Question about Clear Coat and Teflon Coating

Hello,
I just got my 1998 Honda Accord EX painted on 10/19/06 and I have a Metallic Pearl paint with 3 coats of paint and no clear coat. It has a catalyzed seal coat. I wanted to know should I have a clear coat put on the car and then have it Teflon coated or do I need a clear coat at all? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Not sure on what to do next to protect and give the paint a great shine.
Thanks,
RJ

RJ-
Ketch may be the best person to answer this one. His site is www.autoint.com
.
As for what to do to protect the paint : 1) You can use a glaze that lets the paint breathe until it is cured. 2) After the paint cures, frequent washing is the most important thing to do. 3) There is serious question as to whether Teflon improves a sealant or wax. If you are referring to a sealant containing Teflon, I'd suggest you look at the past posts on this forum. Use the search feature. Klasse, Zaino and others have been praised. The enthusiast forums such as Autopia's and Meguiar's are loaded with ideas for applying "A" and topping it with "B" if you want ideas for the best shine. Of course your questions are welcome on this forum too.
Beyond that, garaging is ideal and a car cover is...well...up to you. I got my cover at a good price from www.autoanything.com.
Hope that is a help.
Doug
" Everyone is entitled to his own opinions but not to his own facts. "



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/2006 06:50AM by Doug Delmont.

RJ-
I may be able to pop you an email with the link to Griot's free download of their Detailing Handbook.
As to your question about getting the best shine. My Zaino experiment is incomplete and I've never tried Klasse or AutoGlym. I've gotten a great shine from using Malm's polish followed by their liquid wax www.malms.com. Meguiar's NXT equalled that shine in one step but the product didn't hold up as long.
Meguiar's says you'll get a better shine if you use their #7 polish before applying the NXT.
You don't need a "BA" ( Bud Abraham ) in detailing to know that a quality sealant will outlast a natural wax. The question is whether you sacrifice shine for durability. Klasse and Zaino reportedly deliver the best of both worlds. ( see past posts, flames and testimonials )
Abrasive products will dull your brand new paint so avoid them. Griot's Machine Polish #4 is very fine ( if you need to polish at all ).
Doug

RJ-
Your Email is hidden so scroll down to the thread " Free Detailer's Handbook or try www.griotsgarage.com ( phone them if you can't find the link ).
Doug

RJ-
Consumer Reports tested DuPont Teflon Ultra Wax CWX1030 as part of their July 06 wax test. It scored 5th out of 17 liquid waxes, overall score : Very Good,
excellent for gloss/cleaning/scratching and hazing and only "fair" in durability and compatability with plastic. Ease of use was rated "very good".
I have misgivings about this test but quote it for what it is worth.
Guru Reports did not test this product.

Guru Reports tested Malm's polish and wax and did not like the products as much as I did. They rated the wax a "C" for durability.

Ketch / Grumpy can best tell you about adding Teflon to car care products

Best wax or Sealant:
Is there a best? In my opinion- No!

While its true many of the chemicals used in the formulation of car care products are the same (or at least very similar) Having used a variety of different products I can tell one from another and field testing shows that not all have the durability either, some simply out perform others in many categories and react differently when applied to different paint types, colours, or varied paint surface conditions.
Ultimately the best wax or sealant will prove to be the one that best meets its user's objectives.

There is no one product that can produce all of the properties for an optically perfect shine, however; for high surface gloss and surface reflectance-a polymer sealant, which also provides durability. Detailing enthusiasts consider shine as only one attribute of a protective wax or sealant. They are equally concerned with; ease of application, resistance to abrasion, atmospheric contamination and weathering.

It is hard to believe that your car wash painted by a legitimate paint shop and they did not use a clear coat. Who told you it was not clear coated. The paint companies do not, as a matter of course, even equip shops with non two stage paints.

Clear coat for your information is nothing but clear polyurethane enamal paint.

It should be protected with wax or paint sealant after 60 to 90 days so that it can properly cure allowing the solvent to completely evaporate.

Then you can protect it monthly or every 3 to 4 months with wax or paint sealant. Paint sealant is the best quality product.

Bud Abraham

Hi Bud,

Thanks for your description regarding my situation. I do believe that some sort of clear coat is in my paint. I noticed I do have a pretty good shine but since I did not opt for the UV protection or extra clear coat when I took my car in for painting I thought I mostly likely did not have it. I guess what I am really asking what would you or any others recommend me having someone do at this point to protect the paint in the future? I am really confused because I see alot of ads for Teflon paint protection vs UV Sunscreen for my paint.

Thanks,
RJ (rj3sd@cox.net)

RJ-
If you use the search feature here you can read all about paint sealants without our having to repeat this stuff. Briefly stated, if you want to waste your money, buy some miracle product that is claimed to last 5 years. If you want durable protection at a reasonable price, go to a good detailer once the paint cures and have him apply a durable sealant. Get it reapplied at least every six months. Bud sells Diamond Plus, which won a test commissioned by Bud's company, Detail Plus. If you are wowed by Teflon, Bud will be happy to blend some into his sealant just to make you happy.
Even good old natural Carnauba waxes offer UV protection.
A Dupont official once wrote a letter that said there was no evidence that the addition of Teflon did anything to enhance the properties of a car wax. Teflon is a Dupont trademark. Dupont now markets a Teflon car wax so I guess they changed their mind. ( see previous post in this thread )
www.zainostore.com and www.malms.com should provide interesting reading regarding sealants and hype. SEE: Confusion Gone !
Doug

Thanks for all your info Doug... Now I am really beginning to understand what is needed and not needed. You and the others have put me more at ease about what I need to look for. I have seen all the miracle products and I am very skeptical about them...

Thanks again for all of your help.
Robert

Was it a MAACO paint job

Hello New Again,

No it was a local Autobody/Painting company here in San Diego, CA with 4 locations:
Here is the paint service I purchased:

Catalyzed Seal Coat
Chemical Dewaxing
Machine Adhesive Sanding
Careful Masking
3 coats of 100% High Solid Paint (OriginalFactory color-Black Currant Pearl)
Additional Adhesion Sanding

I am very happy with the paint job and my car looks awesome. I just want to make sure I protect the paint properly for the future.

Hi Buda,

Thanks for the valuable information. A few of my friends took a look at my car and told me there is clear coat on my car because of the shine. They matched my original factory paint which was Black Currant Pearl so I was mistaken since I didnt purchase the higher priced paint job which supposedly had an integrated clear coat.

Question for you? The Paint Shop told me to wait 2 weeks to wash it and 60 days to wax. Should I find a Detailer to protect the paint after the 60 days?

Thanks,
Robert

Rub a white towel with alittle wax on it on the paint and see if you get black color on the towel or no color. Black color it is a single stage paint. If you do not get color it is a clear coat.

You can wash a car anything after being painted, but you cannot seal it for 60 to 90 days.

If the car is in good condition you can apply your own paint sealant, it is easy on and easy off.

YOu can get our DIAMOND PLUS for $22.95 a gallon

Bud Abraham

Bud-
RJ does not appear to have any experiance detailing his own vehicles. He asked about having a sealant applied by someone else. That is why I recommended a pro detailer. He can still buy the product from you if he wishes and have it professionally applied. By that I mean applied to the paint and not the vinyl, rubber etc.
Doug

He does not need a professional detailer to simply apply a coat of wax. I always encourage my customers to reapply a coat of wax-sealant every couple of months or less, depending on the weather conditiions. It does not take any skill or expertise to put it on and take it off.

Bud Abraham

He does not need a professional detailer to simply apply a coat of wax. I always encourage my customers to reapply a coat of wax-sealant every couple of months or less, depending on the weather conditiions. It does not take any skill or expertise to put it on and take it off.

Bud Abraham

Bud :
Applying wax can take a modicum of skill. First, you must make sure the finish is very clean and not in need of any bug and tar removal, claying or polishing. Then you must apply the product so as to keep it out of cracks and crevices and off of flat paint, vinyl and rubber. You must use proper material to apply and wipe it. You must know how to remove wax that gets onto vinyl and rubber.
You must follow the instructions for the particular wax you are using and know to keep an ample supply of applicators and towels on hand. Normally, you must know to work in the shade, apply the product thinly and evenly and perhaps work it into the paint well. You must know whether the wax you use cleans and polishes or is a "pure" wax. Residue must be removed from emblems and crevices with appropriate brushes, rubber tools and swabs. You must know to wax the clearcoated wheels too.
Yes, he can do it himself, but it is not unskilled work and a detailer might do it faster and better.
Doug
" If it were easy, everybody would be doing it."



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/26/2006 10:51PM by Doug Delmont.

Yea! That wouldn't make sense if you walked out to your car and found a bird bomb on your freshly painted hood and they said do not wash your car for two weeks. I worked in body shop environment for years and you could always wash a car about 1 hour after coming out of the spray booth from spraying clearcoat!
Gee - I guess if you get your car painted now-a-days you have to be continuously looking for a garage to put your daily driver in, just in case it rains and removes that imaginary special coating that has to stay put for two weeks.

Detailing, An Art In Motion!

Doug:

You have a tendency to over complicate things. People have been waxing their own cars for years. Very successfully I might add.

Why do you think there are so many profitable companies in the DIY wax market, like Simonize; Blue Coral, Turtle Wax, etc. etc. etc.

Your comments are the idealistic dream of every detailer that their customer will pay them BIG BUCKS to wax their cars.

Bud Abraham

Bud:

I wonder how much of the public you deal with?

You would be amazed at how much instructions you need to give the public on how to wax an automobile. Part of the problem lies with the fact that most people today have no real world experience as they have never seen their father's wax an automobile.

Many believe that wax is a miracle product that will solve all their exterior paint problems, remove scratches and give brillance. The more you apply the better...so they wax the car with thick paste and by the time they return to the starting place it hard as a rock and they are exhausted and can't get it off. It seizes up in the oxidized paint and leaves a whitish haze.

They wax all the black trim (the instructions on the containers do not tell them otherwise) they wax every crevice, every emblem. By the time the get to us to correct the problem we have a virtual nightmare of a time removing the wax residue from these vehicles

Doug

You may be well right, but I do not think this is going to put Turtle Wax and Simonize out of business.

Your points are great selling points for why customers should use a professional, however, All should discuss these with customers when making their sales pitch

Thanks for the thoughtful in put.

Bud A

Bud-
There are good points on both sides of this topic. Thanks.
I wanted to add that if RJ has someone apply a wax or sealant, he should have it applied either by hand or with an orbital buffer. A good man can do it with a rotary but why take a chance with a new paint job ? Dick Griot says not to let anyone near your car with a rotary.

If you need something to use until the paint cures, 3M Hand Glaze is supposed to let the new paint breathe as is a Wizard's product ( possibly Shine Master ).

I would avoid car wash soaps that contain wax, normally labeled " Wash'n Wax ".
Doug

Hey Doug,

I have found a professional detailer who is going to clay and apply a paint sealant on my car later this month. I do want to know what is the ? I am going to wash my car now since it has been over 2 weeks since it was painted as the painting company had instructed.

Thanks for any help,
Robert (rj3sd@cox.net)

Robert:

Read your owner's manual on proper car for your car. You can wash your newly painted car with a good car wash shampoo.

Be sure to wash as much dirt off with a hose or pressure washer, better yet. Before putting a mitt or sponge on the car. Once you put the mitt or sponge on the car if takes on grit in the mitt or sponge and acts like a fine sandpaper on the finish of the car that is why you need to use lots and lots of water when using the mitt or sponge thereafter. The water serves as a barrier between the paint and the grit in the mitt or sponge.

That is the problem with hand washing, you get a mitt/sponge full of grit and it is like sanding the paint if you do not use lots of water when washing.

When I train all they here me say is, "dip, dip, dip." Meaning everytime you put the mitt/sponge on the car, everytime dip in the wash bucket and get lots of water and suds to serve as a barrier. The suds alone are not sufficient .

Regards
Bud Abraham

RJ-
A mitt is probably the ideal tool for washing. If you don't have one, you can buy a plush cotton towel of the best quality from J.C.Penney or elsewhere and use it in place of a wash mitt. You may wish to use the two-bucket system, in which one is for soapy clean water and the other is for rinsing dirt out of the mitt. If you ever drop your mitt on the ground, buy a new one and only use the old one for wheel wells and rocker panels. Work from the top down in three or four stages. Dry with the same kind of highest-quality towels or microfibre.
Driveway washing is bad for the enviornment so you may want to use the pressure wand and rinse water of a do-it-yourself car wash. You can mix up a spray bottle of car wash soap and water and spritz the car at the car wash instead of bucket washing. Use only their water and nothing else.
See past posts for a long debate between Bud and me on automatic car washes.
Bud recommends tunnel type brushless ones.
Your new paint job may not need clay. It depends on whether bonded contaminants are present even after washing. Some detailers clay every car on the theory that some contaminants are always present.
Doug

Thanks Doug, I really do appreciate the tips on washing...especially the two bucket system. You and Bud have been a big help. There is so much information and lots of advice and it can be confusing for someone like me who knows nothing about detailing. It has been a big help and I have alot more knowlege than I ever had before on taking care of my car's paint. The tip of using the carwash is really beneficial to me since I live in a condo complex.

Thanks alot and Happy Holidays to you and yours.
Robert