I have two cars that are kept outside in the Florida sun 24/7. Help me protect them!

[TheZ06andFoxbody]

I have two cars that are kept outside in the Florida sun. I need the absolute best plan for protecting them. I live in a townhouse with no garage, and only outdoor parking.

I have a 2008 Z06 (SILVER) and a 1991 Foxbody Mustang (BRIGHT RED)


The Corvette has been kept in a garage most of its life, but has sat outside in the sun for the past 2 years. I’ve been using Collinite 845 by itself (re-applied every 4 months), washing the car religiously every two weeks. So far the paint seems pristine without fade or damage, but the headlights are very faintly starting to cloud over


The 1991 Mustang has been garage kept for its entire life and i just bought it yesterday. It currently has a coat of Chadwick’s extreme ceramic coating on it. Paint is PRISTINE as far as color brightness, but has a bit of swirling and stuff visible in very bright direct sunlight..


For both cars, I have dark tints, windshield sun shields, and 303 aerospace applied to all interior surfaces and exterior trim.


I am looking for the best protocol to protect the paint (and interior) from the sun. My guess is that I need a sealant and a UV top coat, but what should I use? How should I deal with the products that are already on the cars?


As an aside: I also have a 2005 Mustang GT (SILVER) (that i’m currently trying to sell) that I’ve owned for 15 years. The car has sat in the sun for 11-12 years of its life. For the first 7 years or so I waxed it regularly, but more recently the car hasn’t been taken care of super well. Think 6 months to a year between washes at times, rarely waxed, sat outside and under trees with sap, etc. I recently washed, claybarred, and Collinite’d the car, and aside from little black sap spots that easily come out with a fingernail, and some swirling and stuff, the paint shows no signs of fade, and it looks pristine. The interior is mostly pristine as well.


What exactly should I do, going forward, to protect the 1991 Mustang and the Corvette? Is it possible to actually prevent fade with regular washing and waxing?


How can I tell if the paint is starting to fade? Will it fade under the clear coat such that it cannot be repaired without a repaint?


ALSO: Let’s say over the next 5-10 years, the paint fades on both cars. Can this be fixed with paint correction? How many times can fading be fixed in this manner?




Thanks!

[Mike Phillips]

First - because this is your first post...

Welcome to AutogeekOnline!

What exactly should I do, going forward, to protect the 1991 Mustang and the Corvette? Is it possible to actually prevent fade with regular washing and waxing?


How can I tell if the paint is starting to fade? Will it fade under the clear coat such that it cannot be repaired without a repaint?


ALSO: Let’s say over the next 5-10 years, the paint fades on both cars. Can this be fixed with paint correction? How many times can fading be fixed in this manner?


Thanks!

You, or actually your cars are in a tough situation. The sun here in Florida is cruel on your car. Here's something I wrote back in 2005 that will answer some of your questions...

Wow! this is from 15 years ago. But remember, I'm not a YouTube Influencer, so take anything I say or write with a grain of Cyber Salt.




5. Can a clear coat fade?


The word fade means to:

"Lose color or brightness gradually."


Technically speaking, since the clearcoat has no color, it cannot fade or lose it's brightness (at least if we use the above definition).

It can however become dull, but that's not the same as fading and is more typically a sign of oxidation and the build up of above surface contaminants.



Now lets ask the above question in just a little different way.

Can the color coat below the clear coat fade?


In short, the answer is yes, however, it depends upon the environment in which the car is exposed.

• * A car parked inside most of its life, far away from the equator will not show much sign of fading.
  
  * A car continually parked outside in a desert region close to the equator will fade more quickly and the results will be more apparent over time because of the increased exposure to UV rays.

While these answers are technically correct, the non-technical answer to the question, "Can a clear coat fade?", is yes, but very slowly. So slowly that most people cannot perceive any visual change over the course of normal day-to-day living or during the length of the ownership of their car.



Hope that helps....

[Mike Phillips]

More....

2 options....



OPTION 1

Check out what I wrote on page 2 of this article from 2010 - Wow! 10 years ago! Again, I'm not a YTI so take anything I write or say with a grain of Cyber Salt.


Beginning Clearcoat Failure


From post #14

Dr. David Ghodoussi has a product called Optimum Car Wax which uses a patented UV protection ingredient and process that offers the same UV protection as the UV protection ingredients used in the actual clear layer of paint on your car. Plus, while I know most people think a spray on wax is a glorified spray detailer, this particular wax really does leave the UV protection ingredients on the surface.












OPTION 2


Use car covers to protect the cars...

Covercraft,covercraft Car Covers, custom car covers, noah car covers, weathershield car cover, block it car covers

[Bill D]

You’ll probably have to polish the cars, either from dulling of the clear caused by the sun or marring caused by the car cover.

[JDGolden]

When you sell the mustang, build a garage? Lol.

I’d keep them waxed, and maybe rotate their positions every few days (pulled in vs backed in) though I’m not sure that would help or not.

[madtrucker]

I live in Arizona and I have the same problem. I bought a car cover. It does wonders. Keeps bird poop, cat prints, tree sap, and dust in the air off of your car.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Autogeekonline mobile app

[TheZ06andFoxbody]

You’ll probably have to polish the cars, either from dulling of the clear caused by the sun or marring caused by the car cover.

Would this fix the issue? Like if I polished the car annually, would this effectively neutralize the problem as far as the paint is concerned?

[Bill D]

Whenever you wash your cars, inspect the paint for marring. If it gets bad enough that’s the time to polish. It could be annually or less or more.

[2black1s]

To me, there is only one answer in your situation... A Car Cover.

While using a car cover on a regular basis has it's own issues, i.e., paint marring, swirling, etc., those issues are manageable and reversible.

Sun damage on the other hand is permanent and irreversible.

[57Rambler]

While using a car cover on a regular basis has it's own issues, i.e., paint marring, swirling, etc., those issues are manageable and reversible.

Sun damage on the other hand is permanent and irreversible.

Are there no car covers that have "soft linings" to protect paint ? Or do they exist but they just don't work (effectively) ?