paint protection

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I just bought my first vehicle on Friday. And of course, got hit with the dealer trying to make money. I declined all of them. One of them paint and interior protection. Of course, I like to do my best in protecting my paint the best I can, but didn't want to spend $800 doing it. Besides washing bird poop off as soon as possible, what are some of the easiest cheap things I could put on my paint. Yes, I understand there isn't any thing out there that will do near as good of what the expensive professional services offers.
 
like already said remove the bird bombs and rock salt in the winter.

find a wax or sealant that you like to use and keep with it.

a good sealant like the klasse mentioned could be applied twice a year for protection.

get a good wash mitt and towel and keep the sealed surface clean , especially in the Spring with the pollen .
 
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Just starting out the key is to not put scratches in the fresh paint.

Learn the "two bucket" method where you wash the car, then dip and rinse the sponge several times in the "dirty water bucket" then pick up some clean soapy water from the clean bucket. Buy a few MF wash sponges, if you drop one, throw it in the bucket and use the alternate. Also use a good car wash soap (Meguiars Gold class or ultimate) so you dont strip the wax that is there. Use only the dosage they recommend and not more.

I also use the Absorber drying cloth. use it like "shammy" where you squeeze it out the drape it over the car and drag it over the wet spots. It doesn't get it 100% dry but the small film of water left evaporates to nothing. it MUST be wet before you use it. it stays kind of damp in the plastic tube it ships in.


I have Klasse and find it finicky to polish off. When I have time to do a good detail I will pull out the Klasse but most of the time I use Mother's or Meguiars wax from walmart. Much easier apply and remove. Just keep it off the black plastic trim.

One last thing to consider is a clay kit. I like either Meguiars or Clay Magic. Claying doesn't do much for the shine but will make you paint very smooth to the touch. Mosquitos will slide off the finish.
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You clay after washing.

I do in this order.

wash,
rinse,
clay,
rinse,
dry,
wax.

Between waxings its wash, dry and maybe a quick detailer/spray wax.

If you like REALLY tight beads of water falling off your car, try Colinite 845 insulator wax.

If you like your windows beading, a step up from RainX is Aquapel by ppg. Last longer and doesnt streak with good wipers (Valeo, Bosh, RainX)
 
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a high end car detail place will do a ceramic coating on your car for half of that 800.

or look at zaino.
its less of the materials cost, more the labor

if you have low foglights you can get headlight armor on those. you can also ppf using 3m door edge film on your door edges yourself for like $15 from Amazon.

finslly interior, replacing carpet mats with liners or allweather is s persinal choice as well as a good sunshade
 
Congratulations on the new car. Good advice is given here. I've never used any sealants or ceramic coatings but found that even regular application of a quality carnauba wax after properly washing and occasional clay as danez-yoda pointed out maintains a show room finish on my cars even after decades. There are lots of great videos on youtube. They key is really keeping on the maintenance of the finish before damage occurs so you don't have to resort to compounding agents etc. to restore a neglected finish down the line. Don't forget the wheels too!

Other tips for keeping that new car looking great would be avoid car dings by parking away from other cars in parking lots (if you are able to); invest in some paint protection film professionally applied to at least the hood and fenders (consider bumper, headlights, leading edge of roof, roof pillars); quality plastic mats like custom fit WeatherTech.

Enjoy the new ride!
 
Unless you want to go with a high-tech coating, a paint sealant is the way to go. The quality now rivals wax in shine and is much longer-lasting. I use Menzerna/Jescar Power Lock, it's very good, the reviews speak for themselves.

With that said, nothing goes farther than good wash practices like the two bucket method with grit guards and being mindful of how you dry the finish to decrease micro abrasion.
 
I really like Klasse, deep wet look shine. So slick that nothing can really stick to it. Best to do 2 coats 24 hrs apart. Apply very thin.
One of the main things is never use a car wash. Only hand wash, as other posters said.
 
Some of the advises suggest that the car owns you rather than the other way around. Just wash regularly by hand or touch-less wash place and seal once or twice a year with a good OTC like Mothers/Nufinish or other name brand sealant. My vehicles are sold at 8-10 years and look very very good. Ed
 
Originally Posted By: Stevie
I really like Klasse, deep wet look shine. So slick that nothing can really stick to it. Best to do 2 coats 24 hrs apart. Apply very thin.
One of the main things is never use a car wash. Only hand wash, as other posters said.


I'm with you, my fleet will never see a car wash of any sort. A good friend just two weeks ago took his Sportage to the car wash. Paid the fee, the attendant took over, gave him the car when it was done and he drove home. The following day he noticed damage to the passenger front light assembly. He went back to the car wash and spoke to the manager, they have video cameras. On the camera it showed the attendant leaving the vehicle, and it running into a fence. He said nothing, probably left it in Drive....... That is a slim chance, freak accident, whatever, but the scratches etc. associated with a car wash, even touchless aren't worth the hassle for me either.........
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I would have gotten a clear bra on the front bumper before the car moved out of the parking lot. Long term clear bra of some sort on the bumper, hood, side mirrors is the way to go. It's self sealing. Sealants and waxes aren't going to stop that dump truck doing 80 on the highway dropping random rocks everywhere. Nano ceramic is the way to go with everything these days. If you don't mind waxing your car every month, a good wax is fine. In my experience most people wax a car like once a year or every few years which isn't great.

Again a front bumper is gonna go through [censored] with one trip on the highway, especially in the summer. If I knew the installer was gonna do an amazing job and apply it correctly. I would pay $500 for a front bumper clear bra. $800 the dealer quoted depending on the service was probably a good deal I'm. Your protecting an investment. When I buy a used car, the front bumper is the first exterior part I look at. I had my front bumper painted as within a week, it looked horrible and the previous owner said he was anal about waxing, lol.
 
+1 to paint protection film. I had the hood on my new Corolla entirely covered (it was not much more than just a partial film and doesn't have a "edge" as a result) as well as bumper, mirrors, headlights (I think it will actually stop yellowing on them), entire fenders, pillars and leading edge of roof. I've done that with every new car I've purchased (although not always as extensive) and it is a fantastic product. I have some nicks on the film but can only imagine what those rock chips would look like if the film wasn't there. If done right, you can't even tell it is there and you can wax it too as it has a clear coat on top! Something to think about.

Originally Posted By: OilSwag
I would have gotten a clear bra on the front bumper before the car moved out of the parking lot. Long term clear bra of some sort on the bumper, hood, side mirrors is the way to go. It's self sealing. Sealants and waxes aren't going to stop that dump truck doing 80 on the highway dropping random rocks everywhere. Nano ceramic is the way to go with everything these days. If you don't mind waxing your car every month, a good wax is fine. In my experience most people wax a car like once a year or every few years which isn't great.

Again a front bumper is gonna go through [censored] with one trip on the highway, especially in the summer. If I knew the installer was gonna do an amazing job and apply it correctly. I would pay $500 for a front bumper clear bra. $800 the dealer quoted depending on the service was probably a good deal I'm. Your protecting an investment. When I buy a used car, the front bumper is the first exterior part I look at. I had my front bumper painted as within a week, it looked horrible and the previous owner said he was anal about waxing, lol.
 
Ok, back again. The dealer uses Xzilon. I am learning what they say about that.
 
Originally Posted By: NH73
Ok, back again. The dealer uses Xzilon. I am learning what they say about that.


Maybe it's just me, but after a Google search it looks just like a dealership snake oil sale, of a lousy product. I'd avoid it.
 
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: NH73
Ok, back again. The dealer uses Xzilon. I am learning what they say about that.


Maybe it's just me, but after a Google search it looks just like a dealership snake oil sale, of a lousy product. I'd avoid it.
Yes, I have read some of the reviews and it seems it has a lot of negative reviews. It seems its either an inferior product or dealers lack of quality control or both. Overall, it seems that its best you should go to an independent detailer or and use Ceramic Pro at one of the independent guys.
 
Xzilon is just a high-quality sealant. I used the leftovers on my own car when I worked for a dealer.

The best part about Xzilon is the warranty that comes with it. Another good thing about it was the fact that a Xzilon application necessitated a full detail (DA with a mild polish) before application vs just a wash + wax for delivery.
 
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