[Cantab]

I have the same Frozen Silver. I love the colour and the way it shows off the lines of the car. In terms of regular maintenance I actually find it easier than my older Carbon Black 535 because this paint won't get/show swirls. A quick wipe down is so much easier.

I wanted to coat it with a ceramic coating and while folks say you can use ceramic pro etc I wanted to use a dedicated Matte paint coating and used Dr. Beasleys even though it's not as well a reviewed product. The issue I'm having though is that because the paint is (by design) not slick I can't tell if the coating is doing much. Usually the hydrophobic properties are the easy way to see if the coating is still there but you can't really tell on the satin finish since water doesn't bead or run off as easily. Oh well. Hopefully it's working. Will apply another coat on a few weeks to create some layers.

Will post pics soon!

[Skyhigh]

Wax definitely shows! I am impressed by the Swissvax opaque wax. Water runs straight off!
Soon time to renew it. Best wax I have ever seen and used in general (and first one from Swissvax I am using).

P.s. welcome to the frozen club. Happy to have a silver buddy now

[Skyhigh]

Having now tried Chemical Guys Meticulous Auto Wash Shampoo, I must say I find it superior to the Swissvax Opaque Car Bath Shampoo!

I am very impressed by all Swissvax products I have tried so far, except the Opaque Car Bath. No foam, not slippery... almost like washing with clear water (although I am sure it helps removing dirt). I have really been afraid of scratches with the Opaque.

The Chemical Guys on the other hand performs like a high-quality, regular shampoo - I certainly put more than I should have (biased by the Swissvax experience), but I had lots of foam and a decent slippery feeling!

Definitely my new preference for shampoo. For everything else I feel Swissvax are great.

[Skyhigh]

Frozen owners, what coating/wax do you use and what's your general experience with others?
I have been using the Swissvax Opaque Wax exclusively so far and am happy with it, but have nothing to compare it to. I am planning to give the BMW original nano wax a try, as I read positive opinions about it.
Please share you experience with any product you have tried.

[722Adam]

Hi,

Sorry to resurrect this but thought I'd share my experiences as I'm new to the forums, and drive a Frozen Bronze F36, pictured below.

From what I'd read in the lead up to buying my car, the best thing to apply is nothing post wash. After consulting the Autoglym pages (I generally like their stuff) they suggested their Extra Gloss Protection as it's liquid based and won't buff/fill the lacquer. The idea seems to be that you want most chemical free products, so I wash using Autoglym Pure Shampoo as there's no conditioner in it.

I tried the Extra Gloss Protection but couldn't get a streak free finish so just go without now. More than happy with the way it turns out.

[Skyhigh]

Interestingly most of what you are writing fully contradicts everything we know about matte paint and the everything which logically follows from it I really disagree with most (from my experience and accumulated knowledge about frozen so far) and here is why:

Originally Posted by 722Adam

From what I'd read in the lead up to buying my car, the best thing to apply is nothing post wash.

Whilst the matte (frozen) clear-coat is not more fragile or more sensitive than a normal clear-coat (common misconception), its biggest disadvantage is that it does not allow any scratch-correction. This is because of the uneven structure (on level that cannot be seen without magnification) which makes it matte instead of glossy. As a clear consequence of that - the more protection - the better, since there is no spot-repair method!
To not protect classic clear-coat is not recommendable, as you are exposing it directly to the harsh environment unprotected. Nevertheless you can do some post-damage repair should you start caring about the car later.
To not protect matte (frozen) paint is in my opinion pure negligence...

After consulting the Autoglym pages (I generally like their stuff) they suggested their Extra Gloss Protection as it's liquid based and won't buff/fill the lacquer.

As a general rule - NEVER use product not intended specifically for matte paint!! Of course there are many examples proven to work just fine, but in my opinion one needs to have a good reason to use those, whilst there are product lines created specifically for matte paint.
Something that has "gloss" in the name should turn you off automatically. Gloss is what you do not want on a matte paint!

The idea seems to be that you want most chemical free products, so I wash using Autoglym Pure Shampoo as there's no conditioner in it.

Partially true. I think what you mean is that you should use products without wax / glossifiers in them Which brings us back to my previous comment, see above.
On the other hand it is recommended to wash/maintain frozen with least mechanical interaction possible (to minimise risk of scratches and micro-scratches). which is why you actually want to use the most chemically-aggressive products (when necessary), so that they do the work for you, without much rubbing required! (Of course, if you have protection on, you need to think about it when choosing products, so that you don't end up stripping it down)

I tried the Extra Gloss Protection but couldn't get a streak free finish so just go without now. More than happy with the way it turns out.

You quite clearly picked up the wrong product... Forget Autoglym!
Buy some proper, matte- specific products!
Look at Swissvax Opaque, Chemical Guys Meticulous, etc. etc.

Here a video of my frozen silver (posted also on another thread), protected with the BMW wax, which I am extremely happy with.

View post on imgur.com

In my personal, humble opinion - not applying and maintaining a protection on Frozen is a bad idea. The more/greater, the better (PPF, Ceramic, Wax...).

[chbscd]

So, I’m new to frozen paint and still trying to figure this thing out. One “tip” that shows up in most articles is to remove dead bugs, tree sap, etc. “immediately”. Is that a bit OCD or do people actually do that, and if so, how does one “immediately” remove dead bugs after a long trip, without a full wash of the car?

[Skyhigh]

Not OCD, rule nr. 1 in car detailing, for those who care. Irrespective of frozen or standard - the effect of not doing it is the same.

The way to do it is to have a bottle of (suitable) Quick Detailer, soft paper and/or a good MicroFiber cloth (ideally both) in the trunk. As soon as you notice bird crap and have the opportunity - spray, wait for it to soften and gently remove. Repeat if necessary until all gone. No rubbing, no scratching. If you can then rinse with some water - even better.

Bird crap is the most dangerous. Never ever wait with it longer than absolutely necessary. Bugs, etc. are recommended to be removed as soon as convenient but by far not as dangerous.

Again - this is NOT specific to frozen but applicable to any paint / clear-coat.

[Skyhigh]

I figured this would be of interest to some of you. I finally decided to do a small "Lab" experiment and compare the performance of the few products I have at my disposal. Several surprises came out of this.... Enjoy reading

The sample:
I used the 2 original BMW Frozen Silver mirror caps I have lying around. Note: The mirror caps are painted in frozen matte, but have no clear-coat! I don't believe this changes anything, except maybe the durability (life) of the product, which can anyway only be tested in the real environment. Nevertheless be aware that the samples used for the test are not 100% representative for clear-coated panels.

The products:
The following products were tested and compared:

• BMW Special Nano Wax (Matt)
• Swissvax Opaque
• Dr. Beasley's Matte Paint Coating
• Soft99 Fusso Coat 12M (Light)*

* - Unsuitable for matte paint! Used as a comparison datum only, as it is a well-known product with excellent durability and overall qualities.

The test method:


I applied the various products above next to each other, separated by a reference (untreated) area. I gave them sufficient time to cure (details below) and tested as follows:

• Compared the surfaces visually, paying particular attention to gloss/matte increase and colour change
• Sprayed water and tested the hydrophobicity / self-cleaning properties
• Applied 2 different Tar Remover products i.a.w. recommended use to test endurance
• Did an IPA wipe-down to test endurance

Disclaimer: The results inevitably contain an element of subjectiveness and represent my own view, based on a test on a Frozen Silver Metallic colour! Some results could/would be slightly different if tested on darker paint. I am happy to test on other frozen colours if you would send me a sample to test on

The results are summarised in a table at the end. You can skip to that if you are not keen on reading everything. To learn about the properties of each product and understand the results however, here the details:

BMW Special Nano Wax (Matt)
I have been using this product for over an year now on my vehicle and am very impressed by its hydrophobic properties (see video in this thread) AND its durability. I have not driven the car much this year, due to the global situation, but the wax lasted a full year, with some degradation in the most challenging areas. I am confident it would last at least 5-6 months under normal circumstances, but this is highly individual of course.

The price is high, however not the highest amongst the products tested here. One can also often find it for a fraction of the catalogue price sold privately.

The smell is good, the application is easy.

Insider Tip: A tester from a German detailing community insinuates that the BMW Special Nano Wax may be identical with the Petzold‘s Matte Paint Wax, as well as the Autosol Matte Paint Wax, as all 3 products look and smell the same way and also perform similarly. It may very well be that Autosol or Petzold is the Original Manufacturer. I have NOT verified this myself and have never had any of the 2 other waxes in my hand, so this is just information for you to consider.

Swissvax Opaque
Swissvax Opaque is a line of products made specifically for matte vehicles. This was the first wax I bought and applied on my car. The hydrophobic qualities are good, but not as good as other products. The Opaque wax contains 40% Carnauba.

What turned me off (apart from the price) was the limited endurance. Degradation was noticeable already after 2-3 months.

Very high price.

Extremely good smell Very easy to apply.

Dr. Beasley's Matte Paint Coating
I find this product really mysterious. On one hand it has reputation, on the other - there are very few reviews online and almost none independent ones! The description of the product does not contain the word "Ceramic", but when enquired, Dr. B. claim it is a ceramic coating. Not to be mistaken with Dr. Beasley's Matte Paint Sealant, which is the predecessor of the Coating. They used to claim it has BMW approval... now this info is hidden somewhere deep.

I bought the entire Dr. Beasley's Matte Paint Prescription Kit about an year ago but hesitated to apply it, mainly since the information I found online is very limited and somewhat contradictory. Therefore I have no real-life durability figures.

The product has no smell and the application is very easy.
WARNING - I had to apply the product on the sample twice!! I did the initial application with distilled water, as recommended. Used 3 drops for the very small area of the sample, whereas they recommend 5-6 drops for an entire panel. Gave it 7 days to cure before any contact, as recommended. The only negative deviation from the instructions was that I used a MF applicator instead of a sponge applicator, but it is difficult to imagine that this caused what comes next...

After 7 days, I sprayed the area with water to test the hydrophobicity. I was shocked to find out that there is close to zero difference between the treated and untreated area!! It simply looked as if there is no coating at all! The water drops were taking pretty much the exact same shape as the ones on the reference area...

That forced me to reapply the product once again. This time using normal (tap) water and a sponge applicator.
I didn't have the patience to wait for another full 7 days to get disappointed, so the tests presented below were executed 3-4 days after the second application of the coating.

Soft99 Fusso Coat (Light)
This well known, extremely durable wax was used as a datum. It is not suitable for matte paints, as it adds gloss!
I use this wax for my Audi and am very pleased with its performance on a car used daily. I am not going to review it in detail as its only relevance for this test is to act as a reference.

Test 1:

BMW SpecialNano Wax vs. Dr. Beasley's Matte Paint Coating (after second application).



Unfortunately I did not take any pictures at this stage, however what one could clearly establish is that:

• BMW's wax leaves a visible layer, which has a small impact on the colour (darkens or rather "warms" it slightly depending on the viewing angle) and actually diffuses the light further making the matte surface more matte. See photos in the next tests.
• Dr. B.'s Coating leaves no residue and is completely invisible (to the naked eye at least).

Hydrophobically, the difference between the 2 products was enormous in favour of the BMW Nano Wax (see it's performance in the next tests). Dr. B.'s Coating (after second application) had very limited (very disappointing) hydrophobicity and therefore very limited self-cleaning properties.

Next, I "attacked" both products with a tar remover which is widely unknown, but the most popular one where I live - Prick Bort. It is petroleum-based and highly effective.

And here comes Shocker #1:
The Tar remover completely stripped down the BMW Nano Wax!
Dr. B.'s Coating was visually unaffected.

I repeated the test with the well-known CarPro TarX, which is known to be strong, but not too aggressive either and based on natural ingredients. The result was similar. The BMW Nano Wax was practically stripped down (95%), Dr. B.'s Coating - visually unaffected.

This result surprised me... Prick Bort specifically was claimed not to strip down waxes... I guess that is not universally true.

Next, I did an IPA-wipedown, using 1:3 solution, and then pure IPA.
Shocker #2:
The IPA had no obvious effect on the BMW Nano Wax..... however it (already as 1:3) stripped down the Dr. B.'s Coating! Weren't ceramic coatings supposed to be robust and resistant!? I don't know - you tell me?

Test 2:

BMW Special Nano Wax vs. Swissvax Opaque



Same setup, same tests.
What you will notice is that the Swissvax Opaque left what looks like a thicker layer, which had a much stronger darkening effect on the paint. Looking from an angle, it had a white-ish "patina", see top-right part of cap. One could say it diffused the light slightly more than the BMW Nano Wax, but the difference was not that big. Generally (but heavily depending on the paint colour), I would argue that the BMW Nano Wax was visually more appealing as it didn't change the original look as much.





Hydrophobically the 2 products were a much closer match, however the win goes to the BMW Nano Wax. The Swissvax Opaque had slightly less pronounced beading and a little bit of sheeting.

Once again the Tar removers "killed" the BMW Nano Wax with a single shot!
Surprisingly however, the Swissvax Opaque was only partially degraded. Serious advantage for the Swissvax Opaque.

(Please note that when I state "not visually affected" or "partially degraded" - this relates to a single application only. I do believe that every chemical product degrades any wax or coating even if just minimally, so the outcome may be completely different after 5, 10 or 15 applications....)

IPA wipe-down: No visual effect on the BMW Nano Wax. Very slight degradation of the Swissvax Opaque. It appeared more susceptible than the BMW wax.

I extended the test at this point and sprayed the Swissvax Opaque Pre-cleaner on both. It didn't seem to affect the BMW nano-wax or if - just slightly degrade it, however, as expected, it heavily (80%) affected the Opaque wax. I did need a second go with it though to fully remove the Opaque wax which surprised me a bit.

Test 3:

BMW SpecialNano Wax vs. Soft 99 Fusso Coat (Light)



It is clearly visible why the Fusso Coat is not suitable for matte paints...! It creates a noticeable sheen, whereas the BMW Wax on the left acts as a diffuser and makes the surface look even flatter.

Video below:

View post on imgur.com

Tar Remover - stripped down the BMW wax. No visual effect on the Fusso Coat from neither of the tar removers, except maybe a slight degradation of the gloss. Same hydrophobic properties after a spill.

IPA - no effect on either of the two waxes. I generally find that very surprising. This either means that I am using a "fake" IPA, or that the IPA wipe-down myth is completely busted, at least for a number of waxes!?

At the end, the last man standing was the Fusso Coat. I had to use a barely-diluted APC I knew works in order to be able to strip it down, since nothing else worked.


Here a summary of the results. The scoring guide I used was 0 for the lowest score and 5 for the highest. All of this is obviously highly subjective, but based on objective observations.



For now, my favourite remains the BMW Nano Wax. It is not perfect, obviously, and its extreme susceptibility to tar removers surprised me a lot. But I feel it is overall the best product amongst those for a car which is not a daily ride! It combines excellent hydrophobicity with very good durability in real-life. One should however avoid using any tar removers and if - reapply wax in the respective areas.

When it comes to Dr. Beasley's Matte Paint Coating, I decided to give it another try early next year with another experiment on a sample, but also, at some stage, application on a single car panel. If it does not impress me again, this will be it for me. It is difficult to trust a product with somewhat ambiguous description, very limited independent user reviews, unreliable application, invisible to the naked eye (not necessarily a disadvantage of course) and on top with limited hydrophobicity. I hope I am wrong about it and have simply done something wrong (although I can't think what that may be).

[Pawtato]

Originally Posted by Skyhigh

I figured this would be of interest to some of you. I finally decided to do a small "Lab" experiment and compare the performance of the few products I have at my disposal. Several surprises came out of this.... Enjoy reading

Reviving an old thread as I found your tests really interesting, I appreciate your patience and thoughts behind the test methodology. My iX has Black Sapphire Metallic, but my wife's new G 63 has matte Night Black Magno, so I'm looking for the perfect solution to maintain that paint finish.

Do you still have the F36? Are you still using the BMW nano wax to this date?

Originally Posted by Skyhigh

When it comes to Dr. Beasley's Matte Paint Coating, I decided to give it another try early next year with another experiment on a sample, but also, at some stage, application on a single car panel. If it does not impress me again, this will be it for me. It is difficult to trust a product with somewhat ambiguous description, very limited independent user reviews, unreliable application, invisible to the naked eye (not necessarily a disadvantage of course) and on top with limited hydrophobicity. I hope I am wrong about it and have simply done something wrong (although I can't think what that may be).

I wonder if the fact that you applied Dr. Beasley's Matte Paint Coating to the bare paint without a clear coat hindered its effects. Did you ever complete that subsequent test with it?

Also, have you come across this thread at all?

[Skyhigh]

Originally Posted by Pawtato

Reviving an old thread as I found your tests really interesting, I appreciate your patience and thoughts behind the test methodology. My iX has Black Sapphire Metallic, but my wife's new G 63 has matte Night Black Magno, so I'm looking for the perfect solution to maintain that paint finish.

Do you still have the F36? Are you still using the BMW nano wax to this date?

Glad you found the test informative I do indeed still enjoy my F36 and am still using the BMW nano wax and very happy with it. The hydrophobicity is incredible, application is easy. It keeps the car cleaner for longer. It is not as durable as other waxes (even less - sealants), but since I also do very limited driving with the frozen car, it suits me perfectly fine to renew every 6-9 months. It basically starts degrading after about 6 months in my case. I've had it on for about an year too, with lower parts of panels stripped from the wax (due to also chemical agents used during/after winter washes) but the rest still covered.

I wonder if the fact that you applied Dr. Beasley's Matte Paint Coating to the bare paint without a clear coat hindered its effects. Did you ever complete that subsequent test with it?

Also, have you come across this thread at all?

I am not entirely sure that there is no clear-coat on there to be honest, although the surface feels different. Besides that - waxes and sealants are also typically applied on plastic trims, etc. and I have never seen them performing significantly differently there in comparison to painted / clear-coated panels.
This said, I did not complete the planned activities with test on panels, etc. My disappointment from the product was big enough to make me just sell the full Dr. Beasley's kit I had, before I use more of it and make that more difficult. Dr. Beasley is very much unknown throughout Europe. I did buy the kit from Germany, but it was a clearing sale of Dr. B's products. There is simply no interest here in that brand, for whatever reason.

I had not seen that particular thread. Thanks for providing the link!
I am no surprised there are users who appear happy with the product. I only question whether that's done in comparison with other products.
I also sincerely question the hydrophobic properties some of them mention, based on my testing (where it was simply non-existent). I wonder if it may be coming from another product used after/on top of the sealant.

If you ever go down that route, I'd be very curious to see a similar test to mine performed by someone else, objectively comparing with non-treated surfaces and surfaces treated with other products Would be very intriguing to see if results match or are completely different

Oh, and also based on the other thread - I am also a HUGE PPF fan when it comes to frozen! I think that is the ONLY way to physically protect the beautiful paint from the elements, at least for the most exposed panels. Anything else is just beauty cosmetics

P.s. thanks for bumping up the topic and review - I read it myself again and used the opportunity to correct some typos and wrong phrasings )

[Pawtato]

Originally Posted by Skyhigh

This said, I did not complete the planned activities with test on panels, etc. My disappointment from the product was big enough to make me just sell the full Dr. Beasley's kit I had, before I use more of it and make that more difficult.

Ah that’s unfortunate, but understandable. Are you still using Chemical Guys shampoo to wash your car?

Originally Posted by Skyhigh

Dr. Beasley is very much unknown throughout Europe. I did buy the kit from Germany, but it was a clearing sale of Dr. B's products. There is simply no interest here in that brand, for whatever reason.

I had not seen that particular thread. Thanks for providing the link!
I am no surprised there are users who appear happy with the product. I only question whether that's done in comparison with other products.
I also sincerely question the hydrophobic properties some of them mention, based on my testing (where it was simply non-existent). I wonder if it may be coming from another product used after/on top of the sealant.

I
did see some reviews complaining about the underwhelming hydrophobic properties of Dr B’s matte paint coating, but on the other hand people all seem happy with their matte body wash and matte final finish.

I think I’ll start with DB’s matte prescription kit less the coating along with the BMW nano wax. Semi annual application of the wax doesn’t sound too bad, since DB’s recommends using their advancecoat to top off the coating every quarter anyways.

Originally Posted by Skyhigh

Oh, and also based on the other thread - I am also a HUGE PPF fan when it comes to frozen! I think that is the ONLY way to physically protect [...]

Yeah, I can see the appeal of having PPF for the high exposure areas, but our car is a lease so it doesn’t make financial sense to have that done.

[Skyhigh]

Yes, also still very happy with the CG Meticulous matte paint shampoo. I simply haven't looked for another as I am that happy with it. Just buy more when it gets low And I still have some Swissvax Opaque shampoo, which I stopped using as the CG is so much better in my opinion

I need to remind myself what the prescription kit contained, but what is it there that you want to use if you are not using the coating? Shampoo and quick detailer? Not sure it is worth it just for those. This said I have not tested them. I still use the Swissvax Opaque quick detailer when needed (which is not very often). It does the job fine. Will probably try the CG one once it is empty.

Yes, I agree, PPF doesn't make sense on a leased vehicle.