Protecting paintwork over winter

[Mickhar]

Hi everyone I except most members have to park ther vans outside all year round so it’s a good idea to put a good coat of wax or sealant on the before winter . I’ve tried various products over the years but I’ve found the Chemical Guys Jet Seal and Vo7 High Gloss Wash Soap give good results and lasts well you can apply the jet seal by hand or with a da machine if you have one .
Anyone got any products they would recommend?

 

[Sasquatch]

Carplan Super Gloss. Inexpensive, easy to apply, very long lasting, remarkable water beading and non-stick qualities.

I was skeptical of the reviews what with it being merely Carplan and all, but damned if they weren't telling the truth.

 

[Mickhar]

Carplan Super Gloss. Inexpensive, easy to apply, very long lasting, remarkable water beading and non-stick qualities.

I was skeptical of the reviews what without being merely Carplan and all, but damned if they weren't telling the truth.

Your quite right the expensive stuff isn’t always the best and Car Plan is an old name in car care along with Turtle Wax etc what do you use for the interior?

 

[ginkster]

Bilt Hamber Double Speed Wax. Well priced, tin lasts years, easy to apply (follow the instructions!), lasts ages. Wins many of the comparison tests and always scores highly in reviews.

 

[JumpShip]

I use this all year - Finish Kare 1000P Hi-Temp Paste Wax (FK1000)

 

[Mickhar]

I use this all year - Finish Kare 1000P Hi-Temp Paste Wax (FK1000)

Interesting

 

[B.different]

I'm one for bilt hamber touch-less for removing crud before contact wash and for the winter months I us bilt hamber touch-on for a drying aid and a shine/protection as it takes to long for wax to dry this time of year.

 

[Sasquatch]

Your quite right the expensive stuff isn’t always the best and Car Plan is an old name in car care along with Turtle Wax etc what do you use for the interior?

Auto Glym upholstry shampoo on seats and carpets when required, which is rarely.

K2 dashboard cleaner on the hard interior plastics, baby wipes around the nooks and crannies, vents, etc.

On the outside I don't go to town with touchless or snowmfoam these days. Rather I clean the car/van as normal, two bucket method, but do it regularly rather than waiting for it to get really mucky before cleaning.

Being old, sneaky and treacherous, rather than go for 100% perfection I instead have refined my routine go for best results for minimum effort. This typically gives 98% perfection for 20% of the time and effort. That final 2% might be worth chasing when I'm after another concours trophy with my Volvo, but isn't worth it for a van that lives outside and is a regular driver, and only a concours judge could tell the difference anyway.

 

[B.different]

Wouldn't call using touchless going to town, it's more standard practise to reduce the amount of damage caused by a contact wash even with a 2 bucket method.

 

[Sasquatch]

It's simply an effort v reward equation for me these days. For all the talk of reducingn opportunities for damage etc my Volvo is nowhere near needing a correction after two decades, so I'll stick with it.

 

[Mickhar]

Looks nice mate

 

[DanW81]

Usual 2 bucket wash.
Carpro lift or reset as a pre soak foam
Rinse
Again carpro rest or lift as the shampoo
Rinse
Now the sealant part, 15mls of neat gtechniq ceramic wash on a dry wash mitt. Apply to one panel at a time then immediately rinse off.
Repeat for the otherside including windows.
Ego blower to dry, hydro towel to dab the remaining droplets.
The gtechniq ceramic wash is my go to temporary sealant. The more I use it, the more hydrophobic the paintwork becomes, including considerably more gloss and slickness.
Next year will do a single stage paint correction on the van with my usual cquartz uk 3.0 coating.
Wheels are a breeze, as these are coated with gtechniq c5 coating.

 

[Mickhar]

Hi DanW80 that sounds like a good treatment I’ve never tried ceramic coating do you have any photos?

 

[Sasquatch]

Looks nice mate

Why thank you kind sir. Not been driven in the rain since 2010. I broke a bone in my foot in March so it didn't get to come out for its MOT and service in April as I wasn't really up to driving. By the time I was good to get behind the wheel half the show season had gone so its spent 2024 connected to the Ctek in the carcoon, me venturing in occasionally only to wax it and snatch some engine bay brackets and stuff for powder coating.

Next year will be expensive. The tyres will be a decade old, so even though they have 7mm of tread it'll get four new Pirellis. It's also due its belts and tensioners, although you don't replace the water pump unless there's evidence of a fault, so I'm looking at a grand or £1200 to get it safely back on the tarmac, probably more than it's commercial value.

 

[DanW81]

Hi DanW80 that sounds like a good treatment I’ve never tried ceramic coating do you have any photos?

Bare with me mate. I'll get some pics up later when I am with my van.
The ceramic coatings I have applied in the past to my previous caddys and cars are game changers for just basic washing.
They are however not bulletproof like some people think they are.

 

[Mickhar]

Thanks it looks great am I correct in saying ceramic coating has to be applied in the dry and left to cure overnight?

 

[spooks007]

I use geyon can coat it a light ceramic easy to apply outside and will give you 12 months protection provided you regularly wash the car and don't let the pours of the ceramic get clogged.

If you do quick snow foam wash with labocosmetica purifica and it come back to life again

 

[spooks007]

Thanks it looks great am I correct in saying ceramic coating has to be applied in the dry and left to cure overnight?

Whem Applying yes
12hrs is usually enough time for it to set and will cure off completely in 2 or 3 days pending type of coating. No chemical wash for 7 days.
That includes car shampoo

 

[DanW81]

Thanks it looks great am I correct in saying ceramic coating has to be applied in the dry and left to cure overnight?

Thank you Mickhar.
When I have applied ceramic coatings in the past (hobbiest on my own vehicles only) I scan the weather for the whole week. I normally do this in the summer months as I only have a drive way to work on.
Cquartz uk 3.0 and the diy details range of coatings are good to go after 1 hr of application. Ideally don't wash before 7 days as they are still cross linking on the clear coat.
Gazebo's are great to work under if you are really unsure of the weather.
I generally do a panel or 2 at a time in the late afternoon/evenings after work.
Rinseless wash the panels, decontaminate, polish if required, panel prep then coat. Start from the top and work downwards.

 

[Mickhar]

Thank you Mickhar.
When I have applied ceramic coatings in the past (hobbiest on my own vehicles only) I scan the weather for the whole week. I normally do this in the summer months as I only have a drive way to work on.
Cquartz uk 3.0 and the diy details range of coatings are good to go after 1 hr of application. Ideally don't wash before 7 days as they are still cross linking on the clear coat.
Gazebo's are great to work under if you are really unsure of the weather.
I generally do a panel or 2 at a time in the late afternoon/evenings after work.
Rinseless wash the panels, decontaminate, polish if required, panel prep then coat. Start from the top and work downwards.

Thank you Mickhar.
When I have applied ceramic coatings in the past (hobbiest on my own vehicles only) I scan the weather for the whole week. I normally do this in the summer months as I only have a drive way to work on.
Cquartz uk 3.0 and the diy details range of coatings are good to go after 1 hr of application. Ideally don't wash before 7 days as they are still cross linking on the clear coat.
Gazebo's are great to work under if you are really unsure of the weather.
I generally do a panel or 2 at a time in the late afternoon/evenings after work.
Rinseless wash the panels, decontaminate, polish if required, panel prep then coat. Start from the top and work downwards.

Thanks for the detailed reply as you say I also only have a drive way to work on I will give it a go next summer