Buying A New Car Soon - Are Paint Sealants Available?

[Lopburi99]

Hello -

I plan to buy a new car in the next month or two. I haven't heard anything about paint sealant processes or treatments since I've been here. In this blistering sun and heat, paint sealants (common in the U.S. and Canada) would seem to be a necessity here. Or perhaps something special is applied at the factory for Thailand-destined cars. Since 9 out of 10 cars here are either silver or beige, I would like to get something different, perhaps something red or blue. Supposedly the new 2009 Honda City will be offered in a magnetic red, probably similar in looks to the gorgeous electric red Mazda currently offers. Although my information may be outdated, I once understood red was one of the worst colors for fading/durability in the sun (due to rapid oxidation). However, I still see a number of red cars on the road nonetheless so maybe this is an old wive's tale and has been proven untrue. In any event, does anybody have any recommendations to help preserve the paintwork on a new car, whatever color it may be? I plan to keep this (probably my last) new car for many years.

[BSJ]

Hi Lopburi99, automotive paints are pretty good these days so is it really necessary to pay hundreds for a glorified floor polish to be applied to your new toy?

[Lopburi99]

Hi Lopburi99, automotive paints are pretty good these days so is it really necessary to pay hundreds for a glorified floor polish to be applied to your new toy?

Hi BSJ,

I would assume from your comment it is in fact NOT necessary. Kinda surprises me but I will assume you are right. I certainly don't have the extra hundreds to throw away. Plus, your reply is the only one I've received so I can also assume almost nobody gets involved with sealants anyway or somebody would have said "try this, worked for me...or try this...". Good news. Thanks.

[rchapstick]

In the US, people who work in the auto retail biz refer to the stuff as "Mop & Glo" (a reference to a cheap brand of floor polish).

It is a VERY high margin add-on that dealers push to pad their profits. It's usually pushed by the finance guy who tells doom & gloom tales about acid rain, peeling paint, etc, etc. Total crap.

[torrenova]

Well, I've a one year old truck (just over 1 year actually) and I'd investigate this further if I was buying again. There are two issues I have found:

1) The crap that is in the water can stain the windows as they sit in the heat after rain. There must be something to put on when new to help avoid this.

2) The paind especially on the bonnet was affected by these same rain / crap marks but also from droppings from trees etc. Some protective layer from new would surely have minimised this.

My vehicle is black and as such these may be more noticeable but I'd be looking at things you put on when new, perhaps aditives to the windscreen washer water and something put on at regular intervals, perhaps every 6 months or annually which would protect the paintwork.

What I cannot suggest but even some top wax product wuold surely help protect the car.

[culicine]

I don't think any kid of special sealants are necessary. Modern metallic paint will have a clear coat on it anyway. I just wax and polish mine (more than i probably need to), and it looks and feels as good as new after 4 years. A clay bar might also be useful - you clay the car to remove the wax and any other contaminants, then rewax it. I've seen the meguiars clay bar in the mall and other big shops.

[BSJ]

Hi folks, at first I hesitated when I was thinking of bringing up cutting compounds as I wouldn't want a fellow member to go ape shit with a buff and damage their paint. But I will mention it as torrenova has brought up a common problem with his truck and culicine has mentioned Meguiars rubbing blocks.

Firstly a 6 monthly wax with Turtle Wax or Meguiars will help no end dealing with bird poo and none acidic fallout but when the worst happens a light buff with a low speed sander fitted with a woolen bonnet is the way to go.....but NO cheap shit woolen bonnets, buy the best they have.

Use a quality buffing compound as well. Open the tin and dip your finger way in. Pull finger out and rub that finger & thumb. If you can feel the abrasive grit but not see it you got a good mix.

The vehicle: If you've wiped off any bitumen spots start on a flat section of a rear quarter panel to get the feel of it. When your right work your way to the front, then the other side then the trunk lid and the hood then the turret. Where a panel has sharp curves tape the rise of the curve and at the end rip off the tape and hand rub that area. Amateurs always come to grief on the sharp curves! And they sometimes run the buff on one spot to long....Ouch! And you need to clean the woolen bonnet regular. It's easy, use a piece of dowel to rub across and back on the wool as you run the sander. If it's got reverse do it the other way too! Do it after each panel to clear the wool fibres.

Now for the clean-up before your new coat of wax.....you did buy a clean-up wash or cream, right? Then that new wax job and your nearly done.

A solid color can be buffed a few times and a car with clear coat can be buffed a few times more.

If that all sounds to much for you, you could take it to a body shop and let them take care of it for you.

But your not going to get that strong feeling of pride from doing it yourself! If that matters.

torrenova there is a glass polish - cirium oxide powder mixed with water - which will polish and lightly cut the glass. Need a special felt buff though. They aren't expensive but the thing is you need 2, a big one (6") for windscreen and backlight and a smaller (3") for side glass. One true way to restore your glass all the other products in the auto mart need to go on before shit happens! For cirium oxide try optometrist supply store.

[AlexLah]

OK here's what you do.

When having a look at your soon to be purchased car tell the sales guy you want to test the quality of the paint.

Bring with you a cloth and a small botlle of thinner (Nitrocellulose).

Make the cloth wet and press it firmly on a part of the car (bottom of fender for example) that is not too visible.

Rub gently for about a minute and see if the paint dissolves or can be scrapped away with your nail.

If so, the the paint will be sensitive for UV discoloring and all kinds of contamination like bird droppings, acid rain.

Reason for the OEM paint being soft could be that it is underbaked in the factory paint department or that part or others have been repaired

already with inferiour paint (New cars about 30% have some form of touch up).

Kind regards,

Alex

[torrenova]

Cheers for that BSJ - I'll look for it. Had some success with a kitchen cleaner recommended in another thread but to fix it !!!

After doing that, what with the cirium oxide, what should I put on to protect it ?

Cheers

[Milo]

Also have a black pickup from new, 6yrs old now, for 3yrs teaching parked in the sunshine daily, no signs of bleaching, no special coatings, just a wax monthly from the place that does my washing, used some kind of cheapo spray wax, nothing special. 120b for a wash, 220b wash/wax.

The only damage to the paint on the bonnet when left some bird sh*t on for a week, won't do that again! Gave up teaching a year ago, thinking of a re-spray now more for scratches gained in car parks (not from my driving/parking, I hasten to add!) than any damage from sunshine, if that helps any? Local paint shop looking at 10,000b for a blow-over, probably just as much as you'd pay for any fancy coating?

[hakku]

Take it to WAC behind carrefour rama 4 and have it glass coated, japanese marvel stuff, saves washing cos dirt flushes off....

http://www.waccardetailing.com/

Hak

[Spaniel]

Last year we bought a new Honda CRV and as part of the "package" the paint sealant and undercoating was included in the price so you might want to inquire with the dealer about including it too.

[Lancashirelad]

does anybody have any recommendations to help preserve the paintwork on a new car

yes, keep it out of the sun as much as possible. It is not only paints' biggest enemy, but also very detrimental to tyre walls, dash tops & upholstery.

Yes, reds do fade very badly in the sun..... even in England. I know, i have one. The pigment in red paint is susceptable to UV light.

Beats me why oh why anyone would buy a black vehicle in a hot country. Black is known as the worst colour to keep even in more moderate climates and gets extremely hot in the tropics.

Edited September 18, 2008 by Lancashirelad