the pros say to do it every month but seems a little extreme to me.

 

If you don't want to do it every month or so (wax only lasts 30-45 days), I'd suggest looking into a sealant. My personal favorite is 4-Star Ultimate Paint Protection. It's glossy, slick, easy to apply and lasts anywhere from 3 to 5 months.

 

Agreed, with the exception of using a spray wax at least once monthly (which is nearly effortless), and an occassional QD.
UPP rocks!

 

+1 for the FS UPP, stuff is great and have been using it for the past two or three years now. does last quite a long time as well. I usually only apply twice a year and try to apply two layers (24hrs apart)

 

Like Andrew once said "Once you go UPP you never come down!"

 

Does the UPP go on after a wax? Or is it 'the wax'?

 

I think UPP is a sealant, which is different from wax. Not quite sure what the difference is, PortlandRL and exceldetail are the pros here. But since sealant lasts longer, I'd guess it goes on before wax, that way when the wax expires the sealant is still there.

 

^^
Yes or you can use it in place of wax, just like Excel stated though you may want to use a spray wax after washing to improve the long-gevity of sealant and a QD between washes.

 

Okay, so I could throw on some UPP, then add NXT 2.0 Wax on top?

 

NXT after UPP would be pointless and also may remove some of the UPP. BTW nxt 2.0 is a sealant not a wax.

Just do the UPP.

 

So wait what exactly is the difference between a sealant and a wax. Both keep the paint shining and protect it, sealant just does it for longer, correct?

 

Wax sits on the paint .. a sealant bonds to the paint.

Sealants vs Waxes
In order detail business operators to provide customers with honest information a full understanding of the differences between waxes and sealants is necessary. Further, it also helps them to sell their own services better, having this knowledge to counteract the car salesman's admonishment to his customer, "your car has a clear-coat finish, it never needs any kind of waxing." Or, "you have purchase a lifetime paint sealant protection, your car never needs to be waxed."
By simple definition is paint sealant is something that seals. But, does not a wax seal? So is it not a sealant too? Technically speaking you are correct. But typically automotive waxes are not thought of as a sealing product.
Sealants may have wax in the formulation but they are more than just a wax because they contain, as mentioned earlier, amino-functional silicone fluids in them.
If a wax contained amino-functional silicones then it properly speaking is not a wax by our definition, but a paint sealant.
There are waxes on the market that are formulated with amino-functional silicones and are marketed as having a longer life than other waxes. This is done because the marketing department feels that it needs to market a wax to compete with other products, but needs a wax, that has longer durablity. It has nothing to do with the chemistry of the product, just what is included and what the selling company chooses to call it.
A paint sealant for all intents and purposes contains as a key ingredient, amino-functional silicone fluids which form a cross-linking film over the surface of the paint that forms a durable barrier on the paint that will, in fact, last longer than wax, sitting on the surface of the paint.
Sealants, like waxes, contain: water, solvents, oils, wax, color, fragrance held together by emulsifiers. They are usually available in liquid or cremes, but not in paste form, which I suspect has to do with marketing more than anything else.
Often on the label of the sealant product or in marketing material you will see terms such as "polymers and resins". These are really nothing but marketing buzz words intended to make their products sound better, when in fact, all products have polymers and resins in them.
What you must understand is what a POLMER and a RESIN are to be completely knowledgeable.


A Polymer
Comes from the Greek, "poly" meaning "many" and the word "mer" meaning "units."
Chemically it is a macro-molecule formed by the chemical union of 5 or more identical combining units called, monomers.
Silicones and resins can be generalized then, as "polymers."
And, the list of polymers available to the chemical formulator is practically endless.
Examples of polymers include: polyethylene, polyurethane or polytetrafluoroethylene. These products start with "poly" followed by another word. So what you have, for example, are many units of ethylene.
In the detail business the word polymer is the single most abused word in the English language. For example, most of the thickeners used in waxes and sealants are polymers. So the marketing people can "honestly" say in their marketing and put on the label that "this product contains space-age polymers."


A Resin
This is a semi-solid complex mix of organic compounds that are animal, vegetalb or synthetic (man-made).
Because the term is so broadly used it would best to restrict it's application to natural organic-soluble, hydro-carbon products coming from trees and shrubs.
The chemical dictionary definition is so broad that is has almost become meaningless. It has become a catchall term. To be specific, a resin is a polymer that melts or is soluble in specific solvents. In some cases the material is used to make a plastic is a resin. If you see the term resin on the label of a wax or sealant how do you know what it really means? You do not.
What a resin does for a wax or paint sealant is really anybody's guess. In short, the use of the term resin, polymer, etc is nothing but marketing jargon.
There are some polymers that can have a positive effect on the quality of a paint sealant and/or wax, these are amino-functional silicones which will be discussed in depth further on.


Silicone Fluids
A silicone fluid is a relatively short chain inorganic polymer called "polydimethyl siloxance. Technically a silicone is a polymer. So to see the word polymer on a wax or sealant lable could mean anything as the defintion becomes clear to you.
The properties of silicone fluids range from very thin, volatile liquids that look and feel like petroleum solvents to a very thick and heavy liquid that look like clear honey. The only difference between a thin and thick silicone fluid is the number of units in the dimethyl siloxane chain.
Almost all waxes have some type of silicone fluids in them to provide shine and durability.


Amino-Functional Silicone Fluids
This is a silicone fluid that has been slightly modified. The polymer content is different. The amino portion of the amino-functional silicone is what causes the silicone to crosslink and physically attach to the paint surface. This cross linking capability is what makes a paint sealant more durable than a typical wax. As mentioned, waxes usually only contain standard silicone fluids that do not crosslink, so are not as durable as a paint sealant.

 

wax is natural sealant is a synthetic