[scheerspeed]

when i got this wax i couldn't wait to try it out! it has a carnauba-like scent. plain off-white color. first i polished my Jet Black BMW 325i with Menzerna PO85RD to take off some water marks and such. then i did a ISA wipedown. then followed with DODO Lime Prime Lite.

Lime Prime lite- went on smoothly, i applied it via Makita rotary on a blue ccs pad @ speed 1. i let it sit for a while, then went to buff it off. i wasn't sure if it was supposed to be left to haze or not, but i wiped it off after about 3 minutes (as per directions) with DI's REthickulous MF towel. it wasn't the easiest thing in the world to get off... i had to buff once, turn the cloth, and buff again.

DODO Supernatural- i applied it using my bare hands (i wasn't sure if i should have applied it via a applicator or not...). you have to use considerably more than Swissvax Smargd in order to get it to spread. it seemed as if all the carnauba was not completely dissolving, because no matter how much i rubbed my hands together there were still little beads of wax that would not melt. after i did about 2 panels i noticed that there was some sort of orange-brown colored build up on my hands. so i tried to get it to the middle of my palms, but it just wouldn't spread onto the paint... im assuming this was the carnauba that wouldn't melt in my hands? so i did about 2-3 panels (say the hood and fenders) let it sit for about 10 min (as per directions) and then went to wipe it off. also using a reThickulous MF towel. i buffed it once, flipped the towel and buffed again, and there was still a lot of wax left behind... so i did the rest of the car. after i went around with FK1# 425. i had to do the whole car 3 times to get it all off!

well that sat overnight and i went to a big meet this morning. once i got there i noticed that the wax had started to sweat like crazy all over the hood. it was about 90 degrees outside, and like 100% humidity, and clear skies, so the sun was very intense. the car sat outside for about 6 hours in direct sunlight. when i got back to my car it looked almost white it sweated so much!

anyways, i going to try a 2nd coat with a applicator pad tomorrow, because maybe it isn't meant to be applied by hand? it looked great in the morning when i first took it out of the garage, but after it sweated so much i had some second thoughts. il get back to you guys on beading, and how the 2nd coat turns out.

[Purplewidow]

that sucks... i hope you get everything straightened out. wish i had more info but i never used any of the dodo products. good luck

[Wendell inc.]

I THINK (not completely sure, but Dom will step in and say something), that the hand application is where you went wrong. I applyed half by hand and half by app pad. The app pad side looks much better and didnt you as much as the hand app. I agree didnt spread too well. I hope Dom steps in and gives a step by step applying and buffing off instructions because i want to know also!

EH HEM... DOM

[buja]

hmm i thought the version 2 had been improved to be softer and more suitable for hand application.

I had version one which I reckon is quite a hard wax, but I did make the mistake of putting on too much....so yeah...hard to buff off.

i must say I have been spoilt by the wasy wipe on wipe off waxes though...

[Rubbish Boy]

Lime Prime Lite - I find this best if you remove straight away, do a little section at a time, wipe it on -> work it -> remove it. If you find it has dried a bit too much, a little spritz of water will soften again and it will remove easily again.

SN - Sounds like it was a little too thick. Even though I like applying by hand myself, I think applicator will be best to get it on nice and thin. Nice and thin will be easy to remove, it will also cure better and quicker which should also stop the sweating. Must say I have never seen SN sweat myself, but then we also haven't had 90 degrees heat with 100% humidty over here!

[Dom]

OK, basically, this is what is going on:

Lime Prime Lite - this can stick on if left too long; it is very climate dependent... in Western Europe you can leave it 3 mins, but even then it can be difficult to remove on a hot day... applying it by machine doesn't help as it it heats the panel up more and it doesn't contain polishing particle... however, some do get good results with applying it by machine. The trick is either to apply it in small sections, panel (or part-panel) by panel almost as a 'Wipe On Wipe Off' product. Or just spritz it with some water when you come to remove it. It comes off easily with a water spritz. The bonding action is a good thing when it comes to durablity of the product on the surface, but it can make it difficult to work with. Catch 22.

OK, Supernatural v2... another Catch 22! We have increased the solids content and the carnauba content of SNv2. The grains are basically all that carnauba. When you apply these to the paint, because of the friction and solvent, they dissolve the grains. They are softer than the paint as they are a carnauba solids rather than pure carnauba powder. We recommend applying two coats by soft foam pad for best results. The problem is that when you apply by hand, your hands are softer than the carnauba and help it crystallise into these grains (instead of breaking them down as would happen on a harder surface, the action causes them to clump together). Your paintwork never notices them, but your hands do. You can still apply the product by hand, but don't worry about the grains - it is a good sign as it shows the product is laden with carnauba. If you want a less grainy product, it is easy to do... you up the beeswax or solvent in the product, but we made SNv2 to be an extremely high carnauba product.

The main problem you have had is overapplication... there is so much carnauba in the mix compared to normal waxes that it continues to crystallise on your car after initial buffing. We always suggest buffing again after 30 mins. If the wax rehazes, you have effectively put so much wax on the car it couldn't be removed in one go and has relayered itself! Just buff it off again. Simple. You have probably put more carnauba on it in one go than it has ever had before in its life

[Purplewidow]

thanks for the great post!!!!!!!!!! that is informative and easy to comprehend.

i love posts that explain it all and can help us not only with this wax but with others and other application issues we have.

my problem with wax in general is i use too much. i always see a layer put down and i am like that doesn't look like 100% i need to see more wax on there so i put a nnice amount then i have hazing issues. this happened when i globbed my hood with Crystal rock. i polished the hood and took everything off with some sv cleaner fluid then applied the wax in a thinner coat and now the hood looks like the rest of the car. and the beads were identical to the rest of the car that had been waxed 2 weeks before. i really think i will get at least 4 months out of one application. i usually wax once every 1-2 months. this time i might wait it out too see how long it lasts.

what is the nuba content of the supernatural? or is that a secret?

[Dom]

We don't reveal carnauba percentages because it is too misleading. For example, the carnauba percentage could be 93% measured as a proportion of solids, but there are only 1% solids in the mixture... total = 0.93% carnauba, not very good. But if you had a figure of 24% carnauba with 30% solids, you would have 7.2% carnauba in the product, almost 8x more.

Unfortunately, the marketers have run away with carnauba percentages and confused and misled the market, just like hi-fi manufacturers have done with Watts. The sad thing is that carnauba just one part of a complex recipe. We made a genuine 70% carnauba wax, measured as in it contained 70g of carnauba for every 100g of product, and it was a lousy car wax - to the point where it couldn't be applied and wasn't as shiny as a regular wax if you did manage to get some of the product onto paintwork. Remember, you can lay down 3x layers of a 20% carnauba product and you'll have more carnauba on the panel than 1x layer of one that is 40%. It is like using one coat paint. Two coats of a cheaper product can lay down as much carnauba if that is your aim. But I repeat, carnauba is only part of the mix... what matters are the results, whatever is or isn't inside the product.

You will be lucky to get more than 3 months out of any carnauba-based wax, due to the UV degredation of carnauba, assuming the car sees the light of day. Thin, multiple layers are best. Sealants may have increased durability due to the way their molecules link, but again it does depend on solids content and the rest of the recipe. Why do you think sealant manufacturers want you to prep and layer? Sealants are typically liquids with a lower solid content, so layering is much more important.

[Brian N]

Good solid thread. Tons of good info, thanks guys.

[matrix_808]

Haven't tried the new SN, but how come some of the Dodo waxes don't last as long as some of the SV waxes?