Car paint sealant or car wax

[hey_moe]

I was just wondering being since we got a lot of car geeks in here do you use paint sealant or car wax. Both have a good write up but I was thinking of using car sealant this year just to see what the difference is and if it holds up any better. Has anyone tried each one of theses...Mike

[GT182]

Question. Did you have the car buffed out, or are you going to have it done? If so, use Maguire's Seal and Reseal. NAPA carries it. Put it on and wipe it off while it's still wet. DO NOT let it dry. Then use a good quality wax. A carnuba based wax is best but it's a bear to apply and wipe off. Plus it's expensive, but it will last longer than any other wax. Just my http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v64/GT182/2cents.gif.

[Hals und Bein Bruch]

Liquid Glass...you will be amazed!

[cheezyflier]

if it's factory paint, carnuba wax is fine. chances are the paint's already full of swirl marks anyhow, and if it's not you're gonna wax them in. but if you have some sweet custom car with a totally awesome custom paint job, never ever wax it. just keep it clean and garaged.

[Lionheart]

I have been out of the loop for too long to recommend anything. There are too many new chemicals out now.

What I do personally is about 3 times a year, wax the girl the old fashioned way, then every so often, use a new 'spray wax' and lightly shine the paint. Really makes her glow.

With constant waxing, if you use a buffer, you can where off the paint surface.

With a sealer, usually that will go fast and then you almost need to repaint the car. Well, in Phoenix, it goes fast. The sun out here has more UV radioactive beam focus then anywhere else on Earth, hold Death Valley.. Here, the old sealers would start fading in perhaps 3 years if you didnt keep the dust off the car (constant washes).


Dust, the enemy. On a micro scale, the small fragments interact with sunlight to wear down the paint surface, be it paint or clear coat..



Bill

[Lionheart]

I would like to add, with my latest car, I purchased a fair car cover. I kept it on as much as possible, and dang if its not like a garaged car, maybe even cleaner, and its a driveway car (in Phoenix if I may add, which is a huge dust environment). I actually wore out my car cover (thin material, not well made), and purchased a very nice one recently and man, that thing is nice. During heavy rains, it keeps the car dry, and yet somehow this thing breathes. If you can get in the habit of putting on a car cover, its well worth it. Keeps the sun out of the interior, keeps the paint out of the sun, keeps the dust off, etc.

I have a pretty good system of folding the cover up. I am on system two now. I could probably fold a parachute now in record time and do it in seconds. Same with putting the cover on. I loop thing band around the rear plate, unroll accross the top, fold in the mirrors, loop over the nose, and flip down the sides.

Getting one that fits 'perfect' is optimal. If its too tight, it will tear. If its too loose, it will blow off all the time, and that gets dust on it. Always fold the thing where the inside keeps clean, and never let it touch the ground. If its really dirty, you might be able to wash it in cold water, air dry. I washed my first one a few times. You can either roll them up, bunching them in as you roll, or you can fold them in halves, with inside to inside, outside to outside, so they do not get the dust from the outside into the inside surface.

I ended up getting a bigger size for mine then recommended and it was almost a perfect fit. I then bunched up a spot on the nose with a nylon strap and that dang thing covers up everything. The last one before this was super tight and the front bumper showed. I hated that...

Bill

[wombat666]

Both the GT40R and the 911RS are finished in epoxy two pack, all they need is a good wash and wipe.
Sofie's BMW is 'Factory Finished' and (so far) does very well with it's as-delivered sealer.
All three bikes and the Caterblade get by on a good wash and an annual application of Eagle1 Carnauba wax.
:ernae:

[hey_moe]

Well I brought a gallon of this >>> http://www.wolfgangcarcare.com/wg5500.html <<< it seem to have a good write up and other car buff forums recommended it. I try and wax our cars 2 to 3 times a year. I brought a 2010 Honda Accord fully loaded with a Pearl White paint job this past weekend. Of course the dealership tries and sells you their paint sealant job for 4 or 5 hundred dollars but I like going the other way. From what I have read the paint sealant last longer than the wax. But the wax has a better and deeper shine. They say on the paint sealant that it can last up to 6 months where the car wax is only good for 6 to 8 weeks. I think what I might do is do one car with the sealant and the other with wax just to see what holds up better...Mike

[Cratermaker]

The single most important thing for a new paint job is to keep the abrasives away. There are abrasives in almost all the paste consistency waxes. I've been using some sort of McGuire's spray on liquid you wipe off before it dries. It's probably the stuff someone mentioned earlier in the thread.

As for keeping abrasives away, also:

Try to get as much dirt off with the hose spray as possible.
Have a bucket for the soapy water and bucket to rinse your wash mit out. Change the water in the rinse bucket often: you want to get rid of all the dirt and dust particles out of your mit.

I have no swirls in the paint yet by following the above religiously.:jump: The finish is holding up very well.

[Lionheart]

Nice choice of car Mike!

Honda is a leader in high quality these days. Their styling is just beautiful...



Bill

[kilo delta]

Someone mention abrasives???:kilroy: My Daughter, aged 2 1/2 at the time, decided to write her name on every panel of my Orient Blue metallic bmw....with a stone!:isadizzy::sleep:
Cue one extremely p**sed off Daddy and one very expensive respray!

[grunau_baby]

I brought a 2010 Honda Accord fully loaded with a Pearl White paint job this past weekend.
WOW, gotta love those whites, I work in the paint and styling biz and I knew the whites´ return for cars even before it got modern again.

Chemically there´s a downside I am affraid: Whites (as well as red paints - that is the pigments) are not very stable. They fade out rather quickly and become dull if not cared for. Which means a garage is best. Light is the main enemy.

I really wonder what all the white and pearl- or off-white vehicles will look like in a few years. That´s one of the reasons why they weren´t really fashionable for a long time. But chance is the paint is better than it was in past off course, don´t wanna scare you. I Have an off-white (ivory) coloured car myself! I keep it clean, wax it (spray, not polishing = scratching) every few weeks or month. If it were a classic, well I´d seal it away, but it´s an everyday item...!

Alex

[GT182]

Moe, the Meguire's Seal and Reseal is the one to use and will make the color pop out. Wash the car and put it on as I said, then wax over it. It will all last better if you don't a harsh soap to wash the car after both have been applied. I actually use Rainx car wash, and their Fast wax if you can find it. Make the GTO really shine for shows.

Meguire's also make a Detail kit that's great to use. I have a kit and will mist the car at a show and wipe it down.... makes the red paint and flames look really good afterwards. :d

Best thing you can do is keep the cars out of the hot sun as much as you can.

[Odie]

I was just wondering being since we got a lot of car geeks in here do you use paint sealant or car wax. Both have a good write up but I was thinking of using car sealant this year just to see what the difference is and if it holds up any better. Has anyone tried each one of theses...Mike


I've always gone with the sealant on each of my cars. I have a 1993 K-5 Blazer that I'm driving and the paint looks as new on it today as the day I bought it 17 years ago.

[hey_moe]

I use the Meguire's clay bar and lubricant which does a great job pulling out the imperfections in the paint. In my life time I have tried just about every kind of wax and sealant on the market...lol The paint sealant I just ordered will be a first for me and from what I have read looks like it might hold up a tad bit better....for that kind of a price I hope it does...lol