I’ve been using Gyeon WetCoat for about the last 6-7 months and have been a big fan.  The reason I started using it at our shop was to try an alternative to CarPro HydrO2 (aka Hydro).  The reason we needed to replace Hydro was horrible spotting issues we started having earlier this year (I believe, may have been late 2016) when the color and/or formula changed.  I’ve been a huge fan of Hydro for years since it came out but the spotting was unbearable so we needed a change.  I’ll go into the spotting situation a bit more toward the end of this article as it also relates to our experience with WetCoat, but first want to document the overall experience I’ve had with WetCoat.

First thing I was happy with was not having to dilute it while retaining a similar per liter price as Hydro, which was around $22.  One of the issues with Hydro was always how much to dilute it in order to get good durability but not have issues with it drying too quickly and leaving spots.  This took that out of the equation, which is definitely a plus.

Using WetCoat is as simple as it gets.  While it’s great on both body panels and wheels, we mainly use this type of sealant on wheels because most vehicles get a paint coating on the actual painted panels.

After the wheel is clean and fully rinsed, wait for most of the water to run off (not for the wheel to be dry, rather for water not to be constantly running down the surface, because that will take the sealant with it)…

After, spray somewhat liberally on the entire surface (little can go a long way if applied properly/evenly, but I like to give the wheel a good 6-8 sprays to ensure even coverage)…

After, simply wait a bit (we usually wait 10-15 seconds) and rinse thoroughly with some good pressure…

You will start seeing some nice beading action and if using a slow flow from the hose a lot of water will simply fly off and leave the wheel much easier to dry.

Whether using it on wheels or paint, always make sure to rinse very thoroughly both the obvious surface as well as all the crevices (jambs, trim, mirrors, wheel bolts, etc).  This will ensure all the sealant comes out and is rinsed off instead of coming out later and drying on the surface, leaving some spots.

Speaking of those pesky spots (and here’s where the article gets long and boring)… As mentioned earlier, issues we had with Hydro was spotting and here’s what I mean by that.  These “wet” spray sealants are great as they are extremely easy to use, bond to the paint when wet, last a decent amount of time and save us all time doing a quick protection on the vehicle.  That said, and this may seem obvious to many, when using these sealants you have a certain amount of time before the sealant “cures” or dries.  If it fully dries it will leave a sort of waxy/hazy looking spot on the paint.  This is usually a small dot or a streak running vertically.  Small spots happen when you rinse off one panel but forget to thoroughly rinse off the whole car.  When rinsing just one panel, the overspray gets almost everywhere especially adjacent panels, so everything needs to be rinsed off.  No it may not be necessary to rinse the rear bumper if you’re sealing the rear bumper, but if I’m doing the hood of a car I will always rinse off the bumper, fenders, windshield roof and at least the front doors.  Streaks on the other hand happen when some of the sealant seeps into a crevice (roof rack, window trim, door handles, mirrors, etc.) and never gets rinsed out thoroughly, then seeps out later and dries on the surface.

All that said, these spots and streaks are expected and understandable when using any product for the first time or when changing the temperature/environment/etc.  Once you get into the groove though, it will be rare and there may be 5-10 tiny spots every few jobs that you just overlooked, but they wipe off easily if you remove them soon after with a damp towel.

My issues with Hydro came after some sort of formula change and we noticed it immediately.  Basically, regardless of how quickly we rinsed Hydro off the paint, it would leave spots and streaks.  Even after only 3-4 seconds (right after spraying a single small panel like the fender) it would seem like it was instantly drying.  The first time we used it as usual and had fun turning a quick 2 hour sealant job into a 5 hour polishing job.  After that, we tested it 3-4 times (different bottles, ratios, etc.) and realized it was just bad for one reason or another.

Long story short, after many happy uses of WetCoat, I ordered 3-4 large bottles instead of just the initial one.  And of course, too good to be true came to fruition.  Same issues started happening with WetCoat.  Same as first time with Hydro, making a nice 7hr day into a 12hr day to remove all the spotting since we didn’t want to rub anything on a freshly corrected car.

Now, I attributed the Hydro issues to us improperly mixing it (unknowingly due to the formula change and they did change the directions later from 3-4:1 to 6 or 7:1 I believe) or sometimes using tap water.  WetCoat however I was out of ideas as it would happen with 4 of the 5 containers we have.  It happened after it was sitting for a week or two in one of our typical spray bottles.

For those who have stayed with me so far, I’ll make this longer story even shorter… Both products worked as advertised for us (most of the time, and after the Hydro change).  Both are extremely easy to use and both come at a similar price (Hydro may be better due to the new ~7:1 dilution vs 4-5:1 before).  I’m not making this into a comparison article, rather mentioning Hydro as both showed the same exact issues.

In conclusion, I have loved and hated using both and still do to this day.  Our solution has been to fill a fresh bottle of WetCoat every week or more often and make sure it doesn’t show any characteristics of going bad in the bottle (hazy, milky residue along the top level of product) before using it.  More often we use the solution of mixing Hydro with distilled water only every week as that seems to be more consistent.  Overall Gyeon WetCoat has been a great product and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for such a spray sealant.  Just be mindful of my notes and keep an eye out on the bottle to make sure no funny business is happening.  Also, pay attention to instructions and rinse off quickly especially in warm/hot climates.  Lastly, enjoy the protection, slickness and shine!

Oh and a cool photo to end the article 🙂