5 Star Shine.....

[youngturk]

Hi Maxnix,

I am not taking sides here, just trying to learn and discuss like everybody else, but I think your language in both posts was uncalled for, rude, and unacceptable. That kind of language does not dignify anything but only reflects badly on you. Personally mocking Blackacc0rd by making fun of his writing skills, reading skills, knowledge of paints, making an issue out of his not having a garage, etc. is not debate and discussion, just rude. I think you owe him an apology, but of course, that's up to you to decide.

Blackacc0rd: Please don't respond to such language and keep it civil and respectful.

[rydwhite]

Anyways, thank you Ryan for at least trying to help out instead of pathetic attempts at ridiculing me. But I am not going to Dawn my car because I've heard bad things about doing so.

What have you heard about Dawn? The only thing I can think of is that it might degrade a clearcoat. What type of degreaser or dewaxer for lack of a better term do you use?

[youngturk]

What type of testing has your company done on the effects of using 5 Star Shine on paint and existing waxed surface? What are the long term effects, if any?

I am asking this because I noticed the prepping process involves using a clay bar before applying the 5 Star Shine product. Now I am aware a clay bar is for removing above-surface contaminants. However, assuming no additional wax is applied (which you have said is not required), there is less than usual wax in between the paint and the 5 Star Shine sealant. This brings up the concern of whether the 5 Star Shine has any effect on the paint and existing wax/polish.

I think what concerns me most is that this product is not a wax but a sealant. It is different than what most people use. Given the multi-year claims of protection, it is reasonable to ask what the long-term, multi-year effect on the paint and wax can be.

Appreciate your feedback.

John

[chadster]

Hi, good question. Using a clay bar to prep the surface is what we recommend before using the kit.

The actual 5 Star kit has two different steps. The first step is a polarizing wash which removes any other previous contaminants such as wax that accumulate in the paint "pores". So after using the 1st step you'll have a wax-free surface to apply the 5 Star 2nd step.

Hopefully that answers your question. Let me know if you have any others.Thanks,-Chad

[youngturk]

Perhaps I wasn't clear enough so I will try to be more clear with my question:

[As is probably for you, the exterior paint is one of the most critical aspects of our beloved vehicles, which is why I am asking these questions.]

Question #1: What type of testing has your company done on the negative effects of using 5 Star Shine on the existing painted surface? What are the long term negative effects, if any?

Given your last response, I think your answer becomes even more critical because you stated that all the previous wax is removed during Step 1 of the application process. If all the previous wax is removed, then the 5 Star Shine is the only thing directly adhering to the paint. Given the assurances provided by your multi-year claims and the newness of this non-wax product, I think it perfectly reasonable to ask whether your company has conducted studies analyzing the possible/potential/probable long-term negative effects of your product on the car's paint.

Question #2: Are you actually saying that all of the previous wax is removed and there is no wax left between the existing paint and sealant? I am no waxing expert, but if this is true, I think it is an important piece of information for potential/existing users of your product to know.

Question #3: If it is true that all of the wax is removed with Step 1, I would think that it becomes critical that purchasers be extremely careful to cover every inch of their cars with the sealant to avoid the risk of leaving any areas unprotected by the 5 Star sealant or, if they missed covering it with the 5 Star sealant, unprotected by wax. Just in case someone misses one or more small areas during the application process (it is always likely that someone will miss at least one small area), wouldn’t it be wise to advise your potential/existing users to wax their car between Step #1 and Step #2? Of course, I understand this may not work if 5 Star Shine was designed to adhere to paint only and not wax. Nonetheless, if the current Step 1 and 2 procedure stands, at least readers of this thread and forum should be aware that they should cover every inch of their vehicle if they don’t want some areas without any wax protection to be exposed to the outer elements.

Would apreciate your feedback to each question.

[szh]

FWIW, to the person who difficulty with this on his new Honda as opposed to "old" cars, I used the 5 Star Shine on a new car too (my Infiniti M45) about 10 months ago, and it is still looking great! A simple wash restores it to its original look and smooth glossy feel!

Occasionally, a bit of road tar needs a bit more rubbing off than usual, but far less than I used to have to do with traditional "wax" products.

So, I have had absolutely no complaints of the kind you are apparently experiencing!

Z

[szh]

Ok for the term "glaze". Have you ever seen a freshly glazed doughnut from krispy kreme? Its like a clear coating of sugar on top of it that sparkles under any light? Well you get a similar glaze on a car when you wax with carnuba.

I have not used your carnauba wax reference product, so I cannot comment on that, but I can say the following:

1. The 5 Star Shine gave me at least the same level of shine on my new Infiniti M45 as any regular "wax" product has ever done on my other cars.

2. It went on far easier than any wax that I have ever applied. For my 48 year old body, that is sheer delight!

3. It has been 10 months or so, and it still looks as good as the day I bought the car and applied the 5 Star Shine. Regular washes are all it gets right now. I do not expect that it will last 5 years, but I am not counting on that - even two or three years will be fine! For me, the higher cost is less consequential than the fact that I do not have to expend effort and energy and time to "wax" often!

4. About a year ago, I also used another competing (but similar) product on older cars (a 1995 Q45 and 1997 Acura 2.2CL ... similar paint to a Honda, I suspect). Those results were absolutely fabulous too. I had neighbours walk by and comment that our cars looked new! If you are interested in viewing the spectacular results I achieved, please feel free to look at my Q45 pictures at this site (Member's Rides section). It sparkled unbelievably brightly - more than Krispy Kreme glaze! My current M45 looks the same!

But I am not going to Dawn my car because I've heard bad things about doing so.

I am curious. What bad things have you heard? I would not use Dawn as a normal regular wash, of course ... my intent when I used it was to remove old wax (only did it on the older cars - the M45 did not need it ... there I just used pH-balanced car-wash detergent).

Then I claybar'ed the car to get the smoothest surface possible - even on the M45 (it picked up a lot of stuff that had landed on it!). All subsequent washes have been with pH-balanced car-wash detergents.

The bottom line: both my wife's car and mine look great, with far less effort and energy that I have ever had to expend with regular wax! That is way good enough for me to recommend 5 Star Shine for any purpose - old or new cars included.

Z

[chadster]

youngturk,

5 Star Shine has been around in its initial inception since 1989. There have been no long-term negative effects that we have found on finishes.

As for the step one removal of the wax residue etc. That information is on our website as well as explained within the product directions.

Regarding the covering of an entire vehicle....The 2nd step sealant contains the teflon suspended in an aqueous solution. When it is cured it locks the teflon in place.

Typically it takes around 48 hours to cure after the 5 Star is buffed off. This curing time doesn't prohibit driving the vehicle.

During the curing process, as it gets warmer, the teflon expands 50-100 times it's normal size and actually winds up covering more of the vehicle than was originally applied.

You won't need to worry if you missed a spot. Most people do an adequate job of covering their entire car surface.

Let me know if I can clarify anything....

-Chad

[Blackacc0rd]

szhosain,

Is your car(s) garaged at all for the past 10 months? If so, how many hours a day do they have access to it? And no it's ok, I don't need to see your results cause it wouldn't be of any help in my case. And correct me if I'm wrong but your car is silver, which is the color that blends in with most of the dirt/dust. My dad has a silver 00 5series and after I waxed it for him once, I never did it again because it was almost impossible to tell whether there was any difference b4 and after waxing. Seemed like a waste of my time especially when he garages it.

About Dawning... its the dishwashing detergent right? I read it from another forum a long time ago and someone posted that they used dish detergent on their car and it messed up the paint. Maybe Dawn is different from other dishwashing detergents? I can't recall where I read that article.

[szh]

Is your car(s) garaged at all for the past 10 months? If so, how many hours a day do they have access to it?

Yes, it is in a garage, but only at night. During the day (the sunlight hours from 7:00am when I leave home to 7:30pm when I get home,) it sits in an outside parking lot at work. This includes being under trees (lots of stuff falling from those trees! ), sun, etc. So, since it pretty much stays outdoors the entire day, I would speculate that the night garaging is not an influence here.

And correct me if I'm wrong but your car is silver, which is the color that blends in with most of the dirt/dust.

Yes, the car is silver, but I can tell you that the shine was definitely very nice after the 5 Star Shine was applied! Like I mentioned (I think), I got pretty much the same or better shine as with any regular wax that I have ever used - the difference was that it was far easier to put on and I have not had to re-apply it in 10 months. Just simple washing, restores the shine to the same level as before and removes all the dust and dirt. Although it does take some minor use of a mitt on some road tar, it comes off much easier than when I used regular wax!

About Dawning... its the dishwashing detergent right? I read it from another forum a long time ago and someone posted that they used dish detergent on their car and it messed up the paint. Maybe Dawn is different from other dishwashing detergents? I can't recall where I read that article.

Hmmm, interesting. Yes, it is the standard plain Dawn dishwashing liquid (not the concentrated version!) - this is a very mild detergent and it definitely did not mess up either of my older cars paint.

You are probably right to be concerned that most dishwashing detergents would be a problem if used all the time. I'd definitely not use Dawn on a regular basis - just used it once to remove the wax on the car before I applied the new stuff. For all normal washing, I use a good pH-balanced car-wash soap.

Z

[szh]

I forgot to mention that I do not use detailing spray. But, when I see bird poop on the car, I do wash it off as soon as I can. A hose (jet nozzle) is sufficient. For all other dust, brake dust, dirt, road tar, etc., I just wait till I wash the car.

Bird poop tends to be acidic (I think) and, while I think the 5 Star Shine may well protect the car in this regard, I figure it is better not to take a minor chance here.

Z

[chadster]

Here are a couple of other 5 Star reviews from some other sites that will be ongoing and updated. Thanks especially to those here on nico that have been posting their thoughts on 5 Star. (szhosain, rydwhite, nuQ, DMHinCO, AZhitman)

http://forums.clubsi.com/showf...85029

http://www.honda-acura.net/for...49760

[youngturk]

youngturk,

5 Star Shine has been around in its initial inception since 1989. There have been no long-term negative effects that we have found on finishes.

As for the step one removal of the wax residue etc. That information is on our website as well as explained within the product directions.

Regarding the covering of an entire vehicle....The 2nd step sealant contains the teflon suspended in an aqueous solution. When it is cured it locks the teflon in place.

Typically it takes around 48 hours to cure after the 5 Star is buffed off. This curing time doesn't prohibit driving the vehicle.

During the curing process, as it gets warmer, the teflon expands 50-100 times it's normal size and actually winds up covering more of the vehicle than was originally applied.

You won't need to worry if you missed a spot. Most people do an adequate job of covering their entire car surface.

Let me know if I can clarify anything....

-Chad

Thank you Chad for responding to my questions.

Objective, Independently Verifiable TestsYour response to my first question (whether your company has conducted any tests or studies to assess the posssible/potential/probable negative long term effects to the paint surface) actually helped me make my decision for me. You didn’t answer my question directly with a “yes” or “no”. Nonetheless, your response implies that you have not conducted any objective tests or studies, and basically rely on consumer feedback which cannot be independently verified. Moreover, there are no tests to be found on your web site; if such tests existed I am sure you would’ve promoted them. It concerns me that your company has not conducted any such tests.

I am curious: Without any objective, third-party, independently verifiable tests of the potential/possible/probable long term negative effects of your product on the paint surface, how can you claim on your company web site’s home page that your product is “100% SAFE on all paints, clear coats, fiberglass & gel coat.”?Clearly misleading if you ask me.

Remove All the Wax from the Painted Surface?Your response to my second question (whether Step #1 of the application process actually removes all the wax from the paint surface and there is no wax left between the paint surface and 5 Star Shine sealant) concerns me even more. Again, you didn’t answer my question directly with a “yes” or “no”. You basically told me that the information is on the company’s web site.

Well, I read almost your entire web site for 10-15 minutes and the only explanations of Step #1 (the step which involves removing all the wax from the painted surface) I could find were the following:

“The wash solution (polarizer) opens the pores of the paint and imparts a positive charge to it.”

“Step #1 • Surface is cleaned with the polarizer before it is sealed • Opens the pores of the surface • Puts a positive charge on the surface”

“To allow all this to happen a special patented surface preparation is part of the system. In the preparation solution a "cationic" (positive) surfactant is used to purge the pores of the surface to be treated, and magnetically charge the surface in a positive polarity. The pores are cleansed and charged and are ready to receive the unique "anionic" or negatively charged molecules of polytetrafluorothylene.”

I am no English major but intelligent enough to determine that none of the statements from your web site above tell potential or existing users that your product will remove all the wax from the painted surface. The word “wax” is not used even once. Your response to me on 7/29/04 in this thread was the following:

“The first step is a polarizing wash which removes any other previous contaminants such as wax that accumulate in the paint "pores". So after using the 1st step you'll have a wax-free surface to apply the 5 Star 2nd step.”

Please show me in what part of your web site there is a statement that clearly and openly communicates what you said to me in this thread? Perhaps I overlooked that section during the 15 minutes search on your web site.

Product DirectionsAs for an explanation being provided within the product directions (which I presume are the directions provided with the delivered product), I cannot verify that since I have not purchased your product. However, assuming what you state is true, isn’t it a little too late to be providing this information? I am sure the purchaser would’ve liked to know that piece of information before they made their purchase.

Full Coverage of the Car’s Painted SurfaceI appreciate your giving me a direct answer to my third question. I will take your word for it.

In conclusion:- I was really excited to hear about 5 Star Shine, and the positive reviews given by many people in this thread, many whose opinions I have come to respect over the past many months, had all but persuaded me that this was a product worth serious consideration. I was ready to place an order pretty soon.

- The non-traditional and non-wax characteristics of your product as well as the aggressive (5 years) protection claims made by your company and the higher initial purchase price made me be a little more inquisitive before pursuing it further.

- The fact that the application process removes all the wax from the painted surface is very difficult for me to accept (too risky). Perhaps I have overlooked an explanation for this fact on your web site. However, if I have not, knowing my own reaction, I can understand why you would want to omit such information. It would scare many people away.

- In addition to removing all the wax from the painted surface, the fact that a new, non-traditional, and non-wax product maker would not conduct any objective and independently verifiable study to assess the possible long term negative effects definitely makes your product too risky for me to entrust my vehicle to.

Please correct me if any of the information or interpretations I have written are incorrect.

All potential and existing purchasers beware.

[szh]

Youngturk,

This post from me is meant in the best possible way, so please do not take my words as anything more than constructive here, please!

I think you are taking some marketing hype on their web site too literally. And, then, when they do not have enough facts or information or specific words from Chad, to back up the hype, it seems like you feel that the product is not worthy of any consideration. This is too strong a stand, IMHO.

I agree with you that some of the hype is overblown - the web site could definitely be a lot more professional in that regard. Some of the test results shown, though, do look like they are meaningful.

Often, the best way to determine the b***s*** from the reality, for anything, is to simply try it and see. Yes, I went into this process with some degree of skepticism with both 5 Star Shine and their competitor. Yet, the results for me are clear enough to easily decide to continue use! And, believe me, I am not trying to convince myself that the money I spent needs to be justified - relatively independent observers (my neighbours) have commented on the transformation of my cars. Even my wife, the eternal skeptic, is happy with the way the car looks after a wash! And her car is now 8 years old ... except for where it is chipped, the car looks very, very good!

Both products claim not to be wax'es - they are apparently very similar in their makeup. Not having enough of a chemist background, I have to admit that I am taking some of their hype at face value too!

1. Do I expect the stuff to last 5 years? No. But, so far, my 10 months of experience makes me feel that it will go 2 to 3 years. And that is good enough for me. Even if it went just 1 year, I would be happy - still less effort on my part than bi-monthly or quarterly wax applications!

2. Does a towel slip off the car easily? Yes, with some slight slope section on the car, or on flatter sections, if a little bit of the towel hangs off the car and supplies a bit of force. Nothing is going to make it slide off on flat sections without some slight side force (this is physics!) Toss a small towel on top of the car from one side, and if it has even a bit of sideways motion, it will fall off the car on the other side. Good enough!

3. Does a towel slip off now after 10 months and after a wash? Yes, pretty much the same way as the first day I applied it - see item 2 above.

4. Does the car feel smooth? You bet! Much better than any regular wax that I ever used before.

5. Was it easy to apply? Yes. If one follows the directions properly, it is easier to put on than a wax. And, the ease of just washing the car to get the same smooth feel back again, makes it worth it ... to my old bones!

The bottom line: for me, the results are speaking loudly - the cars look good and keeping them looking good is easier than with any wax.

By the way, if you are still not convinced, that is definitely your right and privilege to believe, and I am supportive of your position. But, please consider that "please do not throw the baby out with the bath-water" may apply!

Z

[nuQ]

WHAT HE SAID ^^^^^^^^^^!!!!!!!!

[youngturk]

Hey Z,

I appreciate your reply. Man you didn’t have to be concerned I would take your comments personally or anything. Your comments were constructive, factual, and respectful. How could I take them personally?

You know what? I believe everything you say about the product. As I wrote in my previous comments, positive experiences by many people, including yourself, had almost persuaded me that this was a great product. I believe you when you say 5 Star Shine does all the things in the 5 points you listed above.

At no point did I write anything that stated or implied that the product is “not worthy of any consideration”. The fact that I am reviewing everyone’s comments and asking questions pertaining to issues that I feel are important to me actually shows that I am seriously considering the product for purchase. Beyond asking these questions, the only further thing I could do to seriously consider this product would be to purchase it. Well, we would all agree that does not make sense – imagine if everyone had to purchase the product before they could decide whether they liked it or not.

If you re-read my previous comments, you will see that clearly my questions and concerns involved issues completely different than the ones you listed.

Total Removal of WaxI did not make this up – Chad was the one who first stated that 5 Star Shine removed all the wax from the paint surface. When I tried to verify his explanation that it was on the web site, I couldn’t verify it was. The bottom line: The fact that Step #1 of the application process removes all the wax from the paint surface is not printed on their web site.

I accept that I could be proven wrong on this issue as I am unable to guarantee that I have read ALL of their web site. Nonetheless, 15 minutes of searching in a fairly small web site such as their’s is pretty thorough if you ask me.

Now, removing all of the wax from the paint’s surface seems pretty radical and risky to me. Maybe I am more risk-averse than others. Maybe it’s no big deal for you. Well, that’s perfectly okay. I’m just sharing my opinion.

Testing of Long Term Negative EffectsIn light of the fact that 5 Star Shine removes all of the wax from the paint surface, I think it is reasonable to inquire about the possible long term effects of this non-traditional “sealant”. That’s all I was inquiring about.

When a company claims their product is “100% SAFE on all paints…”, that kind of claim is interpreted by most, if not all, people not as “hype”, but as a strong selling point they expect to be backed by strong scientific, objective, and independently verifiable testing. If it can’t be backed up, it is deceptive advertising which is actually punishable by law.

****

The product probably produces great results for most, if not all, people (as you shared in your testimony). I have not written anything that disputes any of that. My concerns were about other issues, which I have summarized above. Based on the issues important to me, I have decided it is not the right product for me. If 1- removing all the wax from your car’s paint surface and 2- possible long term negative effects to your car’s paint are not important to you, then please disregard all I have written.

I truly hope you and others continue to enjoy the benefits of 5 Star Shine on your cars. I sincerely hope I am proven wrong. Unfortunately, based on the responses I received, I didn’t feel comfortable risking the entire paint on my car to an untested product. I have plans to turn my car into a show car some time soon, so naturally I am more risk averse and protective of it. I have attached a picture of my baby.

Thanks for the discussion.

[chadster]

Youngturk, I am aware of your concerns regarding the site and I am working with the owner to update the look and feel of it. I've been working with the company for almost a year now and that is one of my future goals. Regarding your other concerns......

Here's the info you were looking for regarding 5 Star removing residual wax off the paint. It is in our F.A.Q. section. Any time you apply wax or sealant to a car you want to have residual wax build-up removed before applying anything. The more stripped you car's paint is before applying a new wax or sealant the better because you are actually treating the surface you are intending to. Why put new wax over a bunch of old dirty wax.

http://5starshine.com/qna.htmlDo I have to remove the wax I have on my car before I apply 5 STAR SHINE?

No, our Step #1 one prepares the paint by removing any residual waxes that still exist on your paint.

As far as testing the durability of the product, here is a link to the independent testing that we had done.

http://5starshine.com/lab-test.html

-Chad

[youngturk]

Hello Chad,

Thanks for replying so quickly and being more specific.

Removal of All the Wax with Step #1I appreciate your pointing out the location. As I said earlier, I could’ve missed it and apparently I did. Honestly, I didn’t expect to find the answer under that question, which is probably why I missed it. I think you should be more upfront with this information by printing it under the general description of the “2 step process” and the product description for the Paint Protection Kit (which are the locations I couldn’t find it earlier).

Whether I missed the location of the information or not, the fact remains that the product removes all the wax on the paint surface.

Possible Long-term Negative Effects on Painted SurfaceI don’t understand why you forwarded me that report. I had already read it. It has nothing to do with what I have expressed concern about. It only shows how well the sealant holds up under supposedly 150 car washes. This report has nothing to do with the possible long term negative effects on the paint layer. Please let me know if I am missing something from that report.

My concerns are still valid: 1- 5 Star shine completely removes all the wax from the paint surface.2- There is no independent testing showing the possible long-term negative effects of the 5 Star Shine sealant on paint surface.3- There is no scientific report cited by 5 Star Shine to prove that the product is “100% SAFE on all paints…” as the company web site claims.

For those people who don’t think these are important issues, they should disregard my comments.

I think our discussion has provided some valuable information to potential as well as existing purchasers of your product. Thanks for the discussion.

[maxnix]

So, let me ask the obvious, what does a clay bar do to the wax on the surface of the paint or clearcoat? If it is used properly and removes surface contaminants, does that not also include the wax?

Another tautology would be to state that there are no scientific studies showing that eating steak won't shorten your life. So what? There are studies that show driving on public roads can be fatal. Do we accept the risk and behave appropriately, or try to climb back into the womb?

It is impossible to prove that some unknown possible negative outcome of any process will not occur. Live with it. Or not.

[edbreyer]

Chad - I submitted these questions (below) on your website b4 finding this board - and thought others might have similar questions...

I have a brand new Volvo S60 and am considering your product - but have a couple of questions:

1) My owners manual mentions something about waiting a few months for the paint to fully harden before appying any surface treatments/waxes. Does that apply to your product?

2) Since my car is new - do I need to do the Clay bar treatment that I've read about? With only 200 miles on the car so far I can't imagine it has too much embeded grime.

3) Can I use your product on my aluminum alloy wheels - to help prevent the brake pad dust from accumulating so quickly? If not - any product suggestions for that problem?

Thanks in advance for your reply.

Ed

PS> I hope you Nissan/Infinity owners don't mind a Volvo owner popping into your forum

[chadster]

Ed, no problem regarding your car questions.

I have a '94 Volvo 850 Turbo Wagon so don't feel unwelcome.

I've had no problem applying it to new cars. Most of the time you should wait to apply it only after having your car freshly painted after an accident etc....

Since your car is new, that's all the more reason to clay it. Your paint won't get any cleaner than after claying it. You've got nothing to lose but junk on your paint. Many times cars are shipped by rail and get train brake dust on them etc.

My Dad and I treated his new Nissan Titan and clayed it beforehand. You'll be really surprised at how clean/smooth it will get.

The clay bar comes in our deluxe kit or you can nuy them at your local auto parts store.

Using it on alluminum wheels is no problem and they'll be just as easy to clean as the paint.

Let me know if you have any more ?'s

-Chad

[rydwhite]

Ed, your more than welcome on board here. By the way, nice choice with the S60. Why not the S60R?

While I'm here, I will go ahead and post a bit of an update. We are in mid August now and the car still looks great. I actually haven't washed it here in a while because the dealer has had it doing some repair work and they always wash it when i get it back. Plus the weather has been amazing these past few days. Highs in the 60's and low 70's and lows in the 50's, mostly sunny and a slight breeze. I feel like I should be at a college football with this weather. Anyway, the paint still looks good and as of the last time I washed it, was still as easy to clean as it has been since I applied the 5-star.

I would also recommend clay baring the car even though it is new. I think it is better to apply 5-star and protect the look of the paint when it is at it's peek. Better to have the paint as perfect as possible.

[szh]

Hi, Ed.

I used the clay bar on my new 2003 M45 before I applied the 5 Star Shine. It made a world of a difference. The car had sat on the dealer lot for some time, and the clay bar made the surface look and feel better than when I picked it up the day I bought it.

Z

[szh]

PS> I hope you Nissan/Infinity owners don't mind a Volvo owner popping into your forum

Not a problem at all! We are multiple car owners in some cases - my wife drives an Acura (we are looking at a variety of new cars for her over the next few months, and one under consideration is a Volvo.)

Z

[Ghettokracker71]

I have a brand new Volvo S60 ....

PS> I hope you Nissan/Infinity owners don't mind a Volvo owner popping into your forum

S60 rocks!! I've gotten to drive my grandpops brandnew V70 a couple of times,and even for a N/A wagon that thign is SWEET! Welcome and hope you can learn alot from the boards.

[edbreyer]

Thanks for the welcome and the info.

So far I love the S60 - but boy do the wheels collect brake dust! You'd think they'd make a pad that doesn't give off so much dust. I'll investigate my options (ceramic?) when it comes time for my first brake job.

Meanwhile I'll try the 5star on the wheels too. Anyone else tried it?

I also found the "Kleen Wheels" product (http://stopbrakedust.com/) but am not sure I'll like the look. Seeing the disc and caliper through the mag spokes is part of "the look"!

[maxnix]

Ed, might want to read Q45tech's posts here about brake pad composition and brake dust generation.

I really do not recommend any kind of brake dust shields as restricting cooling airflow to the brakes is a very bad idea.

[chadster]

Here is a 1 year update review from a member of http://www.nicoclub.com

http://nicoclub.com/zerothread?id=86638Use VIPDISCOUNTS code for a discount.

[nuQ]

glad to say,,,i've had the same results. i still take my Q to the self serve wash for a quick clean that makes it look incredible,,,,if i bring my wash mitt with me,,,,,unbelievable!!!!! (at over a year!!!). there is NO wax that will last this long,,,,don't kid yourselves!!!! i don't know it it will last five years,,,but for me, a year of no waxing,,,,,the product is WELL worth the price (and i'm over a year!!!). an awesome product, and lives up to the hype!!!! GET IT!!!! JEFF