Is wax sealant a gimmick?

[GarJE]

I'm not new to car detailing and have always washed/clayed/polished/waxed my cars at least twice a year.

I've been looking at wax sealants but I can't for the life of me find out what they actually do.

I've always waxed at the last step in detailing up until now which I thought would protect the surface.

I've always thought:

Wash - Get rid of loose dirt/dust.
Clay - Remove stuck-on contaminants.
Polish - Add shine
Wax - Seal in shine
Sealant - ? (what does this do that more wax layers couldn't?)

[Col]

Persoanlly I think it is a case of "The Emperors new clothes" and therefore a waste of time.

If you use a good wax and have done proper preparation there should be no need.

However there will always be someone that will say if you use um-bongo amazonion rainforest green tree frog spit 'sealer' you'll get a better shine.

Best way I suppose is to try it and see.

[Jaceb]

A sealant will mostly add durability, & depending on the colour of the car, it may be a better finishing material than a carnuaba wax.

Carnuaba waxes tend to burn off after +/- 3-4 weeks, you will notice the "beading" reduce quite a bit after this timer period.

What you will also find is that a Carnuaba wax will mute the reflective abilities of some metallic/pearl finishes, it is really more suited towards a solid colour in my experiance.


A sealant can last up to 6 months, depending on the brand & any extra additives, such as "PolyCharger" being added to the material.

Some sealant based materials such as ZAINO also have extra reflective properties & light enhancers to maximise the true colours of the paint beneith.


I have recently started using ZAINO, & cant see myself ever going back to a Carnuaba wax..