roushracin

My car is only 5 weeks old and when I bought it the dealership applied a paint sealant for free. It normally costs $300. I know it isn't 'Simonize' because I asked. What type of sealant is it?

Also I was wondering if I could go ahead and wax it before the winter here in Missouri hits or am I wasting my time. Same goes for the clay. Do I need to do it on such a new surface? Especially one that has a 'paint sealant'.

exceldetail

Providing the dealer applied a quality sealant, you have about 5 weeks of protection remaining, around Halloween or so, if not earlier. Adding another layer of protection is cheap insurance. Starting from scratch is even cheaper insurance it was done right.
My advice? Wash, clay, cleanse the paint, and add a layer or two of a good synthetic sealant.

vinnier6

iTrader: (1)

and i will offer my 2cents as well....4 star ultimate paint protection...upp in short....synthetic sealant, not a wax, superior to anything you can buy off the shelf....i can guarantee its better then anything your dealer used and charged 300 bucks for it....

Jesstzn

I agree with both the above ... 2 things critical to sealant life that the dealers $8/hr detailer didn't do was clay the car to rid it of surface contaminants and prep the surface so the sealant has a good surface to bond to.

If you don't have a paint cleanser on hand say like Optimum PoliSeal or Klasse AIO ( just naming 2 I like ) even ColorX or a 50/50 IPA/Water wipedown after claying will do. Just so the sealant has a good clean surface to bond to.

You have time ..... so if you don't have a good sealant already order some UPP or even Duragloss #105 from Exceldetail.

marshall28

Ok so is sealant supposed to be like a wax on steroids? Im washing my car this weekend and wondering then if I should be using a sealant instead of wax? I have the meguiars nxt wax 2.0

roushracin

So would the 4 Star Pre Wax Cleaner a product for 'cleansing the paint'?

I thought the 4 Star UPP was a wax? So, it's a sealant? What wax should I use in the future?

Jesstzn

If you use a sealant you don't need to wax over it ... its done occasionally but more for looks than protection. On top of that some waxes have cleaners in them and will remove some of the sealant.

exceldetail

Roush, your referring to two different products there. The FS Pre Wax Cleaner is just that. A product you use to get the surface ready before sealing. A paint cleanser if you will. the FS UPP is the sealant (wax). A synthetic wax. As far as Im concerned (and mentioned above) either FS UPP or Duragloss 105 are great choices. (FS UPP FTW though)

vinnier6

iTrader: (1)

meguiars nxt is not wax, its a sealant....its not bad stuff either, i have used it and liked it, but upp far out performs it in every category....

marshall28

Ok then why would one use wax over a sealant and vice versa? Reading this thread, it seems like there is no point in doing both, so how does one know which they should be doing? The car is about 3 weeks old by the way.

Denzil

iTrader: (1)

Between waxes and sealants, it really comes down to preference. Generally you can get longer durability from sealants but there are a few waxes that can last as long as some sealants.

vinnier6

iTrader: (1)

wax is old school, sealant is new technology....waxes with carnuba last a few weeks at best, sealants last a few months....some believe waxes offer a softer deeper glowing finish, but there are some sealants that rival this....some will top a sealant with a carnuba for the deeper look...

i use nothing but synthetics....

exceldetail

Ive been trying to figure that out as well. I truthfully, have never been able to determine a visual difference between sealant vs. sealant+wax. I think a waxes best attribute atop a sealant is just another sacrificial layer to protect the sealant.

marshall28

Hey sorry to threadjack, but does exceldetail do actual auto detailing or just sell products? I am in Northridge so I am not far from Thousand oaks.

It would be nice to have a trusted auto detailer for when I need one down the road...

vinnier6

iTrader: (1)

i think he does some detailing, but he is pretty fair weathered about it, doing just silver cars in new condition....lol, just messing with you patrick!!

roushracin

Alright, last question. Once I'm done claying the car, do I need to use anything before I use the 4 Star Pre Wax cleaner? Or can I just move into cleaning and then sealing it with the 4 Star Products.

BTW, Patrick, you've got an order to fill today.

Thanks for all the help guys.

Bob

Jesstzn

No other steps needed.

marshall28

Well my car is black, and I am hoping to find someone local to me that is skilled at detailing the car and diminishing swirl marks. It would be real nice to know someone as skilled as some of the detailers I have seen on this forum that can remove all those swirl marks and such.

vinnier6

iTrader: (1)

i would just spend the money you are going to spend on a detail and get yourself a udm or pc and do it yourself....the learning curve is very small and no risk of damaging your paint....i bought one myself last spring, and have used it 2 or 3 tiimes and its a breeze, really i am not exaggerating...