Sonax Polymer Netshield results

[Rainmaker]

Having used Bilt Hamber Double Speed-Wax to see us through the winter (which it did admirably), I fancied a change. I was debating on grabbing some Fusso but landed on Sonax PNS instead. I need something that will last a good while and maintain protection, as I have arthritis and kidney disease so a detailing session can literally land me in bed for a week. I still love it though. 

 

Today I finally got around to a spring decontamination. Power Maxed TFR followed by Bilt Hamber Korrosol and Gyeon Tar. Then a TBW with AutoGlym Bodywork Shampoo (wax free), with extra attention given to the wheels (separate bucket and wash implements) first. After that I clayed the car with my new CYC fine blue clay mitt. What a revelation that was! So much easier on my hands than a clay bar, and much faster. It literally was like washing the car with a microfibre mitt, only with glassy end results. 

 

After all that the car was rinsed and then machined off with Dodo Juice Lime Prime (mildly abrasive pre-wax cleaner) on a Chemical Guys green hex pad with my Shinemate DA. Then a quick wipe down with Gyeon Prep (fantastic stuff) before applying the Sonax PNS. I have read all about how 'grabby' it is and how stubborn it is to work with, but I have to say I found it a breeze. I used a foam applicator (with an MF one in reserve in case it didn't work nicely), just a second or so of spray and then a quarter of a panel at a time. I found the product was only grabby if spread really thinly, so I did keep the pad moist and topped up a tad when required. I managed to do a whole Superb with about 1/4 to 1/3 of a can at a guess, so nothing excessive. When kept 'wet' like this it goes on beautifully. Online tutorials had said to remove immediately, which I quickly found counter productive. Letting it flash off for 30 seconds meant the residue wiped away very easily and you could see where you'd covered without any issues as PNS mildly darkens the paint and has a fresh waxy/oily look. 

 

Having read about how 'clinical' it looks and having resigned myself to losing the wow factor in favour of easy long term protection in light of my health, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. It's not as deep as a 'nuba wax obviously, but it really does have depth. The colour is darkened a little but in a way that makes it pop, and the shine and gloss are lovely. It's not quite a 'hard candy' finish, but certainly more than half way there. All in all it's a nice mixture of depth and hard shine, so hopefully it'll keep the car clean for the summer.

 

I finished off with some Megs Endurance tyre gel and will be putting on my new Soft99 Glaco rain repellent on Monday (Mother's Day tomorrow!) to complete the look. If you've ever considered PNS but been put off by online reviews about application, all I can say is ignore them. Do your prep and you'll have no bother at all. It goes on like slightly oily water, is easy to stretch around and wipes away with barely any pressure as long as you let it flash slightly first. Highly recommended!

 

Here are some obligatory iPotato pics (unedited).

 

Edited 25 March, 2017 by Rainmaker
Edited to fix pics with higher resolution

[pee81]

Looks good 

[Jon TDI]

Good results!

Awesome shine.

[Rainmaker]

Thanks chaps. 

[tigermad]

Looks cracking. The pns worked out great for you

[Bud]

Looks good and I am sure it was the end of the day but would you park it in the sun so we can see the depth of the colour?

 

Then I can hope mine looks as good and brag

[Rainmaker]

40 minutes ago, Bud said:

Looks good and I am sure it was the end of the day but would you park it in the sun so we can see the depth of the colour?

 

Then I can hope mine looks as good and brag

 

I just nipped out to grab a few shots for you, but the sun has already disappeared lol. I'll try again tomorrow. 

[Bud]

No worries.

[Chris_VRS]

Time well spent chap, and nice choice of colour.

 

cheers

 

Chris

[samuir1974]

Nice work and great results!

 

Thanks for posting up :-)

[Chubbs]

On 25/03/2017 at 22:22, Rainmaker said:

Having used Bilt Hamber Double Speed-Wax to see us through the winter (which it did admirably), I fancied a change. I was debating on grabbing some Fusso but landed on Sonax PNS instead. I need something that will last a good while and maintain protection, as I have arthritis and kidney disease so a detailing session can literally land me in bed for a week. I still love it though. 

 

Today I finally got around to a spring decontamination. Power Maxed TFR followed by Bilt Hamber Korrosol and Gyeon Tar. Then a TBW with AutoGlym Bodywork Shampoo (wax free), with extra attention given to the wheels (separate bucket and wash implements) first. After that I clayed the car with my new CYC fine blue clay mitt. What a revelation that was! So much easier on my hands than a clay bar, and much faster. It literally was like washing the car with a microfibre mitt, only with glassy end results. 

 

After all that the car was rinsed and then machined off with Dodo Juice Lime Prime (mildly abrasive pre-wax cleaner) on a Chemical Guys green hex pad with my Shinemate DA. Then a quick wipe down with Gyeon Prep (fantastic stuff) before applying the Sonax PNS. I have read all about how 'grabby' it is and how stubborn it is to work with, but I have to say I found it a breeze. I used a foam applicator (with an MF one in reserve in case it didn't work nicely), just a second or so of spray and then a quarter of a panel at a time. I found the product was only grabby if spread really thinly, so I did keep the pad moist and topped up a tad when required. I managed to do a whole Superb with about 1/4 to 1/3 of a can at a guess, so nothing excessive. When kept 'wet' like this it goes on beautifully. Online tutorials had said to remove immediately, which I quickly found counter productive. Letting it flash off for 30 seconds meant the residue wiped away very easily and you could see where you'd covered without any issues as PNS mildly darkens the paint and has a fresh waxy/oily look. 

 

Having read about how 'clinical' it looks and having resigned myself to losing the wow factor in favour of easy long term protection in light of my health, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. It's not as deep as a 'nuba wax obviously, but it really does have depth. The colour is darkened a little but in a way that makes it pop, and the shine and gloss are lovely. It's not quite a 'hard candy' finish, but certainly more than half way there. All in all it's a nice mixture of depth and hard shine, so hopefully it'll keep the car clean for the summer.

 

I finished off with some Megs Endurance tyre gel and will be putting on my new Soft99 Glaco rain repellent on Monday (Mother's Day tomorrow!) to complete the look. If you've ever considered PNS but been put off by online reviews about application, all I can say is ignore them. Do your prep and you'll have no bother at all. It goes on like slightly oily water, is easy to stretch around and wipes away with barely any pressure as long as you let it flash slightly first. Highly recommended!

 

Here are some obligatory iPotato pics (unedited).

 

 

Great write up, great results, hope it didn't take it out of ya too much pal! I found the PNS a good n quick product to use. 

[Rainmaker]

Just a little update. I actually only opened this thread to check what date I applied the PNS, but since I'm here...

 

I've had a frustrating couple of years trying various products. BH DSW, DJ Purple Haze, Gtechniq C2v3, Gyeon WetCoat etc etc. No matter what product I tried and how good the prep, the lower panels were always dead within a couple of weeks at most and the rest of the car failed soon afterwards. I can't get C2v3 to last much more than a week even on brand new, clayed, polished and cleansed paint! The DSW came closest to what it promised and got me through last winter with a mostly clean car, but again the bottom half was long dead.

 

I have to say though, despite only being two months in the PNS really has shone head and shoulders over the others so far. Almost two months of pure abuse, in every sense. Hard weather living by the water here, baking hot one day and pouring in dirty city rain the next, salty and gritty roads, off-road driving (ish) visiting various places, hard high speed B-road driving every week, motorways, city centres, building sites(!), and being parked permanently outside under dozens of mature birches and pines producing non-stop pollen and sap, in which birds nest and bomb the car during their to-ing and fro-ing daily...

 

The car has only had one wash (thanks, heart/kidney disease) in all the last two months, and was absolutely filthy. My heart has sunk lately every time I see it, just knowing the protection must be dead, the paint suffering and knowing how much hard work it'll be to get clean again. I noticed two baked on bird bombs this morning, all crusty and properly dried on after coming back to the car in 20 degree heat. A quick squirt of QD (intending to soak them for five mins before trying gentle removal) and they just lifted off and beaded away on their own. I was pretty shocked/happy, so I called into a local garage as we were already out. Three minutes of soapy water, a minute to let it dwell (it's a PAYG washer not a 'buy minutes on a code/ticket' type washer) and then a good rinse. The car is beading and sheeting like day one, top to bottom. Even the sills and undersides are still beading and sheeting strongly, and unlike other LSPs I've used and then done a touch free wash, there's no grey gritty film still coating the car after it dries - it really is just clean again.

 

That might not sound like much, but considering all the depressing fails (eight hours of solid prep only to have a product die 7-10 days later isn't fun!) PNS has astounded me. The car looks almost new again. Sorry for the long post but this stuff has seriously impressed me. I can see it easily lasting until the six month plus mark at this rate. I'm going to treat it to a proper hand wash (CarPro Reset shampoo for coatings) when I'm up to it and we have a cooler day. Highly recommended for someone after a no-nonsense hard working LSP.

[Bigpikle]

I am now a big fan of Sonax stuff and really like PNS as well. I also found it really easy to use and not found any of the issues reported about buffing etc.

 

I would also suggest you look at Sonax Xtreme Polish & Wax 3 as part of your prep. Its a AIO with very light abrasives, probably a little less than Lime Prime, but it is amazing to use, cleans brilliantly, will remove light defects and also lays down some of the same sealant as PNS - leaving a much slicker finish though. No need to use any other cleaners as PNS will work on it brilliantly and goes on really easily. As it uses the same sealant content there are no durability issues. There is also a P&W 2 with lighter abrasives as well but 3 seems like a perfect finishing polish.

 

https://www.sonax.com/Product-Search/(node)/12781/202200-SONAX-XTREME-Polish-Wax-3-Hybrid-NPT

[Rainmaker]

Sounds good mate. I think I'll be using the new Sonax CC36 on my next new car. From what I've seen it looks the business, and like all Sonax stuff isn't fussy to apply (unlike most other ceramic stuff). 

[Bigpikle]

I'd be VERY interested to hear who you get on when you finally try it. I went back and forth on the CC36 but eventually decided not to simply due to cost - I suspect it will come down in price over time though as £79.99 is too high for a single car quantity currently. I nearly ordered some from the US last night as I'm over there in 10 days and could have collected it, but now I have the Nano Paint Protect, PNS, NP&S and just ordered some of the Long Term Protection aerosol I decided I probably didnt need it any more!!!

 

Its really chucking down with rain today and I'm blown away with the PNS finish in the rain. Driving through muddy puddles and flooded roads today and get back and none of it has stayed on the paintwork! I'm totally sold. Just picked up a couple of Sonax polishes to try on the Flex as well after trying them at a demo day earlier in the week. Definite Sonax convert across the range now.

[Rainmaker]

It's great stuff isn't it? I felt a bit stupid posting that I'd found a product that actually does what it says on the tin, but it's nice to see I'm not the only one impressed. They're stonking good value. My next car is two years away so as you say the price should drop by then. 

[Wardy]

Extremely cheesy Sonax promotional vid for CC36 here - did make me laugh: 

 

 

[Bigpikle]

yep - cheesy but I hear good things about it, just a shame the price is a little high for a single car application.

 

I bought some of the red aerosol Sonax Long Term Protection last week and tried it today. It literally sprays and wipes off like a QD, and is much much slicker than PNS or BSD. You can apply yo bigger areas in one go, and just go back and wipe off a minute or two later. Water behaviour is just like PNS and it comes in a 400ml can for the same price as PNS, with an estimated 4 months durability stated by Sonax. Chucking down again today and its impossible to tell the difference between LTP and PNS yet ts a lot easier to use. Whats not to like?!

 

[Wardy]

All relative I guess, as I think the pricing is very competitive personally. For the technology, protection and durability on offer.

[Chubbs]

2 hours ago, Wardy said:

All relative I guess, as I think the pricing is very competitive personally. For the technology, protection and durability on offer.

 

Bought some more and topped up the Golf this evening - less product gives more!

[vectra1]

I am going to be trying the PNS and BSD shortly,
I hear some people saying PNS can be grabby to remove,
Would this be due to allowing it to dry prior to buffing? I am led to believe that you use this like Mr Sheen,
Wipe on / wipe off with no delay ?