What is Water Beading?
There are a lot of buzz words when it comes to detailing, here we will let you in on the not-so-secret meaning behind them. First, let's start with water beading and sheeting.
A lot of car detailing and car washing products out there, including those part of the Wolfgang Car Care line, praise that their products enhance water beading. So, what is this water beading capability that products are so eager to include?
Water beading, also known more scientifically as hydrophobicity, is simply when water beads up on your car's surface and rolls off. To put it more technically, molecules like to stick to one another like magnets, but they also like to stick things to like dirt, especially if there is a static charge to it. However, there are some substances like oils, fats and waxes, that are not attracted to water and instead, repels it by creating surface tension. This surface tension causes beads to form. So, when a surface doesn't have one of those substances, the water spreads throughout the surface in all sorts of directions. However, when a surface does have those substances, the water stays places in their tiny droplet spots.
Just So You Know
Even if the water beading stops, that doesn't mean the protection still isn't there. However, it is important to maintain the car's cleanliness by giving it routine maintenance washes. This is because although water beading allows the water to bead off your car, this is only most effective when the car is in motion or on a slanted surface. If water falls and beads on a flat surface on a car that isn't moving, then the water beads will sit on that surface and that can cause water spotting from the contaminants in the water. Bottom line, water beading is great, but it is not the end-all-say-all of water spots. And as pretty as water beading looks, water sheeting is just as good, if not better, when it comes to water on the car.
Bonus: What is Water Sheeting?
Water sheeting is similar to water beading, as in they both repel water because of the surface tension that certain products create. Though water beading may be more aesthetically pleasing, water sheeting is the level you'd want to get to. Water sheeting runs water off the vehicle completely in sheets'. This is much better when it comes to flat surface areas of cars or when parked. Sometimes onlookers and detailers themselves dismiss water sheeting because unlike the cool effect beads give off, it's hard to tell the surface is protected with sheeting.
Why is water beading and sheeting important?
Water beading and sheeting give your car more protection from different types of water sources, be it rain or sprinklers. Instead of the water sitting on the surface indefinitely, when it's protected it has more surface tension to make the water roll away. This keeps your car cleaner longer, with less chances of streaking and dirt buildup. Water beading and sheeting are incredibly useful, especially when it comes to your glass windows. The water will bead off quickly on these vertical and slanted surfaces to the point where you may not even need your windshield wipers.
What Wolfgang Products Can You Use to Enhance Water Beading?
There are many products that can be used from the Wolfgang line to promote water beading and sheeting. Products with carnauba wax are known to promote excellent beading, while paint sealants and ceramic coatings will both bead and sheet. Turn to these products for all your beading and sheeting needs:
Wolfgang Fuzion Carnauba Polymer Estate Wax
Wolfgang Fuzion Spray Wax
Wolfgang Uber Wash & Wax
Wolfgang SiO2 Waterless Wash
Wolfgang Uber SiO2 Coating Wash
Wolfgang Uber SiO2 Silica Spray
Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant
Wolfgang Deep Gloss Spritz Sealant
Wolfgang Deep Gloss Liquid Seal
Wolfgang Uber Ceramic Coating
Wolfgang Uber All In One.
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