FW1 Waterless Detailing System

[thatfilipinoguy]

Good Morrow!

So, I understand how everyone feels super sketchy when it comes to things sold from a kiosk in front of a gas station, and that we are all picky when it comes to the chemicals that touch our paint.

My brother bought me the 4 bottle kit, and before I attempt to use this shit on my car, I wanted to know everyones perspective and opinions. I would also like to hear from the professional detailers themselves. For those who have used it, list the good, the bad, the condition of the paint you used it on, etc. Let's try to keep this concise and to the point. I'd like this to be a "go to" thread regarding the FW1 system. In case you were wondering, I did search for FW1 and it says nothing exists...I also checked other forums and they have their fair share of hit/miss, and trolls who talk shit about the product but have never used it.

Have at it!

[unsurety]

In a nutshell, there are other products that do the same job or better, for much less. I use it on my windows when I remember I still have it... bought a can years ago before I knew better. Invisible Glass does the same job for 1/3 the price

People mention it having petroleum distillates, I dunno what that entails. You might want to avoid using it on certain surfaces.

[J_kennington]

I use it quite often. The "cleaning wax" is actually pretty nice, and creates a barrier agaisnt rain. Use it on your windshield and it will just drop off like rain-x. The interior cleaner is reaaaally good. And the tire shine is nice, but after 3-4 days after it wears off, your tires look dried out.

Oh, and...the cleaning wax will clear headlights if they are foggy or yellow

[Fett4Real]

Wife was kind enough to waste money on it years ago... I however only used it on my jeep...didn't let it touch my bike or cars paint.

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[Kaotic Lazagna]

I use it on my dad's tombstone, and that's it. It cleans that (granite) really well and keeps it looking clean for a long time. However, I will not use it on my car. Perhaps as a last resort after cleaning and I ran out of my Collinite wax. haha

[thatfilipinoguy]

Is there a reason why you guys won't use it on your cars? Let's say if it said meguiars on the bottle instead, would that make a difference?

[Fett4Real]

No I wouldnt still...not sure how ling youve had your car but after a year and using the product i use vs traditional washes, my paint is much less marred then people around here that wash their cars even with the two bucket method...gary deans method and his detail juice is what I will use and will continue to use. Our paint is pretty sensitive, i wouldnt use a quick detailer on it unless theres bird crap on it and then I soak the crap out of the bird doo doo and use a wet micro fiber....thats wet with the bucket i use to wash with which is distilled water and some of the detail juice to soften it more...

[sshole]

Originally Posted by thatfilipinoguy

Is there a reason why you guys won't use it on your cars? Let's say if it said meguiars on the bottle instead, would that make a difference?

Read the two quotes below and pay attention to the parts I bold.

Originally Posted by J_kennington

I use it quite often. The "cleaning wax" is actually pretty nice, and creates a barrier agaisnt rain. Use it on your windshield and it will just drop off like rain-x. The interior cleaner is reaaaally good. And the tire shine is nice, but after 3-4 days after it wears off, your tires look dried out.

Oh, and...the cleaning wax will clear headlights if they are foggy or yellow

Originally Posted by Kaotic Lazagna

I use it on my dad's tombstone, and that's it. It cleans that (granite) really well and keeps it looking clean for a long time. However, I will not use it on my car. Perhaps as a last resort after cleaning and I ran out of my Collinite wax. haha

These 2 quotes tell me everything I need to know about FW1 products. Heavy abrasives in my wax/wash? No thanks. That's what polishing and compounding products are for. Do you compound your paint every time you wash it? Do you want to ruin your paint? Because that's how you ruin your paint.

[J_kennington]

Originally Posted by sshole

Read the two quotes below and pay attention to the parts I bold.





These 2 quotes tell me everything I need to know about FW1 products. Heavy abrasives in my wax/wash? No thanks. That's what polishing and compounding products are for. Do you compound your paint every time you wash it? Do you want to ruin your paint? Because that's how you ruin your paint.

so...you don't use any wax ever? its...wax...plain and simple.

[sshole]

Originally Posted by J_kennington

so...you don't use any wax ever? its...wax...plain and simple.

Wax should never have abrasives in it. Especially abrasives that can remove oxidation and hazing from headlights. That's what polishes and compounds are for.

[n2oinferno]

Originally Posted by sshole

Wax should never have abrasives in it. Especially abrasives that can remove oxidation and hazing from headlights. That's what polishes and compounds are for.

That's not true. What you're talking about is a finishing wax. They're two different types of products. Cleaner waxes do have some abrasive qualities so they can be used as an all-in-one product. Get a little bit of correction done while having the protective properties of a wax or sealant in one step, rather than compound, polish, and then protect. I've used a handful of them and have no complaints about them. They are great for daily driven cars that don't need a show car finish all of the time, or for those of us that don't have all day to detail a car.

Can't really speak to the abrasive properties when it's correcting headlights, but I'd probably guess it's in line with a more aggressive polish. I've only ever used PlastX for that, and it worked great.

[Fett4Real]

if youre using a cleaner wax every time youre just sanding the paint down every time you wax....its not a good thing to do. little by little youre eating away at the paint. even if it doesnt need it

[n2oinferno]

Originally Posted by Fett4Real

if youre using a cleaner wax every time youre just sanding the paint down every time you wax....its not a good thing to do. little by little youre eating away at the paint. even if it doesnt need it

How often do you think the average consumer that goes to Wal-Mart and picks up a bottle of whatever is even waxing their car? Once a month? One a year maybe? Some of us have the perspective and experience that we can fix stuff, armed with DA polishers and a weekend to tackle it. You don't need to be constantly waxing your car anyway, only when that layer of protection is gone. Furthermore, they're not going to do damage when playing Daniel-san with a car - wax on, wax off - by hand, which is how the vast majority of people wax their car (if they wax at all!) If you want correction with a cleaner wax you really need a machine. A lot of the cleaner waxes are "clear coat safe" so they barely have much abrasives in them, and some use chemicals instead.

If you guys are afraid of it, so be it. Nobody's forcing you to use them. Plenty of people love AIOs though with great results. Me included.

To clarify what I replied to earlier, that nobody should use a wax that has abrasives, goes against the #1 rule of paint care. Use the least aggressive solution that works. A cleaner wax and a white or black pad is going to be a decent bit less abrasive than a polish and the same pad.

edit: I'm not trying to disprove what you said above. I'm fully aware of what the different products are and their effect on the paint. But I would argue that using a cleaner-wax a few times per year for a few years will remove less clear than one full detail, including compounding and polishing. Until someone proves me wrong with a paint-thickness gauge, I'll stick with that.

[Choco]

I have bought 2 cans do to feeling pressured at the gas station. At the time, I was very ignorant about car detailing. I regret purchasing this product and is a total rip off. This week, they went up to my BRZ again and I told them a firm NO when they were about to apply FW1 to my car.