Paint protection advice (wax and sealer)

EDIT: Feel free to post your favorites. This started as mostly discussing wax and sealants, but the thread now has some other info, too. That's just fine. Maybe add where you purchase your product from and a quick comment regarding strengths/weaknesses.

My intent here is to simply provide a little info for folks that just want to get a "coat of something" on their trucks and not spend a lot of time or money (like me). Over the counter products have come a long way in the last few years, and to be honest, you don't have to spend a lot of money to make your paint look really good. And for the record, I'm no pro detailer. Just a weekend guy that likes to detail my truck and keep it looking as nice as I'm able on my own.

Obviously, you can approach paint protection in a lot of ways. But let's keep it simple here. Surface prep is everything when it comes to waxing and sealing, even on new vehicles. And any product is better than no product in most cases. Where to begin?

- wash and wax it (better than nothing)
- wash and seal it (arguably, better than a wax, and a sealer will likely last longer)
- wash, clay, and wax
- wash, clay, and seal (my choice)
- wash, clay, seal, and wax
- wash, clay, coat

Wax will give your paint depth and look darker/wetter
Sealer will make your paint bright and glassy/mirror-like
Coatings (which I don't talk about here) will last 1-3 years in some cases Ultimate Liquid Wax is great (it's actually a 100% synthetic polymer sealer- available at most big box stores and auto parts stores)
Megs Ultimate liquid won't stain trim. I love it- super shiny, easy app and removal.
It also comes in a paste, but the paste will stain trim.
These are Meguires longest lasting sealants $20-25.
(Here's a review from @AZ2013)
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/clay-bar-meguires-ulw.400628/#post-11132024

Megs #21 synthetic sealant 2.0 is also a nice product (but you'll see better longevity using the Ultimate).
#21 is the pro version (compatible with rotary) of NXT.
I'd go with the Ultimate (assuming you've clayed).
If you haven't clayed, go with NXT (it has mild cleaners, very mild)
#21 will stain trim but appearance is really nice.

Meguires Gold Class Carnuba Plus paste is a nice hybrid (sealant and wax properties).
Darkens paint, looks awesome but won't last like a sealer.

Collinite 845 is a really durable carnuba liquid wax (with sealer-like durability).
Collinite 476 is a super duper durable carnuba paste wax, but 845 removal is easier.
Both Collinites are inexpensive but awesome products (lots of fans on TW).
Lots of shine. A great protectant for winter-time salt and road grime.

Menzerna Power Lock sealer ($25). Also Zaino AIO (thanks MushMouse).
I've not used Zaino. Menzerna is awesome.

Then there are the boutique sealers- will run you about $40 instead of $20-30.
Jet seal and blackfire are commonly mentioned on TW.
Lots of guys like to experiment with these.
In my opinion, Meguires and Collinite are "good enough".
Really, they're great products. But some of the boutiques real pop.

Remember- when using sealants there is usually a 12-24 hour cure time, during which you don't want to get the vehicle wet (but if you do it won't hurt anything, other than sub-optimal curing). Your truck will actually look better after 24 hours than it will right after application. Sealants do NOT layer. You'll simply waste product. A second coat is often recommended to ensure even coverage after the first coat has cured for 12-24 hours. Some people like to layer carnuba waxes over sealers (layering is a whole 'nother thread, largely based on personal belief/preference).

I've not used coatings. They are more durable and applied much less frequently (longevity measured in years). If you're a guy that enjoys detailing, go with a sealer and/or wax so you can do it more often. Also, coatings are typically at a much higher price point ($60+ For a single application) and are commonly composed of ceramic or glass. Coatings basically negate the need for wax and sealer. I hear application isn't too difficult, but it's something you don't want to screw up (beware of "high spots").

I've recently become of fan of the quick waxes, too. Not as a stand alone product, but as a maintenance product. Turtle wax ice spray wax and Meguires ultimate quick wax are both good options and aren't too expensive ($10). Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer is great. As is Duragloss Aquawax (one of my favorites). Use them after washing to extend the life of the wax/sealant you originally applied. They work. Period. They bead water and shine like crazy. And they actually do have some longevity to them. Not weeks, but they do work and will easily get you to your next wash (and protect the wax/sealant underneath). If you do nothing else to your paint at all, use one of these products after washing. It takes 5 minutes to spray on/wipe off with a microfiber and your paint will love you for it. Enjoy the shine (you're welcome). Duragloss Aquawax is my current fav.

For dusting and spot cleaning (or You just washed your truck and it rained on it), griots garage speed shine is good stuff. High lubricity to lift contaminants, and a really, really nice shine. Wizards Mist and Shine is also nice.

For all plastic and trim, aerospace 303 is one of the best out there at a moderate price point. Ask anyone that uses it and they'll agree (also a lot of fans on TW). Use it on the dash, interior/exterior plastics, floor mats, tires, head and tail lights (prevents hazing with UV blockers). This one is kind of pricy. I pay about $15 for a bottle at autozone (not all autozones stock it, but Amazon does). Another favorite is Duragloss 253 Tire and Rubber Dressing.

For washing, I use Meguires Gold Class soap (gold in color). It leaves the paint feeling really nice and won't strip wax/sealant. Duragloss (red) soap is nice too.

Are there better products out there? Sure. But they'll probably cost a lot more. Easily twice as much as the ones I listed. But the ones I listed are the ones I use. They work and they work well. And in my opinion, they are perfect for a daily driver. And they're easy to find. The only product I listed that you can't find locally is probably the Collinites (check Amazon).

Any questions, I'm happy to help!

Edit: claying procedure (claying, when necessary, ensures that the wax or sealer bonds to your paint as well as it can). It'll leave your paint feeling like glass.

Pick up a mothers or clay kit. $20 at the big box stores or auto parts stores. The kit comes with two pieces of clay and a bottle of detail spray. You basically knead the clay, form it into a 4" x 4" flat "pad", and then soak the paint surface with the detail spray. Then rub the clay over the surface of the paint. Use plenty of "lube" (detail spray). You really don't want to apply pressure. Just the weight of the clay and the pressure of your hand to hold it on the surface is plenty. The soaked surface allows the clay to simply slide over the surface of the paint and it picks up contaminants that are bound to the surface that don't come off with normal washing (invisible/visible sap, oil, road grime, etc). Even if your paint looks clean, it's not. You'll be amazed at all the gunk that comes off with clay. Check the clay often. When you see that it's dirty, you fold the clay a couple times and flatten it again. This exposes a clean surface. Work a small area (1/4 or 1/2 of a panel) at a time and then move to the next area. Use plenty of lube. You might use half a bottle for a vehicle. You want to wash the vehicle before claying. And if you drop the clay, THROW IT AWAY. and use the second piece. You don't want grit in your clay for obvious reasons. Wipe off the lube after finishing a panel. Repeat as necessary. When it feels smooth like a piece of new glass, you're done. Now.... Wash the truck again before applying your wax/sealant.

The process removes bonded contaminants allowing last step products to adhere much better (wax/sealer). I was blown away the first time I tried it. An almost new truck that looked clean- had a ton of gunk come off on the clay.

Edit: check out my Duragloss 111/601 review
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/duragloss-111-sealant-and-601-bonding-agent.421587/

 

What do you use to wash your vehicle? Also, way back when before I would wash my black Celica I would drop by a manual manual spray wash and knock off the top layer. Many times if not too dirty I wouldn't use a detergent, just water. When I sold that car it was still like new. Many things have changed since the 80's and car finishes. Thanks for the opinions

 

I've been using Duragloss Car Wash Concentrate #902 for years. Catch it when it's on sale & free shipping for the best deal!

 

Funny. I do the same thing- I often do a $2 pressure rinse at the do it yourself wash before going home to actually wash my truck. I like knowing I've already knocked off grit before hitting it with my wash mitt. I've been using Meguires Gold Class soap (gold colored stuff). I really like it. Doesn't strip wax/sealer and it leaves the paint feeling "conditioned". Hard to explain, but the paint feels moisturized and not greasy. You know how some hand lotions are greasy and some are not? And yet both moisturize. The Megs gold class soap is kinda like that. Leaves paint feeling really nice.

The paint protection technology has changed a ton. Even in just the last 5 years. Meguires is making some really great protectants and they're not all that expensive. A $20 bottle of ultimate liquid wax will do a lot of vehicles. Bet I've done 10 so far and I still have half a bottle left.

 

So when I take delivery of my Black OR AC in December should a wait to wax it? It is coming with no dealer add on stuff.

 

Some people say wait 60 days. But I've also read that today's paints are "baked on" so they don't need a cure time. Honestly, if there was issue with applying waxes/sealants upon delivery, I would think the vehicles would come with a warning? Millions of cars being sold and none of the car companies say "don't wax it for 60 days". I sealed mine up the day I got it. No problems. But play it safe if you're not a risk taker. Tacomas ain't cheap.

Ha short answer- I don't know for sure. But I think you'd be fine to seal it up when you get it. I'd clay it first, though.

 

Subbed. A lot of good info here, thanks!

 

You can wash/polish/wax whenever you want upon delivery. I would highly recommend it with rail dust, open elements during transfer, dealer prep.....

I have customers which request a "new car prep" when they acquire a vehicle. It is a great way as well to see the imperfections of the paint upon delivery.

 

Good idea but this is a tough one. There is another recent thread where a guy just picked up his new BLACK tacoma and it was covered in swirls created by the dealer when they washed it before the guy picked it up. I'm sure this isn't uncommon. 9 outta 10 buyers aren't gonna think twice and probably don't care. They won't look that closely. But I would notice.

To be honest, if I had a black truck coming- I would specifically request that they let NOBODY wash the exterior and explain to them the reason why. I'd tell them that I was going to wash it and if there are defects I'll come back in the afternoon or the next morning to address them. More than likely it'd be fine. But I wouldn't want the dealership wash crew touching my new black truck. I'm certain their towels have been used a hundred times and probably even dropped or sat in a dirty bucket. I just wouldn't take the chance, especially on a black vehicle. One swipe is all it takes to trash it. But... That's just me. I'm kinda OCD with my truck.

Here's the thread: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/dealer-installed-swirl-option.400931/

 

Zaino

 

I completely agree with not wanting the dealership to wash my black truck upon arrival. It seems that many new car manufactures are using water based clear coats that eliminate curing time. I know that my body shop uses this new technology because a clear coat can dry within thirty minutes. Black really does show the defects, so I'd be picky on who touches the truck. Then again, it is... just a truck

 

Not sure what you are implying to me. I don't work for a dealership, but have my own detailing business. No matter when you pick up your truck, the paint will not look perfect. You still have to deal with the transfer of the vehicle from the production facility to the dealership. You have no way of knowing what kind of elements the vehicle was put through during the transfer.

Also, most dealerships will wash the vehicle as they do their own "inspection" if that is what you want to call it fot QA/QC purposes. I don't think you will have many dealerships that wil let you take a vehicle home to inspect it on your own and then bring it back if you a problem. Then you get into the he said/she said process.

All that I was implying is that you can wash/polish/wax when you take delivery of a vehicle. You do not need to wait a specific amount of time once you pick it up, similar to an engine "break in period". I am going off of personal experience dealing with multiple customers who have come to me when they have purchased a car and wanting it to look correct. Even when I picked up my truck the paint already had swirls on it. I was in town and could only pick it up in a specific time frame. I was lucky as I saw my truck being unloaded and during my inspection, the dealership was doing its own. Yes the paint probably would have passed with most people, but I was able to see it

 

I use Adam's car shampoo. Much better than anything I found off the counter. PH balanced and is super slick. Wash pads/sponges glide along paint. May seem expensive but I only 2 ounces for a two bucket wash. I have a gallon that has lasted me a couple of years and I still have over half the container.

 

I wasn't implying anything- but I'm sorry, I did misinterpret your post. When i read it, I thought you meant you had customers that requested "new car prep" from the dealer when acquiring the vehicle (and I didn't know what biz you were in). Ive seen to many vehicles come straight from a dealer with swirled paint. Now that I understand correctly- you'd be the first place I'd recommend going with a new vehicle straight from the dealer. To get rid of the dealer installed swirls.

 

Just a... $40k truck. Yeah I don't freak out about it. I use mine like a truck. Drive it through corn fields and haul brush, on and on. But if I could avoid swirls to begin with, I guess I would try. Man, my dads black Nissan Altima came new from the dealer in awful shape. I know it's hard to avoid on black. But c'mon. Just some common sense. No reason it shoulda been that bad.

 

That's the thing, it's hard to receive a "middle class" car that doesn't have some sort of "paint defect". Black is just really apparent. If I purchased a new vehicle and it had a lot of markings, I'd be complaining to the dealer. Now if there were a few here and there, no biggie. After a few trips out, there's going to be some marks so I'm not going to gripe over a few swirls. Everybody has certain expectations, but being overly obsessive about a truck just isn't worth it to me. You purchase a truck to perform a job. The Altima would be very irritating. I believe the manager would have been hearing from me.

 

Sub'd

 

This one? This is the one I often read about on detail forums. Lots of fans. A little higher price point than the over the counter stuff.

http://www.zainostore.com/mm5/merch...tore_Code=Z&Product_Code=Z-AIO&Category_Code=

 

Not everyone buys a truck to do a job. My truck is my daily driver. Yes every once in a while it has a job but not very often. I don't get the whole it's a truck and it should be a beat up, swirled up piece of garbage.

 

I didn't say a truck should be a beater nor look like garbage. You have to be reasonable when it comes to vehicle ownership. A truck is built to haul, tow, and even adapt to a user's rugged needs. Yes there are a few individuals out there who pamper a truck and that's perfectly acceptable. When it comes down to it, it's still a truck. You can't take it with you when you go, it's going to get dirty, it's going to get scratches, and it's going to get dents. That's part of it my friend.