New Car Protection, Undercoating, Wax, Clear Bra, etc.

[alext72888]

Hey guys, I just picked up a brand new 2015 tep and was hoping some of the experienced members could give some insight for protecting your runner for maximum longevity.

-Paint Protection via clear film/bra

I know clear bra works, but it's expensive. I may get it later, but I might first try the spray on version which is a lot cheaper. A friend of mine said that some reported paint damage when removing the clear bra. Any thoughts on this?

-Wax

My TEP is black. I used to wax my white vehicle all the time, but I'm assuming there are wax products out there that work better specifically on black vehicles. Any recommendations on this would be great, even some youtube links describing the process.

Also, the type of brushes and towels, and tools used to minimize swirls, etc would be great to know.

- Undercoating

The dealership was really pushing for me to get undercoating but I decided against it. Some say it will crack later on and make things worse by trapping things. Other's say just wash the underbody of the car regularly, and some others say rattle can some rustoleum and call it a day. Any experience with any of this?

 

[4RnR Grl]

Hey guys, I just picked up a brand new 2015 tep and was hoping some of the experienced members could give some insight for protecting your runner for maximum longevity.

-Paint Protection via clear film/bra

I know clear bra works, but it's expensive. I may get it later, but I might first try the spray on version which is a lot cheaper. A friend of mine said that some reported paint damage when removing the clear bra. Any thoughts on this?

-Wax

My TEP is black. I used to wax my white vehicle all the time, but I'm assuming there are wax products out there that work better specifically on black vehicles. Any recommendations on this would be great, even some youtube links describing the process.

Also, the type of brushes and towels, and tools used to minimize swirls, etc would be great to know.

- Undercoating

The dealership was really pushing for me to get undercoating but I decided against it. Some say it will crack later on and make things worse by trapping things. Other's say just wash the underbody of the car regularly, and some others say rattle can some rustoleum and call it a day. Any experience with any of this?

Black sucks. I traded in my black for Mag Grey and never looked back..... but...... Get the Turtle wax Black Box. It's labor intensive, but the result is like no other wax. I use microfiber towels pretty much exclusively.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[LandCruiser]

I only wash it in the winter when it gets crusty with salt.

And I only do it at a car wash, usually those gross King Sooper's ones that recycle the water.

 

[ToyotaDoodz]

. . . -Wax

My TEP is black. I used to wax my white vehicle all the time, but I'm assuming there are wax products out there that work better specifically on black vehicles. Any recommendations on this would be great, even some youtube links describing the process.

Also, the type of brushes and towels, and tools used to minimize swirls, etc would be great to know.

Do yourself a big favor a do some research on Autopia Auto Detailing Forum about how to care for black paint. Those folks are detailing pros and know what they're talking about, with no BS.

It makes a huge difference in the appearance on how and what you use to wash, scrub, and dry you black paint. Those ugly swirl marks we've all see on some black vehicles are not necessary. The info is there, I've read it many times. Don't post and ask, just search, it's there.

 

[flyinhawaiian01]

If your friend had damage when removing the clear bra, there could be several reasons for this.

1. crappy paint. Was the paint OEM or a re-spray? Even OEM paints can be crappy jobs, GM's white paint on many of their cars in the 80's/90's are a prime example.

2. improperly removing the clear bra. Was too much heat used? Was ANY heat used? There's a fine balance with heat and removing vinyl from paint, not everyone has this touch!

3. Cheap-ass material. Which brand was the clear bra? Some cheap kit from Ebay? Not all clear bra material is created equal! 3M has always been the "quality" brand, but even they have thinner, cheaper "consumer" products.

4. improperly installed. Anyone can install a clear bra, but it takes a professional to CORRECTLY install it! Knife cuts in the paint are a prime example of a novice! And yes, a professional installer will install sheets of clear bra then trim to fit, not some pre-cut kit! Also, pre-cut kits do not wrap edges so they are unseen, they are cut "short" so they fit that model without having to trim excess material. A pro will trim it right to the edge whenever possible, and sometimes even wrapping the edge over to completely hide it.

Pricing for a clear bra should be around 5-700 bucks for a 4 runner, depending on what all you have them do (door cups, mirrors, full bumper with lights, etc.). Dealerships do NOT install their own clearbras, they almost always sub it out to the local clearbra installation shop in the area. They may have someone from the shop come in to install it at the dealership sometimes, but I've never heard of an actual dealership doing their own in-house clearbras!

Call the local clearbra shops in your area, see what they charge and what product they use. The ones I'm familiar with are 3M, Llumar, X-pel and Suntek, they all have good warranties and are decent products.

 

[CoolMax]

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/192942-need-opinions-undercoating-clear-bra.html

 

[JayceeP]

I don't have paint protection. I just try to wash the vehicle regularly, clay once per year, and wax every spring and fall. I don't see why this wouldn't keep a maintained vehicle looking good for 10 years. Swirl marks are inevitable no matter what kind of wash media you use.... look closely and you'll see those tiny hair-like scratches. Wax only temporarily hides them. Those heavy circular ones could only be from people who "buff" cars and probably don't clay first or use the buffers properly.

I got the dealer to throw in undercoating and mud guards before I agreed to purchase and they obliged. Winter is really messy here and salt is used extensively. Mud guards definitely help keep road grime off the door panels (the kind that you need to clay to remove).

 

[RedMagik]

- Undercoating

The dealership was really pushing for me to get undercoating but I decided against it. Some say it will crack later on and make things worse by trapping things. Other's say just wash the underbody of the car regularly, and some others say rattle can some rustoleum and call it a day. Any experience with any of this?

So first off, part of the "environmental package" at my local dealer includes 3 things: warranty sealant on interior, undercoating sprayed, every 6 months the car has a "protectant" applied.

Pretty sure the protectant is just a wax job, but I need to call and double check it escaped my mind the day I dropped it off.

As for the undercoating, let me put it to you this way. I orginally had a brand new 2011 Crewmax with out the undercoating. Several round trip vists to and from Colorado (mostly during the fall/winter) left my frame and undercarraiage rusted. When I traded the Tundra in for the 2010 Limited we had, I was reluctant but was happy after I noticed the damage done to the underside. The Limited we bought had the undercoat applied, at leaste 4 more trips like that during nasty nasty....nasty winters. When we traded it in last month I didn't notice any rust from the mag chloride.

It's only worth it if you live in an area that will eat your car up!

As for the exterior coating, Subaru is applying a one time treatment to the outside of our Outback we just got and I can't remember the name of the chemical but it is a lifetime warranty against fading a minor surface scratches. I will try and find out the name today.

 

[flyinhawaiian01]

I don't have paint protection. I just try to wash the vehicle regularly, clay once per year, and wax every spring and fall. I don't see why this wouldn't keep a maintained vehicle looking good for 10 years. Swirl marks are inevitable no matter what kind of wash media you use.... look closely and you'll see those tiny hair-like scratches. Wax only temporarily hides them. Those heavy circular ones could only be from people who "buff" cars and probably don't clay first or use the buffers properly.

I got the dealer to throw in undercoating and mud guards before I agreed to purchase and they obliged. Winter is really messy here and salt is used extensively. Mud guards definitely help keep road grime off the door panels (the kind that you need to clay to remove).

Paint protection isn't to keep the car looking shiny, its to put a barrier between the paint that gets the most abuse, the front end and other "protrusions, and rocks/debris.

You see all those rock chips on your hood/bumper? Yeah, that's what it reduces (and many times, with smaller rocks, elminates completely).

Paint protection isn't for everyone, but for those who want to keep their vehicles as pristine as possible, its just one more product they have at their disposal.

 

[BLACK-FL4RUNNER]

Most of the "paint protection" packages dealers sell are BS. You are basically buying a contract for dents, scratches, environmental, etc. and they simply install some "special' sealant. It's a piece of paper to make you feel good about protecting your vehicle, but that's about all the protection you will actually get. They make money because most people don't use the service, either because they trade in or just don't bother with it, so it becomes profit to the dealer. It's another "add on" sale the finance department sells, along with extended warranties.

YMMV