Clopay Wants Me to Wax My Garage Doors.........

[dkryan]

I just had two Clopay residential modern steel insulated garage doors installed.

The installer instructed me on lubricating the hinges and the springs every 4-6 months, but said nothing about the exterior.

In registering the doors online to activate the warranty, I was reading through the paperwork included with the doors and noticed it said in order to maintain the warranty, the exterior should be washed and waxed every six months.

The door(s) have the primer and paint baked on when they are manufactured, so obviously this is to protect the paint warranty on the door.

The instructions say to use a mild dishwashing detergent to wash the doors, then apply a liquid automotive wax (italics are mine) to the door(s).

Being a fan of Menzerna Power Lock, I e-mailed them and asked if a quality automotive paint sealant can be used in lieu of a wax.

“Nope! We have not tested our paint system using an automotive paint sealer. Please use a liquid wax.”

At that point I didn’t bother to ask whether I could apply the Collinite 845S by hand or if using a PC 7424 XP with a finishing pad would be acceptable.

I’m wondering how many new garage door owners actually know about this warranty requirement let alone actually wax their door(s)?

At least I don’t have to clay it!

 

[Malo83]

I would give it a ceramic spray wax.

 

[wymi516]

Interesting, what did the installer say to use for lubrication?

 

[ABN_CBT_ENGR]

I just had two Clopay residential modern steel insulated garage doors installed.

The installer instructed me on lubricating the hinges and the springs every 4-6 months, but said nothing about the exterior.

In registering the doors online to activate the warranty, I was reading through the paperwork included with the doors and noticed it said in order to maintain the warranty, the exterior should be washed and waxed every six months.

The door(s) have the primer and paint baked on when they are manufactured, so obviously this is to protect the paint warranty on the door.

The instructions say to use a mild dishwashing detergent to wash the doors, then apply a liquid automotive wax (italics are mine) to the door(s).


I’m wondering how many new garage door owners actually know about this warranty requirement let alone actually wax their door(s)?

At least I don’t have to clay it!

Because its not a warranty requirement- its a bluff. Go actually read the warranty and I bet it says something like "maintenance is not a part of this warranty" ( or words to that effect)

Send them an email ( and document it) asking since THEY say its a "REQUIREMENT" ( make sure they use that word) then where do you send them the BILL for parts and labor to perform this "required" warranty service and ask them to refer you to the specific paragraph in their product warranty ( not installation warranty because that's usually honored at the distributor/contractor level, not the manufacturer) that states this.

I'm curious how well they will dance then

 

[wpod]

Come over and wax my garage doors after your are done !!

 

[Dave9]

It's not a bad idea to wax it every few years, to keep it looking good at least, but yeah that's a shady requirement that practically nobody does every 6 mos, AFAIK (haven't taken a survey or anything but you'd think you would see people doing it once in a while if they did).

I guess it's just another case of shady warranty terms and a reason to read the warranty before purchase if there's any chance you'll need it.

 

[MasterSolenoid]

I had a new garage Door installed 5 years ago.
The Salesgirl said to "wash/wax it once a year" / made sense to me.
She also told me "the warranty covered rust holes thru the door, not surface rust".

I clean and wax it every Fall / I have never seen any neighbors do theirs.
It does look nice when I'm done.
My wax of choice is Collinate 845 / easy on, easy off.

But I'll say it again, I have never seen a neighbor wax their garage door / people are to busy with life.

 

[Boomer]

I have had metal (steel) insulated garage doors for 11 years since the house was built. They have the baked on factory paint. Never waxed them and they look as good as new. No rust, no chips, etc.

 

[nthach]

Clopay/Amarr uses a Sherwin-Williams powder coat if you specified a color that isn’t white.

No maintenance required, but for best results during touch-up, use only Sherwin-Williams paints unless you intend to do a complete repaint. Reason for that is not all paint systems are the same from a photometric standpoint - the tint bases are different, the software running in the tinting machines are coded around the brand of paint and in the case of SW and Ben Moore, the colorants are different(especially with BM and their in-house Gennex colorants).

 

[dkryan]

Clopay/Amarr uses a Sherwin-Williams powder coat if you specified a color that isn’t white.

I would think a quality powder coating would last as long as a baked on primer and paint. Maybe not........

 

[dkryan]

Interesting, what did the installer say to use for lubrication?

He was emphatic as much about WHERE to lube as WHAT to use.

I had picked up a can of 3-in-1 brand garage door lubricant in June for use on my mother-in-law’s garage door hinges and springs.

The installer said any lubricant formulated specifically for garage doors would be fine, whether it was made by 3-in-1, PB Blaster, or any other garage door lube manufacturer.

He said to skip lubing the nylon rollers and the tracks; it was totally unnecessary, though most of the repairs he dealt with involved finding copious quantities of grease on the tracks and rollers as applied by the homeowners.

He said to lube the springs and the hinges every four to six months. That alone would almost double the life of the springs and hinges (according to him).

My hardware had a three year warranty. I upgraded to obviously better hinges and a beefier looking spring(s) which extended the warranty to ten years.

And yes, I do lube the springs and hinges twice per year.

 

[awguy]

Wax a garage door? Never seen it done or heard of it. Wonder what the neighbors would think.

Maybe I should wax my roof tiles?

Now I've got research to do...

Maybe Turtle Wax Ice clear liquid spray with UV protectant?

 

[nthach]

I would think a quality powder coating would last as long as a baked on primer and paint. Maybe not........

I think baked on paint and powder coat are mostly interchangeable - they are both baked on. Clopay would be stupid not to pretreat - PPG/SW/Tiger and the major powder coat suppliers want pretreatment and primer before the finish coat but many powdercoaters doing small pieces on a walk-in basis skip that step.

 

[Jethro_Bob]

Weird, I recently hand washed and spray waxed the CEO's bosses (his mom's) garage doors. I think it had more to do with them being gloss black and "needing" to look perfect vs any warranty.

 

[RedVic]

I just had two Clopay residential modern steel insulated garage doors installed.

The installer instructed me on lubricating the hinges and the springs every 4-6 months, but said nothing about the exterior.

In registering the doors online to activate the warranty, I was reading through the paperwork included with the doors and noticed it said in order to maintain the warranty, the exterior should be washed and waxed every six months.

The door(s) have the primer and paint baked on when they are manufactured, so obviously this is to protect the paint warranty on the door.

The instructions say to use a mild dishwashing detergent to wash the doors, then apply a liquid automotive wax (italics are mine) to the door(s).

Being a fan of Menzerna Power Lock, I e-mailed them and asked if a quality automotive paint sealant can be used in lieu of a wax.

“Nope! We have not tested our paint system using an automotive paint sealer. Please use a liquid wax.”

At that point I didn’t bother to ask whether I could apply the Collinite 845S by hand or if using a PC 7424 XP with a finishing pad would be acceptable.

I’m wondering how many new garage door owners actually know about this warranty requirement let alone actually wax their door(s)?

At least I don’t have to clay it!

I use a spray wax that you use to detail a car.

 

[WylieCoyote]

I have to admit that I have used an old wash mitt and some heavily concentrated soapy water to wash my door. Texas thunderstorms usually leave things looking filthy, as they stir up dust right before the rain starts. Can't say I've ever dreamt of waxing it. My house painter painted it a few years ago, so it won't be waxed now for sure.

 

[Barkleymut]

I have never once thought about the paint on my garage door. Home is 20 years old and I have never noticed anything odd, now after this topic I will at least give it a look this weekend....not that I would do anything if I noticed anything odd.

 

[JC1]

I just had two Clopay residential modern steel insulated garage doors installed.

The installer instructed me on lubricating the hinges and the springs every 4-6 months, but said nothing about the exterior.

In registering the doors online to activate the warranty, I was reading through the paperwork included with the doors and noticed it said in order to maintain the warranty, the exterior should be washed and waxed every six months.

The door(s) have the primer and paint baked on when they are manufactured, so obviously this is to protect the paint warranty on the door.

The instructions say to use a mild dishwashing detergent to wash the doors, then apply a liquid automotive wax (italics are mine) to the door(s).

Being a fan of Menzerna Power Lock, I e-mailed them and asked if a quality automotive paint sealant can be used in lieu of a wax.

“Nope! We have not tested our paint system using an automotive paint sealer. Please use a liquid wax.”

At that point I didn’t bother to ask whether I could apply the Collinite 845S by hand or if using a PC 7424 XP with a finishing pad would be acceptable.

I’m wondering how many new garage door owners actually know about this warranty requirement let alone actually wax their door(s)?

At least I don’t have to clay it!

That's the way they deny claims. Like the roofing companies with 50 year shingles and the fine print that if one item is not part of the installation the warranty is void.

 

[LowMilesLesabre]

I just had two Clopay residential modern steel insulated garage doors installed.

The installer instructed me on lubricating the hinges and the springs every 4-6 months, but said nothing about the exterior.

In registering the doors online to activate the warranty, I was reading through the paperwork included with the doors and noticed it said in order to maintain the warranty, the exterior should be washed and waxed every six months.

The door(s) have the primer and paint baked on when they are manufactured, so obviously this is to protect the paint warranty on the door.

The instructions say to use a mild dishwashing detergent to wash the doors, then apply a liquid automotive wax (italics are mine) to the door(s).

Being a fan of Menzerna Power Lock, I e-mailed them and asked if a quality automotive paint sealant can be used in lieu of a wax.

“Nope! We have not tested our paint system using an automotive paint sealer. Please use a liquid wax.”

At that point I didn’t bother to ask whether I could apply the Collinite 845S by hand or if using a PC 7424 XP with a finishing pad would be acceptable.

I’m wondering how many new garage door owners actually know about this warranty requirement let alone actually wax their door(s)?

At least I don’t have to clay it!

I just had two Clopay residential modern steel insulated garage doors installed.

The installer instructed me on lubricating the hinges and the springs every 4-6 months, but said nothing about the exterior.

In registering the doors online to activate the warranty, I was reading through the paperwork included with the doors and noticed it said in order to maintain the warranty, the exterior should be washed and waxed every six months.

The door(s) have the primer and paint baked on when they are manufactured, so obviously this is to protect the paint warranty on the door.

The instructions say to use a mild dishwashing detergent to wash the doors, then apply a liquid automotive wax (italics are mine) to the door(s).

Being a fan of Menzerna Power Lock, I e-mailed them and asked if a quality automotive paint sealant can be used in lieu of a wax.

“Nope! We have not tested our paint system using an automotive paint sealer. Please use a liquid wax.”

At that point I didn’t bother to ask whether I could apply the Collinite 845S by hand or if using a PC 7424 XP with a finishing pad would be acceptable.

I’m wondering how many new garage door owners actually know about this warranty requirement let alone actually wax their door(s)?

At least I don’t have to clay it!

 

[LowMilesLesabre]

Check to see what your states laws have to say on what is allowed under warranties. This requirement of theirs is bizarre and dubious.