To seal or not to seal

[thedallashilton]

Is it that important to use a sealant before waxing or will a good wax offer decent protection without the sealant?

[audiboy]

The sealant and wax combo will allow for prolonged durability. I also like the combo because as long as you have a somewhat fresh coat of wax on, all of the polishing that you did will be a little better protected.

[thedallashilton]

I have been using xmt 360 and its been awesome! It has a sealant in it and I apply a coat a wax. So if i did all that before, when i go to detail the car again and inspect the paint and it has a good coat of wax on it, i can apply a stand alone sealant on top of the wax again? And what would you recommend as a stand alone sealant?

[CharlesW]

Originally Posted by thedallashilton

I have been using xmt 360 and its been awesome! It has a sealant in it and I apply a coat a wax. So if i did all that before, when i go to detail the car again and inspect the paint and it has a good coat of wax on it, i can apply a stand alone sealant on top of the wax again? And what would you recommend as a stand alone sealant?

And there is the problem with wax toppers over a sealant.
Most sealants don't work real well if at all over a wax.
To reapply a sealant, you need to remove the wax.
This is exactly why I don't top sealants.

On the same subject, I used to use S100 Carnauba as my LSP after using Klasse AIO and it worked fine for the 4 to 6 weeks I was looking for. Collinite #845 Insulator Wax did the same.

If you are happy with your XMT360/wax combination, why not just stick with it?

Charles

[thedallashilton]

The XMT360/Wax combo has been working great i was just wondering because if i encountered a vehicle with some more severe scratches and and heavy swirls I couldn't use the 360 and have to use something more aggressive like a stand alone intermediate swirl remover that didn't contain a sealant. And after i would have to go back over with a stand alone sealant then a wax.

[CharlesW]

Originally Posted by thedallashilton

The XMT360/Wax combo has been working great i was just wondering because if i encountered a vehicle with some more severe scratches and and heavy swirls I couldn't use the 360 and have to use something more aggressive like a stand alone intermediate swirl remover that didn't contain a sealant. And after i would have to go back over with a stand alone sealant then a wax.

Depending on what you are looking for in durability, waxes still do a pretty good job of protecting paint.
They may not have the durability of some sealants, but I think 4 to 6 weeks would be reasonable to expect out of most good waxes. The Collinite #845 Insulator wax is said to last as long as many sealants. I can't say, since it got refreshed every 4 to 6 weeks same as any wax or sealant I use.

Charles

[thedallashilton]

I know claying removes the wax but how about a sealant?

[CharlesW]

Originally Posted by thedallashilton

I know claying removes the wax but how about a sealant?

I'm not too sure it even removes 100% of the wax. I think I would still use a paint cleaner if I was concerned.

Charles