Ok i have just been thinking about fixing my paintwork it is on my bmw but i am sure the same will apply to a fiero so i am talking about paint protection in general.

Paint protection is Always sold at point of sale usually after you have signed the deal as an add on and a must have. Do you want to protect your investment? The answer is always yes. The dealer / the after market sales consultant usually female will try sting you $1000 for paint protection. This is often contracted to a branded product and is usually PTFE based.

Claying and paint cutting compounds
Clay powder or a clay stick is or cut n polish used to take the clear coat and or layers of paint off a car only recommended for the deepest of scratches as there are only a certain amount of paint layers on the car.

Baby powder,
Reg baby powder the kind off shelf style hose off and chamois.


Wax
Wax is the traditional paint protection we have all known of it for years and when talking about polishing we even use the term waxing the car. Now was has a downside if it doesn't melt off the car in the first hot day vaporising into the atmosphere. It will certainly rain off within months. Wax will also not adhere well to the car. Dirt will actually cause more scratches in wax as it beds itself with in the wax. There are so many reasons not to use wax the first time you start your motor the wax is gone in that area. When wax heats and cools it breaks down and makes paint look very bad.


Silicon
Silicon is okay if you still have perfect factory paint other wise it will cause what is called the fish eye effect. If the new paint isn't a bare metal bare plastic primer job it may look poor emphasizing a respray rather than actually having the shine stand out. The shine will be there and maybe an improvement but like wax it only lasts a few months.

Acrylic
Acrylic sealants are generally provide 6 months of protection. Still not a permanent product but it does last although costly the shine is great it will need to be reapplied in 6 months

PTFE / Teflon
PTFE is the chemical. Teflon fluropolymer resin makes the surface of your paint slippery. Car care products containing PTFE usually dont have much of it PTFE in them. The way it is implied through industrial applications eg: fry pans it is baked on with heat so it sticks to the metal. PTFE is non stick It does appear to work well and many are claiming this to be the 5 year wax but if not applied properly the teflon will likely repel the paint in places.

Glazes Formulas with wax
There are a many different formulas on the market. They generally contain wax and silicone some resins many wont say what is actually in them. Glazes claim to have have a higher melting temperature than wax which does make them last longer one claims 140°C. But the thermostat hasn't even opened in from engine heat as yet. Some products are an abrasive polish. It is difficult to properly evaluate formulas as you don't know what is in them.

PPS
PPS is an acrylic/PTFE/resin based formula of paint protection. The surface is buffed so that the buffing action in conjunction with the abrasive compound produces sufficient heat to polymerize the tetrafluoroethylene monomer, thereby creating a protective layer of polymer over the painted surface.
To make this work the correct temperature must achieved. This is a complexed system that can be over applied.

Silicates
Glassplexin, which is a silicate, not a silicon it forms a coating on and within the painted surface filling the paint instead of just laying on top of the paint as all of the other products do due to the chemical make up of atoms the particles are of a different shape to silicones.
this product claims to be heat resistant to 400 degrees and maybe the best for overall protection.


After looking i am assuming teflon and glassplexin are the best as i know car dealers use these two methods i have sold new cars and the ones we sold had teflon. If i go with glassplexin seemed to have a better sales pitch and claimed to do more i found it can be bought from glare.com for a very reasonable price for about $40 for the polish $40 for high sheen.

We all know that if we wash n wax our cars they most certainly will look better wax protects so why not continue to use it. What do you do to protect your car?

So your car is dirty do you wash n wax , pay $500-$1000 for someone to detail it inc paint protection.
Or do you do the DIY dealer equivalent as cheap as you can? If so what do you do?

quote Originally posted by Australian: So your car is dirty do you wash n wax , pay $500-$1000 for someone to detail it inc paint protection. Or do you do the DIY dealer equivalent as cheap as you can? If so what do you do?

I do it myself and people pay me to detail their car and I do primarily just the outside, I'm not an interior person. A solid 6-8 hours to detail the exterior and restore paint.

On my own cars, I do them all in basecoat / clearcoat. I color sand them and buff out with compound. Then go over it with a good swirl remover. Then every spring I go back over it lightly with buffer again. I just wash cars at least weekly for a minimum, or when theyre dirty. I NEVER use any wax or preservative, just soap and water and dry. For shows I do go over them with a spray detailer just to get streaks and bugs off. Ive tried a claybar once to see what it would do, but apparently I keep them too clean for it to show any improvement. I dont like any wax because they all just make water spots. Been doing the same thing for at least 25 years now.

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Owner / Operator Custom Paint and Body...
specializing in Corvette & Higher End Autos for 40+ years
Ferrari, Mercedes and Porsche Approved

I understand that the only soap product that has no nasty chemicals in it is Dawn dish detergent. It is the only product used world wide to clean animal or water fowl contaminated by oil spills. If it gets grease off a duck without hurting the duck, it's good enough for me.

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I wouldn't use any type of dish detergents. From what I remember, and I would have to check to be 100% sure, they are loaded with salt. Very harsh on paint and clearcoats!!!!!