View Full Version : Why do I even bother with sealants and wax?
Dolphin463
10-24-2003, 10:12 AM
Following the purchase of my new 530i in June, I put base on AIO, followed by 4 coats of SG and monthly coats of s-100. Yesterday, I had a bird dump its load on the roof. It was only on for about an hour. Once it was cleaned off, I can see it had etched into the clearcoat already and required about 15 minutes with the PC to get back to normal. What "protection" are we really getting from all of the time, effort and money we are spending on protecting our finish?
Preachers Sheets
10-24-2003, 10:13 AM
Man, I don`t know what the birds are eating around where you guys live.
I can leave seagull crap on my car for two days, wipe it off and there`s not trace of any damage. This is weird.
Bill D
10-24-2003, 10:14 AM
That`s one toxic bird!
BoxsterCharlie
10-24-2003, 10:21 AM
Good point. How much are we really "protecting" when all you`re doing is putting a product on, then wiping it off! I`m seriously thinking about treating some lower body panels to a pre-winter wax--and NOT wiping it off, just leave a nice thick ugly coating on.
The only thing is, the paint feels really nice and slick after waxing, so there MUST be something left behind!
Probably if you car hadn`t been waxed, the damage would have been permanent.
The way I see it, is that the damage could have been a lot worse if there was nothing on the car at all. The sad truth seems to be that waxes and sealants only slow down damage but not totally remove the threat.
LOTA OT
10-24-2003, 12:00 PM
Originally posted by BoxsterCharlie
I`m seriously thinking about treating some lower body panels to a pre-winter wax--and NOT wiping it off, just leave a nice thick ugly coating on.
That thick ugly coating will most likely just harbor moisture and salt/dirt. May be a thicker layer (with questionable added protection), but it will keep more of the bad stuff on your paint.
Besides the fact that it will look like crap, it will most likely come off after the first wash any way.
As BK1 pointed out, whatever we put down for protection is only slowing down the damage, not removing its potential.
Michael
tkr128
10-24-2003, 01:11 PM
I`ve had the same thing happen. I put on 3 coats of Z5, parked the car outside and then a couple hours later came back to a car full of hard water spots. It took me a few hours with the PC to get them off.
I can only imagine how bad it would have been had I not applied any protection to the car.
K_Csaxo
10-24-2003, 03:27 PM
im sorry to hear that, i have the same problem with mine regarding bird bombs, those damn things just cant resist because every other car on my street never seem to get hit!
at the end of it all i guess products are made to bring out the best in our paintwork and make us proud to see such a sight after all that work. just think of it like shower products, all those claims about making your hair or skin better but the next day you have to get back in it again and the whole process is repeated.
no matter what you use to protect your car, the elements will get to it , i am just happy that i can get a better shine out of my car compared to others. i hope that others feel the same way.
C-MDX
10-24-2003, 08:29 PM
OMG. And once I left it on the roof for a week :eek:
Jesstzn
10-24-2003, 08:34 PM
Birds must differ in diet .. I have had some dump on the car and its been there for 6 hours at work on #26 and no damage.. I had one do it on my hood with 5 layers of Zaino and in 20 minutes it etched. I know it was 20 min. cuz I just washed the car and I was inside doing the same thing the bird was outside doing... And I didn`t bring the news paper.
Scottwax
10-24-2003, 08:48 PM
Like Jesstzn said, it depends on what they eat. If they eat a lot of berries, their dumps will be a lot more acidic. If they just ate a field mouse, it probably won`t do as much (if any) damage to a properly waxed surface...but the bones may chip the paint! :lol
chris0626
10-25-2003, 12:56 PM
I`m surprised to hear your report, Mike. I`m just this month beginning to use Klasse on my champagne-colored car. For a year, I`ve been using Zaino on the white car. I posted this report about Zaino`s power in repelling bird-bomb damage:
I`ve been using Zaino for about 7 months, and have been amazed by its durability. Just yesterday, I went out to tackle some purple bird-bombs. They had been on since at least 48 hours --maybe longer. (I hadn`t seen the car in about 6 days.) There were lots of `em, and BIG! I went at them as I have in the past, with Poorboy`s Spray & Wipe and a MF. The bombs came off easily, but I could see that the purple was etched in -- as if it had dyed the finish. :eek: Well, I screamed and let out a couple of choice bleeps. Then sprayed once more with S&W, wiped off, and poof! they were gone without a trace. My guess: they had stained the Zaino layer, but not the paint. Zaino to the rescue again.
The full thread was about somebody with a complaint about Zaino that`s similar to yours. You can check it out
here (http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=23913) if you`re interested.
Yeah, sorry to hear about that as well. :(
How much damage a bird dropping will do DOES depend on several things. Including:
1) Bird`s diet (see Scottwax`s post)
2) Surface temperature
3) Quantity :p
4) Time dropping was allowed to sit on paint.
Sometimes you`ll run into truly horrible stuff that will eat through anything. Other times it can sit there for a long time and not cause much damage. Letting it dry out and high heat are the worst things though, so that`s why it`s important to get it off the car ASAP, one way or another.
rntonp
10-28-2003, 09:53 AM
Perhaps it was a Taliban bird, sent to this beautiful country to inflict psychological warfare on us Autopians. LOL.
Glossequation
10-28-2003, 11:34 AM
Birds also eat gravel and sand to help them digest, so be careful of scratching your car when wiping off the doodie.