Paint / Fabric protection

[G-rig]

Could be an intersting topic for a detailing forum, there are many experts on there that do it for a living. Agree with Greg could be a bit hard for people to convince you if you're happy with your process.

[Dubya]

Could be an intersting topic for a detailing forum, there are many experts on there that do it for a living.

As Maxwell Smart would ask incredulously:

"A detailing forum?!?!?"

To which the Chief might respond:

"Yes, Max, the Government's asked Control to establish a Top Secret detailing detail - to look into the detail."

[Maverick]

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.

I haven't noticed anything in the surface of the products I use but my car is parked undercover 90% of the time. Some of the sealants you can put on you mix in a 2 part process and they're very hard, this could be an option but they are harder to apply.

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.

Here's some info and photos on clearcoat failure - http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums...ad.php?t=20411

From that same page

"There are a number of things that can cause clearcoat failure.

1. Thin clear / wet sanded too far
2. Frequent sun exposure
3. No protectant (most common reason)
4. Paint has dried out. "

And some info from an Australia forum and photos - http://www.waxforum.com/showthread.php?t=3391

And another - http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...y-archive.html

[Dubya]

Agree with Greg could be a bit hard for people to convince you if you're happy with your process.

Process? What process? When it comes to waxing, I don't do nothin' about nothin'.

As far as convincing me, as Tony Abbott would say, I'm all ears if there's a better way, not that I know why you or Greg would speculate about my ability to be convinced, especially when I was only referring to one aspect and possible downside (particulate accumulation) of waxing, without referring to, let alone dismissing, the potential protective benefits (and have since acknowledged the concept of a sacrificial layer).

But people do tend to jump to conclusions and either not fully read/understand the posts, or draw unsubstantiated inferences.

[Dubya]

"There are a number of things that can cause clearcoat failure.

1. Thin clear / wet sanded too far
2. Frequent sun exposure
3. No protectant (most common reason) []
4. Paint has dried out. "

Okay, at 18 months maybe it's time I applied some Porzelac(?) as I wouldn't want clear coat failure. But I might only coat the roof initially and then give it and the bonnet a smooth-o-gram after a few weeks to see how they compare.

[G-rig]

Sorry I should have said lack of process. I got the impression you thought a wax coating wasn't worth it and better leaving it unprotected, sorry if i didn't interpret that correctly but it's your car so doesn't worry me, but worth getting some more info before you dismiss the idea.

Edit just noticed your last post, sounds a step in the righ direction..

[Maverick]

Okay, at 18 months maybe it's time I applied some Porzelac(?) as I wouldn't want clear coat failure. But I might only coat the roof initially and then give it and the bonnet a smooth-o-gram after a few weeks to see how they compare.

May be worth doing half the bonnet and half the roof instead as it'll make it easier to compare side by side.

I haven't purchased a sealant yet (want to use up existing products rather than having heaps of half used bottles sitting around ) but I did some research and a few of the products on this page are pretty good and were highly recommended on the detailing forums.

two step products (clean surface and than apply)

http://www.waxit.com.au/products.asp?cat=7

Einszett Glanz Wax. (you have to prepare the surface first)
Duragloss #111 CCP. (ditto)

These are one step products
Duragloss #101 Polish & Cleaner.
Duragloss #105 Total Performance Polish.

No matter what product you use even if it's just a wax I'd recommend a product like Duragloss #951 Aqua Wax. You spray it on after rinsing the car and use a microfobre waffle weave towel to dry the car and it gives extra protection. Adds less than 5 minutes to the wash process.

[gregozedobe]

Re the comment about detailing forums, there are quite a few, and they have a whole lot of people with even worse cases of OCD then some of our members

Process? What process? When it comes to waxing, I don't do nothin' about nothin'.

You do have a "process" (albeit a very short, simple, single step one) - Wash

But I might only coat the roof initially and then give it and the bonnet a smooth-o-gram after a few weeks to see how they compare.

May be worth doing half the bonnet and half the roof instead as it'll make it easier to compare side by side.

Mavericks "separate sections on the same panel" is a good idea, as that gives a direct comparison that are exposed to exactly the same conditions. I'd suggest the roof rather than the bonnet, as some parts of the bonnet are subject to more heat from the engine than others.

If you really want to find out whether your theory holds true for sealants as well as waxes and are willing to conduct an experiment on your roof to find out what works on your car, I am willing to supply you some small samples of my 2 part sealant (which is easier to apply than some) to try out. Unfortunately I'm still waiting for my bottles of 2nd stage sealant to arrive (there was a world-wide shortage for a while, and shipping to me must have been done in a slow boat that was going from Canada to Australia via China )

If we can get some other kind VWW soul/s to supply a small sample of a good quality wax and you can also get hold of a decent All in One product like AutoGlym SRP (I think that is the one ?) then you could do a pretty good comparison with what happens in the conditions your car is exposed to. Then you will KNOW what you prefer, and it will be useful info for people who are not sure what product they would like to use (or nothing at all, as that will be part of the comparo).

Are you up for it ?

[Corey_R]

use a microfobre waffle weave towel to dry the car

Speaking of Microfibre Waffle-weave drying towels, I've been looking for one of these for ages. Meguiar's have their Water Magnet Microfiber Drying Towel which a lot of people recommend on international forums, and I like the Meguiar's brand, but the Australian distributor refuses to bring in that particular product.

Any other Waffle-weave drying towel I've seen in Australia is from some australian-only brand or some no-name brand.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

[Maverick]

Speaking of Microfibre Waffle-weave drying towels, I've been looking for one of these for ages. Meguiar's have their Water Magnet Microfiber Drying Towel which a lot of people recommend on international forums, and I like the Meguiar's brand, but the Australian distributor refuses to bring in that particular product.

Any other Waffle-weave drying towel I've seen in Australia is from some australian-only brand or some no-name brand.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

I've been using the big dark blue one from waxit and it's been great, need to get another one and have been looking at ebay etc for packs of them but postage is the killer.

From memory it's around $30 and 60cms x 90cms.

[Swallowtail]

Joel at ZAS sells them:

http://www.zas.com.au/browse.php?brand=-1&keyword=waffle&imageField.x=30&imageField.y=9

I've got one and it's fine.

[Corey_R]

Thanks guys, I'll check them out

[Dubya]

Are you up for it ?

I appreciate the offer but probably not as, amongst other things, my Golf doesn't have that many square metres of paint to experiment with. Your Transporter on the other hand . . .

(I also had a bad experience with a cutting compound I used to get some stains off the silver metallic paint - bad move - I ended up leaving quite a few blotches on the roof where the metallic finish was rubbed away (d'oh). Fortunately, the roof paint had a defect (mottling on the leading edge) and it was resprayed under warranty.)

But I will try and wax the roof and see how particulate build-up compares with that on the the bonnet. I think they're sufficiently proximate to allow a comparison (and I don't really like the idea of half-polishing a panel).

[gregozedobe]

I appreciate the offer but probably not as, amongst other things, my Golf doesn't have that many square metres of paint to experiment with. Your Transporter on the other hand . . .

Fair enough, I don't fancy the idea of the patchwork quilt look on either of my vehicles as well, but then I'm happy with my chosen process/products.

BTW the transporter roof is a very bad subject for this sort of experiment : It is mostly covered in a whole lot of narrow longitudinal ridges and valleys which are an absolute PITA to machine polish, plus the whole thing is so high up I have to do it perched on a step ladder My Octy will be much easier to polish as it has a much smoother body shape (less sharp creases and ridges all over the place, much smaller area, and it is all accessible without needing a ladder

[G-rig]

What some people dont realize is that wax isn't just a protection coating, it also brings out the shine. Even with this spray wax i'm using, you can really see the depth and all the sparkles in the paint, looks awesome in the sun and pretty sure it's better than when it was delivered new to me.