TRW BRAKE ROTOR AND BENDIX GENERAL CT PAD CHANGE: UPDATE

So far I have done about 5000km and the pads has fully bedded in.  How is it so far?  So far so good.  No more brake judder or vibration coming from the brakes.

Performance of the Bendix General CT for me has been good. Brake dust has been low and was easy to clean.  Braking performance has been good.  But I did notice that the pads just needs a little temperature to really to be at 100%.  Long highway drives tend to cool the pad down a bit and upon application the pad is still good but not as good as when it has a little more heat in them.  

Personally I think this pad is a very good OE replacement suited to normal city driving, stop and go, 1 to 3 times high speed stops with a small cool down period in between each stop or slow down.  I have tried the pads from 160KM/H and it works well.

The pads are also kind on the disc as well.  The rotor looks shiny and is reasonably smooth as well.

Down side of the pad is that I have noticed a very high pitched squeal at very low speeds with very light brake pedal application and only at a certain pressure, any more pressure or any less pressure the sound is not there.  But I did notice that on a very hot day and when the pads are hot the squeal disappears.  But also please note that when installing the pads I just installed them with the standard backing plates but I did not use any brake paste.  So I will try some Wurth Brake Paste when I get some to see if it still squeals.

I noticed that the pads also starts to show signs of decreased performance when driving down a fast down hill section with many turns in a spirited way.  On the 4th brake application I started to feel about a 10-15% drop in efficiency in the initial bite of the pad.  

So in conclusion great OE replacement at a very reasonable price with good general performance which was what the pads were designed for.  Highly recommended as an OE replacement minus away the spirited driving then you will be fine.  If you drive fast and hard for an extended period of time and you require more initial bite, this pad is not for you.  That was not what it was designed for so use the pads for what it was designed for and you will not be disappointed.

DURAGLOSS PRODUCTS SET TO GO ON TRIAL PART 3 UPDATE 1 WEEK

It has been a week since I applied Duragloss DG 601 PBA and DG 105 TPP.  The car was driven for an average of 900km.  In the 900km it has gone through rain, sunshine, baked in the sun and rain then baked in the  sun finally parked the car and had paint over spray settle on the car making the car feel like sand paper.

DIRT AND BLACK STREAKS 

Earlier in the week after driving back from work which was a 90km highway journey it rain and created black streaks on the car.  After having dinner I decided to give the car a rinse to see if the black stains would stick to the paint.  The procedure that I used, I would not recommend to people as it can possibly damage your paint/clear coat by either scratching it or creating swirls.  I did it just to see how well DG 105 works and the paint is 14 yeras old so and I don't really care about swirls and scratches more over its white and its not easy to see.  Please DO NOT follow the following procedure.  Its just for testing purposes and I don't really care about my paint.  Always use car shampoo as it lifts the dirt away with surfactants and lubricants to prevent scratches and swirls when washing.

What I did after dinner was to use water and a sponge to see if the dirt and the black streaks would come off the car or it did the dirt and black streaks stain the car.  As I was hosing the car down with water and a sponge the dirt was easily removed but most of all the black streaks did not stain the paint and was totally removed just by water.

I was amazed at the DG 105 as other sealant that I tried have would have stained.  After drying the car it was clean and shiny again.

2 days later it rained again and had the usual dirt and black streaks again.  So after dinner I did the same again and the dirt and streaks just came off with water.  Really amazing.

PAINT OVER SPRAY

In between the first and the second rinse if the car with water, the car was subject to paint over spray.  For those who do not know what it is, it basically one of those things you don't want stuck to your car.  So what is it?  Its basically atomized automotive paint flying in the air, landing and sticking to you paint.  How do you know you have paint over spray stuck to your car?  Just run your hands across the paint and it will feel like sand paper.  Really rough.  When I felt that on my car I said to my self OH CRAP!  Cause people who has ever got over spray stuck on to their car will know how difficult it is to remove.

I noticed the over spray on the car when I got back home from work which gave the over spray about  12 hours to stick on the car.  In the 12hrs the car was sitting in the sun accumulating the over spray.

Again, PLEASE DO NOT DO AS I DID as it will scratch and create swirls on the car.  I did it for testing purposes.

I just took a 100% cotton loop cloth and just wiped the car.  I was amazed that all the over spray just came off. Another amazing feat by DG105.

The paint used was blue in color, but there wasn't enough of the over spray to see it but it can definitely be felt on the car.  How do I know the color of the over spray?  Cause there were trucks chassis being sprayed blue in color just near my car.  How near?  About 50+ meters away.

SHORT CONCLUSION

All this protection was possible with only 1 coat of Duragloss DG 601 Paint Bonding Agent and 1 coat of Duragloss DG 105 Total Performance Polish provided that paint was properly prepared before DG 601 and DG 105 is applied.  Really amazing protection for only 1 coat.  This seems to back up statements made in other forums which I have found where they said that you only need 1 coat of DG105 and this was when forumers asked Duragloss in the US.

All in All I would highly recommend Duragloss for people who have white colored cars and are looking for protection along with great looks for their car's paint.

1 WEEK LATER

Its Saturday and it was last Sunday since DG 105 was appiled on the car.  Here I have photos of black streaks on my car after wash and second coat of DG 105.  Why did I decide to have a second coat of DG 105.

First reason was to make have another coat of DG 105 done the correct way, which is not to bake it in the sun before the haze was removed.  Secondly to see how it looks with a second coat.  Many forums which I have researched said that the car looks better with a second coat.

BLACK STAINS ON THE CAR

Here are some black stains taken today.  The stains are a day old with DG 105 being about 1 week old after going through two water and sponge rinse, two different occasions of black streaks and the over spray incident in the week.  So these photos is the third time within the week the paint had black streaks.

 So today is the first time I'm using a car shampoo to wash the car and all the dirt and black streaks just came off.  Below are pictures after a wash with shampoo.

SECOND COAT OF DURAGLOSS DG 105 TOTAL PERFORMANCE POLISH (TPP)

So after the wash with shampoo I applied the 2nd coat of DG 105 (TPP).

I applied DG 601 Paint Bonding Agent (PBA) first before DG 105.  Why?  Because I baked my first coat in the sun without buffing away the haze before I baked and that might have cause the slightly difficult removal of DG 105.

So this time I applied DG 601 (PBA), then allow to haze then applied DG 105 and allowed to dry to a haze before I buffed it with out baking it in the sun.  So was removal easier without baking it in the sun?  Yes it was easier.  In general it was easier to remove DG 105 without baking it in the sun.  But the places where I layered it slightly thick, it was abit difficult to removed but not much.  Therefore it is not advised to bake DG 105 in the sun before removal of the haze and try to apply thin even layers if possible.

STREAKING OF DURAGLOSS DG 105 (TPP)

Here are some photos of DG 105 streaking which I was talking about in previous posts.  This is a very common phenomena I find with many products and not with only DG 105.  But no worries cause its easy to get rid of.  It looks like unremoved haze from the photos but its actually some sort of oil.

So to remove it.  All you have to do is to get a clean good quality micro fiber cloth and buff the whole car.  Here are some pictures after buffing the 2nd coat of DG 105.

The pictures are a little dark today as its going to rain.  I think Duragloss has done a good job to bring out the shine considering the paint is 14 years old.

WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?


Next week I think I will put on another coat of DG105 using a a rotary buffer with a finishing sponge.  Why?  Just want to find out how DG 105 will react using a machine.  Then after DG 105 I will put a layer of DG 951 (AW) Aquawax on.  Then after it will be Track Claw on test.

DURAGLOSS PRODUCTS SET TO GO ON TRIAL PART 2 UPDATE

HYDROPHOBIC AND SHEETING ABILITY

It was raining and I can see that DG 105 had good water beading effect along with sheeting ability.  What do I mean?  Well when the car is stationary the water beads up well.  When the car starts to move the water beads will start to move from 55km/h and really clump together at 60km/h.  By 65km/h the water beads would have clumped together enough to form small sheets of water which start to fly off the bonnet of car.

So I did my regular 90km drive home with speeds ranging from 0-150km/h.  Some parts were raining, some places were starting to rain some places was ending with a drizzle.

When I came back home the usual black streaks were on the bonnet.  So after dinner I just used a hose water and a sponge to rinse and sponge the car down.  All the black streaks came off with out a problem without any staining to the paint where other products which I have tried leaves a stain there.  So DG 105 does help to prevent staining if you can clean the stain off early enough.  Which is a big plus point for any of you who have white colored cars.

Now here is where the Duragloss starts to shine and is different from other sealants, coatings and hydrophobic polymers that I have experienced.  Most other products leaves some form of oil behind after buffing.  There are some products which leaves a layer of oil behind and I have noticed on my car that the dirt sticks to the oil and stains the paint even after 1 day in the rain.

With DG 105 when I was buffing with a clean micro fiber it basically didn't leave any oil behind.  But what was left behind was a coating of sealant on top if the paint which is hydrophobic which resist stains and shines.  When the car was parked in the rain today you can see the hydrophobic properties working beading away and when the car moves and the beads of water start to move and clump to form a sheet of water, it starts to sheet away.

Here is another way of explaining what I'm trying to say.  Take for example Rain X windscreen water repellent.  When you apply to the glass you can feel it leaves a thin oily smooth slick feel to the glass.  You can see the film of oil on the glass when it rains and when the wiper wipes through the glass.  Similarly but not necessarily identical "oils" may it be a polymer, silicone, mineral etc which are used in polishes, waxes and sealants when left on the paint may stain the paint as well when road grime is mixed with the oils.  So why are there some form of oils in polishes, waxes and sealants?  Basically for lubrication purposes and visual appearance for the most part of it.

Now here is my theory whether its true or false, wrong or right I don't know.  Its just my theory which I have formed through my observation so far of Duragloss. When I buffed DG 105 off the paint with a clean (freshly washed and dry) cotton cloth, you can see lines/streaks and patches on the paint.  I have found that this is usually caused by oils from the wax, sealant or coatings.  Which I often see on other products which I have tried on my white and maroon civic.  So after using the cotton cloth to buff.  I decided to use the micro fiber and buff what haze which was left behind and oily streaks and patches.  As soon as I used a new/clean micro fiber there was no longer any streaks and patches and all haze removed.  When you feel the paint you can feel the paint is smooth and slick but not the smooth and slick like the Rain X feeling on freshly prepared glass.

So is it a good thing or a bad thing?  Depends on what you are looking for.  The oils will give it warmth and a wet look to the paint.  But the disadvantage is that the oils will get stained and in turn stain the paint more quickly.  But this staining problem is only a real problem with white colored cars.  Any other color you wont be able to see the stain.  Just because you don't see it doesn't mean its not there!  So basically if you have any other car and would like the oils to remain on the paint but the haze removed, I suggest you use a cotton based cloth because a clean and "good" micro fiber cloth will clean off all the haze and oils.  So if you want a wet look use a cotton cloth provided you don't see any streaks or patches on the car.  If you want a clean, hard, shining, sterile look use a good micro fiber.

What I mean by hard, sterile, shine is just like you have sealed the car and the sealant has cured to the paint.  Now the paint is smooth and slick correct?  Now wash the car a few times or even just one time and when you wipe the car down it doesn't have that "oily" film anymore and you are left with just a shining car which has a hard reflective shine.

So DG105 for me I think is good as it helps solve my staining problem, is hydrophobic and sheets water away when the situation allows for it.

Now the million dollar question is how long will it last?  Only time will tell.

CORRECTION ON THE DRYING PROCESS FOR DURAGLOSS DG 105 TPP

I would like to highlight a mistake to all readers in the previous posting which is: "Duragloss Set To Go on Trial  Part 2."  


DG 105 let to haze and baked it in the sun for a while.

Well I got it wrong and it is actually backwards.  You are suppose to apply DG 105 let to haze and dry, buff off all haze then only baked it in the sun if you wish to.

So did it really make any difference to the sealant?  I have no idea.  But that could have been the reason why the haze was a little difficult to buff off?  Well I will never know until I try it the correct way.  So for now I stand corrected in my flawed method and I have to re apply and buff off the proper way and re-gauge again if DG 105 is easier to buff off.

CORRECTION ON "DG 105 CLEAR, HARD AND STERILE"

Here I would like to say that YES DG 105 can be clear, hard, sterile and shining.  YES DG 105 can have a wet look like others have described when using the product.  It depends on how you remove the haze and the cloth used to buff the product.

I also stated in the last post that some people say that DG 105 looks better the next day.  Personally I think it does every so slightly but that is so subjective that I don't even want to go there.  The only real way to test is you measure the difference with a reflectometer which I do not have.  So the only thing I can do is to theorize if it is even remotely possible for DG 105 to look better the next day.

The answer in a nut shell.  YES it is plausible that DG 105 can look better the next day.  Here's why.


http://www.coleparmer.com/techinfo/techinfo.asp?htmlfile=PortableGlossMeasurement.htm&ID=573


"Gloss => direct reflection on the 1st surface. 

In case of high gloss surfaces, light reflected from the surface follows the reflection law (angle of illumination = angle of reflection). The intensity of the reflected light is dependent on the angle of illumination and material properties." 

As can be seen from the illustration, definition and description as as stated in www.coleparmer.com gloss is the direction of reflection from the 1st surface.  So if we assume that our Last Step Product (LSP) is the 1st surface then it would be very plausible that if the LSP has not fully cured it can affect the direction and intensity of the reflected light.

So YES it is definitely possible that DG 105 looks better the next day.  If this theory is correct then this would hold true for any other LSP, coating or sealant which requires longer time for curing so that it gives a more reflective surface.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Over the weekend I will wash the car, make sure the paint is clean, reapply DG 601 PBA and DG 105 and dry to haze in the shade and not bake it first to see if its easier to buff off.  I will not use DG 951 Aquawax until I have a base line of how long DG 105 will last unassisted by any "top ups" by any other products.  Once I have a base line on what DG 105 can do and how long it will last, I can then compare how much DG 105 can last with assistance from DG 951 Aquawax.  We will then move on to DG 2930 Track Claw.

DURAGLOSS PRODUCTS SET TO GO ON TRIAL PART 2

Hi all,  I just received my products from Duragloss.  Just to recap these are the products I bought.

1. Duragloss DG 601 Paint Bonding Agent (PBA)

2.  Duragloss DG 105  Total Performance Polish (TPP)

3.  Duragloss DG 951  Aquawax (AW)

4.  Duragloss DG 2930 Track Claw (TC)

PREPARATION WORK

I washed the car and after washing I decided to use Osren Crystal Cut 3.0.  Why?  Basically I wanted to remove the of sealant which was Klasse High Gloss Sealant.  At the same time it cleans and polishes the paint.  I didn't want to use any All In One (AIO) products because I wanted a "clean surface" so I can see what Duragloss 601 + 105 will look like and perform.

After polishing the car with Osren Crystal Cut 3.0 I washed the car again, this time with a strong detergent to make sure all polishing oils and what not is no longer on the paint. 

APPLYING AND REMOVING DURAGLOSS

Now with a nice clean surface I started to apply DG 601 PBA.  Its easy to apply.  Just apply a thin even coat let haze.  Then I applied DG 105 TPP.  This was also easy to apply and I did it with thin even layers and let dry to haze.  The weather was good on the day, slightly cloudy with a little bit of sun shine.  Almost perfect weather for detailing. I then rolled the car out into the sun to dry and "bake" for about 15min.  It was't hot blistering sun, the paint was just cool to only body temp warm.  

After about an hour later I started to buff off the DG 105.  Guess what it dried hard and wasn't easy to buff off.  How hard was it to buff off?  If anybody has ever used Klasse High Gloss Sealant and applied a little to thick in some areas and let it dry and tried to buff it off, DG 105 is not as hard to buff off as Klasse HGS but its close.  I did some searching over the internet and have found that some say that its acrylic polymer.  Is it true?  Maybe.  Could it be possible?  Yes.  It sure was very similar to remove like Klasse's acrylic based HGS.  So those who know, please confirm what is DG 105 TPP based on.

I found that after removing DG 105 TPP with a cotton based cloth it is necessary to finish removing all haze using a good clean micro fiber cloth.  What do I mean by clean micro fiber?  Either a new or a freshly washed and cleaned micro fiber with no contaminants.  Then when you start to buff the paint with the micro fiber you can see that the haze being completely removed leaving a clean shining look.  

SUBJECTIVE FEELING AND LOOK OF DG 105 TPP

Well the look of DG 105 is clear, hard and strile.  On my white car with 14year old paint.  It has that hard look like Klasse HGS.  People say it has a "wet look"  but to be fair I can't really say until I try it on a darker coloured car.  But it definitely doesn't have the look of carnauba wax.  For me I'm fine with clear, hard, sterile shining look on my car.  This I guess is a very personal thing.

Feeling of the DG105 is smooth and slick.  But it doesn't have that carnauba feel.  It has a very "polymer sealant" sort of feel for you who knows what that feels like.  Running my fingers across the paint I can feel that there are still some spot which has not completely dried.  You can feel the dried spots are "hard and smooth" and the other undried parts "wet and smooth"  wet meaning that it feels like you have just applied a layer or carnuaba where its smooth, soft and has a wax feel to it.  

So the next day after about 19hrs of drying and curing DG105 feels hard, dry, smooth and slick.  Some people say that it looks better the next day.  Well I might agree with them. I think it might be more psychological than anything else. 

WHAT'S NEXT?

Will test this setup for a while and see how DG 105 stands up to regular everyday abuse and will post updates on this setup.  Then I will move on to DG 105 with Duragloss DG 951 Aquawax (AW) after every wash.  Then I will move on to DG 105 which will be topped off with DG 2930 Track Claw.

Here are some pictures.

  

TRW BRAKE ROTOR AND BENDIX GENERAL CT PAD CHANGE

So whats new in terms of new fixes?  I have had my Nissan Cefiro/Maxima A32 3.0liter for almost 14 years.  For a very long time I have suffered extreme Disc Variation Thickness (DVT) or more commonly know but not accurate Warped brake rotors.

PROBLEM ENCOUNTERED

When ever I braked at high speed the steering would vibrate and the brake pedal pulsate.  It just gets worse and worse.  Turning/machining or skimming the rotors would only solve the problem for awhile (10,000km) and the problem would come back.  So after living with this problem for the life of the vehicle and trying to understand what causes DVT I hope I have solved the problem once and for all.  Read on to find out what I did.

DISC VARIATION THICKNESS (DVT)

Common know as warped rotors more because it feels like the rotors are warped rotor rather than it being the truth.  DVT is basically the rotor wearing away unevenly. Some parts of the disc has worn away more than other parts causing high and low spots on the rotor.

My case was so severe that even at 10km/h-20km/h with constant brake pressure you can feel when the brake pad bites when it moves across the high section and release when the hits the low section of the rotor.  Clear sign that cementite has started to form and the rotors are in a down spiral of self degradation.

A good article can be found here:  http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_warped_brakedisk.shtml

SOLVING THE PROBLEM

So I needed to get rid of as much heat as possible.  The standard rims didn't really help in that area as its not you regular 5 spoke with huge holes type rims.  I want to keep the standard rim so the only choice left is to remove the inside rotor dust shield to improve air circulation to the rotor.

Next was to get a new set of brake pads.  I have used Original Akebono Nissan brake pads and EBC Kevler brake pads.  They are really expensive where I live.  RM600.00 for Akebono Nissan and EBC Kevlar was about RM450.  So I started to search a pad which was kind on rotors and still had good performance.  So I decided to try out Bendix General CT.  I took a look at the Bendix Metal King and the metal fibers that were on the pad looks really scary and have heard that its not really kind to rotors.  So Bendix General CT was the way forward.  Price for 1 set was only RM95.  Far cry from the arm and a leg that I use to pay of the Akebono and EBC.

So next was new rotors.  I went to the spare parts shop and asked if that had rotor for my A32 3.0L.  They said yes and its by TRW and its RM145/pc so 2 pcs was RM290.  The guy had to order them but that only took a few hours.  So when the rotors arrived and I opened it up to check to my surprise this looks very different from my rotors.  So I said do you have the 2.0L version he said yes and I asked him if I could compare the two.  So he brought them out and to my surprise the 2.0L rotors looks similar to the set on my car.  Crap all this while I've been having the wrong set on rotors on my car.

From the factory I started having the problem so I changed to a set of slotted rotors and the 2nd set of slotted rotors were based on what I had originally on my car.  I said DAMN here is your problem.

The difference between the 3.0L and 2.0L rotors is that the 3.0L rotors are much thicker and has more "metal" to dissipate more heat caused by the heavier and high powered engine.  I measured the new 3.0L discs and they are 26.2mm thick (min. thickness 24mm) vs. 21.2mm on my current slotted rotors (min thickness 20mm).  I would guess a new set of the slotted rotors would have been only 22mm-23mm which is still far from 26.2mm!

INSTALLATION OF NEW BRAKE ROTORS AND PADS

So I removed the inside dust shield, cleaned the new rotors of their protective coating and installed the new pads and changed the brake fluid.

TEST DRIVE

First experience of the Bendix General CT brake pads are that the titanium strip really works as advertised.  "The pads works straight out of the box."  They did really work straight out of the box.  The initial bite is good and was surprised by the performance.  So I drove the car about 50km on the highway at night to bed the pads in.  Did it with increasing speeds and cooling/cruising between each application and did it at night as there were less cars and the air is much cooler then.

AFTER 2000KM

My experience with the Bendix General CT is that its good value for money and the performance is good enough for most applications except for hard street driving and track use.  It was never designed for those purposes anyway.

I did notice that the initial bite had dropped off a little and I suspect that the initial titanium strip on the pads has been worn off and it was the strip that gives the good straight out of the box feel. But the pad in general still has good initial bite (but not as much as EBC greens for example).  The pads are really progressive smooth and quiet. The only noise you will get is when you ar in "D" and the car has stopped and to just release enough pressure for it to crawl/creep forward, the pad will groan.  All the pads I have used does that and thats no big deal.  You can "drive" around that problem.

All in all I'm very pleased with the performance of the Bendix General CT and the value it present.

I did notice on a few occasions while driving on the highway, the toll gate was coming up and where the temps were cool (ambient temps about 26-28 celcius) after it had rained.  The pads lost some of its initial bite.  It felt like an OEM organic pads; smooth and no inital bite and like the pads were cold.  But once you get the heat back into then its ok and the bite comes back.  This is also not a big deal as its not like there "weren't"  any brakes like some full metal pads used for track use where you can have a heart stopping moment of no brakes cause the pads are cold.

As for my DVT problem.  Well currently solve and everything is good.  The real test is when it reaches the 10,000km mark where the old DVT problem would start to surface.

DURAGLOSS PRODUCTS SET TO GO ON TRIAL PART 1

Hi, I'm back again.  So what's new?  I'll be trying out Duragloss's range of products.  Why?  Nothing to do, too free, hand itchy.  Just love to play with something new maybe?  Duragloss will go on trial as soon as I get my hands on them.

PARAMETERS:

It will be used on my Nissan A32 Cefiro/Maxima (in other parts of the world).  Its solid white with original factory paint and the car is going on 14years this year.  Mileage of the car is about 243,000km.  The paint is getting thin in areas but its my daily driven car and has served me well.  This is also my Guinea pig car for me to test all sorts of car detailing products.

I may have mentioned this earlier in my other postings, but I'll say it again.  I'm not loyal to any product and I will try almost any product.  From all my experience and from the evidence that my car still has its original paint for 14 years will sort of confirm that any product will work to protect your paint.  So long as you are willing to maintain the layer of protection you have put on your car.

So may it be a polymer sealant, wax, acrylic, Titanium dioxide, quartz, nano based, water based, solvent based, whatever you name it.  Most of them work to protect the paint.  Its just a matter of maintenance of the protective layer and whether the protective layer gets stained and dirty or etched through.

So why try Duragloss.  No particular reason.  Just curious to see how it works and how it stacks up to the other products I have tried.  I'm also running out of my old sealant so why not try something else which is new to me.

Duragloss products that will be applied to the car and the car will go through about 1000KM a week come rain or shine.  It will be mostly highway driving.  9am-6.30pm the car will be parked in an open area where the car will experience 100% rain and 100% sunshine or what ever weather it will be on that particular day.

The car will only be washed maximum once a week or even once in 2 weeks depending on how busy I am.

So I think we will give very harsh conditions for Duragloss.

PRODUCTS ON TRIAL

1. Duragloss DG 601 Paint Bonding Agent (PBA)

2.  Duragloss DG 105  Total Performance Polish (TPP)

3.  Duragloss DG 951  Aquawax (AW)

4.  Duragloss DG 2930 Track Claw (TC)

PROPOSED PREP WORK BEFORE APPLICATION

I only have very little time so I will do the following:

1. Wash car

2.  Paint clean (Polish/Clay)

3.  Rinse Car

4.  Apply Duragloss products.

CURRENT SEALANT ON THE CAR

Currently the car has Klasse High Gloss Sealant.  Applied on 1/01/2011 and applied 2nd coat on 2/01/2011.  Car has not been washed since its application of the coating.