I bought a bottle of the Meguiar's M40 product mentioned on page 1 and tried it out over the weekend. This is unquestionably a commercial grade product and quite different from their protectant product featured in the Consumer Reports article. I've used that product before and it's a heavy, milky white substance that actually dries to a yellow wax if not applied to the vehicle. The M40 product is thin and comes in a spray bottle, and appears to be either light white or clear (couldn't tell, it kinda foams on the terry cloth when you spray it). And man oh man does it stink. As in apply it outside or with fans running and all doors open in your garage, then let it sit overnight to dissipate. But it leaves a beautiful dark finish, and you can actually watch it penetrate the cladding during application (as opposed to their "protectant" product which seems to be a layer of oil or silicone that simply sits on top of the cladding). I put 4 coats on with a terry cloth applicator and a terry cloth drying towel, and it took no time at all - a spray bottle is way faster than pouring it out of a bottle (a la Back to Black or the other Meguiar's product).
So I'm very happy with the initial appearance, but as we all know the real question is how it reacts to rain and how long it lasts. It's supposed to rain here this week so I'll leave it outside for a few days to see if there's any immediate degradation.
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