More thoughts on protection issue...kinda long

[500amg]

From another thread:

That factory paint is already cured and needs protection against airborne contaminants and UV rays. Think about it....how does your paint breath through it's clear coat?!?.........."

Just to advocate further discussion, it seems Sal is saying that the clearcoat provides an airtight seal over the paint. This seems plausible. Clearcoat has UV inhibitors already in it (to my understanding), so UV protection for the actual paint is provided there.

I'm not totally sure how thick the clearcoat actually is, but wouldn't it take a whole lot of layers of Zaino (or any sealant for that matter) to even begin to provide the sort of protection for the CLEARCOAT that the clearcoat provides for the PAINT? By protection I'm not referring to scratches and swirls, as we all know those aren't hard to put into the clearcoat. I guess the biggest benefit of all these products we use is in the ease of cleaning the car with the product on rather than without and of course the apperance.

Sorry for harboring on this whole protection issue, but the more I read, the more I get the feeling that it is more a marketing ploy than anything else. It seems to me that appearance and ease of cleaning the car should be two main reasons for choosing a wax/sealant rather than *protection* offered.

Any input is much appreciated.

[500amg]

bump...I guess no one has any input on this? I thought the claim that *protection* should not be a large factor in purchasing waxes/sealants today would spark some debate.

[Jngrbrdman]

I could really care less about the protection. I just use whatever makes my car look the best. Longetivity and UV blocking ablility are on the bottom of the list as far as what I look for. I'm looking for ease of application and removal and appearance. Right under those is whether it beads or sheets and then we go on with protection and longetivity.

I claim ignorance for my lack of concern. I'm sure that the chemists among us have a lot of thoughts on UV protection and other environmental protection that some products put down. I'm just completely stupid about it and don't feel like going to school for that too. Times like these are when it would be nice to have some former members posting what they know about this kind of thing. Oh well... I'm sure we have members who can tackle it. Looks like a job for geekysteve or someone like that.

[rightlane]

Protection has not been an issue for me but I can understand that someone who lives in a state with acid rain would have a different priority.

[500amg]

Jngr.

Previously, protection was one of the main reasons I was trying to wax/seal my car as often as I could. After more reading and just plain deducing, I came to the conclusion that the simple layer of XXX product I was putting down really couldn't protect THAT well (just based off of thickness).

Kind of answering my own question...before finding autopia I really didn't use anything on my cars. My purchase of the MB led me to want to figure out how to take care of it better. The lexus I have has never had any sort of care until now...and even after 7 1/2 years, it looks like brand new. All it needed was a good claying and sealant to bring out the shine (I'm going to remove swirls when the weather warms up - car is silver so they are hard to see anyway). Mind you, this car spent a solid 4 years in the sun...

I am in your boat now and am considering products simply for apprearance, ease of use, and the ability for me to clean my car easier. By the last one I mean how easily the dirt comes off the car with XXX product applied versus without.

[SergC]

Originally posted by Jngrbrdman
I could really care less about the protection. I just use whatever makes my car look the best. Longetivity and UV blocking ablility are on the bottom of the list as far as what I look for. I'm looking for ease of application and removal and appearance. Right under those is whether it beads or sheets and then we go on with protection and longetivity.

I claim ignorance for my lack of concern. I'm sure that the chemists among us have a lot of thoughts on UV protection and other environmental protection that some products put down. I'm just completely stupid about it and don't feel like going to school for that too. Times like these are when it would be nice to have some former members posting what they know about this kind of thing. Oh well... I'm sure we have members who can tackle it. Looks like a job for geekysteve or someone like that.

Just great reply Jngrbrdman !





I'm signing up right under it too

P.S.

Maybe DETAILKING could chime on it

[Veri]

I dunno, I'm with Jngr on this one. I do my car so often, what offers the best protection isn't really all that important. Actually, aren't most of us like that?

Good point about the "protection" thing, btw

[geekysteve]

UV protection doesn't have to be "thick" in order to work - think about sunglasses; the very thin layer of film that exists in them is enough to provide adequate protection for your eyes, which are much more sensitive to UV than clearcoat.

Liquid products like 303 also contain UV protection (although I question that now, based on a test that charles did over at another board -- gonna look in to that more), and they're very thin too.

It's also a bit like suntan lotion - SPF 40 isn't "thicker" than SPF15, right?

[500amg]

Good point Steve. I guess beyond UV protection, I'm doubting how much a layer or two of some product will really protect the clearcoat THAT well...like compared to the protection a clear gives the pigment layer of paint.

I guess I've rearranged my priority list with waxes/sealants to put "protection" farther down on the list...very similar to Jngr. It just doesn't seem that the "protection" of a product should receive the attention I used to give it.

[Accumulator]

Here in Ohio the acid-rain etching issue is VERY real. If you can't always wash your car after it's rained on, you'd better have SOMETHING on it that can offer some good protection. New cars that have sat on the lot are frequently etched long before they get sold. Sorta sad, but I doubt most people notice

[Jngrbrdman]

Etching can still occur even if you have a sealant on your car. There isn't a product I've ever heard of that can keep acid rain or bird crap from etching your paint. The protection provided by sealants is mostly going to help keep your paint from fading. As far as etching goes your surface is still vulnerable.

[Accumulator]

Well, Jngrbrdman and I may have to agree to sorta disagree on this one . I DO agree that etching CAN always happen.

This is purely from casual observation, but the cars that I keep well protected, with multiple applications of sealant and/or wax, have never suffered from etching or other "water spot" problems. Even the beater car I leave outside most of the time and rarely wash (by Autopian standards; gee that still sounds AWFUL), but keep well sealed and waxed, never has a problem. But when one of my (non-clearcoat) cars got stuck at a repair shop for weeks and was left outside despite my instructions without any real surface protection, it got waterspots that were a BEAR to polish out. And my non-autopian friends and relatives, whose cars are subjected to the same conditions as mine, all have nasty etching and other surface problems.

Now bird bombs and bug splatters are a different story; they can eat through anything! But even with these, I honestly feel the sealant/wax gives me a little protection, if only enough that I can often wait until the next morning to deal with them. Maybe it's the "sacrificial layer" idea in action. Or maybe I've just been lucky And as I'm always saying, just my $.02; your experience may vary.