My car is a DD. I work from 7am to 3:30pm. I can have my car parked in the shade the last 2+ hrs of the day. But w/ that about 35% of the time I get bird sh*t on my car. I clean it off as soon as I get home so it isn’t on there very long.
So what is worse; sitting in the sun all day or getting some shade in the hottest part and most direct sun light of the day but having abird sh*t on the car?

Also, since it is a DD how often should it be waxed? I wash it about every 4 to 7 days; especially if I have 4 to five days of good dry weather ahead of me.

Thanks.

 

Get that bird crap off the car asap. Sitting in the sun is unavoidable.


John

 

Well that is my point. I can sit in the shade but have to deal w/ Bird crap from time to time. Is the trade off worth it in your opinion? I take it from your answer No.

What about the waxing?

 

First of all, you should never "wax" your car, you should polish it. Using the right products, you could actually go 6 - 8 months between polishes, even using your car as a DD and parking it in the sun. As long as you take care of the car's finish the right way you could easily go this long between polishes.

Waxes leave residue and the right polish will never leave any residue and will protect the finish better than when the car was on the showroom floor.

 

HUH???? No waxing? That's a first. What's the logic behind not waxing? What will protect the car if there's no layer of protection for the clear?

 

I thought I read that wrong too. Polish for cosmetics (won't do a damn thing to protect the paint), wax for cosmetics AND protection. If I could do only one, it would be waxing.

 

Polishing is THE most important aspect of a properly detailed exterior. The wax is simply crucial to protect everything you've done and the exterior finish.

 

Maybe you have your terminology mixed?

Wax: A true wax contains carnauba, bees wax, or paraffin wax. The term wax is used two ways. You can use the word "wax" as a process upon where you apply a protective coating to a surface which could be a polymer or use a product with a wax in it.

• Polish: A true polish contains an abrasive that will remove scratches or oxidized paint. It also will bring a dull finish to a shine. More aggressive polishes can remove orange peel, deep scratches, and also oxidized paint.

 

Maybe it's just semantics, but I don't use any traditional waxes / carnuba wax whatsoever on my DB9. To clarify, I use polishes and finish off with gloss top coats / final finish for protecting the clear coat.

I bought my car about a year ago and it was my first exotic so I really wanted to make sure I knew how to take care of it the proper way. After doing a ton of research, I decided to never use a wax on my car and that a lot of the car care products are just totally wrong for your car's finish. There are some competing products that are all considered gloss finishes and there are various polishes for paint correction, but I settled on one particular product line and I couldn't be happier about my decision. I had absolutely no clue about just how many products there were out there and I'm not claiming to know about each one (I'm sure there are other similar products that can produce similar results); I just know that I am really happy about what I am doing.

I have a few buddies that also have some exotics and we brought in a detailer from Dallas that works with the products that I like, to do about a dozen cars over a week's time frame. I got to spend a ton of time with him and really got a good understanding of how to take good care of my paint finish. Looking back at what I thought I knew before he came, I realize that I really had no clue how to properly maintain a car's finish.

But with a little effort and the right products and washing / drying and detailing tools, it's not difficult to take excellent care of your finish. And I can't do the every 6 month polish / gloss finish coat protection myself - I leave that to the professional detailer. But it's a small investment to make IMO.

Hope that helps clear things up.

 

OK, I used the word wax in just a general term of taking care of my car. Sorry for the confusion. I am more interested in the bird sh*t and the sun issue. Let’s not get to far off track please.

So forget the wax question. What is more harmful to the paint and finish? The occasional plop of bird sh*t or total sun?

 

The bird sh#@. Get it off ASAP.

As long as you're taking good care of the car on a regular basis, the sun won't hurt it.

 

THANK You!
Now you all can go back to wax on, wax off.

 

Try a sealant like Menzerna Power Lock to protect the the paint.

http://www.glisteningperfectionstore...Sealant/Detail

 

Long-term paint care

· Remove acidic contaminants (bird or insect excrement, brake or rail dust, etc) as soon as possible
· Regular washing (weekly) using a correct methodology, quality car wash concentrate, wash mitt and drying towels.
· Clean paint twice a year (or as necessary) with detailing clay.
· Polish paint surface 3-4 times (or as required to remove scratches) a year with a pre-wax, non-abrasive polish.
· Only use an abrasive polish to remove serious scratches
· Protect paint 3-4 times a year with a quality paint sealant and / or wax.

Proper washing; pre-wash, using a foam gun followed by a two bucket wash system with a GritGuard or a Foam Cannon, use separate wash media and bucket for your wheels and the paint and when drying use water sheeting and / or air powered drying and a waffle weave micro fibre towel

Proper surface drying; this is my preferred method of drying a vehicle paint surface; On the final rinse of the washing process remove the nozzle from the hose, reduce the water pressure and hold the end of the hose parallel to the paint and reasonably close as this is will prevent splashing as you flood the surface. Follow up with a waffle weave micro fibre towel to thoroughly dry the paint surface
These techniques are the best way to avoid the need for polishing. Using a chemical paint cleanser versus polishing on a clean finish to simply remove old wax/sealant is another. And always follow the rule of using the least abrasive polish and pad combination (working smarter not harder)

Definition of Polishes and Protective Coatings
· Finishing Paper - an ultra-fine grade of grit (sand) paper (1500 to 3000 grit) can be used effectively to level a paint finish and remove imperfections. When talking about "grit" is a reference to the number of abrasive particles per inch of finishing paper
· Compound – an aggressive grade of polish used to remove deeper scratches and for paint renovation
· Polish – an abrasive compound that removes impurities provides shine and prepares it for a wax or sealant protection.
· Paint Cleaner – contains a very mild polishing agent (i.e. Kaolin (China clay) or Diatomaceous earth ) that is used to clean a paint surface and provide protection, but they will not remove ingrained surface scratches
· Glaze – used by detailers for show car to obtain maximum light reflection. They produce a “wet" look to the surface with oils to maximize surface gloss and may contain fillers (Kaolin or China clay) to hide minor defects not removed by polishing or for use when the paint is thin and you don't want to remove any more, even if it is microns. They will provide little if any surface protection.
· Wax – an organic or synthetic protective coating that is applied to the exterior surface of an automobile to improve shine and prevent oxidation
· Sealant – a polymer sealant comprises an open linked molecule, which forms a bond with the paint, this is the main reason for their durability; these open linked polymer molecules join together to create an elongated mesh like effect that reflects light efficiently due to their inherent flat surface. Because they are usually very transparent they transmit the surface colour faithfully, but they have very little depth resulting in what is perceived as a very bright, flat silver glow

 

I printed this off, Thanks!