PiperG

Was getting ready to put some Zaino on my 06 TL and wanted to skip the dawn soap part if I could. I figured if I had no wax, the dawn wouldn't be necessary. Do they wax our cars from the factory?

exceldetail

Chances are they have some sort of petroleum protection. And this would only be from the prep work after painting. I would think they rely more so on the dealer to provide protection, be it in the form of a quick prep after purchase, or the snake oil they will try to sell you.....
At any rate, give the new ride a good wash. The paint should get a nice cleaning with at least a paint cleaner prior to using a sealant. I dont know anything about Zaino as I have never used it.

csmeance

Cars come from the factory with those white covers to protect them. When the dealership recives them, they take the covers off and give it a wax. When you buy it, they detail in inside and out (just a basic wax and vacum). instead of using dawn, use the z-7 car wash soap. That stuff works really well.

PiperG

Thanks for the replies guys. The car is 3 mos old. So skipping the dawn would be ok?

Landocommando12

one of the dealerships I work at is a jaguar dealership and i saw a shipment of new xk8's come in and the paint looked old and dull like it had coke poured on it or somethin... i asked the detail guy and he told me they coat the cars in this stuff instead of putting the white covers on em and theres a little bottle of stuff that comes in the trunk that they wash it with when it gets there and it takes the protectant off... i thought that was pretty cool. If this is something that is already well known about than im sorry for looking stupid!

Got_3.2?

iTrader: (2)

at the mercedes dealership i worked at they used meguiars nxt

TOGWT

Polymer Sealant or Waxing New Paint:
a) New cars-
Paint curing process; new cars go through the painting and baking process without any of the rubber, plastic, and cloth components installed. This is why they can expose the cars paint to such high temperatures these high temperatures and special paints used at the factory level ensure the paint is fully cured by the time the car leaves the assembly line.

Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) water based paint and its clear coat are cured at high temperatures; sometimes as high as 300oF in multiple oven zones where the paint is baked with radiation and convection heat so that 90-95% of the paint systems out gassing has taken place, the additional 5-10% will cure within 2-3 days and the vehicle’s paint can be waxed the moment it is rolled out of the manufacturing plant.

By not applying some sort of paint protection soon after purchase the customer is actually damaging the paint surface instead of helping it. Salesmen that advise a customer not to wax a car for 6-12 months are relying on old paint methods and are misinformed about the latest paint technology.

The newer paints are catalyzed (a chemical reaction that cures the paint) lacquers and enamels needed time for the solvents to release, with modern water based paints this is not necessary.

This is a huge problem in dealerships because customers tend to take the advice offered by a salesman who usually knows nothing about paint, rather than a trained paint professional. This goes a long way to understand why fairly new vehicles paint surfaces are in such bad shape even after a relatively short period of time.

Cosmoline is no longer used in the US as it is not environmentally sound; apart from that it is much harder to remove than the shipping/storage wax modern car manufacturer’s use. A large percentage of new vehicles, both domestic and imports have either a shipping/storage wax applied (5:1 emulsion of paraffin and synthetic wax) which effectively ‘seals’ the paint surface more than a polymer due to its formulation.

Place your hand in some paraffin wax; once the wax has dried (approx 1.5-2 hours ) you'll notice that your hand starts sweating profusely because the pores have been ‘sealed’ by the wax, these coatings are applied within one to three hours after the vehicle is assembled, and after the painting process is complete, this protective sealant coating (sealant means what it says, it really does seal and protect the paint from the environment, a lot different from the detailer’s polymer ‘sealant’)it should only remain for 90 - 120 days maximum; otherwise it becomes very difficult to remove (Auto International’s AutoBody Prep - http://www.autoint.com/)

Vehicles from the USA, EU and many European builds, use the plastic transit film, however vehicles from Brazil, and some Asian models, still use shipping wax.

johnniewalker

they hand waxed mine before i got it?....though my dealer was really awesome

SoCaliTrojan

read the label on the dawn soap. Someone posted a copy of the label, and it said not to use it on automotives. It's designed to get deep down and cut through all that grease and grime on your plate...do you really want something that aggressive to get on your car?

TOGWT

Washing-up Liquids (Detergent):
Washing up liquid if formulated to be used with hot water as opposed to warm/cold water normally used to wash the car’s paint surface, hot water causes the detergents to mix, without heat a fine layer of alkaline soap remains on the paint surface. Washing-up liquids should not be used on a regular basis for vehicles bodywork as their concentrated detergent soaps and usually high sodium content (sodium hydroxide) which produces a highly alkaline (pH 12.8) content, which will emulsify, breakdown and leach out oils naturally found in your paint, and also any oils you have applied in the way of a polish or glaze.

Most polymer sealants, synthetic and natural waxes are detergent resistant, so a dishwashing detergent like Dawn will not remove them, generally avoid the use of household cleaning products for automotive detailing as they are formulated for an entirely different type of cleaning.

Quote - "Your car surface and the dirt that gets on it are a lot different from the food soils and dishes that dishwashing liquids clean effectively. We don't recommend them for cleaning your car”. Proctor and Gamble (See also Detergents)


Knowledge - [We know a subject] [We know where to find information on it] the most highly valued; [knowledge that is both held and shared]

TOGWT

For occasional use (one-twice a year) Dawn will not adversly harm your paint surface, although its not my first choice as a paint surafce cleaner(Groit’s Paint Prep or Dupont’s Prepsol)

Master47

I think I have some of this residue left over from shipping in some spots on my car. I have had my TSX for some time, but haven't paid any attention to it since its in places like along a body line, where the dealership probably missed it. It's clear and very hard. Does anyone know what this magic potion is that they use when the cars come in off the truck to take the protectant off?

BTW - I saw my car just after coming off the truck and it had this painted on dull-looking protectant.

AZuser

Interesting stuff TOGWT.

I'd never put dish washing soap on my car. That's some pretty strong stuff you'd be putting on your paint.

TOGWT

Cosmoline is no longer used in the US (although Porsche and other imported Marques still use it) as it is not environmentally sound; apart from that it is much harder to remove than the shipping/storage wax modern car manufacturer’s use. A large percentage of new vehicles, both domestic and imports have either a shipping/storage wax applied (5:1 emulsion of paraffin and synthetic wax) which effectively ‘seals’ the paint surface more than a polymer due to its formulation.

Using a petroleum-based solvent to remove it can do irreversible harm to the vehicle finish. By using a non-caustic, acid-free, citrus based, biodegradable citrus cleaner (P21S Total Auto Wash) will avoid any damage and safely remove the Cosmoline, or any oils or grease that may have been applied for protection. Most manufacturers now use plastic film for paint protection during transportation Porsche and some other foreign importers are still using Cosmoline

Note- if you remove Cosmoline from the underside of a Porsche, the dealer will re-apply it as it's a Porsche protection requirement.