Do you use Paint Protection? Which one?

[SunDrifter]

Hey Guys,

After finding a few impurities on the paint of my new ute i've decided that i'd like to know about the sorts of paint protection you can get, and some feedback from people that may have it on their cars?

Is it worth the money you paid for it?

How much did you pay for it?

Which product is the winner? Are there any to stay away from?

[Sox]

Stay away from all of them, they are a con IMO.
No paint protection lasts longer than the waxes you can buy from any spare parts outlets.
Wax your car every month if it's in the sun, or every 3 months if it's in a garage or carport.

Rick.

[Hoops]

Originally Posted by Sox

Stay away from all of them, they are a con IMO.
No paint protection lasts longer than the waxes you can buy from any spare parts outlets.
Wax your car every month if it's in the sun, or every 3 months if it's in a garage or carport.

Rick.

Agreed, I will never get it on any of my cars, with paint protection you will never get your car looking as good when its just had a wax :

[GRUNTA]

What about imperfections such as swirl marks and small scratches would'nt the paint protection fix this

[XAGSV8]

Originally Posted by GRUNTA

What about imperfections such as swirl marks and small scratches would'nt the paint protection fix this

You are better off sticking with a good polish and a wax as it should get rid of any swirl marks and scratches. Personally I recommend Bowdens.

[Sox]

Originally Posted by GRUNTA

What about imperfections such as swirl marks and small scratches would'nt the paint protection fix this

No, just a light polish will remove swirl marks, and any other imperfections may need a slightly more abrasive polish.

Polish removes paint.
Wax protects paint.
Paint cleaners are also availabe to remove chemicals, etc. These don't actually polish the finish, rather just remove the residue.

'Paint protection' pakages simply polish then wax, and usually charge stupid money.

The process is easily achievable with product available from any spare parts outlet and a few hours. Total cost will be less than $50.

Rick.

[b2tf]

No I dont use it, mainly because Ive seen how its made up. It is literally about 3 bottles or so of stuff mixed together and then sprayed onto the car.

My car has it but I didnt put it on there and I most certainly didnt pay for it. Ive almost removed it all with Meguiars products anyway, and I can guarantee you that once Ive given my car the full treatment with Megs stuff (wash, paint cleaner, scratchx and wax), it will look shinier, clearer and cleaner than ANY car with that stuff on it.

Its a con. Why else do you think they always have a woman at the dealership whose job it is to sell it?

[LTDHO]

Paintprotection is a good idea if your car spends alot of time in the sun or wind.

Demending on the weather conditions and the frequency of washes a good wax should last over a year. If you over wax the paint will appear to loose it's depth.

I wax mine once a year.

It is a good idea to give your car a polish prior to wax as the polish removed a very thin layer and then you wax this. If your paint is old or dull then you will have to cut it first, this removes a little more paint.

[Des]

Every panel beater/ detailer I've (or anyone else I know who has) spoken to reccomends doing the work yourself. Paint protectants are a con. My brother had it on his (purchased new) Festiva, and tried to claim for a stain in the paint from bird-poo, and was told that it wasn't covered after the salesman clearly stated it was. Avoid it like the plague. Besides, if you have it applied after picking up the car from the dealer you leave yourself open to the "That must of been there before we applied "Brand X" protectant" line. :

[philby]

I to tend to aggree - it's a con, I paid for it on my new Terri - after someone at work recommended it. Cost me about $300, and I can't see what it has actually done.

I have waxed and polished the car a couple of times using the tinted liquid car polish and it looks no different to what it was like new. Plus the polish makes it easier to clean with a simple wash and rinse.

So I say save yourself $300 and polish it yourself!!!! cos that's all I think they do

[nang3]

mate if you want the best result use Zaino .. the first time takes a few hours but once you run your finger along the paint after using the claybar you will understand why.. it really does feel like glass..

[SpoolMan]

i purchased paint protection with my BA, its a waste of money....i use Meguiars products..goood stuff...

[Falcon Coupe]

Originally Posted by Hoops

Agreed, I will never get it on any of my cars, with paint protection you will never get your car looking as good when its just had a wax :

Agreed, i got it on my Rodeo. it never shines as much after a wash as one with no paint protection.

[SVR73]

I agree with you all on dealership applied paint protection - they actually do apply the product but most are outdated standard polymer sealants that leave residue on trim and other areas if too much is applied.
They last no more than three months if that and they only apply one coat anyway

Don't pay any dealership for that stuff on your next new car

Now to boutique paint sealants that I use

These are totally unique cutting edge super polymer, ceramic and acrylic sealants that are ultra easy to use, do not leave residue and with two or more coats applied (giving a couple hours to a full day to cure unless you have zaino flash curing additive) you will get five to twelve months of protection

They can also be used on wheels, glass, some on plastics like your trim and are far cheaper for 1 - 4 litres than one coating of a crappy dealership one

JamieXR6 is the man to talk to if you want opinions from someone besides me, he uses some products that I do and swears by them
You can also put wax over the top of the sealants too
Would take probably 15 - 30 minutes max to apply a coat to a falcon

Wax sits on top of paint, sealants bond and cure to it, becoming part of the paint providing several hundred degrees resistant protective barriers

Visit detailcity.com and click on lsp (last step products forum) for more info
best of all you can use acrylic or ceramic ones first and put super polymer sealants over the top for a slicker, glossier finish

[JADED6]

Co worker just paid $595 for this "paint protection" for her $48,000 HSV. The paint work already has numerous blemishes in it.
$500 odd can buy a lot of great cleaning products.

[xr8daz]

"Underbody sealer / deadener" is another great car yard scam.....2 cans of K&H body deadener ($12 each) half an hour labour ($25) and hey presto....$700 to the car yard thanks !!
DAZ

[SVR73]

Originally Posted by xr8daz

"Underbody sealer / deadener" is another great car yard scam.....2 cans of K&H body deadener ($12 each) half an hour labour ($25) and hey presto....$700 to the car yard thanks !!
DAZ

Now that is nasty.
It's all about making as much money as possible

[niko]

G.A.R.A.G.E works a treat ;)

[Celts88]

I assume the Motorone Fifth Dimensions Paint, Leather, Cloth, Vinyl and Alloy protection system is a waste of money : : : :

[SVR73]

Have heard of motor one's gear but I will not comment as I have not tried it
What most dealership's sell are old school paint sealants that do more harm than good and if you read the warranty, 99% of the stuff that your car can be affected with is not covered by the warranty.

Any paint sealant that is available through car care stores is far better.
Meguiars #21 sealant is a nice one, #20 however is a polish and sealant and I don't like products that claim to clean, clay, cut, polish and seal your paint
Every time you are using it, it is taking a small amount of paint off

There are lots out there and these are just a few I like and some that I know of

Klasse
Platinum UPP
Wolfgang Deep gloss
Ultra Gloss
Poorboys World
Pinnacle
Stoners
Zaino
Blackfire
Du Pont
Toughseal
Omikron
Menzerna full metal jacket

[Deano.72]

I agree with most of the other guys on this,my fathers and a mates car were both paint protected from new at a fairly high cost.If you don't intend on looking after your paint yourself with regular re-applications of wax then the dealer protection may be the way for you.My car is always higher polished than the other two cars but alot of work goes to maintain this. I highly recommend either Bowdens own, or Meguiars polishes to anyone who cares to listen.There is also a Mothers polishing machine on the market that may cut down application and effort time for this process.

[EL_futuraistic]

$595 for the HSV.. that was cheap.

I just bought a 1yr old Nissan, the woman (as always) tried to sell me the interior/exterior protection with free window tint for $1650

Interesting you say about the bird droppings Des..... cause thats the exact example they used when trying to sell it to me.

Totally Agree, its a ripoff.... nothing some Meguires Gold Class once every couple of months cant fix.

[gtfpv]

mate they tried to sell it to me for my black BA GT FOR $800. SIAD I WAS MAD FOR NOT DOINGit on a black car. i said after making enquiries no way . low and behold . on the day of pick up .we have done you a favour for free and applied paint protection . as we do with all black cars . well you better order me another GT without it i said , i don't want the car .
AND GUESS WHAT . the detailer promptly told me that it is a laod of sshhhit and he puts it on to make his job easy as it takes all day to poish a black car and the protectant can be applied in 1 hr or less. dont worry he said you can polish it off with any polish it will come off after a few washes anyway .this calmed my nerves i took the car and polished it with mcguires tech wax 1 week later and the finish came up better.