uv protection

M

m3pilot

New member
How important is this with today's modern paints? Why is it only advertised in sealants such as zaino? Or do waxes and or glazes provide any uv protection?
 
Not sure how big of a difference it actually makes in paint.



UV does damage on cars. You can see how the dash fades as well as carpeting. Go pull floor mats out of an older car and look at the color difference.
 
UV paint damage is real, even with modern clear coats. A 3M guy once told me, "whatever wax or sealant you choose, make sure it has UV inhibitors."
 
So how do we know which products have UV inhibitors and which don't? I've got a red car which is parked outside 24/7, and I know UV isn't kind to red paint.



I know some manufacturers such as turtlewax will mention UV blocking, but others such as mothers won't. But does carnauba itself already have UV blocking properties, a lot of the waxes used here seem to be just blends of carnauba and don't mention UV blocking either such as p21s, s100, blitz, collinite, soveran, etc... It'd be good to know if these waxes actually will protect the paint from UV without a synthetic undercoat.
 
bcwang said:
So how do we know which products have UV inhibitors and which don't? I've got a red car which is parked outside 24/7, and I know UV isn't kind to red paint.



I know some manufacturers such as turtlewax will mention UV blocking, but others such as mothers won't. But does carnauba itself already have UV blocking properties, a lot of the waxes used here seem to be just blends of carnauba and don't mention UV blocking either such as p21s, s100, blitz, collinite, soveran, etc... It'd be good to know if these waxes actually will protect the paint from UV without a synthetic undercoat.
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I was wondering the same thing?
 
I’m confused (as usual) about UV rays and their effect. Plain old window glass keeps a person from tanning - my son (the guinea pig) will lie on the carpet by the sliding glass doors reading or studying with out the slightest reddening - and he burns easily outdoors. But, at the same time the medium brown carpet is several shades lighter in the area that gets a lot of sun.



Does anybody here know the real story about ultraviolet radiation, its effects, and the best blockers?
 
I don't know a whole lot about UV, but I have picked-up a little bit of info about it over the course of the past few years...



PABA's (the UV Inhibitors) are very costly and are often incompatible with some of the ingredients in common automotive wax. Because of these two reasons, many mfg's do not include PABA's in their products - and yet, another group doesn't include them because of the relatively short lifespan of a coat of carnauba...their logic: "Why spend money on PABA's when the carnauba will go away before they have any benefit?"



Pearl, Candy and Metallic paints are most sensitive to UV and are most likely to be damaged easily. PABA's are also not easily "bonded" to a paint's surface - they tend to literally "float away" as the wax suspension agents diminish.



So, for the most part, I subscribe to the theory that very few detailing products actually contain any UV protection, despite what the mfg's may claim.



As Nick T found out through his talks with the folks at Lexol, UV ratings are often "made up" by the mfg's own measuring scale. A mfg may claim a UV protection rating of OOM-75 (Our Own Measurements), but when hard questions are asked, we learn that OOM doesn't mean anything, and it certainly doesn't translate to "SPF".



I'm going to keep researching this, and will share any other info that I can gather...



PS: Regarding the glass and carpet/skin - there's different types of UV rays - perhaps the carpet is sensitve to a type of UV ray that our skin isn't...
 
geekysteve said:
I don't know a whole lot about UV, but I have picked-up a little bit of info about it over the course of the past few years...



PABA's (the UV Inhibitors) are very costly and are often incompatible with some of the ingredients in common automotive wax. Because of these two reasons, many mfg's do not include PABA's in their products - and yet, another group doesn't include them because of the relatively short lifespan of a coat of carnauba...their logic: "Why spend money on PABA's when the carnauba will go away before they have any benefit?"



Pearl, Candy and Metallic paints are most sensitive to UV and are most likely to be damaged easily. PABA's are also not easily "bonded" to a paint's surface - they tend to literally "float away" as the wax suspension agents diminish.



So, for the most part, I subscribe to the theory that very few detailing products actually contain any UV protection, despite what the mfg's may claim.



As Nick T found out through his talks with the folks at Lexol, UV ratings are often "made up" by the mfg's own measuring scale. A mfg may claim a UV protection rating of OOM-75 (Our Own Measurements), but when hard questions are asked, we learn that OOM doesn't mean anything, and it certainly doesn't translate to "SPF".



I'm going to keep researching this, and will share any other info that I can gather...



PS: Regarding the glass and carpet/skin - there's different types of UV rays - perhaps the carpet is sensitve to a type of UV ray that our skin isn't...
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Thanks for the interesting info.
 
UV radiation is the part of the electromagnetic spectrum invisible to the human eye. It is below 400 nanometers in wavelength and is the burning ray that causes skin cancer and is linked to cataract formation, and macular degeneration.



Auto windshields block some but not all UV radiation. This is why transitions sunglasses do not get very dark in a car. The lens is activated by UV.
 
Maybe someone with a few junk panels living in a strong sunny climate like Texas can do some testing for us. Take a few identical panels, preferably black or red (faster results), keep all but 1 out in the sun. Keep one indoors for comparison of fading from the starting point. Leave one panel unwaxed, and keep the other panels waxed monthly to make sure the wax protection is never completely gone. Maybe wash the panel every week to make sure the sun has a clean surface to shine on. I'm sure within a few months time we'll know if different waxes provide any protection from UV.
 
bcwang said:
Maybe someone with a few junk panels living in a strong sunny climate like Texas can do some testing for us. Take a few identical panels, preferably black or red (faster results), keep all but 1 out in the sun. Keep one indoors for comparison of fading from the starting point. Leave one panel unwaxed, and keep the other panels waxed monthly to make sure the wax protection is never completely gone. Maybe wash the panel every week to make sure the sun has a clean surface to shine on. I'm sure within a few months time we'll know if different waxes provide any protection from UV.
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I think it might take longer than a few months. Modern Clearcoats have UV inhibitors built into them so the UV rays are going to be blocked by them for awhile.
 
Maybe paint panels from older cars which aren't as durable? I remember a volvo less than a year old whose red paint was easily seen to be fading.
 
IMO interiors and tires are more prone to UV damage than reasonably cared for paint - especially for those of us who drive ragtops and refuse to drive with the top up!



As geekysteve said, UV inhibitors are very expensive - and after exchanging emails and phone calls with several vendors of products that claim to have UV shielding I don’t believe any of them provide very much UV protection. Some vendors, such as Lexol, are deliberately misleading in their labeling and advertising. 303 Aerospace Protectant, which has documented ultraviolet blockage of over 98%, is the exception.



<IMG SRC=http://home.jps.net/~ntaylor/images/help.gif> I sure wish that somebody who paid more attention in physics class than I did will give us an understandable explanation of what UV radiation does to rubber, plastic, and leather.
 
Nick T. said:
303 Aerospace Protectant, which has documented ultraviolet blockage of over 98%, is the exception.

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Sorry, but that just doesn't sound right at all. Where exactly has it been documented???
 
stanger99 said:
Sorry, but that just doesn't sound right at all. Where exactly has it been documented???
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It’s been a few months since I did my UV shielding checking, and I can’t find my notes. If you want confirmation give 303 a phone call.



98% blockage isn’t as impressive as it may sound. If it were being rated as a sunscreen it would be the approximate equivalent of SPF-60.
 
UV damages paint by changing the color......EVER remove an old decal and notice the color underneath is darker than surrounding........
 
Hmm, maybe we should be concerned about the non painted exterior parts as much as we are about the paint. Especially plastic trim, is there something to protect it from sunlight while lasting long, even against rain?



By the way, do you guys wax your windshield wiper arms? I do, and after 3 years they're still shiny. Other people's cars I've seen after one year the shine is gone and the surface is rough and oxidized on the wiper arms.
 
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