Finish Kare BWM 101 - Hi- Temp Paste Wax (BWM 1000P) - 14.5 oz can (1)

Hi all! Long review - sorry... I tripped over this product via some detailing forums. I was drawn to it because it got REALLY good reviews for some specific characteristics: Durability; High-Heat Resistance; Bird-Bomb Resistance; ability to do multiple applications in one session, and the "appearance of adding an additional layer of clear coat." First the setup: Vehicle is a 2005 Toyota product, in Black Cherry Pearl. It's a daily driver that sits outside. The paint has bird stains and acid rain etching IN the paint, and the clear coat is iffy, so compounding, etc., isn't going to happen. Spot polishing only. My goal isn't to make it look new; it's to make it look not 12 years old (it's an early '05). Previously, the car had had Meguiar's M07 glaze applied, and sealed in with NXT liquid. Surface was still nice from a previous claying, so that step wasn't necessary. About 2 weeks after that, the car was washed, and had 2 coats of FK1000P applied. From what I read online, you can apply, wait 20 minutes, buff off, then reapply, so that's what I did. Twenty minutes later, buff it off again. I do it in sections, so I don't have to lay across freshly applied product. Pass the applicator through a MIST of water from a spray bottle, and pat it against a cloth to remove even the excess from that. That's all the pad dampening I found I needed. A couple of quick swipes/swirls in the tin, and you're ready. (Applicator info at the end of the review.) It went on nice and THIN - that's important - THIN. Globbing it on is a waste, since most of it gets buffed off anyway. It DOES take a couple of days for the product to cure, and just like the reviews say, it DOES look like a coat of glass has been laid on the paint! Two weeks later, I washed and applied more. The hope is that it'll bond to itself, or that if I missed a spot, I'll catch it this time around. That glass-coated look IS addictive! I got out early. Washed the car about sunrise, so I could be done before the sun got too high and heated up the metal. I got the roof, hood and hatch done before the sun could get them too warm. Of course, the sun came up, and got hotter than I expected, and made me more miserable than I usually am, so I started getting careless. USER ERROR: I put it on the side panels too thick. I knew it was too thick, but just wanted to get done. Only did 1 coat this time. After 20 minutes, I buffed it off. It WAS more work, and there was a bit of dust, unlike the previous application - again, MY fault - but it was NOT the nightmare some would have you believe. Just don't cake it on. First, go over it to break up the haze, then flip the towel - or use a second one - to remove the rest. If too much has been applied, and you get the dust, just wipe some more with the towel to pick it up. NOT a deal-breaker. Shiny! A few days after the glassiness occurred, I noticed "streaks." It looked like I hadn't buffed it all off, and that's EXACTLY it. I guess that's the "pseudo-holograms" I read about. Okay; annoying. I sprayed some water on, and some Meg's Ultimate Quick Detailer (all synthetic; no carnauba), then wiped it down. Remember: not in direct sun. Streaks gone, and when the sun came up, I was looking at the neighbor's house in my fender! Observations: 1.) Put it on THIN, for easiest buffing. 2.) A few days later (3-ish?) it'll look like a coat of glass was applied. 3.) Water beads like crazy, but doesn't seem to be in any hurry to leave. During the week of the first application, there was pollen - I think - on the car - could've just been the "litter" off the pine trees, and I wasn't sure when I'd get to washing, so I took it to a local self-serve pressure washer place. Using just rinse, it blew the dirt off, of course, and the water beaded up and ran down the sides, until I stopped. Drove home, and the beads were still on the car. Never seen that before... Car's protected, and was actually VERY shiny even through the dirt. 4.) Bird bombs. Nasty little creatures expelling material that's acidic enough to dissolve seed shells - effectively, wood - onto your paint. This WILL etch your paint, and very possibly lead to clear coat failure. There other factors to this, but this is a simplification. A bird did bomb my paint, and rather than the usual glob, it looked like the material kind of "shattered," for lack of a better term, and I saw no damage from it. Nice! "Wax" is little more than a marketing term anymore, just for the sake of, let's call it, "cultural awareness." People say they're going to "wash and wax" the car. Nobody ever says they're going to "wash and seal" the car. WAX has Carnauba, and maybe some others, such as beeswax, paraffin, etc. FK1000P is actually all synthetic, which makes it a SEALANT. FK1000P has NO cleaners, nor polishing ability, and will NOT take care of those "things" in the paint. If your paint has scratches, pits, stains, etc., this will NOT fix them. For those, use polish, or compound, if you're comfortable with it, but do your homework there, too, so you don't do more damage than you started with. Sometimes you just have to live with the paint on your machine being imperfect. From some angles, the imperfections are covered by the shine, and from just a few feet away, it looks better than it should, so that's a consideration, too. It DID leave some white in some chips, and I'll have to go over those with a quick, wipe-on-wipe-off (WOWO) ("Like dissolves like."), and maybe a toothpick. It's claimed that it will withstand over 250 degrees F, so for summer, it shouldn't boil (evaporate) off the vehicle, like actual WAX seems to, and is one of the reasons I chose to try it. In the forums, it's very highly recommended for those living in the hot Southwest. Other reviewers have said to NOT get it on the black, plastic trim or weatherstripping, as it will stain them white. I go out of my way to not get most products on those pieces, so I can't tell you if it stains, or not. Durability has been claimed anywhere from 3-9 months, depending on if it's outside in the desert, or garaged in New England and not used in the winter, etc. Seems to have an "average" lifespan of 5-7 months. I don't expect to be able to rate that, because I don't let it sit that long. Now, it MAY be wearing on the roof somewhat faster, but that DOES get pounded from sunrise to sunset. That COULD be due to the Meg's NXT being under it, too... I don't know what the boil temp is for their stuff, but I don't think I've ever gotten more than 6 weeks out of them or Mother's. Can't explain it; just my experience. Now, I'm still a fan of my Collinites, but I think for summer, I'm going to stick with the FK1000P - next year, maybe do the "Klasse twins," then use this OVER them. Applicator used (the 60-pack is what I got): {Factory Direct Sale} (pack of 60) Waxing Polish Wax Foam Sponge Applicator Pads Fit for Clean Car Vehicle Auto Glass Yellow by FDS {Factory Direct Sale} (pack of 60) Waxing Polish Wax Foam Sponge Applicator Pads Fit for Clean Car Vehicle Auto Glass Yellow https://www.amazon.com/Factory-Direct-Waxing-Applicator-Vehicle/dp/B00LBUAN46/ref=sr_1_6?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1466302463&sr=1-6&keywords=wax+applicator&refinements=p_36%3A1253493011 Same product, but 120 of them (what I SHOULD HAVE gotten)! {Factory Direct Sale} (pack of 120) Waxing Polish Wax Foam Sponge Applicator Pads Fit for Clean Car Vehicle Auto Glass Yellow by FDS {Factory Direct Sale} (pack of 120) Waxing Polish Wax Foam Sponge Applicator Pads Fit for Clean Car Vehicle Auto Glass Yellow https://www.amazon.com/Factory-Direct-Waxing-Applicator-Vehicle/dp/B00LBUHM40/ref=sr_1_29?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1466302485&sr=1-29&keywords=wax+applicator&refinements=p_36%3A1253493011 Here's your homework: Using whichever search engine you like, type in: fk1000p (If you type "fk1000p review," it was that first review - Autopia - with the blue new-gen GTO that caught my eye. Start there for your reading.) bird etch paint clear coat failure (Click on the "Photo Archive" link! In 2016, the lowest-priced car I can think of is about $12,000, and the -AVERAGE- new car costs OVER $30,000! In some areas, that's a house... Still wanna NOT protect your multi-thousand-dollar investment?)

I've been using this stuff for years. Yes, I like to experiment with different products in the summer months, but this is the perfect LSP for a winter detail. I machine polish my cars around October, and apply two layers of Finish Kare, and it happily protects my vehicles throughout the winter months (4+ months is achievable if you prepare your paint correctly). You can use quick detailers/spray sealants/waxes on top of this without issue; just avoid the Ceramic-based products. I, for example, have used both Bead Maker and Meg's UQD, neither of which alter the underlying protection of the Finish Kare product. In terms of application, I apply via dual action polisher on speed 3. I buff after 20 minutes, and wait 30 before applying the second coat. What you typically see with this product is it likes 24-72 hours to fully cure. I avoid using any QD/cleaning product (or even water) on the paint for 3 days after application. The photo I've attached is actually right after application, but i'll edit this post with a second photo after 72 hours because it really tends to come to life after a couple of days. If you want to apply via mechanical polisher like me, but your pads are too big (5 inch+), what I do is spread the product on my pad using a knife, just like butter! Works great. It comes off fairly easily; not the easiest, but by no means difficult. The tin this comes in is huge it will last for a long time!. Alongside the Collinite's, I don't think you can get find better protection for the price. Try it, you'll love it!

First time using this and I love it. Two days after detailing my car it poured rain and I have never seen water sheet like this. The finish it leaves is your typical sealant "liquid on top" compared to that of a wax where it is more of a "liquid paint." As for longevity I can't quite speak from personal experience on it yet. But it was very easy to apply, the sheeting of water was great, and the finish was great. *UPDATE* I've had this for almost a year and I can confidently say this is my go-to sealant for protection. This winter I really put this sealant to the test. We have been remodeling our home for the past five months and my car has unfortunately been out of the garage as it is currently housing furniture from several rooms. Through these five months it has poured rain, been hit with sprinklers, grass clippings from the gardeners, bird droppings, and been beaten by the UV's. I'm ashamed to say that not once has the car been washed during this period. This week I finally reclaimed our garage and decided my car was in desperate need of a full detail as it has not been washed once in this time period. Two bucket method wash down. During the wash I was completely astonished that the paint still sheeted water after such neglect (although not quite as well as a fresh coat would, but still quite sufficiently.) After the claybar I sprayed the car down with IPA to remove any fillers that could be hiding any imperfections. I count two water spot drop etch marks on the paint, and only a couple areas of light swirl marks. This is the first time I've ever come back onto Amazon to update a review like this. This product is an absolute life saver for those who cannot garage their car or detail/wash it frequently! I've never seen any wax or sealant hold up to the abuse it has taken and still been able to perform the way it did! Zero damage from bird droppings, close to zero damage from water spots. I'm completely in awe by this product. I've tried pretty much all Meguiar's and Mother's Sealants and none of them come to close to the durability this product! I'll be honest I'm not a fan of the finish of sealants, I prefer a traditional quality Carnuba wax finish. That's not to say this is bad! It's just like I previously mentioned, Sealants give a liquid on top while a quality wax will give a liquid paint finish. I'm going to experiment with Collinite #915 over this this time around and see if it works for me.