I’ve been using the IGL Ecoshine F4 Renew for 4-5 months now and it’s one recently tested product that definitely impressed me. As I mentioned in another article, two of my favorite sealants for a long time have been been CarPro HydrO2 (aka “Hydro”) and CarPro Reload. Renew is not a quick on/off product so I wasn’t really comparing it to Hydro, but I did want to compare to Reload a bit.
Reload is a go-to sealant for me because it’s one of very few products which I noticed actually improves the paint. If you apply Reload to a swirled paint job, especially on black paint, it will noticeably improve the depth and gloss of the paint. It hides swirls and other defects very well and leaves a really glossy finish. Durability is usually 1.5-2+ months on a daily driver in Chicago weather. I’ve seen 3-3.5 months in the summer time when cars don’t get nearly as dirty.
This is where I started to like Renew. It takes a bit longer to apply than Reload, which is a simple spray on/wipe off product, but it’s in a way easier because it leaves a really nice, smooth and glossy finish. For these photos I applied it with the DI MF Applicator Pad…
Simply wipe it on to the paint until it becomes pretty clear…
Then wipe off the residue (I used a Meg’s Supreme Shine towel)…
You can also apply the IGL Ecoshine F4 Renew with a buffer and a finishing pad then simply wipe off the residue with a towel. I enjoyed using this product for a few different reasons. First of all, it was very straightforward to apply. Definitely not as easy as a spray sealant, but the residue wipes off so effortlessly and leaves no smearing, etc. It was a just very, very clean application almost as if applying and removing a ceramic coating.
I was also impressed by the durability, which was about 1.5-2 months on average in Chicago weather. Durability will usually greatly depend on the paint condition, so on a properly prepped and polished car this should easily be longer.
Lastly, I noticed that Renew would also improve the paint condition similar to Reload… It hides some swirls a bit and with that leaves a much glossier finish than other products. When using it by machine it worked really well both on coated and uncoated cars. We rarely do this, but when applying a sealant with an orbital buffer, I normally like to use Jescar Power Lock. That’s a very easy to use sealant and is applied pretty much the same way as Renew (whether using it by hand or machine). Power Lock is a bit more affordable, but Renew leaves a cleaner finish from my experience. Both are great products but I liked Renew a bit more mainly because it seemed to noticeably improve the paint finish and leave such a clean shine.
At the shop we normally either coat cars or use CarPro HydrO2 for quick maintenance detailing, but I’m definitely keeping IGL Ecoshine F4 Renew for those random coating refresh jobs.
