Protecting Paint

[stardotstar]

I am beginning to gather some good ol scrub marks in the paint and although it cleans up nice using a normal car wash I want to improve the longevity of the skin. At the mo the TJ is still brand new...

I have heard that a good wax coating will help and make new paint weather better (it lives outside too).

What is the best wax/polish to use - do you 'cut and polish' new duco?

What about that stuff that has a colour to it... I'm silverstone and the silver stuff promises to deepen colour and protect etc etc...

I would prefer to put the effort in to keep the skin in good shape rather than accept that it will be bullied most weekends and go to hell anyway~!

[Jimmyb]

bin told a good was is one with a high percentage of cornubia wax in it as opposed to silicon.

[Ants]

Ah, the joys of owning a fourbie.

I like to keep my vehicles looking good. I have a black HSV and my wife has a black TJ Renegade, so it's harder than most would appreciate to keep two black beasts up to spec.

Couple of things...it doesn't really matter what brand of wax you use. I prefer Turtle Wax because it is the right price and it has proven itself over the years. Make sure you just don't wax the Jip once a year though - every 3 months (every 2 if you can) is enough to help.

Personally I wouldn't use the coloured stuff, but then I'm a traditionalist.

Polishong - DON"T DO IT!!! Not until the car is at least a couple of years old. If you are going to keep it for a good few years, you don't want to remove paint volume until you absolutely have to. Every time you polish, the paint gets thinner. Wax heaps, polish VERY sparingly. Wax will hide most of the light scratching, deep scratching won't come out ith polishing anyway.

Next, how to avoid a lot of scratching. Believe me, having two black cars has taught me a lot about that. Most scratching happens when you wash the car. Believe it or not Mr Ripley!

Fine scratches caused by dirt particles caught up in the sponge. Sponges can't get rid of dirt very effectively.

Buy yourself a dozen terry towelling nappies. Use one to wash the roof, then use it to wash the glass - do NOT toush the paint with it. When you're done throw it in a bucket. If you have a soft top, use a fresh nappy to wash the plastic windows. Throw it in the bucket. Clean nappy, bonnet, front guards, Bucket. Clean nappy - front grille, headlights, bumper. Bucket. Clean nappy - one side. Bucket. Clean nappy - other side. Now use this last one to do the wheels.

Use three or four dry nappies to dry the car thoroughly once rinsed.

Seems like overkill but will help heaps.

[Ben]

Question - my TJ's yellow, and I've noticed that on the hood there's tiny "dirt" grains all over it - I assume its from mud baking itself on - it's only on the "horizontal" parts of the Jeep - front fenders, hood, etc. Washing won't get rid of it.

1. Do I try that coloured polish?
2. Do I try a light cut & polish, then wax and hope it doesn't happen again?
3. Any other ideas?

[Wooders]

Jezz Ants that's a whole lotta effort your apply to your rig...My poor abused/negected TJ is lucky to hosed down more than a few times a year....

BTW one of my favourate Yank ideas (I would NEVER do this)...was magnetic covers for trail runs tongue.gif ....You'd have to ask how the paint would like dust geting under that and working like sandpaper....

[Ants]

Only because I care Wooders, only because I care... :-)

Well, that and the fact it's my missus Jeep and if I don't look after it she will ban me from driving it...

mmmm...baked on mud. Never really witnessed it myself but it could also be dirty sap etc. Because it is on the flat panels only I would tend to think it is some kind of residue that has settled on the car - not necessarily offroad either.

Try using Kerosene on a CLEAN rag to rub the spots off. Make sure to wash the car afterwards using warm soapy water, then wax the areas you cleaned. Don't use anything harsh like thinners or turps. Another option you could try first is a tar and bug remover, which is like a solvent for residues. Some of them can be very effective, just don't rub too hard in the same spot.

Next step would be a paint cleaner - maguires do a really good one that I use from time to time. It's a VERY mild polish that is designed to clean grit out of the pores in the paint.

If that doesn't work, a MILD cutting compound may work but I would be very averse to doing any hard scrubbing. If you do end up using a cutting compound, make sure to do the whole panel so that you don't end up with 'patches'.

As far as stopping it from reoccuring, regular waxing should enable most grit to wipe off when you wash the car.

[Phil]

Ahh DON'T use cutting compounds on your jeep
The TJ's come with a clear coating over the paint when you get a scratch it scratches the top coat and if you compound it you are actually scoring the the top coat which looks shitehouse
Just wax the jeep

[BlackCat]

The only thing you ever need to wash your car with is a bucket of cold water with an EGGCUP full of kerosene in it. The kero will help remove marks and it will go wherever the water goes, and help to slow down rust (it won't cure rust of course). Once every couple of months polish it with Mequires No.2 or similar. Of course you'll get scratches anyway, especially noticeable on black.

[Matt N]

There is only ONE fail-safe method of not scratching the sides of your vehicle while off road. This method is practiced in the good ol' USA.
I'm not going to tell you what it is.
Look for yourself:
Check out the Lexus on this site (http://www.rivercityrockcrawlers.com/~randyw/slickrock.htm) :eek: :eek: :confused: :confused:

[mattc]

I think he got the idea from Bones ;)

[Gordo]

How to make your paintjob last forever :

chequerplate