Taking Care of Car Paint

[HanJackaL]

Hi,
Hope you guys can share about how to take care of car paint since our Malaysian weather only gets hotter.

If your car gets exposed to the hot sun everyday, what are the procedures to make sure your paint stays shiny and looks new for a lifetime ?

Is there any special product that you can coat your paint with to protect it from the sun's harmful UV Rays ?I heard wax actually removes a layer of your paint and over a long period,your car's paint will start to look dull so its not really recommended.

Any other alternatives?

 

[sebastian2hot]

Use Wax, it is just a coat to protect ur car from sun's harmful UV Rays and rains. It does not removes a layer of ur paint. So it can be done often such as one a month. There is also clear coat safe wax in the market.

Polish is the one who removes a thin layer paint everytime you polish to make ur paint shine. is not recommended. Can be done every six month or above. But still depend on which type of polish. There is many type of polish also. Some remove a lot or paint, some remove a thin layer only.

You can use wax to protect ur paint. No worries.

 

[xylo]

Could anyone provide more information on the brand or perhaps the type of polish, I may be using the wrong thing. Thank you.

 

[RedD]

how bout polish 1st.. coz paint looks so dull n long long time din polish/wax d.. after polish then onli wax... to protect the paint.. izz tat ok??? or any suggestion?? n wat type of polish n wax izzz best ? any recommendation?

 

[HanJackaL]

How often should one wax their car? If dull, then wash/polish/wax, if just for maintanence just wash/wax ?

Any recommended brands ? Thanks guys for tips !

 

[sebastian2hot]

I dunno about others, but i will wax when i feel the car need to wax. Rains or water spot will be different after you wax your car. Water will be in ball size on your paint and will easy go off and dry after a drive. You also different it will touch because it will be smooth afther wax. So i wax when there is no more wax effect on my car as i just mention above. I wax also when there is water mark on my car paint.

I so far wash and wax only. i haven't try polish yet cos it just new car no need to polish so fast. If want to polish, then wash - polish - wax. But there is a 'clay' step before polish. I never polish so i dunno how about it. You can read other threads in this section for more information.

I using turtle platinum wax now, result no bad but i didn't try other product yet. so cannot judge so fast.

 

[ettm_14]

hmm...I guess it depends alot on what car you drive-if proton then definitely very hard to take care of the lustre of the paint-it fades with time.

you can actually go to any of the professional wax/polish centres and enquire about this 3 layer wax treatment. The effect will last for about a year depending on how often you wash your car.

any dirt or water marks will only reside on the wax thus it can be easily remove with water alone. I dunno I have done this in a shop in usj-so far its good and it only cost me about rm200 for my Wira which is roughly Rm17 per month.

just my 2 cents

 

[RedD]

hmm.. mind tell me wheres this shop?? n wat its shop name?? u mean rm200 polish + wax??

 

[Redline_club]

keenplus can use or not??? which can remove the the scratches???

 

[sebastian2hot]

keenplus can use or not??? which can remove the the scratches???

Never heard that product le, there is a lot of brand in the market le, get a branded one with range or products will be better (such as Meguirs, turtle wax, polygraze, kit, and many more). can be easy found in market and some of them are not very expensive.

Scratches ar? hard to remove o but depend on how deep is ur scratch lo. can go car grooming centre. if minor scratch can use scratch remover, there is also many brand that introduce scratch remover such as turtle wax got one with a lip stick.

But i haven't try out all products cannot tell you which product is good. so far i only use wax and detailer only. I only do window shopping all the while. haha

 

[g88]

keenplus can use or not??? which can remove the the scratches???

if you are referring to fine scratch than you can try meguiar scratch x (about Rm45) or Scratch & Swirl Remover (about Rm20)

but remember all this scratch remover is just filler where after few car wash your fine scratches will re-appear again...

If deep scratch than no cure. :confused_smile:

 

[Redline_club]

Never heard that product le, there is a lot of brand in the market le, get a branded one with range or products will be better (such as Meguirs, turtle wax, polygraze, kit, and many more). can be easy found in market and some of them are not very expensive.

Scratches ar? hard to remove o but depend on how deep is ur scratch lo. can go car grooming centre. if minor scratch can use scratch remover, there is also many brand that introduce scratch remover such as turtle wax got one with a lip stick.

But i haven't try out all products cannot tell you which product is good. so far i only use wax and detailer only. I only do window shopping all the while. haha

thx for the info bro

 

[Redline_club]

if you are referring to fine scratch than you can try meguiar scratch x (about Rm45) or Scratch & Swirl Remover (about Rm20)

but remember all this scratch remover is just filler where after few car wash your fine scratches will re-appear again...

If deep scratch than no cure. :confused_smile:

meguiar scratch x is a polish or wax??? which wax can recommended???

 

[m@ttz]

last time tried amway wax on my bike, red color after 2-3 years.. u know la, red color almost die after dat period.. gud result, looks like new n shining..

also done to my car, dark color become bling bling lo.. but now long time not waxing my car, scratch here, scratch there, keep money to change color la, hehehe..

 

[sebastian2hot]

meguiar scratch x is a polish or wax??? which wax can recommended???

According to their website, is a dual action polisher, with diminishing abrasive™ technology to remove fine scratches, swirls, and oxidation. From: ScratchX® G10307 Product Information

which wax? depend your own preferences. if you want high end product you can go for Meguiars's all range of products and of cost is very expensive. you need to prepare RM 88 for their Gold Class wax which i cannot affort to buy. But if you want normal result RM10 -20 per bottle wax also will done the job (i use before on my bro's car which long time didn't wax, result also not bad).

So...depend on you lar. But many ppl in this forum recommended Meguiars which provide wide range of product to take care each path of your car from interior to exterior. But you can go Ace hardware in midvalley or eneos 1 utama/metro prima to check out various brand of car care products.

 

[gary]

han jackal, the final coating of wax/coating/etc. is what will seal and protect your paint.

regardless if you drive a proton, or a honda, or a bmw. you can protect your patin and make it last almost as well.

Some are natural waxes, some are polymers..etc.. and then some use teflon(like PPS system).

just some "very basic" ideas of what you can do....

before any protective coating is put on, its important to wash your car properly, getting rid of as much surface contamination as you possiblly can. It is from here that you decide what you want to do, if you have lots of deep scratches, you might have to send it to a professional to grind down the clear coat to smooth it out.

if your paint is quite new, usually, its just a good wash, "clay" if you have it, which gets rid of the really sticky microscopic stuff you cant see, then finish off with a polish, and then wax. a 2nd layer of wax can be put on after 1 day if you wish. As mentioned, the regular "polish" you buy of the shelf is really very very mild, and acts more like a filler, rather than a wax. if you paint is in good condition, just go straight to wax, no need to 'polish'.

From then on, its just regular washing with a car shampoo that doesn't strip wax. Most regular waxes last about 2-3 months. after that, repeat from the 1st few steps again.

If during this period, you send your car to a regular car wash, becareful, sometimes, the soap they use can strip the wax of your car.

i personally use mequiars, but as an alternative entry level product, turtle wax is good also, and they also have different levels with platinum being the most expensive(RM20-50). Permaglass is also good entry level product, and its a 'cleaner wax', which seals your paint, and gets rid of mild surface contaminants.

all you really need is,

1. was car with a proper car shampoo (good soft sponge)
2. dry with a good synthetic chammy or microfibre cloth (never use those "yellow" magic drying cloths, coz they are useless, and always leave fibres all over your car)
2. clay bar (perma glass has one thats easy to use and cheap)
3. polish (skip if your paint is in ok condition)
4. wax

-some other tips:
-never wash under sunlight.
-was your car from top down.
-always wipe the car dry after washing.(dont attempt to dry your car by going for a drive around the block)
-wash off brake dust on your rims with rim cleaner at least once a week(brake dust eats at your rim)
-try to wash off bird droppings ASAP(very damaging to paint)


There are just some basics, it can actually get more complicated than this if you have the time and patience. detailing your own car can be a very rewarding, albeit expensive hobby ;)

 

[sebastian2hot]

han jackal, the final coating of wax/coating/etc. is what will seal and protect your paint.

regardless if you drive a proton, or a honda, or a bmw. you can protect your patin and make it last almost as well.

Some are natural waxes, some are polymers..etc.. and then some use teflon(like PPS system).

just some "very basic" ideas of what you can do....

before any protective coating is put on, its important to wash your car properly, getting rid of as much surface contamination as you possiblly can. It is from here that you decide what you want to do, if you have lots of deep scratches, you might have to send it to a professional to grind down the clear coat to smooth it out.

if your paint is quite new, usually, its just a good wash, "clay" if you have it, which gets rid of the really sticky microscopic stuff you cant see, then finish off with a polish, and then wax. a 2nd layer of wax can be put on after 1 day if you wish. As mentioned, the regular "polish" you buy of the shelf is really very very mild, and acts more like a filler, rather than a wax. if you paint is in good condition, just go straight to wax, no need to 'polish'.

From then on, its just regular washing with a car shampoo that doesn't strip wax. Most regular waxes last about 2-3 months. after that, repeat from the 1st few steps again.

If during this period, you send your car to a regular car wash, becareful, sometimes, the soap they use can strip the wax of your car.

i personally use mequiars, but as an alternative entry level product, turtle wax is good also, and they also have different levels with platinum being the most expensive(RM20-50). Permaglass is also good entry level product, and its a 'cleaner wax', which seals your paint, and gets rid of mild surface contaminants.

all you really need is,

1. was car with a proper car shampoo (good soft sponge)
2. dry with a good synthetic chammy or microfibre cloth (never use those "yellow" magic drying cloths, coz they are useless, and always leave fibres all over your car)
2. clay bar (perma glass has one thats easy to use and cheap)
3. polish (skip if your paint is in ok condition)
4. wax

-some other tips:
-never wash under sunlight.
-was your car from top down.
-always wipe the car dry after washing.(dont attempt to dry your car by going for a drive around the block)
-wash off brake dust on your rims with rim cleaner at least once a week(brake dust eats at your rim)
-try to wash off bird droppings ASAP(very damaging to paint)


There are just some basics, it can actually get more complicated than this if you have the time and patience. detailing your own car can be a very rewarding, albeit expensive hobby ;)

Very nice and clear!

Can you recommend which car wash does not strip the car wax? my shampoo going to finish need to buy a new one soon. Is turtle wax platinum shampoo strip the wax of your car?

Totally agree that need a lot of time and patience for a good job.

 

[gary]

actually, all the mainstream entry level brands are safe. turtle wax, perma glass...etc. actually, turtle wax platinum is considered on the high end for turtle wax products already.

 

[LizTina]

Thanks for tips guys ! If paint is old, should i just go for a good polish to make it look brand new, or should i respray my car ?

 

[nitrus]

Now raining everyday i also sien to go wax this wax that already... Last few months i polished my car.. after that rained. sien want to wax already after that, just left it like that and wash only if got time until now.. how well u take care of ur car/paint also in the end u will get lil scratches wan if u drive it around no matter what . tar/mud .. whatever..

 

[mengz]

actually because its raining most of the time now. its even better to wax ur car. coz water dun beads up when u wax ur car. stains come off easier as well. so after rain, just use water to wash ur car. u'll be amaze how easily those dirt comes off......don't need to use car wash. sometimes from my work place i drive back raining, then my housing area is not. by the time i reach home my car dry edi :P

for me, i wash with meguiar's NXT car wash/3M's car wash. then once in awhile i use meguiar's paint cleaner for prep. then i proceed with synthetic waxes. either meguiar's #20 polymer sealant/NXT Tech wax. then lastly i seal it with 3M's perfect-it carnauba wax.


as for swirl marks. i'd say u cannot prevent it 100%. ur bound to have some. thats y for polishing, i leave that to my detailer. i do it once every 6 months.

 

[cchcchcch]

if me i will polish it 1 year once....den wax...
acuali...can polish and wax 2geter izzt.....?
after polish....i can wax it .....

 

[nitrus]

how in the hell do u guys find all the time to prep la, this la that la wash la, then wax ... crazy man. How many hours there gone.. tiring like hell

last time i wash n then polish my car also tangan tired like crazy ady .. din even bothered waxing it up until now ... dunno how many months. whatever with it la ..

 

[mengz]

hehhee...i guess to some ppl its like hobby/interest. like me, i enjoy it. i treat it like working out lor....train some bicep/tricep muscles :P

no doubt its damn tiring. i spend around 3-4 hours. from washing -> drying -> prepping -> waxing. but the end results are just orgasmic!!! gives me a hard-on each time i look at my car :P

 

[p0jie]

totally agree with you. took me a day from wash > polish > polish > wax . then u can sit and enjoy looking at ur shiny car . if its rain the next day . just use meguiars quick detailer .. just spray and wipe it off with microfiber cloth.

best tutorial on the net imo on car detailing
Using Car Polish to Remove Swirl Marks, Scratches, Water Spots