UV Protection

[Redright9]

Hello,

With all the new spray on products out there, how do you feel they protect against UV rays? I hear everyone chime in on how hydrophobic their product is, but barely anyone says anything about UV protection. Is the biggest selling point anymore how slippery the product can make a panel?

I like the ease of all the spray on stuff, but living in the desert, UV protection is a must as well.

Currently I use Chemical Bros Jet Seal as my main protection, then spray stuff though the year to maintain...

What have you seen/

 

[PimTac]

It is a big gray area. The definition of uv protection lends itself to many things. If a product advertises that it blocks xx% of uva and uvb rays then they have to back that up.

The main thing is to keep your car clean. Dirt on paint surfaces attracts heat and transmits that heat through the clear coat. Using the newer products that make a surface slippery is a good start. A good hosing will wash off a lot of dirt compared to the old school waxes.

Being in the desert, you also have another worry with blowing sand. Keeping your car well protected won't eliminate the wear of blowing sand but it will delay it.

 

[zorobabel]

Originally Posted by PimTac
It is a big gray area. The definition of uv protection lends itself to many things. If a product advertises that it blocks xx% of uva and uvb rays then they have to back that up.

The main thing is to keep your car clean. Dirt on paint surfaces attracts heat and transmits that heat through the clear coat. Using the newer products that make a surface slippery is a good start. A good hosing will wash off a lot of dirt compared to the old school waxes.

Being in the desert, you also have another worry with blowing sand. Keeping your car well protected won't eliminate the wear of blowing sand but it will delay it.

Aha, but the dirt will protect the paint from the sand

 

[PimTac]

Originally Posted by zorobabel
Originally Posted by PimTac
It is a big gray area. The definition of uv protection lends itself to many things. If a product advertises that it blocks xx% of uva and uvb rays then they have to back that up.

The main thing is to keep your car clean. Dirt on paint surfaces attracts heat and transmits that heat through the clear coat. Using the newer products that make a surface slippery is a good start. A good hosing will wash off a lot of dirt compared to the old school waxes.

Being in the desert, you also have another worry with blowing sand. Keeping your car well protected won't eliminate the wear of blowing sand but it will delay it.

Aha, but the dirt will protect the paint from the sand

Probably not. I don't have links but they are easily searchable. Dirt particles, even the minute ones will attract heat and concentrate that heat under them to the clearcoat. It's almost like the magnifying glass burning paper on a sunny day but that's a poor analogy. This concentrated heat creates a microscopic pit in the clearcoat. Over time these pits accumulate and that is the hazy look we see on auto bodies. The same thing happens with water beading. Each bead of water contains the minerals of that water. Calcium, magnesium, iron etc. The suns heat will focus on those beads and do the same thing. That is why water sheeting is preferable to beading. Today's modern sealants and coatings promote sheeting.

In a desert climate, the number one thing you can do to protect your car finish is to park it under cover. Second would be to keep it clean. This goes for the interior as well. Use quality interior treatments on your dash and soft touch materials. Use a quality treatment on exterior trim as well as inside. Doing that will prevent the degradation of the materials and the resulting fade.

 

[krismoriah72]

 

[Redright9]

I use the 303 protectant on my trailer and it seems to work very well. One side sits at the sun and was getting faded. I found the 303 and it brought it back. It has kept the trailer looking good, only downfall is we had a big windstorm and even though the trailer didn't feel wet to the touch, the 303 left enough behind to hold onto some dirt. But still love it and will continue to use it on my trailer.