Question about sealing?

So I know the sealant is used for sealing the paint on metal but what about the plastic fender flares that are painted the same color as the truck. In my case an SR5.

 

yes. what kind are you using?

 

Meguiars synthetic 2.0

 

I used sealant on all the painted pieces, the glass and the chrome.

Zaino Z2 does not do well on textured plastic, not sure what I am going to do about those bits on the front end yet.

 

Well I sealed the whole truck including the plastic fender flares, I guess if anything I will get UV protection on the plastic fenders. That's good. Looks nice. Might even do a second coat.

 

Sure, theres nothing wrong with sealing any painted surfaces.

 

probably won't last. you should definitely do 2 coats. If a person is gonna take the time to do a sealant, you should do a light buffing, polish, and a good professional sealant. My new Tacoma had orange peal something terrible, now it's nice and smooth and very slick. note a sealant doesn't take the place of waxing, just helps it last a little longer. many sealant need to be "refreshed", basically waxed. The dealers try to sell sealant and say you never need to wax your car again, but warranty for the sealant says it needs to be "refreshed" every six months, they never seem to point that part out. crooks
Over the counter stuff kinda sucks, I've tried about everything and nothing compares to professional grade stuff.

 

How did you remove the orange peel in the clear coat?

Wet sand?

 

Yes I know it won't last. But I'm sure it will last longer than wax. It's just routine maintenance.
What is orange peel?

 

Orange peel is when the paint has a rough finish to it, much like the skin of an orange. a lot of new cars have it, along with other paint contaminates.

A light cutting compound twice, followed by a polish, 2 coats sealant, and a good Brazilian carnuba wax. Using a good($300-400)RA orbital and quality products is a must. sealant works better applied by hand or it gets too thin of a coat.
I also had a lot of swirls and crap from the dealership, they need a new detailer/car washer. looks like glass now. I use Chemical Guys stuff

 

Ok, thanks

I first clayed it and only felt 2 spots on the roof that the clay was picking up, so I don't have a rough finish I guess. Even the clay was pretty clean when I finished. Thanks for the explanation.

 

Do I need to strip wax before applying a sealer? Ha just waxed a week ago. But I do want to seal it.

 

Sealant should go down first then wax can be applied if you want that extra protection & carnauba shine. If you just waxed a week ago I would just wait until your ready to wax again before applying the sealer. No point in removing your fresh wax job, IMO.

 

Great, thanks for the info!

 

You really need to clay, buffing, and polish before sealing. Sealing is only good if the paint is in great shape or it's pointless, otherwise just wax it. Even when sealing, it needs to be maintained and waxed. Dealers like to say it's a lifetime wax, but then they fail to disclose you need to bring it in and "refresh" the sealant, which is waxing it. Not doing that will void the "warranty" they glamorize when they sell these gimmicks.
The big benefits of sealing, are it is much easier to clean and wax if well maintained. It's not really a "protectant" by any means. It still scratches, gets rock chips, and road rash. However, washing, drying and a quick detail, and waxing becomes so much easier and saves a lot of time. If you don't wash and PROPERLY dry your car, it'll be scratched and look just as crappy as if you never clean and wax it.

 

nobody NEEDS to polish before sealing. Stop spreading this garbage.

You can clay, seal and be just fine. Sealants typically last 5-6 months depending on wash habits and products you use to wash with. Also depends on the quality of sealant you use.

Waxing has gone the way of the dinosaur and is completely unnecessary as new sealants have the same properties as waxes do with double the longevity. Wash habits create swirls, some people care about them some dont.

Sealants dont need to be "maintained" they need to be re-applied. I hope nobody believes the crap you spew.

 

I wash my vehicles all the time without creating swirls. If your gonna seal over scratches, might as well just wax as a good wax will last just as long as the 5-6 months you claim the sealant lasts. If you read the fine print on the sealant warranty dealers sell, they call it maintaining, which all they do is wax or reapply, and charge for it. No such thing as lifetime wax. the claim washing creates swirls is crap you spew. any good detailer can tell you scratches are from neglect and IMPROPER washing/drying by idiots like you

 

i dont even know where to start with this. Bless your heart.

 

Think of wax as extra layers of protection, most detailing protocols should be in this order:
Wash
Clay (if needed)
Any buffing/cutting compounds/cutting pads/leveling paint (if needed)
Polish
Sealant
Wax

 

I have a 14. 10 months old, always parked in a garage. And I've washed weekly, sometimes twice (although I gather I have used improper drying technique with a bath towel). Is claying really necessary for me to do this soon?