New Car & Paint Sealants

[mjhouston]

I will be receiving a new car within a couple weeks. The dealer is selling paint sealant and the same for the windshield. Of course I am skeptical. However, the idea of sealing the paint made sense so I did some research and now I'm here. Protection is my primary goal but of course I want the car to look great. I read about sealants that don't require buffing like Blackfire Crystal vs. others that require light buffing like Blackfire Wet Diamond or Wolfgang 3.0. Any words of wisdom? And are all OK on other parts of car - trim, windshield? Thanks.

[swanicyouth]

BF Crystal Seal & WG DGLS are your friends for ease of use, no dusting for noobs, and the ability to be able to be used on pretty much ANY exterior surface - short of tires.

However, if this car is black/dark - be prepared to give it a final wipe - as these products can possibly leave some very faint easy to remove streaking on dark cars IME. I'd pick up the corresponding waterless wash product or quick detailer to the brand you choose as well - although it won't be required to level these sealants on cool paint. However, the products are very easy to use and work well.

I'd recommend decontaminating the car (since it's "new") using an iron remover product (IronX) and some type of clay or substitute. Choose your clay wisely if you are new - as you don't want to cause marring/scratches on your new car.

After that, hit it with the appropriate paint cleaner and sealant. These type of WOWA sealants don't last quite as long as the traditional ones - but they are easy to apply more frequently...

[refreshauto]

I use the Wolfgang system, it is a great system that all works together. Even though its a new car, you still have to follow the same cleaning method of decon with iron-x then either clay or nanoskin before you start with the deep gloss paint sealant.

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[LJR]

my opinion is that if any kind of sealant is applied, even to brand new paint, the car should be gone over with a finishing polish first. a dealer who applies sealant, is probably not going to do a great job of polishing/decontaminating the paint, and just put sealant over dirt and imperfections. ----(think of how long some cars sit on lots. or how many times you've seen them stacked on transporters going down the highway. they are never perfect when they arrive at the dealer)

if you are not wanting to invest in a dual action polishing system (porter cable, griots, rupes, etc etc) and do all of this work yourself on the car when you get it (preferably without the dealer even so much as washing the paint beforehand), i would say you should find a professional detailer, and use the money that you would have paid for the dealer's paint sealant option to have a complete new car detail done for you. --you will be much happier with the results.

once that is done, just get some good mild car wash (plenty of options on autogeek that don't strip sealant/wax/coatings), a couple grit guards and some buckets and you will make that initial detail last for a long time with proper washing and sealing/waxing.

[Tacket]

My new car needed some serious correction before being coated. Lots of buffer holograms and some light swirls from the dealer wipe down.

[The Critic]

Paint sealants are fairly short lived -- they last for 2-4 months on average.

I would be looking into a coating for longer term protection. My recommendation would be to find a detailer who installs CQuartz Finest or Opti-Coat Pro. I know of a detailer in your area who does outstanding work.

The professional coatings are going to be far superior to the consumer versions. And since the product will be installed by a pro, the prep will be done correctly.

[LJR]

Paint sealants are fairly short lived -- they last for 2-4 months on average.

I would be looking into a coating for longer term protection. My recommendation would be to find a detailer who installs CQuartz Finest or Opti-Coat Pro. I know of a detailer in your area who does outstanding work.

The professional coatings are going to be far superior to the consumer versions. And since the product will be installed by a pro, the prep will be done correctly.


+1


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[Desertnate]

Paint sealants are fairly short lived -- they last for 2-4 months on average.



As a counter point to this argument, I've had Klasse SG easily last 5 months on a single coat. Two coats will get you well past 6 months.

While it's not a sealant, I was able to get 6+ months out of a single coat of Collinite 845. It was still going strong when I polished it off.

There are sealants out there that will go the distance. You just need to research a bit.

[The Guz]

As a counter point to this argument, I've had Klasse SG easily last 5 months on a single coat. Two coats will get you well past 6 months.

While it's not a sealant, I was able to get 6+ months out of a single coat of Collinite 845. It was still going strong when I polished it off.

There are sealants out there that will go the distance. You just need to research a bit.

I agree.

[mjhouston]

Paint sealants are fairly short lived -- they last for 2-4 months on average.

I would be looking into a coating for longer term protection. My recommendation would be to find a detailer who installs CQuartz Finest or Opti-Coat Pro. I know of a detailer in your area who does outstanding work.

The professional coatings are going to be far superior to the consumer versions. And since the product will be installed by a pro, the prep will be done correctly.
I will do work myself but could consider a pro to do it right to start. I live in far north Houston. Who do you recommend? I was thinking of posting for recommendations in the forum and would appreciate your opinion.

[The Critic]

I will do work myself but could consider a pro to do it right to start. I live in far north Houston. Who do you recommend? I was thinking of posting for recommendations in the forum and would appreciate your opinion.


I think he's on the west side of the Houston. The shop is called Vive Auto Finishing & Detailing and is ran by Anson Lau. I recently attended the Meguiars/Buff Daddy NXT class with him.

[goldenlight]

if you do the work your self, invest in a dual action polisher(Porter Cable, Griots, Meguiars Ect.

[Houckster]

How long a sealant lasts is not only a function of the product but also how expertly it is applied. I have almost entirely abandoned hand waxing. I will work the wax/sealant on the paint almost until it's ready to buff with a DA polisher. The thinner the coat of wax, the shorter amount of time to wait until you buff. Almost all the time, the wax/sealant buffs off in one pass.

I apply at least two coats with applications being separated by a suitable amount of cure time for the first coat so it's stable enough to stay in place while the second coat is applied.