How long will brand x car wax or paint sealant last?

[dpk20x]

Any one see that was from July of 2011?

I did lol

[Romans5.8]

Anyone that owns a car or truck should religiously maintain its finish much like they change the oil and filter.

Washing, Sealing, and Waxing the vehicles finish will help it keep looking fresh and bright almost indefinitely. Now you might want to throw in an occasional clay and polish but I think you get what I mean..

Amazing how many 'maintenance freaks' do nothing to care for their paint. Not realizing it need maintenance as well!

I'm in that awful category with outside parking for my car. She lives outside 24/7. So she gets washed weekly (or as soon as I can after driving in rain/snow where it gets dirty quick; even if it hasn't been a week) and waxed monthly. Since learning more on AutoGeek I've also gone to sealants applied under the wax, and will be doing a clay and IPA wipedown followed by a fresh coat of sealant, and then wax, every few months.

[michelliot]

If some say's to you . I buy my cars new and never keep them more than 3 years.

I have them hand washed every two- three weeks and I never wax or polish and they look great up to the date I sell it. I have no need to go through all that detaling stuff.

What is your answer?

I stand corrected, he was responding to a statement.....sry slimnib

[jankerson]

Amazing how many 'maintenance freaks' do nothing to care for their paint. Not realizing it need maintenance as well!

I'm in that awful category with outside parking for my car. She lives outside 24/7. So she gets washed weekly (or as soon as I can after driving in rain/snow where it gets dirty quick; even if it hasn't been a week) and waxed monthly. Since learning more on AutoGeek I've also gone to sealants applied under the wax, and will be doing a clay and IPA wipedown followed by a fresh coat of sealant, and then wax, every few months.

That's because of the urban legend that states clear coats don't need any maintenance... Urban Legends die very hard......

I can't even remember how many times I have heard that over the years.

[Romans5.8]

[quote=michelliot;990005]

If some say's to you . I buy my cars new and never keep them more than 3 years.
I have them hand washed every two- three weeks and I never wax or polish and they look great up to the date I sell it. I have no need to go through all that detaling stuff.



I stand corrected, he was responding to a statement.....sry slimnib

I'd just point out the swirls!

But then, some just won't care. It's like maintenance. I met a guy who was CONVINCED oil changes were a conspiracy. It didn't need changing because it still 'feels slick' even after several thousand miles. The best part? One of the reasons he's convinced it's a conspiracy, is that he took it to the dealer for an engine knock and the dealer told him that the engine was trashed from not changing the oil. Of course, in his mind, the engine knock had nothing to do with never changing the oil; only topping it off!

I explained how to prevent swirls on a buddy's Harley that was all swirled up. He looked at me like I told him to do brain surgery and said "I think I'll just stick with what I'm doing" and continued to wipe the dust off with an old rag. To him, it's just not worth the work. So; go for it I guess!

If you only keep a car for 2 or 3 years; then you could probably take it through the auto car wash if you didn't mind the swirls and do nothing else and be just fine. My wifes parents are very bad about car maintenance. They'll do the occasional oil change but that is IT. No brake flush (until the calipers fail) or coolant flush (until it becomes clogged), no tire rotations, etc. Definitely no maintenance on the paint. They also keep their cars for a long time. Generally, they go 5 or 6 years before clearcoat failure sets in. Then they'll drive it for another few years as the clearcoat peels!

And... More power to them! Who cares, it's their car- not mine!

That's because of the urban legend that states clear coats don't need any maintenance... Urban Legends die very hard......

I can't even remember how many times I have heard that over the years.

Yeah it's basic cause/effect stuff. If I don't see immediate problems, then I won't see eventual problems. If you didn't maintain a single stage paint, you saw problems very, very soon. Don't maintain a clearcoat finish and it'll be years before you see clearcoat failure (the first issue people actually notice; like Mike says; most don't know a swirl from a squirrel!).

It's like fuel injection that is just starting to make it's way into mainstream motorcycles and ATV's. Now people don't think they need winterizing. True, fuel injected engines will start and run on bad gas. However, it's harmful to the system and will cause problems down the road! But before, with a carbed bike, it wouldn't start come spring if you didn't winterize- period. It took hours of work and lots of cleaning to get running again and would run rough for a while after. But now, come spring, it starts up. Must mean no maintenance necessary, right? Except come the 3rd or 4th spring it's gonna be time for new injectors or a new fuel pump, not to mention rust accumulating in the fuel tank!

Or even this oil change conspiracy theorist I met. He talked about guys who went 30 and 40k without oil changes before anything went wrong (When he conceded that MAYBE oil changes were necessary but not at the 3k quick change places say or the 7500-10k most car manufacturers say). Again, what he isn't realizing is, that oil had failed well before that 30 or 40k mark, it just took that long for the engine components to wear to a fail point.

If you don't maintain your car, whether it's the engines, brakes, or paint; chances are you won't have any issues for quite a while because, the fact is, stuff is built much better now (no matter what the old timers say). But that doesn't mean you aren't doing damage and you won't have eventual problems! Look at some of the older cars owned by geekers or that are continually maintained. Like gorgeous 80's Porsche's with factory paint that look brand new inside and out. Of course those are higher end, rarer cars. But so what? I want my daily driver to be in just as great of shape! Just sold my 2000 Saturn with 0 cleacoat failure and a nearly stain free interior (one crayon stain from a kid leaving a crayon in the back window), looked great inside and out. Go to craigslist and try and find a 2000 Saturn that isn't covered in peeling clearcoat or ripped/faded/stained interiors. Maintenance of the interior and exterior of the car DOES pay off (And that was long before I found AutoGeek and REALLY started to learn about this stuff!)

[jankerson]

[quote=Romans5.8;990013]

If you only keep a car for 2 or 3 years; then you could probably take it through the auto car wash if you didn't mind the swirls and do nothing else and be just fine. My wifes parents are very bad about car maintenance. They'll do the occasional oil change but that is IT. No brake flush (until the calipers fail) or coolant flush (until it becomes clogged), no tire rotations, etc. Definitely no maintenance on the paint. They also keep their cars for a long time. Generally, they go 5 or 6 years before clearcoat failure sets in. Then they'll drive it for another few years as the clearcoat peels!

That's VERY typical of what I normally see on a daily basis....

[jankerson]

[quote=Romans5.8;990013]

I'd just point out the swirls!

But then, some just won't care. It's like maintenance. I met a guy who was CONVINCED oil changes were a conspiracy. It didn't need changing because it still 'feels slick' even after several thousand miles. The best part? One of the reasons he's convinced it's a conspiracy, is that he took it to the dealer for an engine knock and the dealer told him that the engine was trashed from not changing the oil. Of course, in his mind, the engine knock had nothing to do with never changing the oil; only topping it off!

I explained how to prevent swirls on a buddy's Harley that was all swirled up. He looked at me like I told him to do brain surgery and said "I think I'll just stick with what I'm doing" and continued to wipe the dust off with an old rag. To him, it's just not worth the work. So; go for it I guess!

If you only keep a car for 2 or 3 years; then you could probably take it through the auto car wash if you didn't mind the swirls and do nothing else and be just fine. My wifes parents are very bad about car maintenance. They'll do the occasional oil change but that is IT. No brake flush (until the calipers fail) or coolant flush (until it becomes clogged), no tire rotations, etc. Definitely no maintenance on the paint. They also keep their cars for a long time. Generally, they go 5 or 6 years before clearcoat failure sets in. Then they'll drive it for another few years as the clearcoat peels!

And... More power to them! Who cares, it's their car- not mine!




Yeah it's basic cause/effect stuff. If I don't see immediate problems, then I won't see eventual problems. If you didn't maintain a single stage paint, you saw problems very, very soon. Don't maintain a clearcoat finish and it'll be years before you see clearcoat failure (the first issue people actually notice; like Mike says; most don't know a swirl from a squirrel!).

It's like fuel injection that is just starting to make it's way into mainstream motorcycles and ATV's. Now people don't think they need winterizing. True, fuel injected engines will start and run on bad gas. However, it's harmful to the system and will cause problems down the road! But before, with a carbed bike, it wouldn't start come spring if you didn't winterize- period. It took hours of work and lots of cleaning to get running again and would run rough for a while after. But now, come spring, it starts up. Must mean no maintenance necessary, right? Except come the 3rd or 4th spring it's gonna be time for new injectors or a new fuel pump, not to mention rust accumulating in the fuel tank!

Or even this oil change conspiracy theorist I met. He talked about guys who went 30 and 40k without oil changes before anything went wrong (When he conceded that MAYBE oil changes were necessary but not at the 3k quick change places say or the 7500-10k most car manufacturers say). Again, what he isn't realizing is, that oil had failed well before that 30 or 40k mark, it just took that long for the engine components to wear to a fail point.

If you don't maintain your car, whether it's the engines, brakes, or paint; chances are you won't have any issues for quite a while because, the fact is, stuff is built much better now (no matter what the old timers say). But that doesn't mean you aren't doing damage and you won't have eventual problems! Look at some of the older cars owned by geekers or that are continually maintained. Like gorgeous 80's Porsche's with factory paint that look brand new inside and out. Of course those are higher end, rarer cars. But so what? I want my daily driver to be in just as great of shape! Just sold my 2000 Saturn with 0 cleacoat failure and a nearly stain free interior (one crayon stain from a kid leaving a crayon in the back window), looked great inside and out. Go to craigslist and try and find a 2000 Saturn that isn't covered in peeling clearcoat or ripped/faded/stained interiors. Maintenance of the interior and exterior of the car DOES pay off (And that was long before I found AutoGeek and REALLY started to learn about this stuff!)

A lot of it is people just don't want to spend the money on their cars., They just won't do it.....

The only time they will is when they break down and by that time it's so expensive it's unreal.

I see so many rattle traps around AND THEY AREN'T BUT A FEW YEARS OLD.... TO MAYBE 5.

[Romans5.8]

A lot of it is people just don't want to spend the money on their cars., They just won't do it.....

The only time they will is when they break down and by that time it's so expensive it's unreal.

I see so many rattle traps around AND THEY AREN'T BUT A FEW YEARS OLD.... TO MAYBE 5.

The money they waste is what amazes me. I was out flushing the brakes in my wifes Taurus and my neighbor asked me 'what was wrong with my brakes'. 'Nothing, just flushing them'. He couldn't understand why someone would flush brakes that are still working? Then I showed him the JET BLACK brake fluid (It's supposed to be clear) and explained how if it isn't done occasionally, that fluid will eat through seals and things and that's when you have failed calipers or leaks. He said "I dunno man, I've never done that to mine and it works just fine". Again, that, "If it works now, it doesn't need to be maintained' mentality. Then, instead of $10 for a bottle of brake fluid, he'll pay hundreds to repair his brakes! OR, he won't, and they'll work forever without maintenance. Who knows! But it's worth the $10 for me not to take that chance!

It's a pet peeve of mine. Tripping over a dollar to pinch a penny. Like buying ultra-cheap tires. Not only do they reduce braking performance and handling in an emergency, they actually COST you money. My old car was bought used, and they bought new tires from Wal-Mart when they sold it to me. 25,000 miles later they were nearly bald. Put a set of Pirelli's on there that were maybe $50 a tire more, and I replaced them 90,000 miles later with another set of Pirelli's! The tires ALONE came out ahead in longevity, and when you add the cost of mounting and balancing (needing to do it almost 4 times less), it REALLY comes out ahead. Kept using those tires. Sold the car with 297,000 miles on it, looking great and running great. In that time span, imagine how much 'cheap tires' would've cost me? ESPECIALLY if I didn't get free mount/balance!

My wifes parents couldn't believe what I spent on tires because "You can get them for $49 at wal-mart!". Again, tripping over a dollar to pinch a penny!

[jankerson]

The money they waste is what amazes me. I was out flushing the brakes in my wifes Taurus and my neighbor asked me 'what was wrong with my brakes'. 'Nothing, just flushing them'. He couldn't understand why someone would flush brakes that are still working? Then I showed him the JET BLACK brake fluid (It's supposed to be clear) and explained how if it isn't done occasionally, that fluid will eat through seals and things and that's when you have failed calipers or leaks. He said "I dunno man, I've never done that to mine and it works just fine". Again, that, "If it works now, it doesn't need to be maintained' mentality. Then, instead of $10 for a bottle of brake fluid, he'll pay hundreds to repair his brakes! OR, he won't, and they'll work forever without maintenance. Who knows! But it's worth the $10 for me not to take that chance!

It's a pet peeve of mine. Tripping over a dollar to pinch a penny. Like buying ultra-cheap tires. Not only do they reduce braking performance and handling in an emergency, they actually COST you money. My old car was bought used, and they bought new tires from Wal-Mart when they sold it to me. 25,000 miles later they were nearly bald. Put a set of Pirelli's on there that were maybe $50 a tire more, and I replaced them 90,000 miles later with another set of Pirelli's! The tires ALONE came out ahead in longevity, and when you add the cost of mounting and balancing (needing to do it almost 4 times less), it REALLY comes out ahead. Kept using those tires. Sold the car with 297,000 miles on it, looking great and running great. In that time span, imagine how much 'cheap tires' would've cost me? ESPECIALLY if I didn't get free mount/balance!

My wifes parents couldn't believe what I spent on tires because "You can get them for $49 at wal-mart!". Again, tripping over a dollar to pinch a penny!

Oh I know, tires are expensive... Well good tires are that is..

But they do last so they are worth it in the long run.

[Mike Phillips]

I was looking for this article because someone asked me for an article that would help them to educate their customers about the importance of regular maintenance and then I found this quote in the process....

Any one see that was from July of 2011?

Heck it's almost July of 2014 and what I wrote in the first post of this thread is still as accurate as when I wrote it.

Point being is in most cases, it doesn't matter how old a thread is or how many years ago it was written because in most cases the information is still relevant.

I'm never hesitate to bring an old thread back to life simply because it's old. As long as the information is accurate time doesn't really matter.

As far as replying to older posts years down the road... heck I do that all the time when I find a question that was posted but never answered as it completes the discussion.