You've got your brand new Volkswagen & you want to protect the paintwork immediately

[GippsCC]

Hello VeeDubbers,

Absolute novice in detailing, so need advice. New CC on order (Night Blue metallic paint) and plan to protect paintwork as soon as it pulls up in garage. What's the gold standard protection I can put on myself (nobody will take as much care as you) to ensure paintwork protected best (advice on what and how welcomed).

[remy]

First thing I would do is give it a good clean and then hit it with the claybar since new cars are notorious for having crap all over the paint.

After that I'd use something like the Duragloss 105 or Zaino Z2. Give it a week to cure, then I'd put a wax over the top of that.

Since I gave my car a proper detailing and sealant protection it has remained clean even after rainy days. It took me 2 bloody days to do it but the results were well worth it.

There's a great thread on this stuff stickied at the top of this section:
http://www.vwwatercooled.com/forums/...nce-34208.html

Give that a good read and you should have a pretty good idea of the basics.

[GippsCC]

Thanks remy, appreciated. In fact you've answered my underlying question. I've read through the threads on this topic, but as nearly all of them discuss an existing vehicle and not a brand new one, I was unsure if clay barring an unnecessary time wasting step. Clearly, from what you've said, it isn't.

Thanks again

[remy]

I did the CCP detailing clinic a few weeks ago, and Dave who was running it told us that new cars sometimes have the worst buildup of impurities on the paint because they're kept outside all day. Makes sense really.

However, if yours comes straight off the factory floor in Germany and then gets delivered to the showroom, you may be able to get away without having to claybar. To test, put your hand in a plastic bag and run your fingers gently across the paint. If it feels smooth then you won't need to claybar, but if it feels sandy or rough then you should in order to give the sealant the best sticking surface. The plastic bag will reveal all.

Also, go buy yourself a microfibre wash mitt and drying towel if you don't already have one. Old sponges you can still use for the wheels, but don't use them on the paint. Remember to use the 2 bucket method, and when dipping in the dirty bucket run your hand through the microfibre to loosen up the dirt off it. At the end of the wash you should have one dirty bucket and one still clean...if they're both dirty then you need to pay more attention to cleaning the wash mitt.

Whatever you do, DON'T use Armorall on your car! I've made that mistake in the past and it ruined my trim. For interior and exterior trim, go pickup a bottle of 303 Aerospace or the 3M stuff if you can get your hands on it.

Since you mentioned your a detailing newbie, I recommend you take the CCP detailing clinic next time it's in your town (they should be paying me cos I keep plugging their stuff lol). I did it and I found it immensely helpful.

[Abuthen]

After that I'd use something like the Duragloss 105 or Zaino Z2. Give it a week to cure, then I'd put a wax over the top of that.

GippsCC, if you use Zaino Z2, stick with it. I wouldn't put other wax on top of that. Its really not "wax" but polymer based. It needs time to bond. When you get to 3 layers onwards you will get that deep reflection. Actually if you mix Z2 with ZFX, you don't even have to wait. You can whack 3 layers on in a day.

Claybar is a really good idea. And I can't say for the rest of the products you might choose, Zaino or otherwise, your first wash should really to strip off whatever they have put on, so add a healthy dose of dish-washing liquid the first time round. Get it squeaky clean.

There's also a time old question of when you can wax after getting a new car/new paint job. The paint needs to dry completely and some people say it still breathes/gives off solvent etc. I don't know how much that is true (and it may depend on the paint used) but having said that, your new car prob spent a couple of months on the boat here, so I guess you can start immediately.

Have fun.

[remy]

I personally would not use dish washing liquid on my car because I know how harsh that stuff can be. If I wanted to strip the surface of any waxes or sealants, I would use something designed specifically for that like the Dodo Lime Prime Lite. Yeah ok, a bottle of it costs 10 times more than a bottle of dish washing detergent but my car is worth thousands and with the right products I know they'll give the results I'm after without any risk of damage to my paint.

[GippsCC]

Agreed Remy, you've got to take cost in comparison to what you're protecting. I'm interested in what are your thoughts on polymer protection vs high quality Brazilian Grade One Carnauba (like Swissvax's natural waxes). As I understand it, polymer lasts longer but high grade wax looks better. I'm more interested in what protects and enhances the paint better (does natural wax nourish the paintwork better?), not afraid to invest big (either in time or money) to provide paint best longevity and lustre. Thanks again for sharing knowledge.

[remy]

I use both - sealant applied first then a wax on top of that. From what I've read and been told, you can get the best of both worlds by first applying a sealant to provide long lasting protection and then applying the wax over the top of that to bring out the depth and lustre of the paint. For best results you'll want to give the sealant about 5 days to cure completely. Here's a really good site that details the process:

http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-d...ect-shine.html

Personally I like that really glossy "wet" look that sealants give, but having said that I haven't waxed my car with a high end carnauba wax (yet). Before I got more serious into car detailing I spent a bunch of money buying off-the-shelf Meguire's stuff, so I'm using that to practice before dropping cash on the good stuff.

I've been reading up on the different products aswell, and if you're thinking about Swissvax then you might also want to consider Dodo Juice products - apparantly just as good but costs a little less (still not cheap though).

Edit: BTW, you might want to tell them not to wash your car before you pick it up. Some dealers do this and they usually do it very poorly.

[wfdTamar]

Think of the wax vs. sealant thing as similar to makeup vs. sunscreen/moisteriser The latter protects and conditions, the former merely makes whatever is under look better (but not so much protection).

Wax only looks good on the day you apply it. It quickly wanes. Sealant last much longer and can be 'tarted up' with wax.

I've put the Duragloss polish/sealnat combo on my car and it's ok, but not very long lasting. Tried Nanolex on my wheels and glass and it's good and long lasting (on the wheels NOT the glass) but too expensive for what you get. The Wolf brand is better bang for buck and the same thing (bigger bottles for less $). Just done a friends new car with carcarcoatings.com.au 5 year kit and it seems pretty good. You could do worse than get their 7 year kit (judging by how far it went on the car I did you might get to applications from a kit, so 14 years worth).