[bah14]

Link to product: http://www.corrosionx.com/rejex.html

Purpose of this thread: to better inform IWS.com members of a fantastic product.

What: My research and conversations with tech's concerning this product.

Although rejex is best used when applied to a new/virigin paint job, with a good clay barring, it will make your day in ways you never thought possible. For me, I'm still amazed at how i dont even have to appy pressure to remove bird droppings, brake dust (on the rims), etc. All i have to do is spray.
Anyhow, i know some of you (especially those who own porsches) swear by this stuff like I do. I recently email their manufacturer about a "rejex myth" that stated how using a polish before applying the rejex will prevent a proper bond to form b/t paint and rejex. Here is what they said:

======================
Hello Brett,

What you’ve heard is not precisely correct.

The more correct answer is that RejeX will go over almost any wax/polish product. It will bond to almost any hard, smooth, nonporous surface. The main issue we want to bring to our customers’ attention occurs when using RejeX on top of products (waxes or polishes) that leave a wax residue behind. The issue is this: because waxes are so much softer and less durable than RejeX, when the wax eventually degrades and washes off, the RejeX protection will wash off with the wax (since RejeX is actually bonding to the wax and not directly to the paint). So the net result of using RejeX on top of wax is that while you do get the enhanced shine, gloss and protection that RejeX affords, it won’t last nearly as long as it would had you applied it directly onto the paint.

The other problem concerns products that contain silicone oil. Silicone oil contaminates paint and can cause major problems if you ever have to repaint your vehicle. When RejeX is applied on top of products that contain silicone oil, we’ve occasionally experienced problems with cloudiness. Sometimes the cloudiness disappears within 12 hours, and sometimes the RejeX needs to be stripped off for the cloudiness to dissipate.

As a manufacturer, we believe it to be good business protocol to avoid commenting on other manufacturer’s products. Meguiar’s makes some fine products in their professional line, but it is our understanding that many of their consumer range of products contain silicone oil. Further, Meguiar’s NXT is a cleaner wax, so it’s designed to both clean and leave a protective wax barrier behind. As such, it wouldn’t be the ideal preparation for RejeX.

If you need to prepare your paint, I can recommend 3M’s Perfect-It Fine Cut Rubbing Compound. It is only a cleaner/polish; it contains no silicone, and it does not leave any sort of residue. I’ve had discussions with the engineers at 3M and generally find the science behind their products to be top notch.

Hope that helps.
======================
I'm a big fan of the NXT polish, so i asked about it specifically. Now i just need to see if it contains any silicone oil.


PART 2:
UPDATE: I emailed meguairs and will post their comment on any silicone oil in their NXT product line.

UPDATE:
I continued my conversation with the REJEX tech and this is what he said:
====================
A rough estimate based on personal experience... If you’re using RejeX on top of a quality wax, you should get about 3-4 months of good wear. Normally RejeX last 6-8 months or more on a daily driver. The shine tends to last longer than the environmental protection aspects of the product, so you’ll see bugs beginning to adhere to your front bumper several months before the shine begins to dissipate.

and ....

Once the polish/RejeX concoction has worn off, you shouldn’t need to polish or clay bar for a long time. Just keep applying RejeX in 6-month (or more frequently) intervals.

RejeX doesn’t degrade like waxes do. It’s eventually eroded off by wind, dust and airborne particles. When you reapply RejeX, you’re just adding to the depth of the protective coating and replacing it wherever it’s worn away. So you don’t have to strip the old buildup off like you sometimes have to do with waxes.

You should only have to clay bar and polish after fairly long time intervals. Polish and clay bar whenever you accumulate enough scratches, swirls and scuffs that you decide it’s worth the extra effort.

My car is a 1999 and has 50k miles on it, and I’ve only clay bar-ed it twice. But then again, I usually hand wash my cars and always use RejeX, so I don’t tend to accumulate swirls.
====================


PART 3:
When asked why I chose REJEX over the other brands that offer the "same" functional value:

I made my decision based on what the guys at a porsche owners club said/used in Sarasoda Florida. I was lucky enough to actaually talk to 5 guys who used the ones you mentioned, but currently use rejex. Naturally, i asked why they switched, to which the replied:

"Although the shine isn't really that different, I feel it [rejex] protects much better. Plus, it works much better on my wheels than the others."

If you've ever met a true porsche owner, they are obnoxiously obsessed with their car and how it looks. If not for this, I wouldn't have taken their comments to the bank.


PART 4:
**UPDATE**

I asked Meguiar's about their NXT product line about it containing any silicone oil:
====================
Dear Brett-

Please let me be the first to say thank you for your interest in Meguiar's, we are always trying to find new ways to serve you the best that we can. Yes, some NEXT products to contain silicone. The items that do contain silicones would be the wax, spray wax, tech protectant, and car wash. I hope this isn't a problem for you. If you have any questions about other products that has silicone in it please give me a call and I will be more than happy to help you out.
===================
As it stands, the tech at rejex suggested 3M’s "Perfect-It Fine Cut Rubbing Compound". Does you have any expirence with this? It sounds a bit abrasive and this makes me nervous. i'd like to find a great, non-silicone oil based polish to put under the rejex. Here's a link with description:
http://www.autogeek.net/3mperllrubco.htm


PART 5:
**UPDATE** [01-26-05]

I did some research and was able to dig up some infor on the composition of some of the "best polishes" on the market. Virtually all of them contain at least "some" silicone oil. This will prevent the REJEX from properly binding to the car's paint and will result in product failure.
However, the good news is that one company does offer polishes "sans silicone oil". Their name is "3M". When i think about it, i'm not shocked since some of the most amazing innovations and ideas have stemmed from them. Anyhow, I also found out that the REJEX people are very familliar with the 3M people, and vise versa. Long story short, the 3M product is chemically perfect for the REJEX.
Here's a link to one of many vendor's who offer the non-silicone based polishes by 3M (and my fav car care vendor): http://www.properautocare.com/polish.html
***IMPORTANT NOTE*** If you choose to use a 3M polish or compound, YOU MUST seal it in with at least a wax of some sort. Being non-silicone based, it offers ABSOLUTELY ZERO protection from the elements.


PART 6:
**UPDATE** [01-27-05]
===========================
Brett,
I get a wide range of suggested application intervals for RejeX depending on how obsessive (or not) you are over your car. For me personally on my 996 – a 10k per year daily driver that sits out in the Texas sun during the day – one coat of RejeX lasts about 8 months. Depending on use, RejeX normally lasts between 6 months (e.g. Someone who drive a lot of miles in harsh, dusty or coastal climates) and 14 months (e.g. Someone who uses their sports car as a second vehicle and it sits in the garage most of the time).

The safe thing to do is reapply RejeX every 6 months, ideally once in the spring before it gets hot, and once in the fall before the crummy weather sets it.

I’ve heard especially good results from those who apply two initial coats, allowing the first coat to cure fully before applying the second. A second coat will improve the product’s longevity, increase environmental protection and rejection of UV. At least from the UV standpoint, our chemist says that after 2 coats you’re getting all the UV rejection possible and the law of diminishing returns kicks in (that is, additional work isn’t providing any additional performance benefit).

The other tidbit I’ll throw in is that Eric Sklut, the owner of bumperplugs.com and the final authority on Porsche paint as far as many Porsche enthusiasts are concerned, has used RejeX for about a year now. He put on 3 coats and reports his paint to look “absolutely dripping wet”. So if you’re one of those who can’t live without better that show car appearance, that’s probably what I’d do.
==========================

more to come ...

Brett

[ORSTi]

thanks Brett, i'll be waiting to hear the answer.

jim

[bah14]

UPDATE: I emailed meguairs and will post their comment on any silicone oil in their NXT product line.

UPDATE:
I continued my conversation with the REJEX tech and this is what he said:
====================
A rough estimate based on personal experience... If you’re using RejeX on top of a quality wax, you should get about 3-4 months of good wear. Normally RejeX last 6-8 months or more on a daily driver. The shine tends to last longer than the environmental protection aspects of the product, so you’ll see bugs beginning to adhere to your front bumper several months before the shine begins to dissipate.

and ....

Once the polish/RejeX concoction has worn off, you shouldn’t need to polish or clay bar for a long time. Just keep applying RejeX in 6-month (or more frequently) intervals.

RejeX doesn’t degrade like waxes do. It’s eventually eroded off by wind, dust and airborne particles. When you reapply RejeX, you’re just adding to the depth of the protective coating and replacing it wherever it’s worn away. So you don’t have to strip the old buildup off like you sometimes have to do with waxes.

You should only have to clay bar and polish after fairly long time intervals. Polish and clay bar whenever you accumulate enough scratches, swirls and scuffs that you decide it’s worth the extra effort.

My car is a 1999 and has 50k miles on it, and I’ve only clay bar-ed it twice. But then again, I usually hand wash my cars and always use RejeX, so I don’t tend to accumulate swirls.
====================

Here's to a better looking STi,

Brett

[Paperchasin]

great info...so where did u get this rejex stuff again??

[rapidus]

Originally Posted by Paperchasin

great info...so where did u get this rejex stuff again??

Me , there at special price :
http://www.x-autoproducts.com/pages/forumpurchase.htm

[Jon]

Hey Brett, If you're doing the research, maybe they'll tell you what (if anything) differentiates Rejex from all the other similarly priced polymer sealants that make similar claims of similar performance.

Meguiars No. 20
Hi-temp 62
Klasse Sealant Glaze
Four Star Ultimate Paint Protection

...and many others.

I'm a recent convert to polymer sealants--they really do give 90% of the shine of wax with several times the durability and resistance to bird doo.

But are any of them really any different from the others? And if so, how do you know since nobody's giving out any formulas?

[Paperchasin]

^^good point...i've seen numerous companies recently... alot of them seem like those late-night infomercials...which sorta makes me skeptical about trying them...i have to admit tho that the price of the rejex is much cheaper ...

[bah14]

jon,

excellent point and I considered all of those when i made my final choce. I made my decision based on what the guys at my local porsche owners clubs used. I was lucky enough to actaually talk to 5 guys who used the ones you mentioned, but currently use rejex. Naturally, i asked why they switched, to which the replied:

"Although the shine isn't really that different, I feel it [rejex] protects much better. Plus, it works much better on my wheels than the others."

If you've ever met a real porsche owner, they are obnoxiously obsessed with their car and how it looks. If not for this, I wouldn't have taken their comments to the bank.

As for rejex, they say it is not good practice to comment on competitor products.

-Brett


***MORE TO COME***

[bah14]

**UPDATE**

I asked Meguiar's about their NXT product line about it containing any silicone oil:
====================
Dear Brett-

Please let me be the first to say thank you for your interest in Meguiar's, we are always trying to find new ways to serve you the best that we can. Yes, some NEXT products to contain silicone. The items that do contain silicones would be the wax, spray wax, tech protectant, and car wash. I hope this isn't a problem for you. If you have any questions about other products that has silicone in it please give me a call and I will be more than happy to help you out.
===================

-Brett

[bah14]

JON:

the tech at rejex suggested 3M’s Perfect-It Fine Cut Rubbing Compound. Do you have any expirence with this? It sounds abrasive and makes me nervous. i'd like to find a great polish to put under the rejex. Anyone?

Here's a link with description:

http://www.autogeek.net/3mperllrubco.html


-Brett

[bah14]

bump

[Poppa_Smurf]

Most any polish removes oxidation and such either by using chemical or physical properties which give them the ability reduce swirls, remove old wax and so on, a glaze on the other hand will fill in said scratches instead of removing them IIRC. I think 3M’s hand glaze doesn’t have any silicone in it but I haven’t been keeping up on my autopia reading in a while. I do however used mostly 3M products with my orbital buffer and like the fine cut as it works well for light swirls.

[Jon]

I use 3M Hand Glaze twice a year. It cleans the clearcoat nicely and isn't abrasive (I think--there was a thread on this a couple of months ago). Whether it fills or smoothes I don't know, but the paint certainly feels nice afterwards.

I used the Fine Cut once for a major rubdown on my Porsche, which has a very crappy single stage paint job. It did an amazing job at smoothing the paint, but I've never needed it on the STI. Maybe in 50k miles or so.

[bah14]

both of you are right. All of 3m's stuff is non-silicone based. I just got off the phone with one of their tech and confirmed this. I think their product is the best under coating for use with rejex.

As for the "fine cut". I agree, no way on a sti for a long time. But one of their other non-abrasive and non-silicone polish will do the trick.

[Paperchasin]

we should get a GB going for some of that rejex stuff...