Advice For Desert Dwelling?

[LoneWolf]

Hello All,

It's very likely that I'm going to be moving from CA to Las Vegas soon. I've babied and maintained my MX-5 for five years, during which it's been in a parking structure during the day and my garage at night, so the paint is almost like new. My new office doesn't have covered parking, which means that it's going to be sitting in the desert sun all day and I'm concerned about paint damage over time.

I've considered a cover, but I understand that they tend to scratch, and Mazdas have soft paint. I'm also researching Expel (expensive, but I'd consider it if it's effective against UV rays) and coatings like Opti-Coat Pro, or a combination of the two. Of course, my car's black which doesn't help.

Does anyone have any experience, thoughts, or suggestions?

Thanks, guys.

[The Guz]

Re: Advice For Desert Dwelling?

First off welcome to MOL.

You would want to have protection. So I would stick with a sealant or even consider a coating. It's going to be completely up to you on what your preference is. The coating will offer more protection, durability and longevity compared to a sealant. The key thing is you want some sort of protection on the paint whether it's a sealant or coating.

With regards to opti-coat pro, it is only available to certified installers. But gloss coat is available to the consumer. It's longevity has been increased to 3 years. It's user friendly and it gives a nice look.

Are you planning to do this by yourself or do you have someone that does it for you?

[LoneWolf]

Re: Advice For Desert Dwelling?

Thanks for the welcome, Guz.

I would be willing to have a professional do the application, particularly if there's a significant difference in protection between the pro-level and the consumer-level product.

What do you think of a coating plus Xpel - overkill, or is the additional protection worth the additional expense?

Thanks again.

[Super Dave]

Re: Advice For Desert Dwelling?

Xpel and most other paint protection films DO NOT have UV protection. My installer explained it like this...
Lets say you only do the front 1 foot of the hood and the film had UV protection, the rear unprotected part would not fade at the same rate as the front that had UV protection. The ultimate goal of paint protection film is protection from impacts and to be invisible. Carprotectionpros.com has a lot of info on paint protection films.

I have Xpel on the front and entire hood of my 4Runner. The installer allowed me to sit in the shop and watch him apply it. I can tell you that installing this stuff is an art form and not for an amateur. I drove 2 hours to get it done by someone with a good reputation. It was very expensive but I do not regret it. Do not believe the hype that these films are self healing... I have proof that they are not.

In your situation I think I would choose a coating. Trust Guz he knows his stuff!

[The Guz]

Re: Advice For Desert Dwelling?

The other popular thing I've been seeing is people coating over paint protection film.

[LoneWolf]

Re: Advice For Desert Dwelling?

Thanks, Dave and Guz.

One last question: Is it worth having my windows tinted to help protect the interior? From my research, it looks like 3M ceramic would be best for UV protection. Do you agree?

Thanks again.

[The Guz]

Re: Advice For Desert Dwelling?

It will help keep the interior cooler that's for sure. So in that sense it is worth it.

[Super Dave]

Re: Advice For Desert Dwelling?

Here is a quote from the car protection pros website... it is the only mention of UV rays that I could find on their entire site...

Will my paint fade differently under the film than it does on the rest of the car?
No. UV rays will pass through the film. Your paint will not fade differently from the rest of the vehicle.

[LoneWolf]

Re: Advice For Desert Dwelling?

Thanks, gentlemen.

I have to acknowledge that this forum has been more responsive/helpful than any other one that I've asked these questions in, including another detailing forum and a Miata forum.

Thanks, again.

[Super Dave]

Re: Advice For Desert Dwelling?

Let us know what you end up doing. We are all here to help each other and learn.

[The Guz]

Re: Advice For Desert Dwelling?

You could also start a thread here if you are looking for a detailer.