Brand New Car Paint Care

[Stinky Rooster]

First up, its not a skyline, so sorry about that.

Now, I am currently going through the joyful experience of buying my first ever brand new car, and after knocking back all the offers of "paint protection" from the dealer, I am looking to get a proffesional detailer in to give it some serious waxing and stuff.

Now, if you read the previous paragraph, you will have correctly assumed that I know next to f**k all about this kind of stuff and was hoping for some advice. If you could go back in time to when your car was brand new, what would you do/use to make the paint last as long as possible, and stay nice and shiny?

Oh, and before anyone asks, its a new focus

kgo

[89 GTS-4]

First up, its not a skyline, so sorry about that.

Now, I am currently going through the joyful experience of buying my first ever brand new car, and after knocking back all the offers of "paint protection" from the dealer, I am looking to get a proffesional detailer in to give it some serious waxing and stuff.

Now, if you read the previous paragraph, you will have correctly assumed that I know next to f**k all about this kind of stuff and was hoping for some advice. If you could go back in time to when your car was brand new, what would you do/use to make the paint last as long as possible, and stay nice and shiny?

Oh, and before anyone asks, its a new focus

kgo

Hi Mate,

If you can only access off the shelf type products and dont mind spending a little bit ($50-$80 from memory) try Zymol Creame which you can apply by hand. Its pretty awesome stuff. I used to get it from Autobarn when I worked there. Grab some microfibre cloths for removing the wax after applying. And also try washing with a non caustic detergent so as not to remove the wax when washing.

You should only have to repeat wax every few months and your paint should stay in great condition.

Did you get a deisel Titanium? I recently attended a Ford Motor company drive day through work and drove the diesel, nice car.

[SS8_Gohan]

get..

- 2 x MF wash mitts

- 1 x waffle weave drying towel

- ph neutral body shampoo

- Clay bar

- clay lube (can use mix water/body shampoo)

- Sealant

Tell the stealership not to do any 'pre-delivery' hacking of the car, or whatever they pass off as detailing.

With brand new paint, i wouldn't bother with polishing (that's a whole lot more gear to buy as well), the paint should hopefully be fresh enough. Just clay it to give a good clean base to put the sealant down and you should be good for a bout 1 years worth of paint protection (with a good sealant).

Then either QD after each wash, layer more sealant or top with a carnauba wax (with no cleaners)

www.finalinspection.com.au - everything you need and the best stuff, and they probably do kits as well, so you can buy as a combo.

[89 GTS-4]

If you have to clay bar a brand new car, your dealer should be shot. But good thing to have around for future reference.

[Miguelone]

If you have to clay bar a brand new car, your dealer should be shot. But good thing to have around for future reference.

Think of all the shit that falls on the car when it's being assembled and transported.

[89 GTS-4]

Think of all the shit that falls on the car when it's being assembled and transported.

If its not done at pre delivery prior to the consumer receiving it, not cool. Consumer should never have to do it themselves

[SS8_Gohan]

And you'd rather the stealership 'detail' it before delivery?

3 new cars in 2 years, clayed them all, all managed to discolour the claybar. They might give them a wash before delivery, but i doubt much more will happen other than that. And yes, if you include all the contamination that even a new car is subject too, a clay is very much necessary.

And you're forgetting also the LSP stage, why would you not prepare the surface as best as possible before putting a sealant or wax done? Be madness not to prep the surface properly.

[89 GTS-4]

And you'd rather the stealership 'detail' it before delivery?

3 new cars in 2 years, clayed them all, all managed to discolour the claybar. They might give them a wash before delivery, but i doubt much more will happen other than that. And yes, if you include all the contamination that even a new car is subject too, a clay is very much necessary.

And you're forgetting also the LSP stage, why would you not prepare the surface as best as possible before putting a sealant or wax done? Be madness not to prep the surface properly.

I hear you mate, I used to PD cars for a living and would clay block prior to paint protection if I had too, I guess I just expect dealers to do the same, but reality is you are right and majority of the time it doesnt get done. Every brands importation process is different and the cars are subject to different conditions prior to delivery. High turnover vehicles are obviously better as they dont sit around so long.

[Jonno34]

Weelll I work at a car detailer, and we do the "details" for new cars at dealerships and let me tell you. its lolworthy.

we just pull the seat covers off, quick wash and dry with crappy products, tyre shine, mini vac and done. charge you $100 and you got what you could do yourself in 30 mins and for $100 you could go buy yourself a whole bunch of better products.

we definitely dont clay block them, in fact, my boss doesnt even understand what a clay bar is for.

i agree with SS8 gohan, clay block the entire car and seal and enjoy

PM me if you want im in perth and ive been detailing cars from home as an extra to working part time at my car detailer in osb park

i have all of FI's stuff and waxits stuff as well and i can run you through all the products you need and how to use em - i have em all at my place! just come by and we can have a chit chat about all the different stuff I use

SS8 gohan - doesnt body shampoo degrade the clay when you use it?

I dont know if PPBS does, but the wash we use at work definitely does, the clay ended up crumbling in my hands after it.

not the best considering how expensive clay bars are! never tried it at home myself, i just buy lube from FI - tis cheap

and btw OP congrats on the new car!

[SS8_Gohan]

the lubricity on PPBS is great, so i would use only a minimal amount to a decent amount water in a spray pack as a lube. The 3M blue clay i was using before FI stuff held up ok, it did start to crumble but that was after a lot of use. I'd probably would say you'd be turfing the claybar (or that particular piece of the bar) before it started to become useless.

I do use the FI lube now with the FI clay, but i use to do the PPBS/water solution as i had issues with the first iterations of the FI lube, didn't provide enough lubricity. But got the new version, and it's spot on.

89-GTS4: i would say expecting a stealership to clay a car before delivery of their own volition (if not sub-contracting) is expecting a lot of them - but it doesn't matter what marque it is though, should see how some of the pre-delivery 'detailed' lambo's have turned out, yikes! Seen pics of Lambo and Astin pre-delivery details and it's not pretty. I'm sure there are some exceptions to the rule, but on the whole, you'd be a brave person to ask a stealership to prepare your new car for you.

We've always taken them straight to FI or done the clay/sealant myself... gotta get some protection on the paint straight-away.

Oh... i'm sure you guys know about the mark-up on the 'paint protection packs'... :eek:

[89 GTS-4]

the lubricity on PPBS is great, so i would use only a minimal amount to a decent amount water in a spray pack as a lube. The 3M blue clay i was using before FI stuff held up ok, it did start to crumble but that was after a lot of use. I'd probably would say you'd be turfing the claybar (or that particular piece of the bar) before it started to become useless.

I do use the FI lube now with the FI clay, but i use to do the PPBS/water solution as i had issues with the first iterations of the FI lube, didn't provide enough lubricity. But got the new version, and it's spot on.

89-GTS4: i would say expecting a stealership to clay a car before delivery of their own volition (if not sub-contracting) is expecting a lot of them - but it doesn't matter what marque it is though, should see how some of the pre-delivery 'detailed' lambo's have turned out, yikes! Seen pics of Lambo and Astin pre-delivery details and it's not pretty. I'm sure there are some exceptions to the rule, but on the whole, you'd be a brave person to ask a stealership to prepare your new car for you.

We've always taken them straight to FI or done the clay/sealant myself... gotta get some protection on the paint straight-away.

Oh... i'm sure you guys know about the mark-up on the 'paint protection packs'... :eek:

Ive worked in dealerships a lot of my career, the paint protection is an absolute scam, they make more on the PP than the car itself, when I was doing it (a long time ago I might add) I took a lot of pride in it so if it needed clay barring I just did it. I pre delivered Audis and Jags and stuff so it was kinda important

[SS8_Gohan]

yeah, you'd think the better the marque, the more you could trust that sort of thing (detail) but it seems to purely just come down to who they've got, and with yourself, the customers were lucky someone actually gave a damn with their new car that cost them tens of thousands.

[Jonno34]

my workplace details for Holden, Mitsubishi and Audi although we rarely get them.

sadly they all get the same treatment. I try to do the best job i can on all the cars passed to me, it takes me longer per car but i just feel bad sending out a car using that kind of product - autosmart

I used to bring in my own MF's and some of my own products from home, got much better results, but times are tough these days and I just cant afford it anymore lol my boss pays me terribly.

and yeap love the new FI lube cant wait for dark matter to be released

[Stinky Rooster]

Wow. Thats a whole lot of info to digest (and quite a few acronyms to try and figure out) so thanks heaps to all for your advice, but I am going to try and break it down some

1) claybar the entire car (to remove contaminents in the paint I assume?)

Now, do I need to worry about how old the paint is before I do this? The focus is made in germany, so can I assume its all hardened up and ready for this?

2) Apply sealant - is this just after clay barring? Or more often? And what sort of product should I use for this?

3) Ph neutral car wash - is Ph usually an issue with normal car washes? And what about the DIY car washes you see near servo's and the like? Should these be avoided at all times, or will they be OK in a pinch after clay barring, sealing and waxing?

4) wax, or caranuba (?) wax? WTF is that? How often does it need to be done?

I am starting to think I might just get the initial clean, prep, seal and wax by someone who knows what they are about, then just do the maintaining waxes etc by myself?

PM incoming Johnno

[sultanaz]

If you have to clay bar a brand new car, your dealer should be shot. But good thing to have around for future reference.

Most dont man, and ye its f**king shocking !

i work at one.

they only do it if it has to be done.

it really is shocking

[Jonno34]

Wow. Thats a whole lot of info to digest (and quite a few acronyms to try and figure out) so thanks heaps to all for your advice, but I am going to try and break it down some

1) claybar the entire car (to remove contaminents in the paint I assume?)

Now, do I need to worry about how old the paint is before I do this? The focus is made in germany, so can I assume its all hardened up and ready for this?

2) Apply sealant - is this just after clay barring? Or more often? And what sort of product should I use for this?

3) Ph neutral car wash - is Ph usually an issue with normal car washes? And what about the DIY car washes you see near servo's and the like? Should these be avoided at all times, or will they be OK in a pinch after clay barring, sealing and waxing?

4) wax, or caranuba (?) wax? WTF is that? How often does it need to be done?

I am starting to think I might just get the initial clean, prep, seal and wax by someone who knows what they are about, then just do the maintaining waxes etc by myself?

PM incoming Johnno

1) Clay barring removes surface contaminants, if you slide your hand along your paint and you can hear a rough sort of sound, its contaminated! once you clay bar you'll be able to tell it feels a lot smoother already. it also helps your wax/sealant last longer once you apply it. it shouldnt matter how old your paintwork is, i clay barred my 1991 sexcel with no clear coat!

2) sealant should be your last step after properly preparing the surface. on a brand new car all you need to prep is just the clay bar. generally with sealants you layer them, they have a certain curing and bonding period, and after this you rewash the car and put another layer on. depending on the product a few layers can last from 6 months to a year or even more at times, all depending on how the car is treated. on a somewhat decently prepped car, you can still apply sealant on top, it doesnt "trap" the dirt in, you'll still get the protection but it just wont have that smooth feel and wont be quite as good a result!

3) the most important thing to me when looking for a car wash shampoo is that it doesnt remove any old wax or sealant layers. buy yourself a good wash solution, but even an off the shelf product should be fine for it, just make sure its gentle on your wax!

mothers and meguiars make decent products, but my favourite off the shelf is auto glym. otherwise pay waxit.com.au a visit or finalinspection.com.au

4) wax is a similar thing to sealant. wax is carnauba based.

it is a last step product. you apply them after prepping the car and it gives the car protection and shine.

im pretty sure the trade off on wax vs sealant is that while sealant lasts longer, it does not make the paint appear as glossy or shine as much as a wax would. and while wax looks better, it doesnt last as long, and can be harder to apply in some cases.

off the shelf waxes like meguiars tech waxes are generally synthetic waxes if im not wrong, but be careful since they have "cleaners" in them, which is why layering them doesnt work well, and they will remove your expensive sealant layers! tech wax is still a great product though, im quite a fan.

waxes and sealants need to be applied at varying periods.

for my cars every year i will clay bar and seal with 3 layers, sometimes i get a bit excited and add an extra layer of seal after each wash so theres more than 3. and on every wash i use a quick detailer like FI gloss boost to add more gloss and a tiny bit of protection.

every 2 - 3 years i will clay bar, machine polish, and seal with 3 layers. (although im tempted to machine polish after just one year on my car - the swirl marks are so much more obvious on what was a perfect and swirl free surface)

for a car with something like tech wax, id probably clay bar once a year, and apply a layer of wax every 2-3 months or so - on my cars its never really lasted longer than that.

it all just depends on the product

feel free to contact me, like i said i have most products for most purposes, should be able to show you what to use and stuff, or if you want i can prep and seal it for you, then show you what to use to maintain it.