UV Protection?

S

SR77

New member
Joined
Feb 19, 2021
Messages
10
Reaction score
0
I am no chemist, so I wanted to ask this to others here:

Do all Paint Protection Products whether its a Spray wax/Sealant, Ceramic Coating or Graphene Coating offer UV Protection?

I noticed with some products, UV Protection or inhibitors is specifically mentioned in the Product Description (example Optimum Car Wax), referring that the product has UV Protection, and on other Paint Protection Products this is not mentioned at all. Why is this? Is there a certain ingredient in the formula to provide this extra UV Protection? If all Paint Protection Products offer UV protection from the sun, why do only some products actually mention this in their description?

You read alot of descriptions and reviews on Hydrophobic durability and protection from acid rain, bird droppings etc, as well as the many torture tests on Youtube, but I don't see much talk or product advertisement on UV Protection from the sun. Some of these coatings mention years of protection, but no specific mention of UV Protection.

Reason I am asking is because I have a 10 year old Ram that is a deep Red color. I have babied this paint since the beginning, but am noticing that the plastic front bumper and the roof are fading alittle and am wondering if I maybe I didn't use the right products or ones with enough UV protection.

As I mentioned, I am far from a chemist, so any help understanding the make up of what makes a product excel in UV Protection will help! Thanks
 
This has come up before but other than some mentioning UV protection and others not mentioning UV protection, I haven’t seen any specific ways to quantify two products and their UV capabilities. About the only thing I found was that there is a certain UV protection level required before a product can utilize that term on a label but I don’t know that there is really any oversight validating those claims. I’d suggest sticking with some of the larger, more well-known companies when selecting a UV paint protection product.

Optimum, 303, Meguiar's, CarPro, Adam’s, Griot’s, Gyeon, etc.
 
The only product that states their product offers UV protection and that you can actually apply their products in direct sunlight is PoorBoy's. Their products are pretty good from 1st hand experience.

AGO carries them.

I am assuming most good detailing products have some sort of UV protection.
 
There are many more products that claim UV protection. 303 Graphene Nano Spray, Griot’s Ceramic 3-in-1, Optimum Opti-Seal, are 3 I found with a quick search. But I don’t understand why we’re limiting to products that can be installed in direct sun. Most are spray sealants that are fairly easy to apply. I didn’t check any true ceramic coatings for UV protection but I’m sure there are some such as Optimum Gloss Coat.

Edit: Couldn’t help myself so I looked up CQuartz UK 3.0 coating and it claims UV protection but I could find no mention with Gyeon Pure Evo or CanCoat Evo coatings.
 
UV protection is in the clear coat, some cars have better clears than others Toyota, Honda and Chrysler vans up till just a few years ago had the worst cases of clear coat failure.

Heat, is a common stressor on automotive paint make sure to keep your hood engine insulation in good shape to avoid excess heat transfer to the exterior paint.

Pigment degradation.. This is common on paints with high metallic content, reds, and yellows mostly, the silvers get so hot it hardens the inexpensive clears that some manufacturers use and the red and yellow pigments "die" quickly especially the reds. When this happens the paint itself looses its bond to the primer and it loosens off taking the clear with it.

If you feel that your car is at risk, either use a garage or car cover (if you can deal with the hassle of dealing with a tight cover as taking a cover off and on can also mar the paint). Wash and wax the car as you would normally and forget anything that claims to be special for UV protection, in the real world any wipe on protection that’s clear allowing you to see the paint color below doesn't provide much(or any) real-world protection.
 
Thanks for the replies!

Epilogts, interesting, My Ram truck is a Metallic Red, these areas seem to be shading "alittle" more towards a burnt orange now in the sun, but I dont have any paint or clear failure, just the color is slightly changing from the Metallic Red.. Also if this is true and no wipe on paint protection can effectively protect from UV, why some companies actually push this other than to sell more product. Hear I am thinking that there is something in the formula that some of these products are using
 
There is a youtuber "Dimitri's Garage" who recently posted some videos testing the UV protection abilities of various sealants and waxes. His equipment could not detect any measurable ability to block UV rays in any of the products. He even tested Optimum Car Wax, which is supposed to have a patented UV protection ability, and that also did not demonstrate any detectable UV protection.

As others have stated, since the clearcoat from the factory protects against UV rays, the best thing you can do is to regularly wash and protect the clearcoat.

Other than keeping the car in a garage or under a car cover, the only other option I can think of for more UV protection is PPF. The headlights on my wife's 2014 Honda Accord get oxidized and hazy pretty quickly, whereas the headlights on my car, which are covered in PPF, look brand new. And this even though my car is nearly 4 years old and parked outside 24/7.
 
Good info Joe, thanks!. Will look up Dimitris videos.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top