unkled20

I'm new to the site and I just bought a 2013 Acura TL SH-AWD, it's CBP. I did a search and spent the past hour or so looking through this forum looking for some information on liquid glass and couldn't find any.

I have some of this on hand and was thinking about using it on my new car. I have never used it before. I was wondering if any of you have any feedback on this product and if I should use it or not.

I have read some consumer reviews of it and people seem to love it. The reason I thought it might be good is it's a brand new car and the paint is perfect. The main thing I've read about it is, if the paint is perfect, this is the stuff to use.

It makes me a bit nervous that I can't find any info on it on this site. Anonther thing that makes me a bit nervous about it is the removal instructions. It states if I have to do any touch up painting, it can be removed by "first washing with a strong solution of high quality car was detergent, then using 00 steel wool with mineral spirits or varsol".

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

SweetJazz

Liquid Glass is serious "Old School" stuff. If your paint is free of swirls and scratches I would try one of these modern synthetic protectants. There are plenty on the market but these are a great start.

• Blackfire Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection
• Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant
• Meguiars #21 Synthetic Sealant
• Four Star Ultimate Paint Protection

Jesstzn

x 2

unkled20

Thank you so much for your response. I was given the Liquid Glass as a gift and read a lot about it and I thought it would be great, but I wanted some more opinions. I just did some quick looking on what you recommended and those look great too. I am not sure which one I am going to try yet, but I think based on your avatar and signature, I have to trust your opinion!

Thanks again!

unkled20

First, sorry for the double post, but I couldn't see where I could edit my post. Maybe another restriction until I'm a member for 15 days?

I had one more question, if you could help. One of my concerns that I mentioned about the Liquid Glass is the removal process, if I ever have to remove it. Are these other products the same? Once they are on, they are there for good, or do they all (including the Liquid Glass) eventually disintegrate or somehow disappear?

Sorry for the crazy question, but I searched all over online about these products and nobody mentions any kind of removal process. I'm sure I won't have to remove the protectant, but you never know.

Jesstzn

None are permanent ... depending on conditions and how the car is stored / washed etc they will be gone in a few months .. A good wash with Dawn will also remove a lot of it.

unkled20

Thank you very much for your help. I am just trying to do everything I can to ensure this car looks as good as it does today as long as possible.

Jesstzn

Best thing you can do is learn how to wash/dry it properly .. that's where 95% of the issues come from .

Want the instructions?

unkled20

I will take all the help I can get. I have literally spent hours looking at all kinds of stuff online to find out what to use, how to use it, when to use it, etc.

I really plan on taking care of this car and I want it to look the best it possibly can for as long as I have the car.

Jesstzn

What I'll do is give you a run down of a weekend wash on my own cars.

1)I spray the tires down with Awsome APC and let it sit to do its job. <-- available at the Dollar Tree stores
2) I give the interior a wipe down with the Woolite solution to pick up light dust etc. Instead of me explaining look here ..The Wonders Of Woolite Vacuum if needed. I have a central vac outlet by the garage door and I use it.
3) I mist the tires with water and scrub with a stiff brush, rinse .... no sense dressing dirty tires .. they look like hell.
4) Using a decent car wash soap, Turtle Wax soap will do .. or Meguiars Gold Class I wash the car using a sheepskin mitt and a wash bucket that has a grit guard in the bottom. The sheepskin mitt is used because it easily releases any grit picked up and it won't marr the paint. I have an old dedictaed mitt I use for the wheels. Wash a panel or 2 and rinse.


5) Once done washing I rinse the car using a gentle stream of water from the hose with NO nozzle. A gentle stream will rinse away grit where a blas t can just blow it around and also dislodge grit from cracks and door jams etc.. The gentle stream will also pull about 85% of the water off a well waxed car.
6) I break out the leaf blower and blow off a lot of the remaining water but more to blow water out from all those places it hides. Just make sure the area around the car is wetted down so you don't blow crap up on the car.
7) I use Waffle Weave drying towels to dry the remainder. I fold the towel in 1/4 and wipe the windows first then hood/roof/trunk then the sides. Always dry in straight lines as the air flows over the car not in circles. Reason being is if micro marring does occure its optically harder to see then circular swirls. I use this motion for everything I do in the process of detailing with the exception of applying wax/sealants.
8)Dry the door/trunk/hood edges and under the gass filler lid. I have a separate old m/f drying towel for this. I also give the engine bay area a wipe while I have the hood up.
9) Dry the wheels/tires. I have a dedicated soft bath towel for this.
10) Apply dressing to the tires.

Wala .. done .. If I don't do the interior or use APC on the tires its 40 minutes.. The TL seldom needs those steps cuz its not driven a lot .. The Civic needs it more often ... add 15 min more.

Drying

Here is a couple of hints to make your drying easier , I use 2 WW towels 24 x 36"

1) After you have washed/rinsed the last panel of your car ... remove the nozzle frome the hose and starting at the top use a gentle stream of water to rinse the car.. this will not only flood out any remaining particulate that can mar but it will pull about 85% of the remaining water off a waxed car.

2) Fold one towel in 1/2 so its 12 x 36" and holding it by the fold corners start at the hood and lay it across 1/2 the hood and pull it towards the windshield.. then over the windshield, roof, rear window, across the trunk, over the other 1/2 of the rear window and back to the hood etc.

3) Take the same towel and go down the sides , around the back , down the other side and around the front. This will remove a lot of the water.

4) Take the second towel and fold it in 1/4 and holding it flat dry the windows then hood, roof, trunk and lastly the doors, fenders and bumpers. Flip & refold the towel as needed.


All in all this takes less than 10 min.

Thing is with WW towels you need to use slower strokes in the final drying so you don't leave moisture trails and never use then scrunched up.


Others have suggested patting the car dry so not to swirl it .. WW towels will NOT swirl anything if they are clean and the car is clean. They also then suggest using a QD spray for final touch up ... thats because the patting doesn't do a good job of drying and in some cases where you have hard water you will get water spots. Not only that the QD will clog up the towels.

To wash your drying towels don't wash then with anything else as they pick up lint ... don't use fabric softener.

I wash them in the washing machine using Blue Dawn dish soap. Then hang to dry or dry in the dryer. If you have a HE front load washer then wash them with a non-perfumed soap etc.

In reality if your car is clean and you don't wipe down dirty stuff you won't need to wash them very often.

I have 2 cars and they are washed a total of about 3-5 times a week and I wash my towels a couple times a summer. I also don't use them on the wheels/tires .. I have a dedicated cotton plush towel I use for that.

unkled20

Thank you so much for all that information! It will certainly help me on my mission to keep this car looking like it does today. Straight lines while drying is something I've never done before, that's a great tip! I've also never thought about using the leaf blower before, that's a great idea!

I think my first steps are going to be:
1. A good pre cleaner, possibly Meguiar's Deep Crystal Cleaner.
2. A good sealant, possibly Meguiars #21 Synthetic Sealant. Most likely two coats of this.
3. A good wax...still doing some research on that, but will probably be something Meguiars.

I've also seen where people like to use a pre wax wash between the sealant and the wax. I'm not sure if that is needed or not, I'm still deciding on that step since it seems that some people think it's needed and some don't.

As for the car wash, I have used Meguiars Gold Class in the past and just bought a new bottle the other day. I will continue to use that for this car.

I have also used Black Magic Tire Wet before and really like it. I think I may continue with that product for this car.

I also just bought some new good quality microfiber towels,
waffle weave towels and sheepskin mitt to use on this car.

After doing all this research and reading your post, I definitely need to pick up a second bucket and a grit guard to use.

Thank you again Jesstzn!

Any other suggestions or tips from you or anyone else is greatly appreciated!

Jesstzn

You don't need a wax after a sealant .. Matter of fact some waxes have cleaners and will remove some of the sealant .

unkled20

Really? Most of what I've read said to put wax on top of the sealant/polish. If that isn't the case, then at least it's one less thing to spend hours researching.

Maybe I am just mistaken after all the reading I've done. I thought sealant and polish were that same thing. I'm guessing I am wrong about that?

Jesstzn

Sealants and polishes are 2 different things .. Polish ( abrasive ) is used to correct issues in the paint .. sealants/waxes are the protective layer. Some will put a quality wax over a sealant just to change the looks a bit.

unkled20

So, since it is a new car without any issues in the paint, I don't really need to use a polish. I could just go with the Meguiars #21 Synthetic Sealant and I should be good to go?

Jesstzn

yes

unkled20

Thank you so very much! You have been a great help!

ALarsh

I picked up some Liquid Glass because the reviews were so great. It will be here Friday from Amazon and I can let you guys know how it goes.. With the kind of reviews it has I have to give it a try.

unkled20

Please do report back. I am very interested in how it works out for you.

ALarsh

I did receive the Liquid Glass last week. I have been very busy studying for my board exams but I did have some time to apply a coat to half the vehicle. It is an interesting product and nothing I have dealt with before.

I have previously used Nu Finish for the past couple of years but switched to the LG in hopes of a more permanent solution. The LG is interesting in the fact that you can apply it to just about everything on the car. Headlights/Taillights, chrome pieces, etc. It really cleaned up my headlights and applied a coat of protection to them which is nice.

I have only had time to apply one coat to half the car, but LG seems to pull out some of the imperfections that were on the car. Thus, before applying, make sure you use touch up paint or fix imperfections on your car. Secondly, LG does make the car shiny'er and seems to have some characteristics of a wax, but the single coat of LG I applied so far does not complete the Nu Finish just waxed feel. I will be applying a second coat to the whole vehicle before it leaves my garage. I think at that time it will really look crisp.

I am excited for the LG and so far, with my limited time with it, it has been good. I think it will really be a home run after I get the second coat applied to it. The Wisconsin winters take a beating on the paint and I am really looking forward to having a more permanent layer of protection on my car.

This stuff seems to go on easier and come off way easier than Nu Finish wax as well. You can apply a coat quite a bit quicker than a wax.

ALarsh

I was able to apply a second round of LG to the car. Phenomenal! It looks great, I am really pleased with the finish after the second coat. It is all I will be using.

The car is very glossy, looks incredible and has a nice smooth feel to it. I even applied it to all my windows (except the front windshield) and they look great! As long as the protection can withstand a WI winter, it is all I will be using. I love the fact that it is a permanent layer of protection although I do plan on updating it annually.

Good luck and go try it out!

unkled20

Thanks for the follow up ALarsh! I may have to give it a try at some point. I really do want to try it out. Like you said, the reviews on this stuff are just amazing!

Do you have any pics that you can post to show what it looks like?

I finally did a full detail on my car yesterday and used the Meguiars #21 Synthetic Sealant that SweetJazz recommended. I also utilized all the tips from Jesstzn.

I think it looks great!

ALarsh

Your car looks very nice.

Here are a couple pictures -- The sunlight was low and these are iPhone pics, they really can't do it justice.

unkled20

Wow! That looks amazing! Great job! Please let me know how it holds up etc. I still have the bottle that was given to me, based on your pictures I may have to use it one day.