Water Beading

[Heijneker]

So I'm a fond user of Opti-Seal and Optimum car Wax, and of course Optimum No Rinse. I love the ease of use and the efficiency.

On a car that was clayed, sealed and waxed, about three weeks ago and last washed a couple of days ago, I find the beading insufficient. Below is a picture from the car this morning, after a night of rainfall.

What would you suggest to improve beading and get the tight round beads that I want to see.

Thanks in advance.

[Ron@Optimum]

you consider that "insufficient beading"?  TIC?  And may I ask why the shape of beads is important...isn't beading the goal, not how round they are?

[Heijneker]

TIC?

English is not my native language, so 'insufficient' may not be the right word.

I would like to see nice round beads, because I like the look of it. I did achieve that the day after applying the protection:

I would like to know how I could achieve those beads, without having to wax every day.

[Ron@Optimum]

I'm not sure why bead shape matters but that's your business - I can tell you my vehicles (one with Opti-Coat Pro and the other regularly treated with Hyper Seal) both have nice round beads.  I wash with ONR and seal every wash with Hyper Seal...for whatever that's worth. 

Your picture showed a multitude of beads the would please most people and TIC means tongue in cheek - a response when people are being sarcastic.  I guess that wasn't the case here?

[Heijneker]

User preference, Ron, geez. Didn't think I would have to defend myself liking round beads more. Thanks for the help....

[Ron@Optimum]

sorry, but I've NEVER understood the fascination with round beads nor do I understand how the products used can make that happen.  It seems the proof of hydrophobic properties is beading, not the size or shape.  I've even had complaints that Optimum product cause beading, they'd prefer sheeting.  Seems like a no win proposition. That said, you have a right to your expectations....

[Setec Astronomy]

I believe that hydrophobicity, if that's a word, is actually measured by the contact angle of the beading...the higher the contact angle the rounder the bead.  Most of us that have waxed a lot of cars have had the same experience as the OP, where the beading changes over time, and take that as an indication that the protection is less than it was originally.

As we have learned over the years, in a lot of instances the protection is still there, however it has become "clogged" by contaminants.  In this case, it could be contaminants washed down with the rain, such as from overhanging trees, etc.  Of course, as someone on another forum many years ago used to say, the best way to get that "just waxed" look...is to have just waxed the car.

Heijneker, you might want to think about Gloss-Coat or another coating, or using ONRWW to get a little fresh wax with your wash.

[AMDG75]

Beauty and beading is in the eye of the beholder - nothing excites some of more other than a really high contact angle or 'tight drop' so to speak, especially when parked to another car lacking a 'toned' bead 😂

Probably why am now addicted to Hyperseal....a while back I asked if there was any harm (buildup etc) to using every time I wash, other than to my wallet? (Keeping our cars clean is an obsession; told my wife there could be far worse obsessions and she likes having a clean car   but *&^%*( it's white) 

[Heijneker]

Thanks for the answers, guys! Setec that makes a lot of sense, if I want the just waxed look, I have to wax the car often!! I'm not quite ready for a coating yet, but surely will be one day!

A thing to note is how incredibly clean cars seem to stay, on which I've used Opti-Seal or Car wax on and how easy they are to clean. I've noticed this on several cars now. 

I've gotten the feeling that other brands use certain substances that, while they give great beading and sheeting, don't have the same self cleaning properties. Like I said, it's a feeling, so I hope to test that out soon.

Most notably has been the Tesla of a neighbour on which I did a wash an wax (drying aid, too sparingly; one spray per panel). It had gotten very dirty again a couple days later, but it cleaned itself very well. So much so I was convinced they had washed it themselves, but they assured me they didn't . There hadn't been any big rainstorms either! Astonishing.

[Ron@Optimum]

One of the things Dr G first told me about using Optimum products (specifically ONR and Wax) was the cumulative effect of regular application.  I'm sure I doubted it at the time and there's probably no way to quantify it, but over the years my own experience has been reinforced by comments like yours, that cars treated with OPT products stay cleaner and clean up more easily than those maintained by other products.

[Habs]

Yes this  self cleaning is what has  sold me  on  optimum products . If the car is sitting in the drive way the rain can realy clean the car .  80%of the dirt comes off the paint with a rinse from my hose . The car is gloss coated, hyper sealed  and  wax and onr washed.  My friends think i wash my car every day its always clean.  

[Heijneker]

Great to hear I'm maybe not imagining things. 😀 The car from my parents in law hasn't been cleaned in two months, but you really wouldn't know. It has Opti-Seal of about 5 months old I think.

 

[Habs]

It's TRUE this product is self cleaning. 

Also I like the synergy  of optimums products it all works together. The real magic is onr the longer it sits in the paint the better .  As for beading I don't really care what it looks like  I just like the way the water flows of the car  when I rinse the car . I think it's the gloss coat that realy repels the   water. 

[Mr.Outback]

Beading of ONR / distilled water, after initial rinseless wash with same, on fender of my '21 Outback XT:  Sorry, but the allowed 20 K picture limit means this is all I can show.

[bcwang]

 

I agree the beading from OP is pretty weak. I don’t think optiseal is a strong beader though. Glosscoat on the other hand is amazing as seen here on my car.