Paint / Fabric protection

[bmck]

My dealer has offered me a range of Six Star Solutions paint/fabric/rust protection stuff prior to delivery.

Prices seem ridiculously high.

My head is telling me this is simply an extra income-earner for the dealer.

Any opinions to the contrary?

Brian

[mattyf83]

Dont do it, all that stuff as well as Bluetooth and Tints can be done after market. None of it is VW, so make the decision with a clear head when you have left the dealership.

Some of the prices i have been quoted for the stuff, you may as well get a sunroof etc..

[ricksterrr]

Trust your head on this one.

Most people from experience will tell you that the paint and interior protection is useless and is only designed to make money for the dealer.

Instead, grab 1 or 2 bottles of this and do it yourself (for fabric protection):

http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/product/nanolex/textile_and_leather_sealant

For paint protection - I reckon giving it a good clean followed up with a good coating of wax or paint sealant (multiple layers if possible) and you'll be able to get up to 6 months worth of protection.

That's what I'll be doing once I get my car... I avoided the dealer offers like the plague (except for window tints).

[sillygogo]

Agree, not good value, just extra money for the dealer.

Fabric protection, grab 2-3 cans of those 3M fabric protection from Bunnings, around $11 each and have fun. I used 2 cans can refund the 3rd, all good.

Paint protection, it already comes with it, so just a good car wash solution, McGuire softwash seems to do the job. Then apply a good wax around 9months time when the paint protector wears off.

Rush protection, definitely no, VW golf comes with 10 years anti corrosion warranty, so why pay for something you already got with the new car.

Sound deadening, already been applied.

Tint, bluetooth: aftermarket much cheaper and might be better film.

[Ozram]

I agree, don't waste your money.

I got in touch with our resident detailing guru DMS Dan and got some great tips off him. I actually enjoyed doing the paint protection myself. Gives you a chance to get to know your car. I've washed the car every week since then and it still has an immaculate shine after 3 months.

This has given me confidence to spend 6 hours last Sunday fully detailing, clay blocking and applying paint protection to my daughter new acquisition...a 6 year old MK4 Golf. The shine on the paintwork rivals my new MK6, so it shows that they are worth looking after. And more importantly you can save money doing it yourself.

[Dubya]

The Golf seems to have a fantastically resilient paint finish.

I waxed my cars with carnauba wax for years. But whenever I ran my hand over the shiny waxed surface, I found that fine particles had stuck to the car.

I've recently come to the conclusion (20 years later) that putting wax on my car (which lives outside) could be the worst thing in terms of maintaining a smooth finish.

You see the wax is softer than the hard, clear factory finish and particulate matter seems to more easily become embedded in the wax from which, conversely, it is harder to remove with a regular wash than if it were sitting atop the hard factory finish. I imagine those paint protection materials would be similar (and probably no better than a good wax anyway).

So if you wax, your car will look shiny and water will bead nicely, but you might also pick up and retain a lot more fine particles than if you didn't.

That's the theory anyway.

Radical? I've merely washed my GTI every week or so without applying wax and it still comes up like new with very little particulate build-up on the paint surface even though it has spent 18 months on the street within 5kms of the CBD.

I used to get a lot of pleasure polishing my cars and watching the polishing cloth slide off the bonnet and water bead for months after a good waxing, but now I'm not sure it is the best way to maintain today's quality automotive paint finishes, or at least their smoothness to touch.

It might just be that waxing really is for the birds!

[bmck]

Thanks all for your thoughts.

Suspicions confirmed - decision made.

[Maverick]

The Golf seems to have a fantastically resilient paint finish.

I waxed my cars with carnauba wax for years. But whenever I ran my hand over the shiny waxed surface, I found that fine particles had stuck to the car.

I've recently come to the conclusion (20 years later) that putting wax on my car (which lives outside) could be the worst thing in terms of maintaining a smooth finish.

You see the wax is softer than the hard, clear factory finish and particulate matter seems to more easily become embedded in the wax from which, conversely, it is harder to remove with a regular wash than if it were sitting atop the hard factory finish. I imagine those paint protection materials would be similar (and probably no better than a good wax anyway).

So if you wax, your car will look shiny and water will bead nicely, but you might also pick up and retain a lot more fine particles than if you didn't.

That's the theory anyway.

Radical? I've merely washed my GTI every week or so without applying wax and it still comes up like new with very little particulate build-up on the paint surface even though it has spent 18 months on the street within 5kms of the CBD.

I used to get a lot of pleasure polishing my cars and watching the polishing cloth slide off the bonnet and water bead for months after a good waxing, but now I'm not sure it is the best way to maintain today's quality automotive paint finishes, or at least their smoothness to touch.

It might just be that waxing really is for the birds!

The clear coat is the softest layer of paint and should be protected with a sacrificial layer, leaving the clear unprotected may look alright for a few years but it'll soon start deteriorating especially if the car is parked out in the elements.

There are plenty of products that protect better than wax and places like waxit have a large range and heaps of info on the different sealants. They're not hard to apply, require minimal prep work and last for a quite a while if you use decent car wash.

[gregozedobe]

To the OP - Save your money and get better results yourself by using the correct technique with good quality products (even a brand new car can often benefit a great deal from a good detail, and will keep on looking good for longer).

To Dubya - Roughness to touch (or for a better test, sliding your hand inside a thin plastic bag across the paint) is a good indication of external contaminants on your paint - leave them there and they will damage your paint. The more you get the worse it is. I had a bad case of rail dust on the roof of my van (from new). It was an absolute PITA to remove. If it had landed on a layer of sealant or wax it would have been much easier to remove.

If you think leaving your paint unprotected is a good thing then I'm not going to spend too much time trying to persuade you otherwise. Many, many knowledgeable people disagree with you, spending lots of time and money protecting their cars (and they look better afterwards too).

It is up to the individual what results they want, and what time, money and effort they are willing to spend to achieve it.

Personally I like a good sealant (I'm currently waiting on my shipment of Jeffs Werkstatt acrylic sealant), but if my car or van was subject to frequent bird or bat poo attacks I would also add a layer of wax on top of the sealant, as it gives the best protection from these flying krapp producers.

[Greg Roles]

I can confirm that Scotchguard inside on the seats has survived nearly two years of kids doing their best to ruin them. The seats still look great, and that's from one mega coat from new.

[Corey_R]

LMAO @ them trying to sell you 'rust protection'.
I would've immediately walked out on them at the mention of that and told them to talk to me when they know what car they're actually selling!

[G-rig]

All those post-sale protection treatments are a waste of money (except for tinted windows) and you'll just blow away any savings you made on the car deal back to the dealer. If you have to do the seats yourself a can of scotchguard isn't that expensive.

Those acrylic paint protections don't do anything for stone chip protection either although may be designed for lazy people who never want to wax their car. Better off going for a clear car bra/Paint Protection Film which is almost invisible and i have it on my car.

If you invest in some nice cleaning/detailing products the car will stay looking good for ages and it's not that hard. I'm also using Optimum Car Wax (a spray wax/sealant) after washes that gives the car a great shine.

The Golf seems to have a fantastically resilient paint finish.

I waxed my cars with carnauba wax for years. But whenever I ran my hand over the shiny waxed surface, I found that fine particles had stuck to the car.

I've recently come to the conclusion (20 years later) that putting wax on my car (which lives outside) could be the worst thing in terms of maintaining a smooth finish.

Sounds like you've been doing something wrong, did you prepare the surface first by using a clay bar and polish? I agree that newer cars are easier to look after and keep clean but doesn't mean they leave the dealer with a proper detail.

[Dubya]

Sounds like you've been doing something wrong, did you prepare the surface first by using a clay bar and polish? I agree that newer cars are easier to look after and keep clean but doesn't mean they leave the dealer with a proper detail.

My apprehension about waxing has nothing nothing to do with preparation, G-rig.

If you refer to the second half my post you'll see the issue is not the quality of the wax finish, which glows as expected. Rather it is that the wax, protective barrier though it may be, provides a softer surface than the car's original finish into which metal and other particles can lodge.

That's the theory and after writing the above-mentioned post I did run my hand over my never-waxed car and it certainly seemed to have far fewer of the sharp particles that used to accumulate on the surface of the cars I used to wax. And my car still shines like new after a wash and chamois . . .

[G-rig]

Ah fair enough, sounds a bit strange though. I was mine roughly once a week and never have that problem as the high pressure rinse and hand wash gets most of it off. I may only do a proper wax every 4-6 months but the surface doesn't seem hard to maintain after that.

[Dubya]

If you think leaving your paint unprotected is a good thing then I'm not going to spend too much time trying to persuade you otherwise. Many, many knowledgeable people disagree with you, spending lots of time and money protecting their cars (and they look better afterwards too).

Not trying to weasel here, Greg, but my main point was not so much that leaving a car unwaxed was a good thing, rather that increased particulate uptake (as KRudd might say) appeared to be a downside of waxing.

I used to love the look and effect of wax on my cars but hated feeling so much fallout embedded in the (waxed) surface.

This does not seem to happen as much when wax is not present - but I take Maverick's and your points about protection and the "sacrificial layer".

I just hope I should not have been waxing while I've been waning.