# Wax vs SONAX BSD



## Soapybubbles (Feb 10, 2014)

I recently found Sonax BSD as a product and boy am I impressed. 

Currently using it as a drying aid after washing.

It appears to do everything a wax will do but is quicker,easier to apply and lasts just as long.

I am seriously considering ending my use of waxes. 

So folks,can anyone justify the time and extra effort involved in applying a wax instead?


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## great gonzo (Nov 4, 2010)

Personally I still love a wax more durable too depending what one obviously. 
I prefer the finish, the application, the scent and the variety of different waxes available. 

I still like spray sealant tho, nice to have both in your arsenal 

Gonz.


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## robinh112 (Sep 2, 2014)

I prefer Sonax BSD cheap and lasts a while with amazing beading


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## Wilco (Apr 22, 2010)

I guess this hobby is about finding the right products to give you the results you want. If you're happy with your results then you've done well to find something that performs exactly how you wish for little money:thumb::thumb:


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## GleemSpray (Jan 26, 2014)

There is a long running similar thread on DW

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=376869

FWIW, i recently started using synthetic products and currently have FK1000p and Sonax BSD on our cars and am very, very impressed with finish and durability. I do think it is unlikely i will be using natural paste wax products again any time soon, although i do have some.

I use a 50:50 mix of Sonax BSD and Autoglym Aquawax as a drying aid / quick top up and really love it.


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## steveo3002 (Jan 30, 2006)

bsd is pretty much all i use now , does everything i need and fast too


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## cargainz (Jul 25, 2016)

BSD does not replace waxing IMO, always best to have sealant or wax underneath. With a decent wax you are looking at applying 2-3 times per year unless you have a show wax/liquid wax on car.

Would be interesting to hear from owners of red cars whether they use BSD alone (to protect from UV damage and turning pink).

I remember there was a similar thread that went on for yonks, BSD is a QD in my book perhaps look at Sonax PNS/Netshield for complete protection?


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## Moet1974 (Sep 13, 2015)

Firstly Sonax BSD will probably deserve a place in the "holy grail" group of products that has really changed the game. It's cheap, readily accessible and there aren't many negatives to say about it. Does it or can it replace a wax? Don't know and I don't really care. Everyone's opinion of BSD can be found on here in previous posts and to regurgitate the same old arguments frankly drives me mad. For that reason I'm out! :wave:


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## cargainz (Jul 25, 2016)

Moet1974 said:


> Firstly Sonax BSD will probably deserve a place in the "holy grail" group of products that has really changed the game. It's cheap, readily accessible and there aren't many negatives to say about it. Does it or can it replace a wax? Don't know and I don't really care. Everyone's opinion of BSD can be found on here in previous posts and to regurgitate the same old arguments frankly drives me mad. For that reason I'm out! :wave:


Lol, its not that bad mate. I just read through the other thread and no one was really arguing.

Am I the only one that likes to read other views/opinions?


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## steelghost (Aug 20, 2015)

As with so many other things in this game, it depends if you're just after results or if you actively enjoy the process of applying and removing wax. Given that so many folks on here fall into the latter category, the answer for them is almost certainly no.

If you want "protected, easily, cheaply and quickly" then BSD ticks a *lot *of boxes. Arguably, something like Sonax's Polish and Wax products (which leave behind cleaned paint plus a basecoat of NPT sealant, rather than actual wax) with Xtreme Protect + Shine Hybrid NPT over the top, maintained with BSD, is ticking a few more, in that the dedicated sealant is going to outlast the BSD on its own.


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## max1805 (Apr 6, 2015)

I too came to this conclusion that traditional paste waxes seem pointless in this day and age. For me I settled on Gyeon WetCoat and have never looked back. In some ways it's even EASIER than BSD! Spray onto a wet car and power wash off. Then, dry your car as normal. Solid protection for 2 months or so, but I like to top up every other wash. Now my car is protected indefinitely...


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## cleslie (Feb 19, 2006)

I've enjoyed a bit of waxing over the summer, but BSD will make a comeback through winter.


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## luke.sk (Sep 25, 2016)

What is Sonax BSD i.e. Sealant, QD


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## LeeH (Jan 29, 2006)

luke.sk said:


> What is Sonax BSD i.e. Sealant, QD
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Both.

On its own I cannot seem to get on with it. It's too 'sticky'.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


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## Tim662 (Aug 19, 2014)

Controversial post incoming. 

I don't find BSD offers any "protection"

Dad used to use it all the time on his car and every time I washed it I found it hard work. It beaded fantastically so drying was no problem, it was just that all the bugs etc were stuck on like glue. Needed bug remover and a bug sponge to get them off, Something I've never had to use with Collinite 845 on my car.


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## cargainz (Jul 25, 2016)

Tim662 said:


> Controversial post incoming.
> 
> I don't find BSD offers any "protection"
> 
> Dad used to use it all the time on his car and every time I washed it I found it hard work. It beaded fantastically so drying was no problem, it was just that all the bugs etc were stuck on like glue. Needed bug remover and a bug sponge to get them off, Something I've never had to use with Collinite 845 on my car.


I would tend to agree to a point. After a car has been polished, you need something to protect the paint. The extent to which BSD protects the clear like a traditional wax is probably misunderstood. Haven't found any evidence of UV protection, filling light swirls etc


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

cargainz said:


> I would tend to agree to a point. After a car has been polished, you need something to protect the paint. The extent to which BSD protects the clear like a traditional wax is probably misunderstood. Haven't found any evidence of UV protection, filling light swirls etc


"filling light swirls" is not protection and is not the purpose of a wax or BSD.

Im not sure about UV protection but BSD certainly does protect the paint to an extent. It can withstand strong detergents as well as bird poo.

I find bugs equally difficult to remove from a BSD coated car and a car with Fusso on it - does that mean Fusso offers no protection?


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## Keir (Aug 31, 2010)

Been using BSD for a long time now. Maybe 2 years? (whenever the hype on here started)
Applied last about 3months ago, however do like applying wax. The beading was still there however added some G3 wax on top on the last wash because why not?


It's personal preference, there is no wrong answer.
IMO BSD is the easiest/longest lasting LSP I've ever used.
Next would be it's bigger brother (whatever the aerosol one is called. (net polymer or something) however BSD is just easier to apply.)


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## cargainz (Jul 25, 2016)

Rayaan said:


> "filling light swirls" is not protection and is not the purpose of a wax or BSD.
> 
> Im not sure about UV protection but BSD certainly does protect the paint to an extent. It can withstand strong detergents as well as bird poo.
> 
> I find bugs equally difficult to remove from a BSD coated car and a car with Fusso on it - does that mean Fusso offers no protection?


A wax can fill light swirls giving the same optical effect as water on a surface with light swirls. You can also tell if a swirl/scratch is too deep if after being waxed there is no improvement. One of the ways I can tell a family members car's protection is running out is that light swirls begin being more visible, such as when said car went to dealership who stripped protection and within 2 days wash n wax ran out.

I cannot see anywhere that Sonax state BSD is a "wax replacement" or that it offers UV-A, UV-B protection etc.

Its up to you whatever you want to use on your car, at the end of the day.


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## cargainz (Jul 25, 2016)

Keir said:


> Been using BSD for a long time now. Maybe 2 years? (whenever the hype on here started)
> Applied last about 3months ago, however do like applying wax. The beading was still there however added some G3 wax on top on the last wash because why not?
> 
> It's personal preference, there is no wrong answer.
> ...


I do agree that its personal preference but isn't it best to get facts right? The biggest "protection" against UV is a car's clear coat, and polishing removes some nm of clear coat. On some cars the paint levels are quite thin so UV protection reduced.

So whilst everyone may say their car is being "protected", we need to ask protected against what?


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## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

cargainz said:


> A wax can fill light swirls giving the same optical effect as water on a surface with light swirls. You can also tell if a swirl/scratch is too deep if after being waxed there is no improvement. One of the ways I can tell a family members car's protection is running out is that light swirls begin being more visible, such as when said car went to dealership who stripped protection and within 2 days wash n wax ran out.
> 
> I cannot see anywhere that Sonax state BSD is a "wax replacement" or that it offers UV-A, UV-B protection etc.
> 
> Its up to you whatever you want to use on your car, at the end of the day.


But the point is that whether waxes fill or not, it makes no difference to the protection that it gives and is not its primary purpose


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## cargainz (Jul 25, 2016)

Rayaan said:


> But the point is that whether waxes fill or not, it makes no difference to the protection that it gives and is not its primary purpose


Nobody stated that that's the primary purpose of a wax, its an added benefit.


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## Leebo310 (Sep 30, 2013)

cargainz said:


> I would tend to agree to a point. After a car has been polished, you need something to protect the paint. The extent to which BSD protects the clear like a traditional wax is probably misunderstood. Haven't found any evidence of UV protection, filling light swirls etc


I agree too - other than decent beading, I don't believe it offers protection from UV or even road salt so can't really see the point as using as the LSP on the paint at least. I also find it's not the easiest to use as is very thick and smears easily. The fact it's so thick means it's much harder to apply a thin, even coat so you'll never get as good coverage as other products. 
It also doesn't leave the surface very slick either (which to be fair contributes to the decent beading) so like others have mentioned, it doesn't make the car that easy to clean.

Tend to use it on glass currently but to be honest that's just because I'm using up my last bits of it. Much prefer Infinity Wax QD on the glass as this is much easier to apply and gives much better water repellence in my opinion.

I'm clearly in the minority here but I'd go as far as to say it's one of the most over-rated products around.


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## cargainz (Jul 25, 2016)

Leebo310 said:


> I agree too - other than decent beading, I don't believe it offers protection from UV or even road salt so can't really see the point as using as the LSP on the paint at least. I also find it's not the easiest to use as is very thick and smears easily. The fact it's so thick means it's much harder to apply a thin, even coat so you'll never get as good coverage as other products.
> It also doesn't leave the surface very slick either (which to be fair contributes to the decent beading) so like others have mentioned, it doesn't make the car that easy to clean.
> 
> Tend to use it on glass currently but to be honest that's just because I'm using up my last bits of it. Much prefer Infinity Wax QD on the glass as this is much easier to apply and gives much better water repellence in my opinion.
> ...


Perhaps try :-

1. Using BSD as drying aid and/or
2. Mixing BSD with another QD (there is a thread in the QD section).

I agree BSD is very thick but its only £7 or £8 with discount (half the price of a regular QD). Most people on here have it in there arsenal.


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## Peter77 (May 29, 2016)

Leebo310 said:


> I agree too - other than decent beading, I don't believe it offers protection from UV or even road salt so can't really see the point as using as the LSP on the paint at least. I also find it's not the easiest to use as is very thick and smears easily. The fact it's so thick means it's much harder to apply a thin, even coat so you'll never get as good coverage as other products.
> 
> It also doesn't leave the surface very slick either (which to be fair contributes to the decent beading) so like others have mentioned, it doesn't make the car that easy to clean.
> 
> ...


Mix the BSD with your infinity detailer. I did 50/50. I'm gonna try 60/40 in favour of infinity next time as was still a bit thick. But it went on much better and spread much better with the infinity mix. Gave a nice shine. And it rained yesterday and beaded just the same as BSD did on its own

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## cargainz (Jul 25, 2016)

31 pages of things to mix with BSD http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=378357


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