Which wax/sealant offers the highest level of UV protection?

Coach Steve

Coach Steve

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Does anyone know? It seems that since everything went to hybrid ceramic formulas, they're not mentioning it on the bottle for some reason. Was that the trade off, gloss for uv inhibitors?
 
Hard to say. Unfortunately, in the detail world there are no industry standard tests to verify claims made. I'd say Optimum Car Wax is one product known for its UV protection. However, others also claim UV protection too.


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As long as something is being used, isn't the surface protected? The LSP is taking the beating from the UV light vs the clear coat. When I lived in Hawaii, where the sun is brutal on vehicles, the vehicles with faded and suffering clear coat failure was those who were never protected with anything. Those where the owners made an attempt with some form of wax/sealant/etc seemed to fair just fine.

Optimum is about the only one I can think of who advertises some UV protection.
 
As far as I know, Optimum Car Wax is the only paint protection that offers the same UV inhibitors found in new clear coat.

Dr. G mentioned that the most difficult part of formulating Car Wax was getting the inhibitors to migrate into the clear.
 
Here is an old quote from Mike Phillips on that exact question. Not sure if it still applies given the newer products on the market, but my guess is that it still does:

"Some waxes do contain UV-protection agents, but the amount of protection that a microscopically thin layer of wax can provide is limited

The primary goal of a wax is to protect the top layers of paint that contain UV-protection agents from the paint manufacture. If you wash and wax your car regularly, your paint will be protected and you should suffer no major UV damage over the normal course of the life of the car.

Don't be fooled by some companies that lead you to believe that it is the UV protection in a wax that protects your car's finish from fading and failure, this is dishonest and simply not true. Taking care of the paint you presently have will go further to protect your finish than relying on protection supplied by a liquid you pour out of a bottle, or a wax you scoop out of a can. UV protection in a car wax formula is only an extra-dose of preventative maintenance, not the end-all, cure-all that some companies would lead you to believe.

UV protection for paint is much different from UV blocking ingredients for human skin. The two formulas are nothing alike and work in drastically different ways. There is no correlation between the ratings applied to the different levels of sun blocking protection for products intended for use on human skin and the ingredients available for use in an automotive wax formula. Sad to say, much of what you see advertised about the protective qualities of most car care products on the market today is simply over-exaggerated hype used to separate you from your hard earned dollars.

I hope this helps to explain the role UV protection plays in a wax formula.

Mike"
 
I agree, if you are in one of the sun Heavy states like Southern California, Texas or Florida, and your car is sitting in a parking lot 24/7, get a cover or erect a shade. I refuse to believe that there’s anything you can put on a car that allows the paint luster to come through, yet still protects you from UV in a substantial way.

I used 303 on my boat vinyl for several years, and the product was touted as aUV protectant, my vinyl bolsters still rotted out after about four years of using it weekly, I finally replaced the bolsters and made covers…
 
I did a search on UV when this came up a week or so ago. Griot’s Ceramic 3-in-1 wax has UV inhibitors. 303 Graphene has UV inhibitors. I’m sure just about any decent sealant has UV inhibitors since vehicles are out in the Sun. And supposedly there needs to be a certain level of UV inhibitors in a product to be able to put UV protection on the label. Not whether that is tested and verified is another story.
 
Poor Boy's waxes are inexpensive and you can apply it in the sun, but that would be the last resort. They have UV protection built into their waxes. Additionally, it is a pretty good wax too from 1st hand experience. They have the Blue, Red or liquid form. Try that if you are looking for a wax with UV protection.
 
Your car’s clear coat is designed to absorb UV and prevent fading to your base color. Think about that for a minute…a 35-50 micron coating (aka clear coat) still fails to sun exposure over time. To think that a wipe on wipe off tiny fraction of a wax sealant of coating would have any real effect is laughable. I think hydrophobic coatings help keep minerals and other contaminants off your paint through self cleaning which helps prevent UV degradation, but it doesn’t stop it directly by blocking the UV rays.
 
dlc95 said:
As far as I know, Optimum Car Wax is the only paint protection that offers the same UV inhibitors found in new clear coat.

Dr. G mentioned that the most difficult part of formulating Car Wax was getting the inhibitors to migrate into the clear.
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I think this is why I have consciously (unconsciously??) reached for OCW for 20 years now

I have an almost child like faith in the product

Maybe it's a placebo but it gives me peace of mind

YMMV
 
Optimum products claim UV protection... I love their Car Wax.
 
EddieVDetailing said:
Your car’s clear coat is designed to absorb UV and prevent fading to your base color. Think about that for a minute…a 35-50 micron coating (aka clear coat) still fails to sun exposure over time. To think that a wipe on wipe off tiny fraction of a wax sealant of coating would have any real effect is laughable. I think hydrophobic coatings help keep minerals and other contaminants off your paint through self cleaning which helps prevent UV degradation, but it doesn’t stop it directly by blocking the UV rays.
Click to expand...
I don't think its laughable to protect your paint from UV with a wax/sealant/coating. If you left your paint unprotected the clear will probably last 4-5 years before showing sun-burn. If you protected it religiously it could last 20 plus years. This has been my experience in Hawaii where we have the highest UV through out the year in the USA.
 
Rsurfer said:
I don't think its laughable to protect your paint from UV with a wax/sealant/coating. If you left your paint unprotected the clear will probably last 4-5 years before showing sun-burn. If you protected it religiously it could last 20 plus years. This has been my experience in Hawaii where we have the highest UV through out the year in the USA.
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:iagree:
 
I think 20 years on if OCW didn't offer some UV protection we would hear about it and know about it

Notice I said SOME UV protection

It is not a forcefield from a sci-fi show, it is an additional layer of UV protection

How much additional protection would be very hard to quantify but ANY added UV protection is beneficial and as inexpensive as it is and as easy to use as it is, to me it's a no brainer

I am sure there are other products that fall into this category as well

I am not saying OCW is the only option
 
Dmitry over at Dmitry's Garage on YouTube ran a test that concluded there was no measurable/negligible UV blocking effect from a significant portion of the waxes and sealants he's tested over the years. His video hones in on Jet Seal as the main example, applied to microscope/cryoscopic slides which I believe are glass substrate. He ran different control sections to verify the meter is accurate enough to detect UV blocking and there was no change in the value of UV measurements after wiping off cured Jet Seal on the slide.

He set up a great test. I've been mulling over the idea of testing this for years now, and I was actually getting ready to pull the trigger on a handheld UVA/B meter to grab results applying various protectants to protective card toploaders, but his meter ended up being a much more practical, scientific, and simplified solution, and I do not have plans to dive further into the topic than him.

You can see his full video here:


To summarize Dmitry's test, this is the total percentage of UV light blocked by each item he tested:

Microscope Slide (Bare): 8.4%
Eyeglasses: 100%
Rayban Sunglasses: 100%
Microscope Slide + Sprayed Automotive Clearcoat Paint: 88.3%
SPF 70 Aerosol Sunscreen (Not Wiped In): 58.4%
Microscope Slide + Chemical Guys Jet Seal (Cured, Not Wiped Off): 16.4%
Microscope Slide + Chemical Guys Jet Seal (Wiped Off): 8.4%

8.4% minus 8.4% = Zero measurable effect of UV blocking for Jet Seal. He noted he has not tested Optimum Car Wax yet, but it's on the way.
 
Loach said:
Dmitry over at Dmitry's Garage on YouTube ran a test that concluded there was no measurable/negligible UV blocking effect from a significant portion of the waxes and sealants he's tested over the years. His video hones in on Jet Seal as the main example, applied to microscope/cryoscopic slides which I believe are glass substrate. He ran different control sections to verify the meter is accurate enough to detect UV blocking and there was no change in the value of UV measurements after wiping off cured Jet Seal on the slide.

He set up a great test. I've been mulling over the idea of testing this for years now, and I was actually getting ready to pull the trigger on a handheld UVA/B meter to grab results applying various protectants to protective card toploaders, but his meter ended up being a much more practical, scientific, and simplified solution, and I do not have plans to dive further into the topic than him.

You can see his full video here:


To summarize Dmitry's test, this is the total percentage of UV light blocked by each item he tested:

Microscope Slide (Bare): 8.4%
Eyeglasses: 100%
Rayban Sunglasses: 100%
Microscope Slide + Sprayed Automotive Clearcoat Paint: 88.3%
SPF 70 Aerosol Sunscreen (Not Wiped In): 58.4%
Microscope Slide + Chemical Guys Jet Seal (Cured, Not Wiped Off): 16.4%
Microscope Slide + Chemical Guys Jet Seal (Wiped Off): 8.4%

8.4% minus 8.4% = Zero measurable effect of UV blocking for Jet Seal. He noted he has not tested Optimum Car Wax yet, but it's on the way.
Click to expand...

I look forward to his findings

I wonder what the UV blocking % threshold is to consider a product as "effective" or worthwhile

You would also have to consider that most of us don't just have a single application of OCW on our vehicles, it is frequently a 2nd, 3rd, or even more layer in our own personal "system" of protection

How do you quantify that?

If each layer has a bit of protection does the cumulative total of each layer increase as a simple x+y+z formula or is the protection exponential

Talk about a can of worms

I know from personal experience that rubber/vinyl treated with 303 lasts longer than without

No, I didn't use a gauge or meter or anything other than my eyes, a notebook, and a calendar but I know what my results were

:confused:
 
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