Winter prep question

I was reading through the threads in this section, and came across the winter care thread. I'm a newb to the products mentioned there, like clay bar, minerals and such. Anyway I was wondering how these products would apply to my car since I had the paint sealed when I bought and was told to not wax it. The dealership said waxing would ruin the sealant finish.

 

Basically what I'm asking here is what products are safe to use on a sealed car, and how should I go about winterizing it?

that sealer does wear off eventually. They probly meant don't wax it anytime soon.

The dealership gave me some extra bottles of sealant, maybe I shouldn't mess with it until next year then.

It depends on what kind of crap the dealership put on the car to begin with. I guarantee you that they didn't put anything on the paint that you can't remove and be happier without. They tell you not to do anything so that you'll feel like you need to come back to them for more. Hit the car with a paint cleaner to remove whatever slime they greased it up with and choose something you can apply yourself and know exactly what is on your car.

 

Edit: By the way... NOTHING THAT ISN'T PAINT WILL LAST ON YOUR CAR FOR A YEAR. I dont' know what it is that they gave you, but nothing lasts a year on your paint. No sealant or wax. Unless it is baked onto the paint then it is going to wear off. Those "never wax your car again" products are total scams. The fine print says that you have to reapply on a monthly basis to make it last. How that isn't false advertising I do not know. I can tell you from years of research and experience that the industry hasn't made a product that lasts a year without additional applications.

Yesterday I looked at the brand of the sealant they used. I forgot the name already. I'll check it again on my lunch break, and post the name later. It looked like a good product (black bottle with red writing), but as you said, nothing lasts unless it's baked into the paint.

Ok, I checked the brand of the sealent, it's called Perma Plate. I have a bottle of Renewer, and a bottle of Original Finish. Is that a decent sealent?

Perma Plate is the biggest scam in the auto industry. I should have known that was what they gave you... Perma Plate is just a sealant and no different as far as protection as any other sealant. It will protect your car from UV rays and enviornmental contamination, but it still has to be reapplied every 3 or 4 months for any type of lasting protection. The scary thing is that it is no better than Klasse and dealerships charged up to $500 bucks for it. Not many people know this, but Mercedes and Lexus dealerships are known to sell Klasse treatments for the same price. They talk it up like it is some kind of lifetime protection and they make a ton of money on it. I'd love to make $500 bucks everytime I Klassed a car...

 

Anyway, Perma Plate isn't necessarily bad stuff, but it isn't the kevlar the dealership would like you to believe it is. Throw a link to their site in here and watch how fast the owner of the company rushes in to defend his precious snake oil. He does it on every board that brings up the subject.

lol, Thanks for the info. I got charged $350 by the dealership for the sealent application. The only reason I have the spare bottles is that I bitched when I took the front License plate and "discovered" that they didn't apply the sealent behind the plate. So they gave me a few bottles to apply it myself. I guess I'll just use the bottle of renewer in a couple months to get me through the winter. After that I'll need to hit you up for a Exterior care package.

Here you go bro. I shelled 275 dollars for thsi (dealer was aksing for 900 at the time of purchase)

 

First off...I sealed all the draining holes in all the doors and hoods and doorsteps with tape. Then I poured lots and lots of engine oil. Until it drained out. Reason being...those holes are for water to drain...sure...but rust never comes on the face of a door or hood or what not...it always comes where there are edges and welding points that can hold water. That is the reason for the holes anyways. I coated the entire thing with oil just to make sure no salty chicago water ever stayes there and corodes my metal.

 

Then I took it to the mechanic (here"s the 275 dollar part) and put it on a lift. Then took all the plastic protectors off (skid plates) from the belly of the car, exposing the bare metal. Did that with the inner plastic fenders. Powerwashed it - all the dirt and shit off. Then applied a rubberized coating to the metal. I was there for 5 hours helping the mechanic with the 200 + push-pins and plastic plates. To top it off I put grease (yeah grease) on all the places where water could stay and harm the metal...such as where the outer metal fender folds inwards and meets the plastic inner fender (inside the wheel well). Did I say we also sprayed the rear differential which isn"t all aluminium ?

 

Ok...so I hope it was worth 275 dollars cause there"s not much else you can do except use sea-ship paint and not drive in winter. (Well if you live in Arizona you may)