Best ways to protect the paint

[thompson2224]

What is the best way to protect the paint of the car and to prevent the car from rusting. I was thinking of having that "The Protector" system to get paint, rust, and undercoating protection. My chevy dealership gave me a $800 quote, but is there a better product to prevent rust, and to keep the paint from chipping and scratching?

[CRF8]

Rustproofing usually a waste of money on recent cars, check the warranty. I don't know about salt up north but rinsing undercarriage couldn't hurt.


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[thompson2224]

Yeah salt is pretty bad here. So do undercarriage undercoating? Is there any rust proofing or paint protection that is worth the money that actually does what it says?

[thompson2224]

What's the best and worth the money?
Opti-coat $499
Clear bra for the hood, bumper, rocker panel and gills $700
The protector $400

Which will protect the paint best and be worth it?

[lbls1]

Undercoating is a good alternative *if* the car will be exposed to heavy salt, water and weather conditions.

While I usually make a point of undercoating every new car, this time I decided not to undercoat my ZL. My undercoating guy at the shop didn't recommend it (to my surprise), and for the most part my ZL will never see daily or winter driving under my ownership.

Other than that, I highly recommend keeping a car as dry as possible, wiping areas of common corrosion points (wheelwells, under doors, rear fenders, trunk lids), and detailing with a wax or sealant.

[thompson2224]

Originally Posted by lbls1

Undercoating is a good alternative *if* the car will be exposed to heavy salt, water and weather conditions.

While I usually make a point of undercoating every new car, this time I decided not to undercoat my ZL. My undercoating guy at the shop didn't recommend it (to my surprise), and for the most part my ZL will never see daily or winter driving under my ownership.

Other than that, I highly recommend keeping a car as dry as possible, wiping areas of common corrosion points (wheelwells, under doors, rear fenders, trunk lids), and detailing with a wax or sealant.

Okay I will definitely do undercoating. What kind of paint and rust protection do you do if any?

[ihaveacamaro]

Originally Posted by thompson2224

Okay I will definitely do undercoating. What kind of paint and rust protection do you do if any?

Clear bra is the best paint protection you can get.

[thompson2224]

Originally Posted by ihaveacamaro

Clear bra is the best paint protection you can get.

Whole car or just parts and then which parts?

[JTruck]

Originally Posted by thompson2224

Whole car or just parts and then which parts?

There are advantages to coating the whole care with a PPF (permanent protection film) and also downfalls. It's the best protection your can get for your vehicle but you will never obtain as good as a shine as you would with naked polished paint. The PPF degrades the look a bit.

[thompson2224]

Originally Posted by JTruck

There are advantages to coating the whole care with a PPF (permanent protection film) and also downfalls. It's the best protection your can get for your vehicle but you will never obtain as good as a shine as you would with naked polished paint. The PPF degrades the look a bit.

I have red rock metallic so should I do opticoat or a paint protector like that or the clear bra? Is opticoat good enough to protect the paint long term from chips scratches and stains?

I'm leaning towards opticoat because of the price and because I want to do racing stripes and I don't think you can on top of the clear bra but is it effective? Does it actually work?

[lbls1]

Originally Posted by thompson2224

Okay I will definitely do undercoating. What kind of paint and rust protection do you do if any?

Other than that I will use wax or spray wax at the door jambs, wheel well edges, and I use pure carnauba wax for the paint surface. Its important to keep the car as clean and dry as possible if you want to effectively fight against rust and corrosion. I'm not saying that the camaro will rust, but bear in mind that sometimes you would get car models in the past that would rust or corrode no matter what you'd do ('95-'04 Cavalier coupes). That type of rust is related to recycled sheet metal material which is prone to corrosion, and manufacturing and design faults that encourage corrosion. I believe that the cars today are made to fight corrosion more effectively, so the added tips will also help.

[lbls1]

Originally Posted by JTruck

There are advantages to coating the whole care with a PPF (permanent protection film) and also downfalls. It's the best protection your can get for your vehicle but you will never obtain as good as a shine as you would with naked polished paint. The PPF degrades the look a bit.

I could not agree more. You get great protection but at the expense of reaching the optimal look from polishing and waxing. Its a tough choice to make.

[thompson2224]

Originally Posted by lbls1

Other than that I will use wax or spray wax at the door jambs, wheel well edges, and I use pure carnauba wax for the paint surface. Its important to keep the car as clean and dry as possible if you want to effectively fight against rust and corrosion. I'm not saying that the camaro will rust, but bear in mind that sometimes you would get car models in the past that would rust or corrode no matter what you'd do ('95-'04 Cavalier coupes). That type of rust is related to recycled sheet metal material which is prone to corrosion, and manufacturing and design faults that encourage corrosion. I believe that the cars today are made to fight corrosion more effectively, so the added tips will also help.

So you say just do undercoating and that's it to prevent rust?

So if it were you would you do clear bra or opticoat?

[ihaveacamaro]

Originally Posted by thompson2224

I have red rock metallic so should I do opticoat or a paint protector like that or the clear bra? Is opticoat good enough to protect the paint long term from chips scratches and stains?

I'm leaning towards opticoat because of the price and because I want to do racing stripes and I don't think you can on top of the clear bra but is it effective? Does it actually work?

Opticoat will not protect against rock chips, but does have some protection against stains/bird droppings/bugs etc.

It's like a permanent wax, anything that wax will do, it can do. But it's not paint protection like a clear bra