I had a rare few moments today to put a couple of product to test and comparison. Ive been overly curious as to what the Turtle Wax Ice Liquid Clay Bar was all about. I was also fortunate enough to have met the president for the company that makes Xzilon. 3rd up to bat was Optimums OptiSeal, which I have used before, and was merely trying, side by side the Xzilon.
I actually applied all three products to a white 06 3/4 ton Chevy truck (not mine) but I have the ability to use as a test media.
My first step was washing the vehicle, twice actually. It had been sometime since it was washed, and the last thing I put on it was Megs NXT about 6 months ago, And that didnt make it a month. I wasnt going to get involved with polishing, so that step was skipped. So the actual first step was using the Liquid Clay Bar with a foam applicator. I applied in a back and forth lineal motion, on 1/2 hood, to guage actual cleaning ability vs. the non clayed 1/2. Once applied in a hand polishing technique, I wiped away with a MF. The product did not remove itself as easy as some of the polishes I had used before, it was not the easiest to remove, but then again, I may have applied to thick, or, it simply just didnt remove enough actual fall out. I will stick with the latter of those comments. I did not notice any significant decontamination on the 1/2 that was "clayed". Was it worth it? Well, i didnt buy the product, a sample was givin to me to determine its value. And with that, I didnt find a whole lot of value, using it. But the other 1/10 of that equation I found value in knowing that the surface was Clean, just not deep cleaned. If your in a pinch, and you have no available means to use a traditional clay bar, then go for it. But you wont find me using it on any clients cars. I pressed on and completed both 1/2's of the car to insure my next products were starting from the same playing field.

Next up, Optimum OptiSeal. I applied with a foam applicator to 1/2 the hood, using lineal motion. Only a small amount of product is necessary to complete an entire car/truck. The claim, an ounce can do several cars, I find valid. At even two applications a year, an 8oz bottle of this stuff, could literally last you longer then the average American retains their car! Wipe on , and walk away, is pretty standard with this product. Although, if you knew me well enough, I never follow directions....I find a technique that works well for me, and use it. I use a MF mit afterwards and wipe the entire car down, even 1/2 the hood was wiped down afterwards. Although the claims that you can wipe on, walk away is probably valid, I just opt for a post wipedown. So, 1/2 the hood, wiped on, watched it evaporate, then wiped "something" away. LOL

Last up, Xzilon. This has been discussed here on the WW (wash and Wax) a few times. jwood_06TSX who recently bought a new Acura, opted for the dealer treatment. I dont think many of us had heard of this treatment before, and we all assumed it was snake oil (as is normally the case). Rest assured, I donty think it is. This is actually his second go-around with this product.
It was all by coincidence that I met the president. He actually came by with a distributor to demo the product for us. He took a peice of vinyl backed metal sheeting, applied 3 coats of Xzilon, wiped dry. The product out of the bottle is clear, but very odorous of mineral spirits/naptha/petroleum products. VERY strong. He also used a latex glove while applying, probably per directions. (Remember, I dont follow directions.) He then went on to spray paint a portion of the surface. He waited about 1 minute, after the paint dried somewhat, he took his finger and wiped the paint away with his finger. Just as it appears on the website video.
Now here comes the funny part. After he and his associate left, my partner and I both tried to duplicate the trial on our own, with NO success. Although we let the paint dry for substantially longer, mimicking a real life scenario. So at this point Im sold this stuff is junk, right? Well, not really, Im an optimist. I figured I would try it on a car before giving it to the local household hazardous waste collection agency. So, the other 1/2 of the trucks hood received the Xzilon. Nearly the same technique as the OptiSeal, but you do have to wipe /buff off. Just swipe with a foam app, back and forth like your hand polishing (without added pressure), and wipe dry. The Xzilon also removed tree sap, and other fallout that the Liquid Clay did not.
The product itself doesnt appear to len anything to depth or gloss, at least on white, but it did give the surface a very, very slick surface. Closer to UPP then the OptiSeal. I would guess nearly as slick as UPP.
An interesting observation a few days later (today actually, as I write this), we had a heavy fog this morning, and it left dew on the truck. What was interesting was that on the hood, the beads on the Zxilon side were much tighter then the OptiSeal side. This lends belief that the Xzilon side has a reduced surface tension due to its overall slickness. To prove this finding, as I drove the truck for several miles, the water balled up and traveled with the wind, up the hood towards the window, rather quickly. I didnt go highway fast, but at about 25/30 mph it started to move. The OS 1/2 didnt budge.
I would imagine that if the surface was properly prepped (real clay and polishing), it would be even slicker. Zxilon also does not appear to stain trim either, although further testing would be in order before I actually warranted that claim. OptiSeal doesnt stain either.
So is it snake oil? I guess it depends on how much one would pay for this treatment. They're suppose to send me a complimentary bag of goodies that they manufacturer for the automotive industry. I did mention to him Im heavily into detailing and car care products via e-commerce.
I'll keep you posted ion its durability on a monthy basis, and try to get some beading pics up vs. the Optimum Optiseal.
Summary:
Turtle Wax Liquid Ice Clay Bar, stay away from unless its the only thing left on the planet, or if its free.
Optimum OptiSeal, a proven winner for me. Could be even better with UPP atop it!?!?
Xzilon, not a proven hi caliber product yet, but it could very well attain that level. The manufacturer claims 5 years protection with a single application, 3 years protection on a used surface. I would think if these claims were lowered, they may get nmore interest. At this point, I find any product claiming 3-5 years, unbelieveable, literally. And Im not sure of the cost of it either.

 

Nice writeup Patrick. If my free time on Friday doesn't get taken up with chores I'm planning on applying OptiSeal (after wash, clay, and polish) and topping it with Optimum Spray Wax to my PWP TSX.

 

Very good review, Patrick. Regarding the Xzilon, I think cost would be a factor for the consumer. I would assume at some point there would be a need for reapplication other than the 3-5 year claim and not a DIY. The 3-5 year protection is one thing that would bother me. IMO, with all the products available, one can DIY for a fraction of the cost.

 

Whats this about snake oil? I've heard it mentioned before, but never really bothered to look around for answers.

 

HEHEHE....
Well being a fan of history, I will take a shot at explaining what "Snake oil" is. Back in the latter part of the 19th century (1800's) there was no regulation on medicines, therefore you had guys that went around selling all kinds of concoctions that they claimed would cure anything and everything. In most cases the stuff that they were peddling was more dangerous than what they were claiming to cure. These peddlers became known as "Snake Oil Salesman" and their products where hence known as "Snake oil". Now days, if someone refers to a product as being snake oil, more than likely the manufacture is making outlandish claims about it, but it does not come close to delivering on said claims. Hence, Snake oil.


Patrick...
Great review but I think I will just stick with my UPP. I am more than pleased with the results that I get from it, no since in my thinking of changing until something better comes along. As far as that TW liquid clay stuff, well, when I first saw that advertised, my first thought was "snake oil". hehehehe

 

Now, this UPP that we are talking about here, is that the spray or the other one. And it's the one made by Four Star right? Sorry, kinda new to all these products.

 

UPP is Ultimate Paint Protectant that is made by Four Star, they have a liquid/cream like product that can be applied by hand or with a PC and then they also have UPPS which is the spray that is used as a quick detailer that is used as an upkeep between full applications of other.

 

And its a killer combo........UPP as a base? Followed up monthly by UPPS after a wash? Forget it, your set.......slickest you'll ever come across. Im glad the majority of you guys like UPP!

 

Ok Patrick, first things first, thanks for the preliminary test of the Xzilon and i look forward to hearing your updates and opinions as i greatly respect what you do and time in which you commit to this board as well as others (and i haven't even been here all that long). If you would have driven up to 40 MPH or higher, the water would have FLEW right off!! When driving to the train station i try to make a sprint to above 40 MPH and get all the morning condensation off my car and i am able to do so for about 60% of it (i can't drive that fast, short commute...lol) The dealership had 2 price packages for the the Xzilon treatment and that was $500 for the whole car, exterior and interior with a warranty on bird droppings, sap, etc and and tears or ripes on the inside leather/vinyl. OR, you can get just the exterior done for $300. This also includes the warranty but here i get confused is, i have read on other forums that get this from dealers, that the 5 yr warranty is good for unlimited resprays whereas my dealership says you don't need them. So, i am not sure about the 5 yr thing either.

I was given my frist 04 TSX from my Uncle which was bought in September of 2003 and given to me on June 2006 with 33k miles on it. He had the car sprayed with Xzilon once when he bought the car and then again a few months prior to giving it to me. You hcan have the Xzilon put on the whole car, and i mean, windows, trim, chrome, paint, wheels everything! When i got the car, i drove it home from FL, washed it, and it seriously looked brand spanking new. The car was so shiny and the water just beeded right off the car and my uncle had NEVER clayed, polished, or anything like to it AND it even had sat in the FL sun a lot (primarily in a garage both at home and work but still). I was very impressed with this product them so when i traded it in for my 06, i had them apply it again. This time, when i recieved the car, it was the same way SHINY, SLICK (even the wheels were slick), and CLEAN!!

After having talked to Patrick about the product and how he thought i should go about detailing/protecting the car, we agreed that with this on there (until we know more about it) i would just wash, clean where necessary, protect with sealant. I chose the popular FS UPPS to apply over top of the already existing Xzilon and WOW does the car get slippery. I have not been a big car detailing person prior to this due to my old crappy car and lack of knowledge so i have nothing to compare this too BUT, when i am done putting the UPP overtop of the Xzilon, i can throw the MF towel on the car and it will actually slide off. If i drop water onto it, it will usually just roll right off the car. The slickness and water repelantness usually lasts for a few days before it starts to slower wear off. I use a QD in between the UPP applications which brings the slickness back.

One more story and i'm done...lol. My car had gotten ATTACKED by birds. My truck and roof were nailed with what looked to be a bird getting sick on my car. It was suppose to rain that night so i didn't wash it at all. The next morning i came out to my car and the bird poop was 90% gone just from the rain hitting and running down the car. It was now however stuck a little in the window rubber trim that i had to wipe out, but it the rain was enough to get it off. My theory is that with the Xzilon and UPP the bird poop never has a chance to bond to the paint.

So again, this may be the case with some other products (my lack of experimentation and yrs of not detailing) and may be old news to a lot of you and i apologize but, this is new to me and so far the Xzilon has impressed me a lot and even more so with the this layer of UPP i throw on top so thanks to Patrick for that one

 

I just tried the Liquid clay, unfortunately was not able to evaluate its performance, due to a sudden downpour. Neway correct me if I'm wrong but I believe you were to rince the liquid clay off the car after it was applied. I will check the bottle again, in any case thats what I did. There were a few spots on the pannel was working on when the rains came. The rain was not able to remove the residue left by the Ice clay bar.

 

Ok I just checked the bottle you do have to rinse the liquid clay off the car.

 

LMAO, see I never follow directions! What I used was actually a sample in a flip top bottle, no label, no directions. So I just didnt know better. However, i seriously doubt that lack of attention to detail would have swayed my opinion of the product. And if you look at the product in its bottled, once settled, it appears to contain three different viscositys. Theres like a white, dark blue, and light blue liquid. One could probably use a paint cleaner and have similiar results?

 

I was trying to find more info about TW Liquid Clay and from their site the manufacturer claims the following benefits:

• Product Description
  Turtle Wax® ICE™ Liquid Clay Bar is a revolutionary new way to deep clean and restore your car's finish in a fraction of the time it takes with traditional clay bars. A unique triple layer formula consists of a scratch & swirl remover, cleaning agents and an exfoliant that work together to provide outstanding cleaning capabilities.
• Benefits
  Easily removes minor scratches, swirls marks, tree sap, paint overspray and embedded dirt and stains that ordinary detailing clays leave behind.
  Creates smooth as glass finish on all paintwork, fiberglass and metal surfaces.
  Does not contain harsh abrasives that can scratch or scuff your finish.

I think Patrick hit on the nose. Based on the available info, it sounds like the product is comparable to a chemical cleaner with fillers. I don't know how much or what percentage of the product is clay (polybutene). Thank you, but I'll stick with a product that works and proven time and time again - the traditional claybar. IMO, there is no other substitute.