Exterior Paint Protection
02-19-13, 07:20 PM
#1
Rookie
Thread Starter
Exterior Paint Protection
Hi All,
I haven't been able to find any good threads about most recommended exterior/interior protection products.
I was wondering what are some great soaps, sealants, waxes some of you use to keep your IS looking great.
I'm having a bit of a problem with mine. I have '09 in beautiful starfire pearl which I have noticed is gathering quite a bit of industrial fallout. I used a clay bar in the fall and then coated it with a wax but the fallout is coming back pretty bad. I think they were both "Mothers" products, which left the car looking great but didn't remove all of the fallout.
I got a guy in town who is incredible with car detailing but is really expensive. Here is a link to one of the products he uses. It's about $250.
http://www.carpro-us.com/cquartz-fin...ce-protection/
I just really want to get rid of the fallout ...
Any recommendations?
I haven't been able to find any good threads about most recommended exterior/interior protection products.
I was wondering what are some great soaps, sealants, waxes some of you use to keep your IS looking great.
I'm having a bit of a problem with mine. I have '09 in beautiful starfire pearl which I have noticed is gathering quite a bit of industrial fallout. I used a clay bar in the fall and then coated it with a wax but the fallout is coming back pretty bad. I think they were both "Mothers" products, which left the car looking great but didn't remove all of the fallout.
I got a guy in town who is incredible with car detailing but is really expensive. Here is a link to one of the products he uses. It's about $250.
http://www.carpro-us.com/cquartz-fin...ce-protection/
I just really want to get rid of the fallout ...
Any recommendations?
02-20-13, 05:19 AM
#3
I went to my detail shop and asked the same question (minus the nuclear fallout zone problem you have), and the manager hooked me up with what his crew uses on cars. I believe he orders it from california, and im not sure there is even a brand name to it. for about 150, i got a few bottles of stuff: wash, polish, wax, leather conditioner, ect.. my point is, get what the detail shop uses, and it shouldnt be toooo expensive if you find the right stuff, or a generous detail guy. your car will look awesome if you get the right product.
02-20-13, 08:10 AM
#5
You might want to check out the Automotive Detail & Care section of the forum. Or look at detail dedicated forums.
If you have a lot of embedded containments on your car that are not removed unless you clay bar them, you must live/work in a very polluted city.
The link you provided is CarPro C. Quartz. It's a more permanent solution than sealants. I guess think of it as almost a second, very thin layer, of clear coat. I do know other options are 22ple and Optimum Opti Coat 2.0.
Is your clay bar removing all of the containments? After clay barring your car, use a plastic baggy on your hand and run it across the paint. Does it still feel bumpy/scratchy? If so you most likely need a more intensive clay bar, since most "over the counter" clay bars, such as Meguiars and Mothers are quite fine grade. However, if you need a more aggressive clay bar, you will most likely end up marring your paint, which will only be removed with polishing.
As for just telling you what are good products... that's a whole 'nother post.. and also depends on what you price range is!
If you have a lot of embedded containments on your car that are not removed unless you clay bar them, you must live/work in a very polluted city.
The link you provided is CarPro C. Quartz. It's a more permanent solution than sealants. I guess think of it as almost a second, very thin layer, of clear coat. I do know other options are 22ple and Optimum Opti Coat 2.0.
Is your clay bar removing all of the containments? After clay barring your car, use a plastic baggy on your hand and run it across the paint. Does it still feel bumpy/scratchy? If so you most likely need a more intensive clay bar, since most "over the counter" clay bars, such as Meguiars and Mothers are quite fine grade. However, if you need a more aggressive clay bar, you will most likely end up marring your paint, which will only be removed with polishing.
As for just telling you what are good products... that's a whole 'nother post.. and also depends on what you price range is!
02-20-13, 09:14 AM
#6
^Good advice!
Another additional step to removing industrial fallout is a product like Iron-X. Iron X reacts with embedded iron contaminates and dissolves them from the paint. It is a pH neutral chemical and is completely safe for your paint. This will make the claying process much quicker and easier.
If you are interested in a permanent coating (like CQuartz or 22ple) then your paint will need to be fully corrected (polished) before application. I would highly recommend having this done to your vehicle as it will greatly enhance the look of your vehicle and protect your vehicle much better.
I've got 22ple on my car... it's great stuff.
All of these things can be done on your own if you would like to invest in the proper tools and equipment instead of paying your local detailer to do it for you. Dual Action buffers are extremely safe, even in the hands of a first timer. The risks of damaging your paint or slim to none, even if you're using a very aggressive compound.
Just to give you an idea of the amount of work that would go into a process like this: Wash Wheels and Tires, Wash Car using the 2 bucket method, dry car+wheels and tires with quality microfiber, spray iron x onto surface of car - allow time to dwell - rinse clean, clay the entire vehicle, tape off all trim etc etc, perform a test spot to determine the least aggressive correction process that will work for your vehicle (lexus has softer paint, so you don't need to be too aggressive to remove the majority of the defects, ie swirls and scratches), carry out your correction method on the entire car, Wipe down with IPA, CarPro Eraser, etc to ensure there are no polishing oils remaining on the surface, begin to apply the coating as instructed..... if you are not going to apply a coating, you would now proceed with a glaze, sealant, and then wax..... Finish up with tire dressing, exhaust polish, etc and your car is now completely detailed.... at least the exterior! Easily a 10-15 hour process for a first timer.
As Karasha suggested - head on over to the Automotive Detail section of the CL forums with questions like these!
Another additional step to removing industrial fallout is a product like Iron-X. Iron X reacts with embedded iron contaminates and dissolves them from the paint. It is a pH neutral chemical and is completely safe for your paint. This will make the claying process much quicker and easier.
If you are interested in a permanent coating (like CQuartz or 22ple) then your paint will need to be fully corrected (polished) before application. I would highly recommend having this done to your vehicle as it will greatly enhance the look of your vehicle and protect your vehicle much better.
I've got 22ple on my car... it's great stuff.
All of these things can be done on your own if you would like to invest in the proper tools and equipment instead of paying your local detailer to do it for you. Dual Action buffers are extremely safe, even in the hands of a first timer. The risks of damaging your paint or slim to none, even if you're using a very aggressive compound.
Just to give you an idea of the amount of work that would go into a process like this: Wash Wheels and Tires, Wash Car using the 2 bucket method, dry car+wheels and tires with quality microfiber, spray iron x onto surface of car - allow time to dwell - rinse clean, clay the entire vehicle, tape off all trim etc etc, perform a test spot to determine the least aggressive correction process that will work for your vehicle (lexus has softer paint, so you don't need to be too aggressive to remove the majority of the defects, ie swirls and scratches), carry out your correction method on the entire car, Wipe down with IPA, CarPro Eraser, etc to ensure there are no polishing oils remaining on the surface, begin to apply the coating as instructed..... if you are not going to apply a coating, you would now proceed with a glaze, sealant, and then wax..... Finish up with tire dressing, exhaust polish, etc and your car is now completely detailed.... at least the exterior! Easily a 10-15 hour process for a first timer.
As Karasha suggested - head on over to the Automotive Detail section of the CL forums with questions like these!
Last edited by zmcgovern4; 02-20-13 at 09:21 AM.
02-20-13, 09:14 AM
#7
Anyone driving a white car needs to invest in some Iron X (500ml spray can do your car about 4-5 times). Clay only shaves off the fallout on your car but anything that is embedded in the clear (relatively soft on our cars) stays there and eventually works it's way down to the metal which can result in rust. Speaking of, do you see little orange or dark brown spots on your paint? That's not your metal rusting (yet) but the fallout that's embedded in the paint.
Iron X dissolves iron particles which means it can get at the fallout that remains even after you clay the paint.
There are other decontamination products out there but IX is the easiest and safest to use IMO. Once you've thoroughly washed, dried, IX'd, rinsed, clayed, then polished your paint to perfection, then coat it with something like opticoat (mentioned above).
Once it's cured, it will be harder than the original clear, making it harder for future fallout to embed itself into the paint. If you do look into a coating then definitely decontaminate your paint, otherwise you're just sealing in the fallout under the coating. Not such a big deal with waxes and sealants but moreso with the more permanent products coming on the market nowadays...
Happy detailing.
edit: I see that z types faster than me... great minds at least
Iron X dissolves iron particles which means it can get at the fallout that remains even after you clay the paint.
There are other decontamination products out there but IX is the easiest and safest to use IMO. Once you've thoroughly washed, dried, IX'd, rinsed, clayed, then polished your paint to perfection, then coat it with something like opticoat (mentioned above).
Once it's cured, it will be harder than the original clear, making it harder for future fallout to embed itself into the paint. If you do look into a coating then definitely decontaminate your paint, otherwise you're just sealing in the fallout under the coating. Not such a big deal with waxes and sealants but moreso with the more permanent products coming on the market nowadays...
Happy detailing.
edit: I see that z types faster than me... great minds at least
Last edited by embolism; 02-20-13 at 09:22 AM.
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02-20-13, 09:31 AM
#8
02-20-13, 12:06 PM
#10
Rookie
Thread Starter
This is great everyone. I really appreciate the comments. The detailer I spoke to does in fact use the Iron-X stuff and a whole assortment of others. I never realized that protecting a car is such a damn science!!
Thanks again!
Thanks again!
02-20-13, 01:04 PM
#11
Here is a general rule of thumb that you also need to keep in mind...
If you prefer using a synthetic sealant to protect your finish - apply these 2-3 times per year.
If you prefer using a traditional carnauba wax - apply these every 4-8 weeks!
If you do not want to bother with this... invest in a permanent coating! (22ple, opti-coat, CQuartz, etc)
02-20-13, 01:24 PM
#12
C quartz finest is the latest coating from Carpro and is not available to the general public. If he's willing to do it all for $250 then I'd jump all over that. More than likely, you'd be charged $450 for prep and polishing, then another $250 for the coating.
If you are willing to learn and spend some money on tools and products, then you can do it yourself. the resources are out there to learn if you are so inclined.
Where are you in Ontario? I'm in the downtown Toronto area.
If you are willing to learn and spend some money on tools and products, then you can do it yourself. the resources are out there to learn if you are so inclined.
Where are you in Ontario? I'm in the downtown Toronto area.
02-20-13, 07:30 PM
#13
Rookie
Thread Starter
C quartz finest is the latest coating from Carpro and is not available to the general public. If he's willing to do it all for $250 then I'd jump all over that. More than likely, you'd be charged $450 for prep and polishing, then another $250 for the coating.
If you are willing to learn and spend some money on tools and products, then you can do it yourself. the resources are out there to learn if you are so inclined.
Where are you in Ontario? I'm in the downtown Toronto area.
If you are willing to learn and spend some money on tools and products, then you can do it yourself. the resources are out there to learn if you are so inclined.
Where are you in Ontario? I'm in the downtown Toronto area.
I'm in Windsor. It's 250 for product alone. He mentioned minimum 10hrs labour at about $30/h. Total would be in the $600 range. He does a bunch of different stages of decontamination, polishing, etc. I just don't know if it's just a gimmick. I'm willing to buy in as long as it's worth it
02-21-13, 06:45 AM
#15
I'm in Windsor. It's 250 for product alone. He mentioned minimum 10hrs labour at about $30/h. Total would be in the $600 range. He does a bunch of different stages of decontamination, polishing, etc. I just don't know if it's just a gimmick. I'm willing to buy in as long as it's worth it
If you intend to keep the car for a long time, and just want to drive it through the touchless every now and again, without worrying about your wax being washed away, then get the coating.
If it's just a lease, or you'll be replacing it soon, then don't coat it. You won't get more b/c it has a coating. Most ppl don't understand the benefits and will be skeptical when you tell them. Some ppl just won't pay extra for it b/c they want something for nothing.
Finally, if you enjoy washing your car, and trying different products, then just order some IX, duragloss 601, 501, and collinite 845, then shine up your ride. You probably don't have a machine but if you go the DIY route, a DA like the Griots Garage is an invaluable tool.
Last edited by embolism; 02-21-13 at 06:49 AM.