OK, I've finished my cladding experiment (bwaa ha ha haaa!)
* 303 Aerospace Protectant
* Meguiar's Natural Shine
* Mothers Back to Black
For me there is no obvious winner. The end result of all three looked very good. The application method is the same: apply solution onto a rag, rub into cladding & wipe off the excess. Easy.
303 Aerospace Protectant
All three left a shiny finish, but 303 looks almost like there is a hard coating over the cladding. From some angles, it almost looked a little blue (maybe it's so shiny it reflects the sky? I dunno.) The cladding looked slightly darker, the coverage is "even" and the end result looked the most like what I would expect as see new from the factory. It held dust, but maybe just a tiny bit more than the un-treated cladding.* Dust was as easy to remove as wiping it off the paint. I wouldn't hesitate to use a California Duster on it, but I'd probably use the one that I had recently "retired." 303 feels completely dry, but it's actually a little oily (tape won't stick to it, for example.) It's by far the least tolerant to water and washing. After the first wash, it was completely gone, and after the second wash it left behind a perfectly clean, streak-free surface. Even one drop of water will remove it almost as if it "eats" the 303.
Meguiar's Natural Shine
This also has a shiny finish and is the hardest to get an even result. It's not a chore to get even, just slightly harder than the others. It likes to collect in the texture so you will have to go over it more times with a dry rag to wipe off the excess. The cladding looked slightly darker and it seems to hide more minor flaws in the cladding. It held much more dust than the un-treated cladding.* Wiping off dust is easy, but requires slightly more effort than the 303. I consider it to also be California Duster friendly, but it is a little oily. It can streak after a wash but the majority of what is left behind was fairly even. The second wash nearly removed it all.
Mothers Back to Black
Also shiny, but it's more of a wet-look than a gloss. The cladding was easily the darkest of the three, often looking extremely dark depending on the angle of the lighting. The end result is deep and extremely even and it hides even more flaws in the cladding. It attracted enough dust to make a crust and removing it requires slightly more effort.* The first light swipe left streaks, but they can be worked out after a few more tries. Looks like a good way to kill a California Duster because it's very oily and almost feels sticky. It held up the best after 2 washes and looked the most even after each.
Starting Point.
Yes, my cladding is streaky! I'm surprised since it was perfectly clean after I had used some heavy-duty stuff to remove the nasty Bondo Restore Black that I had inherited with my VX. I'd treated all the cladding afterward with Natural Shine and then washed it off a few days later. Obviously I did a very poor job. I blame being hard to see since I waited until night so it would be cooler. Also, the new Natural Shine I put on is very uneven here. I did that the same night and didn't look at it again since it was "hidden" on the passenger side and I didn't realize what a bad job I'd done until I got out to take photos. DOH! After applying the products, I waited 2 days before proceeding.
Left to right: 303, Natural Shine, Back to Black
Dusty!
* Awwww CRAP! I just dawned on me as I was writing this and looking at my pictures - this is a lousy test. Notice that the product closest to the wheel is the dustiest, then the next one is less dusty and the one farthest away had the least dust. That would happen no matter what, even if there was a solid coating of just one product. You can also see the "worst to best" pattern repeated in the leftover stripes from the old Meguiar's coating on the lower section. Oh well, I had good intentions.
Left to right: 303, Natural Shine, Back to Black
Wash 1
Used a mild car wash soap (Meguiars) and washed/dried lightly. I didn't scrub, but I didn't baby it either. I wanted to recreate just what I'd do during a normal wash.
Left to right: 303, Natural Shine, Back to Black
Wash 2
Same as above, just lighter and too hard to see in photos.
So... the best is... whatever works for you, just like what has been suggested here all along!
Both 303 and Back to Black look very different, but they each have unique qualities I like. I'm also a big fan of the low-gloss look of the Natural Shine and know from experience it looks nice when applied to the whole vehicle.
I'm pretty sure I'll be a fan of 303 during summer & fall when we get little rain and tons of dust here in Oklahoma. As you can see by my repeated mention of the California Duster, I use it a LOT - every day or two after work. We have acres of gravel parking lots surrounding our business and that constant wind actually leaves "dust drifts." What I'll do in winter / rainy seasons? I'll just have to experiment.
Oops, edit: VX with solid coat of 303:
Reply With Quote