dish soap such as dawn. Otherwise I would suggest just using a normal car wash soap and it will stay on. I haven't waxed mine in about a month and I use the ultimate liquid wax like Guz does and it is still beading very well; however, your question about using a car wash, do not use them. The drive through especially is terrible because think about how much grime and dirt they pick up and you don't know if they ever clean off the parts to it or replace them and have seen people come out with way more swirls than before. As far as a spray off one, that's not too bad but I use mainly just the water like during the winter and have the foam drip out over my car and use my own mit/brush.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ultra440 View Post
    Use dish soap to wash dishes. Clay your car to strip the wax, like you're supposed to.

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    I will have to agree with this. Save the dish soap for the dishes. If one is going to compound or polish or use a cleaner wax, then those products will definite strip a wax or sealant. There are sealants on the market that dish soap won't strip. The soap leaves behind surfactants. But if one wipes that way with some diluted IPA (aka rubbing alcohol) the beading and sheeting properties will return. Menzerna Power Lock for example is a very durable sealant. Much more so than Ultimate Wax.



    Quote Originally Posted by Ultra440 View Post
    I just spent 500 bucks on autogeek a few months ago and went through the same thought process. Get a good car wash shampoo and some grit guards with the double bucket method. Microfiber mitt and you're ready to rock. Just make sure you rinse the mitt often.

    Use a good wax after you polish and re wax every couple months to stay ahead of the game.

    The waterless wash works but use a lot of it, and don't expect to take off more than some water spots after a rain or some bugs after a cruise. It's not a substitute for a real wash. I use about 10 towels doing my whole car and they are pretty dirty by the time I'm done.

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    Nice haul for $500. Rinseless wash is the way to go when the car is not that dirty.
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  15. #15 Re: Meguiar's Sealants (aka Synthetic Wax) Review 
    GTP Level Member Ultra440's Avatar
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    They had a 20% off free shipping special so I loaded up. Got everything from a wheel woolie to a gg6 with lots of pads. waxes, clay sealants, towels, grit guards etc. I'm set for a while. The autogeek forums will tell one everything they need to know.

    I've a good amount of paint to care for so kit was necessary

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