Another BFWD Noobie Question

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I'm sorry to bring up this old subject again, but I spent some time as a Zaino distributor before turning it over to a friend because of other commitments. As a Z distributor I visited four or five professional detail shops, a couple of which had excellent reputations with local car clubs, etc. The thing that really amazed me was that, without exception, they all used tire dressings that were silicone. I worked in a body shop many years ago, and I did mechanical work vs. paint, but silicone was the equivilent of the devil to painters and prep people. I also once took my first Vette to Dr. Vinyl for a dash repair and they just tore their hair out trying to do the job because the Vette's former owner had used a silicone dressing on the dash. When I asked these detailers why they used silicone for tire dressing, their answers were either that it was cheap in 5 gallon buckets or that customers liked the shine and durablility of the silicone on their tires. I'm just amazed, based on these experiences and all the negatives I read on this board, that silicone is used in any car car product! BTW, I love silicone caulk and glue products, the best thing that ever happened! Also, Zaino sales to pro detailers were a total flop because of two factors: cost was too high and they had heard that the protection lasted way too long, so it's use would actually cost them business because customers wouldn't need to return as often! That's not a dig on pro detailers, they are practicing smart business, but is intended to be a comment on Z's lasting power.
 
Sounds like the Pro Detailers you spoke with are missing the point: Customer Service. For goodness sake, give the customer what they want. If people will pay extra for a better service, let them. Detailers who base their business on price are missing the point. A little marketing would go a long way. After all, car dealerships have been getting away with $300-600 sealant packages for years. I don't here a lot of complaints from the people who purchased the service.
 
Just common sense would tell you that it cannot seal the paint for ever and it must fade off. As we all know dealers mark things up around 5-6 times we could say so you can just figure ..... buy the product they use for 1/5th of the price and use it 5 times on your car way better than they would ever use it and wham, you just saved yourself 2500.00



The dealer sealers are in my book of "too good to be true" things that I shouldn't waste my time nor money on.
 
I drank the Kool-aid and bought the whole BFWD program. I bought the Porter Cable buffer, BFWD claybar, polish, sealant, wax.... Followed all the directions. Made my silver Prius really shine (no Prius jokes please). What do I do for maintenance? Yes, I'm hand washing it with the BFWD wash. In three months, do I need to claybar, seal, and wax? Can I apply BFWD sealant over the wax? I'm pretty sure I won't need to polish after three months. Or do I just put on another coat of the midnight sun? Thanks in advance
 
Here is what I would do,

Wash, clay, polish, seal, and wax in the spring.
Wash and wax mid-summer.
Wash, clay, seal, and wax late fall.
Bi-weekly washes, use the sealant spray once every two weeks.
 
Good advise from Connor. The only think that I do differently, is in the late fall, I do a full detail to get the car ready for the winter.
 
First of all, thank you for trying the BFWD system.

Ultimately your maintence program is going to be very individualistic for your car.

In three months, do I need to claybar, seal, and wax?
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Clay your Prius whenever you feel bonded contamination start to stick to the paint. Periodically, after washing your, gently feel the paint with your hand in a plastic baggy. If you notice any bumps or pebble like texture it is time to clay. Depending on where your Prius is driven, parked, and stored, you may only need to clay once a year. If you park outside in an industrial section and live by rail road tracks then you may need to clay every 3 months. It just depends.

Any time you clay an area you should reapply the sealant and wax.

As far as the wax, remember that Blackfire is designed to work together, and the wax is actually providing a sacrafical barrier for the sealant (which in turn is providing a sacrafical barrier for the paint). If you notice any degradation in the quality of water beading then I would reapply the wax immediately. To be perfectly honest I would reapply the wax BEFORE I noticed any degradation, every 2 months or so. Giving how easy Midnight Sun is to use, it shouldn't take about 15-30 minutes total.

I would reapply the sealant every six months (if you are keeping up with the wax coatings) then top with the wax.

Can I apply BFWD sealant over the wax?
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Yes and no. If you just put a fresh coat of wax on then SOME of the polymers in the sealant are going to 'stick/bond' to the some of the polymers in the wax. It won't hurt anything, but the paint/coating will take what it needs and you will buff off the rest during wipe off. However if it has been two months since you last applied the wax, then combination of the polymers/solvents in the sealant are going to replace most of the wax coating. To clear this up...

Initial Step- Clay-Polish-Seal-Wax
2 months- Wax
4 months- Wax
6 months- Seal and Wax
8 months- Same as 2 months and so on. This is just a general guideline that is probably overkill.

Any time you clay it you should reapply the sealant then the wax. Since I would recommend sealing it every six months, it might be a good idea to go ahead and clay it first. (By claying preemptively you can drastically reduce the time it takes).


I'm pretty sure I won't need to polish after three months.
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Again it comes back to inspection. After claying, polishing, sealing, and waxing your Prius it really looks amazing. Lets consider this 100%. Remember how nice it looks.

Every time you reapply the wax it should return you to 100%, IF the sealant underneath is still healthy.

Eventually wear on the paint is going to start to reduce the gloss. If you get to the point that you apply a fresh coat of sealant and wax, but still haven't returned to 100% then it is time to polish. Polish only when needed. I hope this makes sense (at least it does in my often confused brain.)

Best

Todd

PS Where is the pics? ;)
 
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