Best way to protect the paintwork on a new car

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › Best way to protect the paintwork on a new car

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7773 posts

Uber Geek

#1396580 29-Sep-2015 13:15

Every week give it wash with a wash-n-wax product.

Low pressure wash only.

Don't use a brush (nylon bristles scratch a clear coat)

Just use a soft clean sponge or cloth.

Rinse generously and chamois dry.

Keep a trigger bottle of water and a soft cloth in the car. Any bird poo, bugs etc remove as soon as you see it.

Once a month give it a proper wax and shine. Always wax and shine in the shade.

Agree that Maguires products are great. Turtle is OK and much cheaper.

Personally I avoid machine buffing. It's too easy to do damage.

Mike

nakedmolerat

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#1396583 29-Sep-2015 13:21

Whatever you do, don't bother paying for some sort of chemical spray to protect the paint. It's pointless.

The beat way to protect it would be-
- garage/covered parking
- always wash after petrol spill
- regular car wash
- if there are bird poos, clean them thoroughly with lots of water

kiwirock

685 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1396603 29-Sep-2015 13:40

coffeebaron: Doing a bit of rural work, my car picks up a nice layer of dirt and mud, thus locking the paint work in :)

Good way to keep moisture on the pain work after a raining day :o)

I just wax twice a year (not that nasty wash and wax combo stuff - this ruins wipers and smears windows). Although if you use a clear coat sealer the dirt almost washes off between clean ups.

Make sure you clean out the wheel arches and sills. Check drain holes in doors etc... are clear.

Not all cars have an under body sealer either so I wouldn't power wash underneath a vehicle unless you want tar to take some paint with it.

I've had my current car for 14 years now and wax is all I've used. The visible paint work is still in good condition. Where there's no clear coat or wax there's surface rust on the chasis. So good old wax has looked after the paint work fine. The car's now 19 years old and it's been baked with hot sun and near a salty beach. The clear coat still hasn't peeled.

I wash the car with AmorAll basic car wash every few weeks. When I got to wax the car (twice a year) then I power wash all the nooks and cranny's and remove the wheel arch guards and clean the sills out. I then towel dry the car. I put their liquid carnauba wax on it in the shade and leave it to dry for an hour or two then lightly buff it off. A couple of times for special occasions I've used a clear coat sealant/polish to make it look real shinny otherwise wax has done the job.

I also put AmorAll protectant on the door/window seals and dash board, and spray the wheels and black trim on the outside with cheapo Autohaus Tyre Shine (silicon oil spray). It lasts for weeks and the dirt just falls off the tires when rinsed.

When you get a service ask for the best or second best oil suitable for it and it'll go the distance. I have 218,000k's on a synthetic (changed every 5,000k's or 6 months) on my old bomb but the engine has never had anything other than belts/pulleys and water pump done. A mate had the same model, he's got noisy lifters and leaking windows.

6FIEND

774 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#1396605 29-Sep-2015 13:40

There is plenty of good advice available here:
http://prestige.finishing.school.nz

Have a read through a few of the write-ups in their portfolio and you should get a reasonable idea.

Obviously, they are focused more on machine polishing and removing swirls and scratches from cars but the basics (to avoid getting them in the first place) are also covered.
Key points:
1) Sponges drag the dirt across the paint which causes minor scratches that accumulate over time. Use something with a deep pile like lambswool or microfiber to minimise this.
2) Use two buckets of water. One with clean soapy water, the other to rinse the dirt off the mitt/sponge after washing each panel.
3) Apply a decent wax when it's clean. (This will last for a variable amount of time, depending on how the car is stored, how often it's washed, and what is used to wash it.) Eg. The "brushless" automatic carwashes use a relatively harsh shampoo solution that will strip a wax coat in no time.

No wax or sealant or nanounobtanium will stop stone chips, deep scratches or trolley dings... (you'd need a physical covering for that, as mentioned above)

The rest is all about how OCD you want to get :-)

clevedon

1059 posts

Uber Geek

#1396641 29-Sep-2015 14:53

MikeB4: I wash and rinse small areas at a time starting from the bottom of the car working my way to the roof, this allows the dirt to easily rinse off over the clean non stick surface.

It is universally recommended to always start washing at the top of the vehicle and work your way down.

bazzer

3438 posts

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#1396643 29-Sep-2015 15:00

clevedon:
MikeB4: I wash and rinse small areas at a time starting from the bottom of the car working my way to the roof, this allows the dirt to easily rinse off over the clean non stick surface.

It is universally recommended to always start washing at the top of the vehicle and work your way down.

I guess not "universally".

MadEngineer

4271 posts

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#1396650 29-Sep-2015 15:12

I use a spray on wax every couple of weeks, works great.

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

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DravidDavid

1907 posts

Uber Geek

#1396652 29-Sep-2015 15:15

bazzer:
clevedon:
MikeB4: I wash and rinse small areas at a time starting from the bottom of the car working my way to the roof, this allows the dirt to easily rinse off over the clean non stick surface.

It is universally recommended to always start washing at the top of the vehicle and work your way down.

I guess not "universally".

How do you do it?

bazzer

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#1396678 29-Sep-2015 15:43

DravidDavid:
bazzer:
clevedon:
MikeB4: I wash and rinse small areas at a time starting from the bottom of the car working my way to the roof, this allows the dirt to easily rinse off over the clean non stick surface.

It is universally recommended to always start washing at the top of the vehicle and work your way down.

I guess not "universally".

How do you do it?

Bottom up. You?

MikeB4

18435 posts

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#1396682 29-Sep-2015 15:51

When I worked for Repco the company who made our products demonstrated the correct way and showed how the dirt flowed off the vehicle. That was, hose the car all over first to rinse off big dirt and to wet the sticky dirt then starting at the bottom
and working up the dirt flows off the vehicle better when worked bottom to the top as the dirty water is moving over clean surfaces with less restriction. When finished the was cycle hose the entire car again with a solid broad stream of water, not jet and not spray
but the soaker setting or no attachment on the hose.

Jase2985

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#1396690 29-Sep-2015 15:59

did they also show you how to use the 2 bucket method? if not i would take their advice with a grain of salt.

alasta

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#1396693 29-Sep-2015 16:08

I am one of the Geekzone Mazda3 club, and when I bought mine a month ago the dealer offered me the Duraseal protection. I don't know how effective it is, but since I don't have a garage and it's difficult to get my car within range of a hose I found it appealing to be able to wipe the car clean with a microfibre cloth and spray solution. I think cost about $700 to have it applied.

A full set of care products was supplied including a waxing solution which apparently should be used when washing the car properly every three to four months. For that purpose I will probably go to a self service car washing facility.

As others have mentioned always wash in the shade when the panels are cool, and you'll find that the handbook provides a bit of guidance.

alasta

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#1396695 29-Sep-2015 16:09

My link about didn't work; www.tfgroup.co.nz is the site.

nzkiwiman

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#1397290 30-Sep-2015 12:31

Having never really bothered with washing my car before, I find I am washing my ex-demo Mazda 3 at least fortnightly (if not weekly)
I have found if I do not use a chamois to wipe it down afterwards, it looks even dirtier than before I started washing.

Somehow I have managed to scratch the bonnet in two places using a sponge/chamois - not really sure how that happened
Mildly annoying but I get over it :-)

MikeAqua

7773 posts

Uber Geek

#1397298 30-Sep-2015 12:44

Grit on the sponge/chamois is often the culprit.

nzkiwiman:

Somehow I have managed to scratch the bonnet in two places using a sponge/chamois - not really sure how that happened
Mildly annoying but I get over it :-)

Mike

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