Hello
I grew up in the rust belt and due to road salt it didnt seem to matter much what wax you used. Based on personal experience you car would like lousy after a couple of years unless you kept in a garage the entire winter and/or spend a lot of time and money on waxes and cleaning
I just moved to Florida and got a 4 year old car that is in good shape. Just some scratches none of which are deep. I don't have to worry about roads salt but I am concerned about UV and love bug season is coming so this is a another concern
I am not looking for high gloss or some incredible shine I want to keep the paint clean and protected. For the part of Florida I am in I don't know what waxes hold up the longest, it doesn't rain a lot but the car will be outside all the time and there is the bugs and bird droppings to deal with
Do Tire cleaners/dressings offer any real protection or am I better off sticking with degreaser or soap and water
what wax and tire cleaner is best against UV
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Almost any wax or sealant will protect against UV, but in the direct sun (and especially in the summer), it will melt and evaporate very quickly. The key will be to doing maintenance applications very often to keep a layer of it down.
The synthetic sealants tend to be more resilient than wax, which literally melts.
Two options I would have for long term protection would be Collinite or Nufinish. Collinite you might need to order online unless you live near a harborfreight store. It is roughly $16 minus shipping but is well worth it. It will offer great protection and another plus is that it has a nice shine. Nufinish is an OTC product that is quite good but Collinite is still my number one.
Regarding the tires, tire shine wont really do much to keep your tires lasting longer. As long as you don't use harsh degreasers that can hurt the rubber you should have a long life with washing and keeping your tires clean. Collinite is nice for rims if you have them but it will mostly protect from brake dust sticking versus keeping your wheels longer.
I wash every other weekend or so with Megs Ultimate Wash and Wax and use Megs Ultimate Wax spray. It seems to work very well and is readily available. Water beads like crazy and it seems to fill in minor swirls as afterward you can’t see any. It is also very easy to use. There are better/more durable products but in terms of availability and ease of use it is tough to beat and certainly better than nothing. I believe it is a synthetic sealant and I can say that it beads for a couple of months in the winter when it is too cold or rainy to wash.
What do folks use for tire cleaning? I find that I get more brown/gunk off when using a dedicated tire cleaner vs. standard car wash soap. If using car wash soap, the tires tend to start looking brown after a while (no dressings used).
Right now, I'm using Eagle One's A2Z wheel/tire cleaner, but it gets expensive buying that stuff all the time. Has anyone else found a better/less expensive product?
I've used NuFinish with great results. Make sure to apply a second coat in 30 days after the first coat has cured.
And get the love bugs off as quickly as you can no matter what you decide to use. I have a bottle of Turtle Wax Bug and Tar remover on hand at all times.
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Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
What do folks use for tire cleaning? I find that I get more brown/gunk off when using a dedicated tire cleaner vs. standard car wash soap. If using car wash soap, the tires tend to start looking brown after a while (no dressings used).
Right now, I'm using Eagle One's A2Z wheel/tire cleaner, but it gets expensive buying that stuff all the time. Has anyone else found a better/less expensive product?
I use collonite 845, that seems to come up alot on forums as a favorite, I can't tell a difference appearance wise between that and other stuff like meguiar's ultimate wax and they seem to last about the same. Like others said, you may need to reapply before the wax goes away, or use some of the booster wax/sealant sprays or wash & wax products to keep a layer on the car. Check out www.autogeek.net and their forum if you haven't, there's a ton more on detailing and product reviews there. There's alot of new quick and easy spray wax/sealant stuff that are out that makes it really easy and takes very little time like optimum car wax or chemical guys v7 or duragloss aquawax, etc. it may not be as durable as some of the traditional liquid/paste wax but it's close and much faster spray and wipe. There's so much to try yet so little time and $...
I agree completely with NuFinish or Collinite. The advantage for NuFinish is that it is available everywhere and very inexpensive. It is a paint cleaner/synthetic sealant and quite durable. Collinite #845 is a hybrid of sorts in that it is a sealant but also contains carnauba wax. Whichever you choose apply & remove it twice 12+ hours apart to ensure full coverage. After that, one application 2-3 times a year will work. If either gets on plastic trim remove it immediately.
As far as cleaning tires look for Amazing Roll Off in any marine store, they should be plentiful in Florida. Cut it 50% with water and follow the directions. If the rubber is really bad then full strength may be required. Roll Off will clean dayum near anything including concrete, wheel wells, engines, and on & on.
For tires, dashboards, any rubber or plastic that needs UV protection use Aerospace 303...works on wiper blades also. My blades are five years old and still work as new. Clean with alcohol (blades only, not dash, etc.) then apply 303. This can also be found in the marine stores but may need to be ordered online from Autogeek or store of your choice.
Originally Posted By: stockrex
I found that the shiny tire stuff made my tires rot out faster,
Am I going crazy or can someone else confirm this?
so Aerospace 303 is a good UV protector?
Originally Posted By: RamFan
I used to always use tire products on tires and always had the brown gunk buildup. On the Charger I haven't used a single tire product on it since I bought it in January '11, same tires are on it today. Never have I had any brown gunk or buildup of any kind on the tires.
I still use Westley's Bleche Wite (sic). It was known many years ago as a whitewall cleaner, but I noticed that it cleaned the black part of the tire, too. It's the only cleaner I use and the tires just end up looking new and clean rather than greasy and/or brown.
Some tires I have purchased looked brownish even when brand new. If they don't look any better after cleaning with Bleche Wite I apply Forever Black tire dye. After that they only seem to need cleaning. The black stays on for the life of the tire.
Originally Posted By: Bgallagher
Regarding the tires, tire shine wont really do much to keep your tires lasting longer. As long as you don't use harsh degreasers that can hurt the rubber you should have a long life with washing and keeping your tires clean. Collinite is nice for rims if you have them but it will mostly protect from brake dust sticking versus keeping your wheels longer.
As has been said water based tire dressings are better long term for tires vs. silicone. Although they wash off much easier in rain.
My thoughts: if you wear out tires in less than three years it usually doesn't matter, but if your like me and have tires six plus years, silicone dressings do seem to rot em in that time frame.
I'm actually hooked on Meguiars Ultimate Protectant for ALL my rubber and plastics, inside and out.
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so Aerospace 303 is a good UV protector?
Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: RamFan
I used to always use tire products on tires and always had the brown gunk buildup. On the Charger I haven't used a single tire product on it since I bought it in January '11, same tires are on it today. Never have I had any brown gunk or buildup of any kind on the tires.
I also agree with collinite 845 for the wheels or the exterior of your car. Two thin applications 24 hours apart and you will be good to go. 303 is great on tires as well as zaino Z-16.
From the 303 website: Tips For Tires
303® treated tires have the rich, waxy, almost vinyl-like, dark black look of new rubber. 303® tires look and feel like brand new, not greasy new. For Maximum Tire Beauty: Spray 303® Aerospace Protectant™ directly on a clean and dry tire until the sidewall is thoroughly wet with 303®. Without touching the rubber, easily wipe any 303® overspray from the rim. Do each tire the same way. After 10-20 minutes, wipe around each tire once or twice with a dry rag to pick up unabsorbed 303®. Your tires will have the look and feel of fresh new rubber.
Originally Posted By: RTexasF
It has an SPF of 40. Did you think I would recommend it if it was garbage? I speak from experience friend. Also I live as far as one can go in South Texas so I know a little bit about outrageous temperatures and sun.....CONSTANT sun. Use it or not, it's no difference to me.
Never in my 63 years have I had a tire "rot out" so I've no idea what that's about.
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