Redd

After less than three years, I had a number of black spots (similar to the ones that formed in my Audi rear bumper shield after only one year) in the clear bra on the hood. Very much like mildew spots, less than pencil sized, but somehow inside the material. Clay bar wouldn't take them out, they were in the plastic. So, a trip to the 3M installer to ask how to take them out.

And the great thing is, he took one look and said "We'll warranty that. Come back next week and we'll just replace it for you. You know you wren't supposed to wax or polish this stuff, right? Oh, and we've got a new material now."

So apparently the older 3M bra material was prone to failure, but can be replaced with a (hopefully!) better material at no charge, with no argument.

As to the black film that forms at all the edges? Well, no one said "Buy a black car" but they did say it is an inevitable product of the adhesive bleeding out as the film shrinks, best minimized by placing a strip of masking tape over the edges so wax and polish can't be pushed into the adhesive. (Right, sure.) And detailing microbrushes (these are like q-tips, but of nylon and much smaller) dipped in car wash soap (not the isopropanol others recommend on the web) to try carefully cleaning off what's left. Memo, next time around? Make sure all panels are completely wrapped, so there simply are no edges in sight!

Almost seems like less work to do the annual paint chip routine...

SJGQ5

Good luck getting all panels wrapped so no exposed edges..I can see the hood being fully wrapped and edges tucked over..but no thinks like the front panel, mirrors, etc.

I polish and wax mine all the time...I did the tape thing the first time but it is a PITA and takes a long time to cover all those edges...I just use detailing brushes, toothpicks, fingernails, etc to get rid of the extra stuff...perfect? No..but not too bad and less effort than taping everything..

snagitseven

My hood and front fenders edges are completely wrapped with Xpel Ultimate. These are the most visible areas for seams. Since I have my full car coated with Ceramic Pro 9H and Ceramic Pro Light, there is no advantage to waxing. Therefore, no wax build up on any edges.

V8BOB

Sounds like an opportunity to get the whole hood wrapped, pay the difference and get the lifetime warrantee. I don't think the product is prone to failure because they now have something new and improved. This technology is growing and improving. Some of the new coatings out on the market now are self healing.

Bob

Redd

Bob-
I think the installer would be glad to do that, but since it is a warranty repair, I think he can only do "like for like" and a full cover might be a problem. I have that on the list to ask him about, anyway.

snagit-
I still keep a skeptical taste in my mouth after seeing "Polyglycote" a miracle coating sold around 1980 "exclusively from your new car dealer". This was during the start of aftersales marketing from the dealers. They paid about $25 for a tube of gunk, sold it for whatever they could get (often $200-500) and in a couple of years, it needed recoating or stripping, and the lifetime warranty dies with the company, IIRC.
There is or was a similar coating for boat hulls, and there's, what, NuCoat? or something in an orange bottle for cars with faded paint. The problem always coming back to the miracle coating eventually failing or fading and needing some kind of stripping as well as recoating.
The stuff you've got may be totally different and last much longer, I don't know. But since a plain waxed paint job will stay shiny for 20 years...let's see if any of the expensive coatings make it that long. I don't expect that from the paint bra, that's here to keep road rash away, which it seems to do very nicely.

Although I think Audi needs to leave the Henry Ford School and learn the meaning of the word "colour", I give them credit for doing a nice paint job right out of the box.

snagitseven

You are right, today's brands like Ceramic Pro, Opti-Coat and CQuartz have no relationship to anything available from 35 years ago. I'm not aware of any wax that "will stay shiny" or last 20 years without regular reapplication a few times each year. The aforementioned paint protection products offer something different, above and beyond any wax on the market.

While nothing applied to a car's finish will last for 20 years, including these hard shell ceramic coatings (which, depending on the product, can last for 3-10 years without a refresh), they will do far more than just look shiny. They protect the paint and clear coat against fading from UV, bugs, acid rain and other environmental causes. Plus, washing is needed less frequently, easier to clean and waxing is unnecessary to maintain the shine and slickness.

I suggest some research of these coating products would be in order before you try to compare them to a simple wax, no matter how good it might be. These hard shell coatings and a car wax are two completely different things.

Q5 Bob

In addition to the information provided here on coatings, there is even more over on the Auto Detailing Discussion forum.

sszyma

Coatings are the way to go. A fairly large number a good options exist that have been tested (search autopia etc.) Once you have a coating properly applied you will never think about wax again.

Redd

"I suggest some research" would be a good project worthy of some major resources, like Consumer Reports.(G)

My point was not to imply anything could last 20 years, but rather that was is simple, inexpensive, actually does protect against the whole same list of evils, and all you have to do is reapply pretty much any wax on the market (or polish) to keep the protection, without any worries about compatibility, or vendors disappearing, or multi-hundred-dollar applications and possibly stripping when repeats are needed.

But then again I'm Old School. I was taught how to pump my brakes, and while an ESC system can beat me, I can still beat an ABS system. Without ever needing to replace a delicate three grand ABS master control, or ABS wheel monitors.

Pretty much the same with wax, I don't mind an hour twice a year instead of paying for the exotic stuff that's also not available from any major players.

snagitseven

Old school does not have to mean old ideas but to each their own. And kudos to anyone who can pump the brakes faster than the ABS at 15 times per second to avoid lock up in an emergency stop. That's impressive.