Prevent car paint from fading?
I have been a car guy for about my entire life but I'm going off to college. I have a brand new 2017 Ford Focus ST in rally red. It is constantly a struggle keeping a red car clean but that's a different story. However, I'm more worried about how to keep my cars paint (especially since it's red) from fading in the sun. So what is the best way to keep my car's paint looking decent while it's sitting in a sunbaked field for most of the time? Keep in mind there's no way for me to move it to the shade or anything like that.
Or has modern spraying techniques become so much better that I don't have to worry about paint fading thanks
Wax it and keep it covered, otherwise the clearcoat will sunburn, turn milky and start peeling off.
Red cars fade the worst since the paint dye is made from rose petals… Silvers/greys and whites also fade a lot since they have less pigment in the paint than darker colors. I would cover the car with a good quality car cover that has a soft liner that won't scratch the paint during windy weather. Micro scratches can be buffed out but a a lot of scratches may get too deep or widespread for good results from buffing. The clear coat layer is usually pretty thick and allows for a lot of buffing/wet sanding. Or store it under a low cost portable shelter if possible. The clear coat layer or wax won't prevent fading so any means to block sunlight or bird droppings, tree sap, etc. Would be best for long term storage.
The biggest reason red paint jobs fade is because people don't hand wax the paint job twice or more a year. Look for a good brand wax for your car that has UV protection, "Mothers" and "Meguires" make a good product.Read the labels
You can get polymer coating treatments which help reduce fading and oxidisation the paint / clearcoat.
One is (or was) caller Armaglaze, if I remember correctly.
>google<
It looks like that is still on the market; there are probably equivalents by different companies.
http://members.westnet.com.au/endrust/car/paint.htm
I saw it in the UK, decades ago, one of my brothers friends applied it at his garage.
An article from when it was first introduced:
http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/december-1974/44/what-armaglazing
Wax
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