ant21b

What is the best way to protect the paint on a new C6.

vettedoogie

Call WolfDogs!

dkm2

My dealer offered Auto Armor for $800. 10 year warranty on rips/tears on the leather interior and against damage to paint from waterspots, bird droppings, sap, etc. Not to mention free kits including car wash, interior protector (leather and dash), and "wax" for 7 years. Seemed like a steel for a $60K car. The paint finish after they applied the coating is glass, you will never need to clay bar. Only have had the car for a week, so cannot say how it lasts.

IDSRVIT

I hope I'm wrong and maybe they've changed but I had Auto Armor put on our 2007 suburban when we bought it new..... wasn't impressed at all. Water spots showed up after pulling off the lot, tar was impossible to get tar off the rear quarters or rear of vehicle, interior is never dust free since the product they have you use on the dash & leather is like a dust magnet.

I complained to the dealership 3 times, I proved to them I kept up with the "recommended" treatments, I asked for a refund with excuse after excuse of why that isn't possible and finally after 3 years I said screw it and discontinued the stuff. I figured I spent way more $800 complaining and time spent trying to prove to the dealership the product sucked.

Ever since giving up on it, I've been using regular car wash, I did a clay bar treatment & mequires wax, and cleaning the interior with good old fashion water & occassional armorall and it looks better then 3 years ago when I spent $800 to have the "professionals" do it.

Like I said, for your sake I hope the product has changed.

ant21b

Is it best just to wash and wax it by hand then?

SCoach

*Sigh*

How these dealers keep selling these "profit center" treatments I'll never know.

Your BEST bet it so find a professional detailer, have them use a quality sealant on the paint after ensuring the surface is clean and prepped, and either have them re-apply every 4 months (if you park outside) or 6 months for a garaged car.

There are numerous exceptional sealants on the market. I prefer Wolfgang DGPS. It's available at a few places. It's excellent, lasts well, and shines better than most sealants. Others prefer Rejex, Zaino, Liquid Glass, or Collonite 845. All of them are exceptional products.

You can do the sealant treatments yourself if you prefer, it's not that difficult, it's just a bit time consuming. Basically a wash, clay, wash. Then an IPA wipedown (that's Isopropyl alcohol), followed by the sealant. Some sealants come in two parts, some just in one. Some sealants need a couple hours to set up, others prefer an overnight. I always do an overnight if I can. Then remove the sealant, and top with a nice wax if you like. On my daily driver, I don't bother. For client cars, I do if they ask or prefer it.

Walshman

Basically, good advice, but I must chime in and say that I have good luck with wash, clay, polish (if needed), then sealant. The following week I will sometimes wash and top with a caranuba.

It is funny to me the huge Zaino following around here. Great product; however, there are many other products out there with as good if not better results. For Instance, I am a huge fan of Duragloss sealant. Very durable and long lasting.

I just bought my first vette 2 weeks ago and used Menzerna as the polish and Duragloss as my sealant and my car looks better than brand new. I will top with p21S after I wash next week. Much cheaper and less work than Zaino. Flame suit on...

I think everyone has their own opinion on what works best on their vehicle. I would recommend www.autopia.org for more options on how to care for your vehicle's paint.

SCoach

Welcome to the site! Great advice too. I forgot to add Duragloss to the list. Excellent product and very reasonably priced.

I don't usually advocate using a polish as the last step before sealant because many contain oils that don't let the sealant do it's best work on the paint surface. This is not true of all polishes, but it is true for many OTC ones, and even some detailer products.

Menzerna is probably a great choice given how hard the clear is on these things. I'm still not sure what I am going to use, but it's looking like Menz SIP is going to be the polish du jour for me.

Just a friendly note... you are on a VERY Zaino friendly site. It's likely counterproductive to mention it in comparison to anything else. Those who prefer it will not be swayed, and those who prefer other products are already aware of the why's. (I see you got your flame suit on though... so it's all good!)

RedVette84

I still prefer to clean and wax my cars myself. I do agree most of these dealer applied products are mostly profit creating items for the dealer.

jwreed50

Simply put, the best way to protect the paint on a C6 is to keep the car in a garage -- if you're lucky enough to have a garage.