inactiveuser7616

Love this level of commitment to excellence!

DD- why do I need a coating in addition to a full wrap?

And while I'm not into paint correcting... I do enjoy applying wax and sealants as therapy and to make the car slick. Can I do this with a wrap?

Finally, who in my area would you recommend? I'm an hour west of Philadelphia.

Thanks!

vantage

1) coating / waxing / sealing a film has many of the same benefits as doing the same to bare paint. Protection and gloss.

2) you can put sealant over film for sure but Certain natural waxes can contribute to yellowing of film. You can also wax or seal over a coating to get some additional slickness but be sure not to use a cleaner wax or something with abrasives in it because that can remove the coating. For example, you wouldn't use Klasse all in one over a coating.

Detailed Designs

Thanks!

You're welcome and thank you!

Thank you very much for the kind words.

Quite frankly, if you've already wrapped your car in clear bra(or will), the intrinsic value of the coating goes down a bit. It's not that it works any less for you. It's that clear bra is the pinnacle of paint protection right now and adding a coating is no longer about protecting the paint. Yes, it adds chemical resistance to the clear bra and that has its own value/place. But one of the biggest reasons to add a coating to a full body clear bra wrap is the ease of maintenance it provides you with(washes are easier) and some coatings can greatly improve the gloss and luster of the paint/body. Too, there's no need to wax. So there's no chance of a thick wax build up in any exposed edges of the film.

Clear bra requires its own level of attention. Whether you wax, seal or coat the film, it needs one of those. The coating is going to be, by far, the easiest to maintain and most durable.

It's the colored/dyed waxes that contribute to discoloration. That and pollution. Cars in China have a hard time not discoloring due to the incredible pollution in the environment. The more polluted your environment, the more likely it will play a role in discoloration. While coatings do not guarantee that a clear bra will not discolor, they definitely help. But, at the end of the day, you have a warranty protecting you against discoloration. Use that sucker if it discolors!!

Detailed Designs

Fantastic questions everyone. Thanks for contributing!

Seth Thomas

:thumbs:

Will do! Great to see you on here and doing such amazing work. When the RS comes in I will get it down to the shop so you can work your magic on it. Can't wait to see it after it gets done!

Derek RS

Which other brand wax you recommend for carbon fiber?

Detailed Designs

Can't wait for some lava orange RS sweetness in the shop!

Wax really is a touchy/feely item. I am a big fan of Swissvax. If wanting a wax on a budget, try p21s 100% carnauba. When we wax a surface, it tends to be Swissvax Crystal Rock unless they wish for some other product specifically.

If someone doesn't want a coating and yet they want a product that last longer than a wax, we will use one of many sealants. Sonax Polymer Netshield is awesome. Menzerna Powerlock is also a fantastic product. There are now silica(not silicone)-based solutions for sealing paint.

It's a great time to be a car guy! The cars are awesome and the technology to care for them are unreal!

Derek RS

Thank you sir

Detailed Designs

You're welcome.

Fellas, I am doing my best to address PMs, emails and phone calls from all over. Please be patient with me getting back with everyone. Thanks

Derek RS

I have another 2 questions if you dont mind.

For light swirl marks on carbon would you recommend Menzerna Super Finish 3500?
To wax carbon in tight spaces would you recommend taping up the sides or remove the all the carbon panels?

TimAD

I'm just wrapping up some work and saw your question, hope JC doesn't mind me answering this for you .

There are a thousand choices when it comes to compounds and polishes for the automotive market. Carbon fiber is typically on the softer/delicate side so when looking for a good polish you want to keep a few things in mind. A) what type of carbon will you be polishing? B) Where is it located? Can you easily access the area with a polisher or will you need to hand polish the areas. C) What type of use will it be receiving. If it is a high impact area, such as door sills, lip spoilers etc. it would be smart to research into getting these areas wrapped with a protective film. i.e.. Xpel Ultimate or SunTek PPF-C. This would protect and prevent any need for further polishing in the future.

Back to original question, 3500 would work well if using a DA polisher. Although it may not be aggressive enough to achieve a 95%+ correction level, it is a safe bet to ensure no damage will happen to the carbon fiber finish. We also use Meguiars M205 for alot of our polishing processes with great success.

Waxing tight spaces all depends on what you will come into contact with, and what type of wax you will be using. Ideally, you'd like to cover/mask any area that you don't want wax getting into. Nooks and crannies in the interior can trap wax residue. Ideally its best to prevent this from happening and masking any ares you don't want wax getting onto.

Hope that helped!

-Tim Coats
Adonis detail

Derek RS

Thanks for the reply I am referring to the gt3 carbon interior like the picture I posted. You can see how tight the spaces are so was wondering would it be easier to just remove all the carbon panels from the car.

Detailed Designs

Easier? That depends on your expectations and who's doing the work.

You have alcantara surrounding the carbon fiber bits, so I would not be a fan of taping it off. If the marring/swirls on the interior CF is bothering you, it indicates a very particular eye. The best way to get the most ideal results for the finish would be to remove the parts, give them incredible attention and then reinstall. But, going into this you can expect a hefty tab to be properly done. Make sure to give consideration to future care as well. Who is cleaning the surfaces moving forward? Will they care for the interior carbon fiber bits as if they were worth $20k or will they just wipe them with whatever dirty "rag" they happen to be holding? If it can't be ideally cared for, then the defects will come back and your investment will have been a very temporary solution.

The service should be commensurate with the way you live with the car and how it is maintained. If it isn't, just plan on this being a regular occurrence. My next concern would be the impact regularly removing these parts would have on their mounting hardware. They are not designed for regular removal and you will likely end up with ill-fitting and squeaky panels after a number of installations.

The nuances for this fix are great considering the potential for such a large service expense.

If you do decide to have them removed for correction, go all out on them. Get them as perfect as humanly possible and then protect them with clear bra and/or a coating or quality wax.

Hope this helps.

Detailed Designs

If you wish to do something like wax the interior carbon fiber parts but not remove them, instead of tape, use something like this: http://44tools.com/installation-tool...-w-black-edge/ to partition off the sensitive alcantara while you wax.

To reiterate. I do not think tape is the safest method to protect the alcantara.

Derek RS

Just ordered those pieces from 44tools I think they will work really well. I live in Taiwan and dont trust anyone touching my interior so all the work will be done by me only. Dont want to mess with removing the carbon trim pieces ill just leave them alone. Thanks again you been very helpful!