Do Waxes and sealants prevent or delay clear coat failure?

[danEz_yoda]

Heard an argeuemnt on this that paint will fail when its good and ready no matter what you wax it with. All wax and sealants do is make the car look nice while the paint is still good but it doesn`t prolong the life of the paint.



Opinions?



proof?

[sdat1333]

I would be interested to know as well. I would like to believe that UV shielding helps protect the CC.



Sean

[imported_Puckman]

Doesn`t UV protection help? Some LSP`s have better UV protection than others and I have to believe that helps prolong paint life. UV attacks everything it hits. Bear in mind I`m no paint expert by any means and I`m just supposing here.



(EDIT: sorry sdat, you beat my post by about a minute. Same point)

[stiffdogg06]

I also agree with the above. Most likely sealants will provide better UV protection than any waxes out there besides Collinite 845/476.



I do believe sealants/waxes provide A LOT better protection from CC failure than any unprotected car.

[danEz_yoda]

I`d like to think so too. Back in the old days of single stage paint, a car that wasn`t waxed got dull with oxidation whiel the waxed ones didn`t. BUT was the wax just cleaning off the oxidation before it could build up to a point that it looked bad? I.E. the paint was still oxidizing but you couldn`t tell because you cleaned the layer off before anyone could see it.



For clear coat paint, looks like the main problem is what I call the "white clouds" clear coat failure. looks like this?



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v74/Jngrbrdman/DSC00225.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v629/GSRShane/ClearPeel.jpg



Can regular application of waxes and/or sealants prevent/Delay this?

[BobD]

It depends what type of clearcoat failure it is. If the clearcoat fails because it was a bad mixture, it didn`t bond to the paint properly and so on, a wax or sealant would not help. If it is a failrure caused by the elements then sure it will help.

[dmatre]

I would have to disagree with the basic assumption.



My previous car was an `87 Benz. It was regularly washed (weekly) & waxed (4-6 x per year). The paint was still flawless (other than stone chips and bird bomb etching) when I traded it in.



I`d also seen several Benzes from the late `80s and early `90s that had paint similar to the Olds in the photo above.



Assuming that the paint was of similar type & thickness, then that would indicate that taking proper care of the paint did, in fact, prolong its life (and maintained its appearance). Just my thoughts.

[cole]

I don`t know, but I usually keep my cars along time. Years plus. Paint is designed to protect the metal and should last the useful life of the car . Looking back, I had problems with a metallic gray GM from the mid eighties, but all my other cars looked as new when I passed them along to their happy next owner. I washed, polished, waxed all about the same. So.. nothing saves a bad paint job ala the GM I mentioned. I think the paint job will meet its spec and last the life of the car as long as its not abused. My 7 year old red Corvette looks showroom new and my 5 year old Denali likewise. Our 8 year old Sebring Convertible looks great also. In my opinion, the best thing you can do is allow the car to sleep in a garage every night and keep it reasonably clean so that you can see the problem spots like tree sap and bird droppings. Get those bad things off and the finish will last.

[Accumulator]

I honestly dunno from UV protection, but LSPs provide a sacrificial layer that sure does *something* to prolong paint life.



When I had the Volvo still in its original ss paint, it was easy to see how well it was holding up- oxidation was obvious. The original owner never waxed it and you can imagine how it looked (even though it was always garaged)- chalky and white instead of its correct medium blue color. I got it, polished it out, and then kept it well waxed (#16 or Collinite) whereupon it stayed nice for *long* periods even though I kept it *outside* 24/7. Just a *tiny* bit of oxidation that I easily polished off with the Cyclo once a year.



FWIW, I experimented on said Volvo with BF sealant and some KSG, and they didn`t seem to prevent oxidation nearly as well as the two waxes :nixweiss I quit using them as I was polishing those areas all the time and sure enough, they stayed nice a lot longer with #16/476S.



FWIW#2- The current owner is keeping it outside 24/7 in Memphis TN (hotter, more UV, etc.). It`s not a fair comparison (with the above) as I had it repainted with b/c prior to giving it away, but with just 845 on it it`s still holding up great for her years later.

[Glossy McGlosserton]

I agree with Danase that if there is an underlying bonding or quality problem with the paint or clear itself, putting a protectant on top can at best delay the inevitable.



Honda had a problem with clearcoat failure on its dark colored cars in the late `90s. I had a `98 Honda Accord with dark green paint where the clear failed on the roof, despite my use of Z2/Z5. Now, I bought it used in 2000, but it was in great shape when I bought it with no sign of cc failure. My partner has a `98 Civic in a very similar dark green color (which has a little more blue in it) and the cc failed on the roof last year. Of the two cars, mine had a finish that was pampered and protected, the Civic was mainly left to its own devices, yet my clear failed a lot sooner.