Best way to protect new car paint?

[amstrange1]

New car arrives in a couple of weeks, declined the usual Lifeshine stuff.

It's the family wagon, so doesn't warrant hundreds and hundreds of quid on paint correction and PPF coatings etc. Is there anything that it's worth me DIY-ing to keep new paint looking tip-top for longer?

Several years ago I used Extra Gloss Protection from Autoglym on a new car, which made it easier to keep clean - but I appreciate things might've moved on.

Thanks!

[Porsche911R]

Do you own it ! Or is a a lease or pcp car ?

Paint seems to last ok in my book and don’t really need protection, most cars come with 10 year paint warranty.

[trickywoo]

Avoiding putting scratches on it is the key. Therefore two bucket and grit guard washing with good deep pile wash mitt.

Something like Sonax brilliant shine detailer sprayed on during the drying phase with a microfibre drying towel will keep it looking good and protected.

You’ll still need to think about fallout and tar remover from time to time but you shouldn’t need to think about machine polishing for a long time.

Just to add bilt hamber make some great waxes and the autobalm is a great quality, ease of use and price balance. A couple of coats of that will be sufficient for at least six months with good washing practice and topping up with a spray quick detailer as I mentioned earlier.

Edited by trickywoo on Sunday 9th June 17:24

[amstrange1]

Thanks, so just use decent wax rather than bother with any of the special sealant type stuff?

[trickywoo]

amstrange1 said:

Thanks, so just use decent wax rather than bother with any of the special sealant type stuff?

Wax is my preference. I've had first had experience of the sealant offered by Toyota on the MIL's car and I'm not impressed.

You'll be really surprised about how well the Sonax spray detailer works. I wash the car once a week and put a few squirts of that on each panel when I dry it and water beads like mad. Finish stays really nice for a long time doing that.

[mbwoy84]

Ceramic coat it yourself. Use the GTechniq Exo/Crystal Serum Light Combo.

Yes, it'll set you back about £125, but as you say you're not concerned about perfection in paint correction, but invest £125 and a day of your time into coating it and it'll pay you back in time and materials keeping it clean moving forward as it'll last about 3 years and nothing will stick to it/mark it!

[Dr Doofenshmirtz]

Well, I would have said Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic wax, but it seems Turtle Wax Sealant Hydrophobic Wax is just as good and costs 1/4 the price.

[designforlife]

Regular washing with proper kit and the 2 bucket method, keep it waxed and use a good quality sealant every few months.

Wash any bird poo etc off immediately, don't let the garage/dealer wash it, and don't take it to any hand car washes.

[budgie smuggler]

amstrange1 said:

Thanks, so just use decent wax rather than bother with any of the special sealant type stuff?

Personal taste really. I prefer spray coatings like GTechniq's C2V3 or Meguiars Hybrid Wax mainly they are just so much quicker to apply effectively.

[designforlife]

in2detailing's ceramic crystal wax is very good, easy to apply by hand and doesn't cost a fortune.

Smells nice too!

[amstrange1]

Thanks all!

[anonymous-user]

I find Autoglym Super Resin Polish and then extra gloss protection still does a Stirling job of keeping the car clean and easy to wash.

Ime ceramic coating is barely any better if at all but costs several times as much and the sprays don't last very long.

[PompeyReece]

Elatino1 said:

I find Autoglym Super Resin Polish and then extra gloss protection still does a Stirling job of keeping the car clean and easy to wash.

Ime ceramic coating is barely any better if at all but costs several times as much and the sprays don't last very long.

I too find the Autoglym Super Resin Polish easier to apply and buff off than wax yet gives an amazing shine.

I've not finished it off with the Extra Gloss Protection before so will give that a go.

[budgie smuggler]

PompeyReece said:

I too find the Autoglym Super Resin Polish easier to apply and buff off than wax yet gives an amazing shine.

I've not finished it off with the Extra Gloss Protection before so will give that a go.

SRP isn't really the right product for a new car. It contains fillers to hide swirls etc. EGP would probably be a better choice if you want to stick with Autoglym.

Elatino1 said:

I find Autoglym Super Resin Polish and then extra gloss protection still does a Stirling job of keeping the car clean and easy to wash.

Ime ceramic coating is barely any better if at all but costs several times as much and the sprays don't last very long.

AFAIK a proper ceramic coating has to be wet sanded to be removed so it can't have been applied properly if SRP outlasted it! Even the self-applied ceramics (non-spray) should last years.

Still the spray ones should last a long time compared to SRP, I'm getting months out of C2V3. SRP lasts two or three weeks on my car. It's a good product for putting shine back on faded/swirled paint though

Edited by budgie smuggler on Tuesday 11th June 10:03

[Dr Doofenshmirtz]

There is a big difference between a polish and a wax.
Polish (typically petroleum based with mild abrasives and silicone fillers) is used to fix problems such as surface oxidation/dullness, wax (typically Carnauba wax based) is used to add a layer of protection and shine. Modern things such as Ceramic coatings contain silicon dioxide which bonds to the surface doing a similar job to wax (but better), and the new kids on the block like Turtle Wax Hydrophobic and Meguire's Ceramic wax etc contain blends of silicon dioxide and wax to produce the holy grail of shine & protection.