best paint protection ?

[gazpacho]

Hi,

I am a new Yaris owner (Yaris T Spirit Hybrid) and also new to the forum. I wasnt going to pay the extortionate amount of money the dealer was asking to have my bodywork / paint protected and thought it must be much more economical to get this done elsewhere.
Can you recommend what product I should use to keep that "new car" shine and to protect the paint and bodywork ?
Should I go for a product that I can apply myself or one that is applied professionally ?
Any help and advice will be gratefully receieved

Thanks

John

[Melloreel]

I can't see where the "paint sealant" has helped anything on all my cars, but I use mcguires gold class wax. And I'm very impressed with it! I have 9 different bottles of wax trying to keep the black paint on my Harley shiny, and it's the only wax for me

[YarisSedan]

For the best paint protection you want to go with a synthetic wax stay away from carnuba wax which only last a month or so if the vehicle is parked outside especially on hot summers. Klasse makes a really good paint sealer but requires a bit of prep. Meguires has a new wax thats supposedly a mixture of carnuba with synthetics which is suppose to give you a good gloss while lasting as long as a synthetic.

What ive done in the past after ive claybar and polish i lay down a synthetic sealant as a base and then top it off with a good carnuba wax for extra shine, when it wears off i still have my paint protected.

[Absolutely Red 12]

Originally Posted by gazpacho

Hi,

I am a new Yaris owner (Yaris T Spirit Hybrid) and also new to the forum. I wasnt going to pay the extortionate amount of money the dealer was asking to have my bodywork / paint protected and thought it must be much more economical to get this done elsewhere.
Can you recommend what product I should use to keep that "new car" shine and to protect the paint and bodywork ?
Should I go for a product that I can apply myself or one that is applied professionally ?
Any help and advice will be gratefully receieved

Thanks

John

Wash regularly.

Claybar, and wax every 6 months!!

[why?]

it really depends how much you like spending time washing, waxing, cleaning, and putting other things on your car.

[fnkngrv]

plastidip the entire car

[YarYarBinks]

Try opti-coat you can wax over it to bring out the shine. The guys on the frs forum use it and it is a permanent protection solution. Link http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?p=748122

3/4 way down page 3 members name is Sony

[jetblast]

3M products have never let me down. Not always the cheapest, but the "if you lean on my car, it's soooo slick you're gonna fall down" finish.

[wildmongoose26]

22ple, End of conversation. Period.
http://www.22ple.com/

[Chifte]

As Absolutelyred suggested, I'm fan of washing regularly and applying a nice carnuba wax. Paint sealants are more or less a gimmick, they surely seem to last longer but as I work on hundreds of different cars in any month, a paint sealant isn't going to prevent a big bird poo laying on your paint a good week in blazing sun from destroying a nice spot of your clear. Nor will it save your front bumper from a summers worth of bug guts eating away at the clear.

Preventative maintenance keeps the car looking good, not a sealant. Depending on it will disappoint in the long run.

Wash the car, remove bugs, tar, sap, clay it, wash again, cleaner wax it, carnuba. Then continue to wash it often and apply carnuba at least monthly. The more consistent you have a layer of wax on I guarantee the easier bugs and tar will come off, no hard scrubbing.

Prevent angel hair scratches caused by washes by having at least 2 mitts, and 3 buckets. 1 bucket for below the belt line and 1 mitt for below the belt line, 1 bucket for above the belt line and 1 mitt for above the belt line. Use the third bucket to get debris off the mitt after every panel and use new water once it gets a little dirty. You could go even further and have more mitts for every panel and above and below the belt line but on a commuter car.. kind of unnecessary. And clean the mitts when you're done! Never let them touch anything but a bucket of water and your car.

It's really not that big of a deal once you have it down and keep after it, buy a nice $20 10" orbital, save your shoulders and have your ride in and out of your at home detailing station in less than 45 minutes.

Dealer professional application is a job you could do with $50 and a few hours of your time. Nothing wrong with taking it to a professional but for the money conscious, it's a no brainer to do it yourself.

My carnuba suggestion is Meguiars, it's easy enough to find and damn near or as good as professional products. If you're determined for a paint sealant, Mothers paint sealant has always had a lasting effect for me and also easy to find. You could also call professional automotive product vendors, such as MG, Ardex, Eureka and my personal favorite SDI Snyder.

[wildmongoose26]

Why would you say sealants are a gimmick?
22ple lasts 18-24 months. Its a silica based polymer that actually creates a hard barrier between paintwork and wash mitts, towels, etc. Have used this on several cars. One of this the paint was so soft even a very gentle wipe down after buffing the car out put in tiny micro scratches. This is a big pain when you've just spent 10+ hours getting paint the way it should be. Applying the 22ple has actually helped eliminate the addition of scratches for at least a year now. Yes, it is expensive. Probably $50-$60 for a 1 car application it is effective. If your into the feel on top of the protection your able to put any wax on top of it.
Look it up. It's pretty awesome.
So your going to promote a cleaning maintenance plan but then leave out a grit guard for the "clean water" bucket? My husband details cars for a leaving and he uses 2 buckets. You wash top to bottom, anything that takes more then light pressure to get off the paintwork he just pulls out a clay bar.
Really though. It's all about the time, effort and money your welling to put into it. You could spend $200 on products and everything you need or you could spend $1k products and things you need.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by Chifte

As Absolutelyred suggested, I'm fan of washing regularly and applying a nice carnuba wax. Paint sealants are more or less a gimmick, they surely seem to last longer but as I work on hundreds of different cars in any month, a paint sealant isn't going to prevent a big bird poo laying on your paint a good week in blazing sun from destroying a nice spot of your clear. Nor will it save your front bumper from a summers worth of bug guts eating away at the clear.

Preventative maintenance keeps the car looking good, not a sealant. Depending on it will disappoint in the long run.

Wash the car, remove bugs, tar, sap, clay it, wash again, cleaner wax it, carnuba. Then continue to wash it often and apply carnuba at least monthly. The more consistent you have a layer of wax on I guarantee the easier bugs and tar will come off, no hard scrubbing.

Prevent angel hair scratches caused by washes by having at least 2 mitts, and 3 buckets. 1 bucket for below the belt line and 1 mitt for below the belt line, 1 bucket for above the belt line and 1 mitt for above the belt line. Use the third bucket to get debris off the mitt after every panel and use new water once it gets a little dirty. You could go even further and have more mitts for every panel and above and below the belt line but on a commuter car.. kind of unnecessary. And clean the mitts when you're done! Never let them touch anything but a bucket of water and your car.

It's really not that big of a deal once you have it down and keep after it, buy a nice $20 10" orbital, save your shoulders and have your ride in and out of your at home detailing station in less than 45 minutes.

Dealer professional application is a job you could do with $50 and a few hours of your time. Nothing wrong with taking it to a professional but for the money conscious, it's a no brainer to do it yourself.

My carnuba suggestion is Meguiars, it's easy enough to find and damn near or as good as professional products. If you're determined for a paint sealant, Mothers paint sealant has always had a lasting effect for me and also easy to find. You could also call professional automotive product vendors, such as MG, Ardex, Eureka and my personal favorite SDI Snyder.

Would the prevailing climate effect your recommendation? I've lived most of my life either in Absolutely Red's neck of the woods or parts of YarisSedan's metro that have weather similar to where Absolutely Red lives. I've lived here since 2008, and the heat here is a fair bit more extreme than either of their areas.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by fnkngrv

plastidip the entire car

[Chifte]

Originally Posted by wildmongoose26

Why would you say sealants are a gimmick?
22ple lasts 18-24 months. Its a silica based polymer that actually creates a hard barrier between paintwork and wash mitts, towels, etc. Have used this on several cars. One of this the paint was so soft even a very gentle wipe down after buffing the car out put in tiny micro scratches. This is a big pain when you've just spent 10+ hours getting paint the way it should be. Applying the 22ple has actually helped eliminate the addition of scratches for at least a year now. Yes, it is expensive. Probably $50-$60 for a 1 car application it is effective. If your into the feel on top of the protection your able to put any wax on top of it.
Look it up. It's pretty awesome.
So your going to promote a cleaning maintenance plan but then leave out a grit guard for the "clean water" bucket? My husband details cars for a leaving and he uses 2 buckets. You wash top to bottom, anything that takes more then light pressure to get off the paintwork he just pulls out a clay bar.
Really though. It's all about the time, effort and money your welling to put into it. You could spend $200 on products and everything you need or you could spend $1k products and things you need.

The average person who puts paint sealant on their car is going to view it as a miracle cure, I know this because I've had a number of customers come back a couple years later and complain their paint has acid marks and bug marks. I didn't say sealants were ineffective, they just aren't nearly as effective as the bottle says.

I am speaking of maintaining good paint. You seem to be comparing heavy cutting and procedures that follow to my suggestion of maintenance, which isn't the same thing.

I apply sealant to every car I compound as well, but the key is to never allow your paint to get to that point. Paying a premium and applying sealant to a perfectly good paint job is unnecessary and doesnt offer much if any more real world protection.

My own cars have never had a rotary touch them or sealant, through harsh salty winters, theyve always been immaculate and its in my best interest to keep it that way!

I dont see the point of a grit guard, I made it clear to use the third bucket to wash debris from the mitt and to fill with new water often. Depending on a grit guard with dirty water is asking for trouble in my opinion.

I also recondition for a living, 7 years now. Professional detailers have a tendency to think my way or the highway, and I understand it all too well Haha! My methods work, proven to without complicating my job or costing customers more.

Most products have their place, some work. But as I said preventing paint damage and keeping it simple is far better.

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

Would the prevailing climate effect your recommendation? I've lived most of my life either in Absolutely Red's neck of the woods or parts of YarisSedan's metro that have weather similar to where Absolutely Red lives. I've lived here since 2008, and the heat here is a fair bit more extreme than either of their areas.

Negative, your paint has uv protectants. Regular washing and waxing will prevent paint damage. Modern paints are fantastic.

[wildmongoose26]

If you want to shout from the high heavens about maintaining paint to a point it will never need correction than why not list every option and recommend anything that will help reduce the odds of swirls or scratches getting in the paint?
If your customers came back a couple of years after coming to see you complaining about the paint then are you not educating them at the same time as providing a service?
Do you go through how to properly wash and dry the car to help extend the life of the protection on the car? They might be uneducated with what to expect and have false expectations due to this?
Every car I do I give them a time frame on the next proper paint maintenance. X amount of time until the recommended next wax. Wash it with this type of soap, wipe off this that and the other if it happens. Easy and even pressure. Etc.

Sealants are amazing when used properly. They can and WILL help reduce some but not all paint imperfections that can appear in your paint from improper care. As do all things when used properly.

[Billhenry]

3M Paint Defender Spray Film provides protection and Defend your vehicle paint from rock chips bugs sand salt and other everyday driving hazards with this innovative spray-applied protective product. This DIY product is easy to apply and dries to a clear film, giving your vehicle invisible protection on the road.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by Chifte

Negative, your paint has uv protectants. Regular washing and waxing will prevent paint damage. Modern paints are fantastic.

Thanks.

[fast4door]

I just used this stuff on my black Tundra and have been happy with the results

http://www.autogeek.net/cquartz-reload-spray.html

The link also has a cool demo video on the stuff called reload and I think I paid $30 or so