Paint Protection

[vxsr33]

Hey all

i have had my black r33 gtst for about 6 months and it gets swirl marks and scratches really easily. The car has had a respray by the previous owner.

I gave it a full detail a month ago polishing it with some autogylm resin polish then waxing with mothers carnauba paste wax. it came out very nice and i got rid of most the swirl marks and light scratches.

I wash the car weekly, it is garaged and i am extremely careful and clean when washing it.

However the swirl marks are back, it seems as though the paint is soft or something?

So i want to know, is there a paint protection, or anything i can do to the paintwork myself, that will prevent swirlmarks and make the paint last longer?

[Hadouken]

Very well documented on detailing forums. Ie google.

I'll give you a quick run down.

-2 bucket wash method

-soft woolly sponge

-Soft fluffy chamois

To rid swirls

-get a RO buffer

-Some nice polishes

-Wax it

Basically it's black. They suck, you will see defects in the paint very quickly.

I reckon it would need routine maintenance every 2 months depending how anal you are with cleaning

[junkie]

Wax also fills in some swirl marks, they show up again once the wax is no longer on the paint surface

[vxsr33]

Thanks for the input

Yeah maybe its just because its a black car. I will try and give it a wax every 2 months.

Any suggestions for a decent buffer and products?

[Robzilla32]

Collinite wax

[Sinista32]

Ceramic coating

[vxsr33]

Ceramic coating

Has anyone had this done to their paintwork? Or know a place in melbourne to get it done or can you apply it yourself? It says prices are around 850, i would consider doing it.

[junkie]

You can apply the "consumer" version yourself, they go for around the $200 mark. The stuff advertised by pro detailers isn't generally available to the public and needs a bit more preparation and training. The benefit is the pro stuff will last about twice as long, or even more depending on car use and post application maintenance

Here is one example of a "consumer" coating - http://www.chemicalguys.com/SS6_Second_Skin_Coating_System_2_oz_p/wac_224_02.htm

Edited June 14, 2016 by junkie

[Hadouken]

I've used a few different paint protection products. Proper prep and all.

They last about 2 months on an outdoor car. Maybe 5 months on a garaged car.

For $900 I want it to last 6 years.

[vxsr33]

You can apply the "consumer" version yourself, they go for around the $200 mark. The stuff advertised by pro detailers isn't generally available to the public and needs a bit more preparation and training. The benefit is the pro stuff will last about twice as long, or even more depending on car use and post application maintenance

Here is one example of a "consumer" coating - http://www.chemicalguys.com/SS6_Second_Skin_Coating_System_2_oz_p/wac_224_02.htm

Thanks for the info junkie. Im definantly going to look into this, i might just try it myself once to see how it turns out.

[Hadouken]

Good luck. And let me know how that $200 product goes

[junkie]

^ LOL

Prep is really the most important part. Even the most fancy exxy product will looks like crap and wont last if the underlying paint surface is contaminated and swirled up. And yeah, anything that sits outside 24/7 wont last long. Personally i stick to my $35 tin of Collinite 476 or Naviwax Ioncoat and reapply every 3 months or so

Edited June 16, 2016 by junkie

[Hadouken]

My go to's are

Zaino clear seal

Meguiars ultimate wax/next gen

Collinite

Dodo juice

[vxsr33]

I've used a few different paint protection products. Proper prep and all.

They last about 2 months on an outdoor car. Maybe 5 months on a garaged car.

For $900 I want it to last 6 years.

Thats not as long as i expected, i was thinking they would last about a year. My car is mostly garaged.

Thanks for the input

[dkbcleaner]

I opti-coated my car 5 years ago by a pro detailer and its still on the car. Water beads right off and looks great. Car is mostly garaged though

[Hadouken]

Did you keep waxing it after?

[GTR-N1]

On 05/06/2016 at 5:50 PM, Sinista32 said:

Ceramic coating

Agreed.

After you've got to the Polish stage, you can go in two different directions...

A) Sealant application and then a Wax Application

or

B) Ceramic Coat and then Reload. With Plan B) you don't have to wax or re-wax

Plan A) might last 20,000Km without being in full sun. Plan B) might last 50,000Km

The way you wash and dry your car after a wash, and what products you use are important as well + a 2 bucket system.

[Anfanee]

I will never take a buffer to my car unless i have to. Slowly destroying your paint because your too lazy to spend the time to fix it properly doesn't sit well with me. Depending on what the paint is doing depends on what you need to do. 

My Go-To for paint that has swirls and the odd mark here or there but is still in decent condition:

2 step wash - Sponge bath, foam lance, wash off, dry

Clay bar - Removes all the dirt in the swirls which is why you can see them. All cars will get the swirls. Needlessly taking a buffer to it is lazy, and it is bad for the paint.

Zaino Z-CS seal - Use DIRECTLY after the clay bar. Let it sit for a day or so.

*Insert choice of wax here*  - The next day i will usually use another form of wax over the top. Depending on what the car is doing will depend on what wax i use. For example:
Meguiars Nxt Gen 2.0 Wax adds the most incredible depth to the paint, but it doesn't last as long as others. So i would use it before a photo shoot or a show n shine etc.

 

because i actually enjoy washing and cleaning my car the GTR usually doesn't get anything other than Nxt gen wax tbh, but that's because i'm happy to wax it 1 time a month or so. Not that it matters, the Zaino stuff lasts MONTHS. I use the Zaino on the cube as well. No wax on top, one of the guys at work commented that my paint looked better than the 2014 audi parked next to me. Cube was made in 05 with stock paint..... 

[Leroy Peterson]

having a black car sapped all my motivation for intensive paint care. Nissan KH1 black isnt as hard as other factory blacks. If your car leaves the driveway, I say give up 

[Anfanee]

Zaino is your friend.