Paint protectant/undercoating for frequently washed vehicle?

[iLikeTurtles]

I used to have all the time to clean my cars when i owned cheap POS's. Ironically, now i own a nice vehicle i have no time to clean it...

Concern: what is best to protect paint and keep the swirls away on a black diamond paint job? Issue is i go through an automated wash nearly every other day. Does not use swirling brushes, rather it uses like dragging carpet mats. I believe the wash will ruin any ceramic coating but am open to suggestions.

Also, if anyone has suggestions for rust prevention on a frequently under washed vehicle am curious! I am a fluid film user but the wash I believe will ruin that also...

 

[Fatherof3]

Krown or Rust Check are pretty good . They’re an oil based spray that repel water . I used Rust Check on my 89 Mustang GT and drove that for 12 years daily , not a spot of rust anywhere on that car when I sold it .

 

[5thGenRebel_AMK]

any properly applied ceramic coating, whether it's professional or if it's done by you using some off the shelf products, shouldn't come off no matter how many times you wash it, assuming you're using solid ph balance car soap. I'm not sure which kinds of cleaning agents are in this car wash you go to, so they might be more aggressive than the standard car wash i'd use myself. I'd still plan to reapply it at the regular recommended intervals, no matter how often you take it through the wash. The wash you described will however cause swirls, especially seen on black paint, and it will be tough to get those swirls out without taking off the ceramic coating to polish the paint. Youll have to reapply the coating afterwards.

The easiest thing to do would be to stop taking it through the cash wash and at the very least take it through a touchless wash. I totally understand if thats unavailable though and if you simply dont want to spend the time washing it by hand.

If i were you and still had no choice but to go through that car wash you described, i would apply a good ceramic coating and just stop taking it through the car wash as much. This will defer the swirl damage from the car wash, and honestly your paint should stay cleaner over time with a good ceramic coating. Thats one of the benefits of it, so hopefully you wont feel it needs to be washed as much. It'll still look really shiny from a few feet away even if it is dirty.

As far as undercoating, im a fluid film user and my coating is still apparent underneath after applying it in November 2019. I plan to use about 3 cans to do another coat before this winter.

 

[AmericanRebelution]

Automatic car washes will absolutely affect a ceramic coat. In fact, if you have one professionally applied, utilizing an automatic car wash will usually void the warranty.

Issue with automatic car washes is that the brushes (or strips of carpet like material in your case) become abrasive and they use very harsh chemicals. The harsh chemicals are how the "touchless" systems get your vehicle clean. If you take your truck through the car wash often, there isn't much choice - you are going to have to routinely apply some sort of product to protect it. Since you are short on time, here are some economical, quick, easy to use choices: Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Spray Coating, Turtle Wax Seal and Shine, Griot's Garage Ceramic 3 in 1 Wax, Meguiar's Ceramic Hybrid Ceramic Wax. All of these are available for $12-$25. You should be able to wipe your truck down after a wash in 20 minutes, and I'd suggest doing so at least monthly (more if possible) since you get your truck washed so much.

As far as undercoating goes, some oil-based options are Krown, NUOH, and Fluid Film. There are shops that will apply these products thoroughly to the undercarriage as well as inside body panels. These applications are usually $150-200. I would not suggest the black plastic rubber-like products as they can seal in rust and moisture and actually promote corrosion. Again, with the frequent washing, it would probably be best to have an oil-based product applied annually.

 

[iLikeTurtles]

Would you all be concerned with the pressurized wash removing the fluid film? My hope would be that a pre winter fluid film treatment be sufficient yearly.

This is only a 4 to 6 year vehicle so not sure how concerned I should be. Am in a rust prone area of NY though...

 

[AmericanRebelution]

As long as you apply annually, you should be okay. Frequent washing of the undercarriage will remove some of the fluid film, but it will still help.

Look at it this way: it sounds like you take pretty good care of your truck. There are thousands (probably millions) of people driving around in rust prone areas who have no clue what Fluid Film or any other kind of undercoating is, who hardly ever wash they vehicles, and their vehicles remain in decent shape for your 4-6 year timeframe.

Sounds like you are doing you're best to look after your truck and prevent what rust you can. I'm in western PA, so I definitely hear your concern. You can't prevent every bit of rust, but being proactive will certainly greatly reduce it.

 

[bill-e]

My experience with undercarriage washes around here is that they're pretty whimpy and no where like the amount of water and force that the body gets. That being said there are those who don't recommend undercarriage washes because it migrates the salt into places it normally wouldn't go with just road splash. Similar to cars rusting in garages because the salt/ice liquifies overnight in the warmer garage.

I opted for the wax on the underside of my truck because it is more durable than the Fluid Film, which is in my panels.

 

[SD Rebel]

Your best bet is to avoid car washing until you can do it right. Due to my bed rack, I can go through automated car washes, which means I typically don't wash my truck until about 6-8 weeks.

Luckily red barely shows dirt, but I can understand how that would be a big issue with black. But honestly, it's better to leave the dirt on the surface and wait longer between washes than going through an auto wash. Your paint will thank you later for it.

 

[z0n3]

Best way to keep your paint pristine is get it corrected, ceramic coat it and stop using automatic car washes. It doesnt make a difference if you go through the carpet one or the brush one. Both trash your paint. If you can’t hand wash it yourself pay someone to do it or only use touch less car washes.

 

[iLikeTurtles]

The guy who washes and waxes my car is like $400, not something i want to pay every other month. Hopefully can find a touch free wash.

 

[Biga]

Every other day automatic car washes are not a good idea. The more you touch the paint the more swirls you will get, Good washing techniques help. Let the truck get dirty, once a week is the most I would wash the turck. I do mine every two weeks hand washing. If it is to cold to hand wash then I will go longer or use a touchless in between.

 

[z0n3]

The guy who washes and waxes my car is like $400, not something i want to pay every other month. Hopefully can find a touch free wash.

Upfront costs of a ceramic coating may be something to research then. No more waxing and just regular washes. But I’ll tell you one thing, you’ll be really disappointed in how your paint looks in 4-6 months if you continue doing what you are now.

 

[Rsorrell2]

If you wash every week or two, why not also take the time and put on some wax? You can vacuum the inside and do the windows while the wax dries and then buff it off.

totally cheaper than ceramic coating and you also get to check out the vehicle and paint.

to have it cleaned, prepped, and then coated and still wash regularly seems a waste in my opinion. Skip the former and just do the latter.

 

[JJRamTX]

I totally feel your concern and ditto. I can afford the truck no problem, but don't have or want to spend my time hand washing or waxing like I used to with my first 3 trucks. I have the diamond black also and take it through a automatic car wash usually twice a week. I apply the Hybrid Meguiars about every two months, wax about every 6 months and just live with the swirl marks. I applied the fluid film in the wheel wells and the rear underside everything aft of the spare tire and it seems to be holding up fine with the washes.

 

[bill-e]

Sometimes it's not about what's the cheapest, it's about what you want and what looks best.

 

[iLikeTurtles]

If I was one to cheap out I would have got a bighorn like i originally planned on.

I do not believe ceramic coats twice a year for 5 years are worth 5k+ to avoid swirls that are only seen within 5 feet. Nor one ceramic coat and two waxes. Do not have the time to religiously wipe the truck down especially with the crap weather central NY has.

I would assume there is a better coating that leaves a thick and hard enough coat to stop minor swirls but seems there is not.

 

[SD Rebel]

If I was one to cheap out I would have got a bighorn like i originally planned on.

I do not believe ceramic coats twice a year for 5 years are worth 5k+ to avoid swirls that are only seen within 5 feet. Nor one ceramic coat and two waxes. Do not have the time to religiously wipe the truck down especially with the crap weather central NY has.

I would assume there is a better coating that leaves a thick and hard enough coat to stop minor swirls but seems there is not.

Ceramic coatings should last 2 years at least between applications, a bottle to cover your truck should be a little over $100 if you want to do it yourself. Even high end details that include washing, decontamination, clay bar, paint correction and ceramic coating don't cost more than $1,000 or so.

That being said, my truck looks amazing (when cleaned), even though I only wash it every two months and use a $15 Turtle Wax Ceramic Spray Wax. I literally only spend 4 hours every 2 months on my trucks exterior, but right after it's clean, it looks amazing with the little care I give it.

 

[iLikeTurtles]

All the work for it to look nice for a few days. With the rain, salt and snow the truck would only look good for 1/60th of the time between cleaning every 2 months here it seems

 

[SD Rebel]

All the work for it to look nice for a few days. With the rain, salt and snow the truck would only look good for 1/60th of the time between cleaning every 2 months here it seems

Gotcha, I live in a relatively dry and dusty place, so I can go 2 months before it gets dirty enough for me to bother with it. I also have a fancy bed rack system that prevents me from using automatic car washes, which means I have to hand wash and I'm way too lazy for that.

I don't honestly clean to make it look pretty, I just want to maintain the paint. So I wash it every couple of months by hand, then use a simple spray on & wipe off wax. I have to say, these modern spray waxes results in excellent protection and gloss. My truck looks gleaming and the wax is durable even after a couple months of a thick layer of dust sits on it. It rinses right off and beads amazing.

 

[iLikeTurtles]

Truck has too much chrome (wish it had painted bumpers), whether its bird crap, dirt and mud from job sites, or general debris I feel the best thing to do is hope for a ceramic coat yearly and wash it twice a week like mentioned above.