Original Paint or Wrap

briankemp78

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Hi folks,

As posted in the other forums I'm on the hunt for an RS6 C5. I went to see one the other day and I was amazed at how good the paint work was on the vehicle.

Now normally alarm bells would start ringing and you suspect a re-spray after some sort of damage but no it's all down to the company he uses to detail the car.

Now my question to any of the guys that specialise in this sort of thing is I live in Scotland so the weather is pretty miserable most of the time and if I am to purchase the car what is the best course of protection for the paintwork?

Do I continue to have it detailed by a reputable specialist up here or do I have it wrapped to give a physical barrier and preserve the paintwork underneath?

If it can be wrapped will the product adhere to the surface of the paintwork or will the adhesive on the vinyl cause a reaction with the detailing product which could damage the paint work rather than protect it?

Sorry to waffle on but would be keen to hear your views.

 
Keep it clean and keep your distance from the car in front and you should be fine

Although I have heard of a product which is like a clear vinyl you can get applied to the car although I don't know much about it
 
I kind of assumed there would be some sort of clear wrap but like you say I've never seen any vehicle with it.

On that has anyone in the central Scotland area used Infinity Wraps from the Bonnybridge area. There website said they are having trouble with there phone lines and to contact them by email.

Tried a few times but got no reply been to there workshops but everything was closed up. Maybe folded I don't know...................
 
It's all in the cleaning. It's vital to try and remove all the grit before attacking the paint work. So snow foam helps loosen and remove road grime and power washing before using a mitt with a wax safe shampoo and the two bucket method. Then use a quality wax (or glaze) do not use a polish......!

Then if you can afford it once a year get it detailed. Or you might find you enjoy it and detail it yourself.
 
Ok I going to get burned by asking this but why not polish?

No don't worry.
Why not polish?
Well polish by its definition is abrasive. To polish something you are working the surface to smooth it. So if you have swirls or a flat paint finish and it needs some work use polish. If the surface of your paint is in good condition then apply something to the surface that will add a shine and protect it.

If you use something that dries white it has clay in it. The size of the clay particles determine the 'abrasiveness' of the polish. The clay also may carry a small amount of wax or silicon to impart a shine. But this effect is not very great as the polish is designed to clean and abrade the paints surface so in truth it has little impact as far as long term protection.

It has been said that polishing a car is like sand papering or French polishing wood. It smooth's the surface, the finer the product the shinier the surface. But a wax or glaze is 'almost' like adding a varnish, in that it protects the surface and adds a shine.

That's why a detailer will use a polish if it's needed to improve the actual cars paint surface removing swirls and marks and then add a quality wax to protect it.

It's also important to use a wax safe car shampoo to make sure your hard effort in applying your expensive wax is not wasted. Typically ordinary car shampoo will remove all your wax in two washes. There are many wax safe car shampoos out there.

Also the temptation when cleaning your car is to think, "it says use a capful, I'll be a bit generous and use two". The ideal is to use as little shampoo as is needed or you're just removing more wax each time than is necessary. Use enough to get a reasonable foam no more. It also helps prevent marking of your paint when any shampoo dries before you have time to rinse it all off.

Hope that helps? Others may have differing ideas, that's ok.
 
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Wrapping will cost you expect to pay between £1200-£5000, depending on colours and if you want inside doors boot etc, and providing the car is dent free it will look spot on, with the added benefit of choosing what ever colour/design you want, however this does chip and scratch just like paint but to replace its far cheaper than a respray and can be done from minutes to hours depending on the size of the panel. The clear stuff used to be from a company 3m think it was called stone guard

http://www.3mventureshield.co.uk/paint-protection-film/?gclid=CJ2aq4DzisECFQLJtAodDVwAGA

I had this fitted to the front bumper and was very good at protecting the paint but it did start to look tatty after a few months so it was being replaced every 6 months.

My mums had 2 of her cars wrapped purely for colour change purposes, 1st was a 56 plated ml350 in a pearl white inc door shuts, under bonnet and boot and that was £2500 the next was a 61 mini roadster colour change with the graphics reproduced in chrome and that was only £1400.

this is her roadster
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.717922208257912.1073741850.193812680668870&type=1