*sigh*


Ok I will openly admit these few facts prior to starting this thread:

#1 - I didn't know which section to ask, because I'm mainly looking for Super/Magentic Black owners. Or, anyone who has a dark colored Z. It didn't look like a good idea to ask this question in the "350Z Colors" forum because I've asked questions in that thread and got no response haha...

#2 - When I say "protect your paint", I'm talking about the sun. I didn't want a huge title so forgive me for the vague thread name. SoCal can get pretty nuts sometimes, as I'm sure you're all aware.


#3 - I'm pretty aware of some answers, but I'm putting this question out there to see what you all think or if anyone has the same types of concerns as I have.


So recently I detailed my car, and you can find that thread here:
https://my350z.com/forum/cleaning-an...st-detail.html


As you can see, my car looks pretty good...... and I want to keep it this way for as long as I can. This color makes it really difficult though because the sun is so relentless on our paint. I'm aware that carnuba wax melts when temperatures reach 170F. There have been many times where I've practically burned my hand/arm on accident either getting out of the car or simply putting my elbow out when I'm driving. Now, no crap... this is gonna happen. I might as well garage the thing forever if I'm so damn concerned about the car reaching high temperatures. But I love my car so I take it out every chance I get

My question is how do you guys prevent your cars from having their protective layers melt right the hell off? How many of you guys garage your cars? Do you look for shade to park? Does anyone know how long the wax would withstand really high temperatures before melting right off? Anyone use a car cover? Perhaps an awning in your driveway? Today it was a nice 84F but that doesn't mean crap when it comes to the sun rays. Felt the car, it was on fire. A bug actually died on my roof lol. I have a garage, so I put it in there. It's just a burnout because we have so many, I need to move cars all the time to get it out. Fail. I'm thinking about getting a car cover, but there are different kinds on the market.... Any recommendations?

I know this question is probably retarded but I just want to know what you all think of this. Yes, it's inevitable the car will absorb some heat... I know. I just want to take the proper steps in order to maintain and keep protecting my 03's paint.


Thank you all in advance, and I'm with anyone who thinks this thread is useless as well. Because I think it is too! Call it paranoia.

 

i leave mine in my garage and dont drive it.

 

Just wash and wax it every two weeks. The blazing weather here in NOVA was horrible this summer. Still can't get these damn swirl marks out though.

 

I wouldn't use a car cover. I think covers induce more scratches than simply leaving the car exposed to the elements. If you wax your car monthly, it should be fine. It's an '03 so it has been exposed to the sun for several years and I assume without damage. If you are concerned with the wax melting off the car, I would suggest some kind of paint sealer like Menzerna Full Molecular Jacket or Meguiars NXT-2.0. Zaino sealant would work well too.

 

3m imperial glaze. nuff said \thread

 

Not certain why this is hidden in the Southern California forum. All paint is subject to damage from ultra violet radiation. Only way to avoid sun damage is to drive the car at night. Certain pigments such as red are most susceptible to sun damage.

Wax and clear coat will not stop ultra violet radiation.

 

I guess the most obvious answer is to keep the car in the garage. You can try to park in the shade but if the shade is provided by trees then you have other dangers such as sap, branches, bird droppings, etc, to worry about.

Daytona Blue is similar to black in that it also appears to get dirty pretty quickly. I wash my DBZ about 1x per week and apply wax about every month - except for winter months when I have a stronger winter wax such as Collinite 845IW or M16 on.

Since you've completed your first detail and gotten all the heavy stuff out you'll eventually need to polish your Z again and the next time will be much easier because you'll only need to do the light polish with one or possibly two passes before moving on to either glaze/lsp or just lsp. For example, I did a similar process to yours when I first polished my DBZ with the PC7424 and Menzerna products. The next couple of times I used a light polish (Optimum Polish) with the white pad and had my choice on using a glaze or moving straight to an lsp.

 

I bought my BLACK SUV back in 2000. It endured 10 years of Arizona blistering heat, and still is in great shape. Never waxed, only used 3M Imperial Glaze.

 

This is really nice, thank you for sharing. How often did you apply it? It still acts as a normal glaze, so you layer a sealant on top of it I assume?


And thanks for the responses guys. Davidv, yeah I just wanted to hear specifically what my fellow SoCal residents do or recommend. But you're ultimately right, which is why I even said this thread is useless.


Neu Era, it'll take a lot of time to get your swirls out but the effort does not go unrewarded. Menzerna Power Gloss + orange pad should clean your car up very well.


KornerCarver, yeah that's what I was thinking!!!!! I heard they induce scratches as well. I have my car sealed up with Menzerna's Polymer Power Lock Sealant..... I have no idea if it's the same thing, probably not. I'm going to guess there's different kinds of wax/sealants for different seasons. I'm still a noob when it comes to car care. So many products.


Nexx. lol I love sarcasm


Anomaly, thanks for the tip on the winter wax. But we don't even get that much rain here! And yeah I plan on keeping this thing as shiny as I can possibly keep it. Now that the swirls are gone, detailing should take a significantly less amount of time.

 

I use the lucas oil spray on wax\polish its pretty much amazing. I use it after every time i wash the car

 

I usually just let the finest in rocks and crap being thrown off the sticky tires of the other track cars remove the outer layers of paint. Works great, my car always has a nice well used look to it with personality.

Then its kept in the garage as much as possible so the paint doesn't fade around all the decals.