New Car Shipping Protection?

I

ISLANDSBEST

New member
Several posters have stated that their beliefs that:

1. new cars are coated with cosmoline or other protective compounds ("shipping compounds") at the factory and

2. a special proceedure or special cleaning substance, other than Dawn washing, is necessary to remove these compounds.

A couple have stated that the existence of shipping compounds is a reason for <em class='bbc'>not[/i] telling dealers to leave the paint on the car alone . . . they have stated we don't have the special products necessary to remove the shipping compounds.

1. Do you have knowledge of any shipping compounds applied to the paint of new cars by the factory?

2. If you believe that factories do apply a shipping compound to new cars, is a product other than Dawn necessary to remove it? If so, what is the product?

I think its important to sort out these questions so our members who are receiving new cars can get off on the right foot.
 
it seems that most mfgs. have switched to 3M's RAPGARD for horizontal painted surfaces when the cars leave the factory. A minor amount of residue left behind when the RAPGARD is removed can easily be cleaned with a light solvent or even a swirl mark remover or glaze/polish..
 
Porsche, Audi's, Jaguars all use the film protectant now and have ceased using cosmoline on the body finish.
 
As most are aware, Automotive International's main business is a supplier, consultant to 8 of the largest vehicle manufacturers in the world.



Additionaly we do short term contracts with most of the other manufacturers to resolve various paint/trim issues.



Now that the credentials have been presented here are the basis facts regarding this issues.



1. Cosmoline has never been used by a vehicle manufacturer to protect consumer vehicles with the exception of a few Russian built units such as Skoda, etc. These only came into North America with cosmoline through Canada.



The transit coating many refer to as cosmoline was actually a wax based shipping coating, which is a thin coating of various special waxes. Cosmoline is a total by product wax and is applied very thickly.



Due to enviormental considerations and requirements of our government, the use of wax based transit coating is a thing of the past. The only units I am aware of as this week that are still shipped to the US with a true wax based are farm impliments, such as Massy Ferguson tractors built in Brazil and Cezh.



The vehicles that use a "coating" and this changes monthly, use a "synthetic coating" such as Kats, Purtian or Trans Seal are Jaguar, Subaru,some Mexican Chyrsler builds.



This does change from time to time, as a plant may be instructed to test a particular coating for a short time period.



These synthetic coatings are removed by using a special waterbased remover. The product must break the resin system of the coating while not affecting the paint system, trim, wheels, etc.



The main type of protective coating used today is a transit film, plastic film in sheets. This is easily removed without the need of special solutions. It must be removed in 90 to 120 days or it degrades extensively and starts to shread as it is removed. These materials are from several suppliers, and is usually white in color. The sheet version of Trans Seal is opque in color and reacts differently in removal.



The coatings and coverings are not to protect from salt as commonly related to cosmoline, but rather from the vehicles themselves and the various automotive fluids that may leak out and down through the numerous deck levels. The coatings are also there to protect from the many enviormental contaminates that are present in the air at all plants, ports, etc as well as when setting at the railheads and while on trains and transport trucks.



As you can read, this is an involved issue and is not possible to go much further in depth on it.



Should you have any questions, feel free to contact us at 800-543-7156. Tim Brune, my Tech Director or myself will be happy to address them.



:up
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Ron Ketcham [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>The vehicles that use a "coating" and this changes monthly, use a "synthetic coating" such as Kats, Purtian or Trans Seal are Jaguar, Subaru,some Mexican Chyrsler builds.
[/b]</blockquote>Dunno about other Subaru models, but Imprezas (WRXes and RSes) are showing up at the local dealers with the 3M film on horizontal surfaces, as tom p. mentioned . . . must have switched over recently.

Tort
 
Ron, starting in the early '80's and as recent as '95, Audi used Cosmoline to coat various suspension, chassis and engine components. Various AOA TSB's relate how to properly remove this coating if necessary. Acrysol is the contracted brand of solvent approved by Audi for the removal.
 
3M is very late to the game and is not a major supplier of transit film.



It was invented by the Japanese, IE the now common term "Rap-Gard". It is now produced by several Japanese firms, Korean, US, German and one in Poland.



Each uses a different adhesive system.



Don't call make the call that all are 3M, as I said, very small player in this.



And all have short comings!



In some earlier threads I have mentioned a new clearcoat technolgy that is about to be released and used by several vehicle manufacturers.



This new clear will reduce the necessity for the use of transit film greatly, as the main warrany costs for paint is generated by the acidi/alkaline airborne contaminates that attach to the vehicle.



:cool:
 
Thanks for all the posts. And Ron K, a special thanks for yours, it is very clarifying.



So, let's see if we have consensus (and if I can accurately summarize things).



1. Cosmoline was once used, but is no longer used as an auto transit protectant, though it is in limited use on farm implements.

2. A few makers -- Jaguar, Subaru, some Mexican Chyrsler builds -- apply a synthetic transit coating. This coating is removed by a special waterbased remover.

3. The rest of the makers do not use a transit coating compound, they use sheets of material of some kind, which is manually removed.



Based on the above, there is no problem in instructing a dealer not to wash the car, unless the car is made by Jag, Subaru, or Chysler Mexico (as to some builds). In these cases, one would have to let the dealer remove the transit coating, or get the material and remove the coating one's self.



Does anyone see any errors or omissions in the above?
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by TortoiseAWD [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>
Dunno about other Subaru models, but Imprezas (WRXes and RSes) are showing up at the local dealers with the 3M film on horizontal surfaces, as tom p. mentioned . . . must have switched over recently.

Tort [/b]</blockquote>I bought my WRX the week they were released (March of this year) and have been wrestling with some sort of residue on my outside glass surfaces ever since! I have circular areas the size of a dime on up to silver dollar size that are visible during periods of high humidity, dew, rain or car washing. I've tried newsprint and steel wool with both the blue stuff and the Stoner's product with no success. I have used PrepSol with unbleached brown paper towels a half dozen times also and there does seem to be some very minor improvement.

I'd love to remove this crap myself as the dealer's service people positively scare me! If nothing appears here, I'll give Ron a call next week and I'll let you know how this is finally resolved

Alan
 
Yes,however, it was not real cosmoline, but a wax based shipping coating, but note the "specified" areas for removal.



Land Rover was using a wax based for engine compartments, some suspension parts until this year and now use a synthetic. Less enviormental damage is created, since no hydrocarbon solvents are required to remove it and end up in our water table.



The parts you referred to are not the clearcoat of your vehicle. Use that product on your vehicle, get it on the rubber or vinyl trim parts and you have very good chance that they will shortly exhibit a "white staining" where ever it came in contact.



Mike at VW/Audi in Auburn Hills and I have had several conversations regarding this issue for the past 3 years. The only reason it has not been taken further, no matter the data he has collected, is Germany. The engineers there are the same old Tutonic mind set. "We are German's and we can do no wrong" Not being racist or anything like that, I have been working with them for years, just know that what may be analyzed and changed by US companies in a short time, takes 2 to 5 years to change anything that is mandated by the German firms engineering staffs.



Anyway, just a little more "inside" information for all.





:up
 
Good posts, all.



Now, what is the suggested action plan when transite compounds are being used? Ron K, if you have a view, I would love to hear it, as well as the views of anyone else.
 
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