Clear coat after surface sealant?

[mrfixit]

Yeah so my machine has been set up to run clear coat after rainshield - surface sealant and its rinse pass.

I know I've read cc is not needed.. Supplier says more protection is better.. I've been thinking about it for a while so I may as well open it up to everyone..

Is there any benefit to clear coat after rainshield/ super surface sealant?

The bigger question..

Is there any draw backs to applying cc after the ss.

Clear coat and surface sealant are the only two drying agents I'm working with right now..

There is the thing where customers think they are getting a benifit with clear coat. So it may not even be worth it to remove cc. But I'd like to have my mind made up to the questions above...

I may just leave it but it is one pass I can eliminate possibly to speed up the top 2 Wash cycles..., the busy winter season is around the corner.

 

[TEEBOX]

Yeah so my machine has been set up to run clear coat after rainshield - surface sealant and its rinse pass.

I know I've read cc is not needed.. Supplier says more protection is better.. I've been thinking about it for a while so I may as well open it up to everyone..

Is there any benefit to clear coat after rainshield/ super surface sealant?

The bigger question..

Is there any draw backs to applying cc after the ss.

Clear coat and surface sealant are the only two drying agents I'm working with right now..

There is the thing where customers think they are getting a benifit with clear coat. So it may not even be worth it to remove cc. But I'd like to have my mind made up to the questions above...

I may just leave it but it is one pass I can eliminate possibly to speed up the Wash cycles, the busy winter season is around the corner.

Wow! I just posted the same question on conveyor thread!

Chemical Rep said that dry aid and clearcoat should be together! I'm not buying it!

Its doesn't help dry cars any better with both for me!

Looking forward to see what the forum has to say!

Good Luck!

 

[mrfixit]

Lol!

I'm a researcher.. Ive learned to take heed on many concepts in the industry... Must have just missed your post...

Many things done by various providers have proved to be wrong and costly.

I have other things much more important that I've learned from experience and the great folks here.. Ive made many changes.. And get cleaner cars and more business as a result... this is a very very minor thing compared to all the others.

I'm in the process of changing the whole way the machine was set up to wash. It was so wasteful in many ways and severly lacking in others.... I have designed proprietary control circuitry to double the cleaning ability of the touchless in some of its weak areas.

Its going to be great when its complete.. I'm 70% there now.. .. Already this will be our best year ever.

 

[rph9168]

It would be a waste of money to apply a sealant or drying agent after Rainshield or any other RainX type product. Most of the decent RainX products contain a type of super sealant quality which would not be enhanced to any large degree by following with a regular sealant. I have also seen some eliminate any drying agent as well without any negative effect. Depending on the actual products it may even decrease the ability of those products since most (but not all) RainX type products contain water soluble silicones while some (again many but not all) clear coat protectants/sealants have solvent based type silicones. Without knowing the exact products and their MSDS information it would be hard to give you a definitive answer. Generally though I would say there is no real benefit to following a good RainX type product with a sealant or drying agent.

 

[mrfixit]

Good point,

so say if the two, any two chemicals, were of opposing silicones. Then is there a possibility for a negating effect?

I would have to check, but I would assume they are compatable products, Rainshield and strawberry CC.

The other side of it is the out come of course. I would like the shine and depth to be great.... Does Rainshield / (rainx type) super sealant add shine and depth along with protection. All better than everything else? I have never tried it alone. I know the clear coat makes a nice shine and depth, just don't want to lose that.

Currently, I mean, it definitely works my car can bead up for a month or more after a Rainshield pass.

I always think about layers though, too many layers of 'waxes' can be a bad thing. Especially when there's still a tough road film on the car. But you need enough to get a good shine.

 

[rph9168]

Any shine or protection you get from any of these products is temporary so there is no worry about layers although the cleaner the vehicle the better the shine and protection and the longer they will last. There are a lot of factors as to how long the protection lasts. It depends on how much the vehicle is exposed to the elements. Is it parked in a garage or under cover most of the time? How much precipitation has occurred? What has the temperature been? How much is it exposed to sunlight? What is the condition of the finish to begin with? All these factors directly effect how well the product works after it is applied so there is really no way to accurately predict how long it will last.

 

[mrfixit]

I guess I'm saying the protection is definitely there. I have no issue with that it lasts plenty long. Its great
Amazing actually, once I finally got the application working the way it is supposed to...

I just wonder if the clear coat even adhears to anything after surface sealant.

I've already eliminated the drying agent that it was originally set up to be put on Before the Rainshield. So that hurdle is crossed and the sealant is adhearing really well.

Nothing like putting wax on first to make the expensive surface sealant bead right off the car.
(Shakes head)

 

[robert roman]

“Clear coat and surface sealant are the only two drying agents I'm working with right now….Is there any benefit to clear coat after rainshield/super surface sealant?”

“Supplier says more protection is better….”

The supplier said this to avoid the correct answer (no) because the truth would affect his sales.

Find a full disclosure MSDS and Rain-X online protectant (paint sealant) has many different ingredients.

Among other things it contains detergent range solvents, acetic acid, alcohols, siloxanes (high molecular weight polymer) and silicones, ammonium compounds and salts.

Siloxane provides lubricity and bonding, salts confer smoothness and silicone glisten surfaces.

Rain-X causes excess water on surfaces to bead-up because the product creates a surface contact angle of about 100 degrees.

The effects of Rain-X can last up to about 30 days.

Most clearcoat is really drying aid that contains mineral seal oil. Oil is less expensive than silicone.

However, oils impart a much lower surface contact angle of about 80 degrees. So, it does not bead-up water nearly as well as Rain-X does.

In other words, there would be no additive effect.

Clearcoat does impart some shine, like oily human skin does, but this is a secondary to main purpose as drying aid.

Without polymers, drying aid will wear off in a few days or week.