if it's just the clear coat that is being off then nothing to worry, what i fear is that the chip could be deeper or near the bare metal =(

gawd damn that's deep did you get yours fixed?

quick question, can you actually clay a paint which has ceramic coating applied on it?

did some random google search and the results were a mixed bag.

some say it's a bad idea while some say to only use iron / tar remover and some say it is perfectly fine to clay

same deal with my Accord previously, car is not coated but waxed and can confirmed that the dark film stains are contaminants. it is not noticeable until you accidentally rubbed off some part where it shows the discrepancies and that is when the anxiety kicks in.

the clean spot (upper left) is after i "cleaned" it using a clay bar.

apparently, if the car is coated/waxed then contaminants tends to stick on the surface more than it isn't but the saving grace is that the contaminants does not invade the clear coat and then the paint, once you remove the wax, the stains also gets removed.

wash, clay, wash and then wax - used to be my routine every 6 months or so. hard work this.

you are welcome but i'm not sure if my routine will be applicable to your car since your car is coated and i'm sure the coating comes with warranty so best not try to do anything hasty lest you get your warranty voided.

furthermore, coating layers are a few hundred times "harder" than wax so i don't think you'll be able to remove them just by using your arms. if you really need to, you'll probably need a DA to "cut" them off.

where did you apply the Mirror Coat Zero? the FWS?

the leather on my steering wheel too has these minor wrinkles (more like stretch marks) on the end and edges but i don't really bother them unless they started tearing. i just apply leather lotion on them and leave it be.

given Honda's track record, i doubt they will entertain your warranty and will treat it as "wear and tear" unless you pointed out to them the day you collect your car.

then it can only be 2 things:-

either your mirror was not properly prepped when you apply the zero coating OR your snow foam is too high in alkaline rating then again, you should buy ULTRA GLACO instead, that thing is more durable than the zero coating.

the Zero Coat is more suitable for side mirrors and some people also used it to coat their expensive motorcycle helmet visors. for areas that take a lot of friction (wipers etc), Ultra Glaco is the way to go.

if your car is not coated then you can consider using this:-



relatively cheap and quite a good car shampoo too because it can reduce those dreadful black streaks that you often find on white colored cars but take note though, it's alkali based so it can remove waxes that you have applied on the car.

so for good measure, wax your car once every fortnight.

isn't the Fusso F7 already a form of wax by itself and what is this "gloss wax" that you are referring to?

if both are also car waxes but only in different form then the one that you applied straight on a clean paint surface will be sufficient, any other type of wax that gets layered on top of the first layer will not bond well and "washes away" pretty quickly.

so prepped your paint surface properly and then apply a good durable wax - something like this:-



i've used these previously and they last for around 6-7 months before you start noticing the hydrophobic properties starts to wear off.

yeap, one layer of properly applied wax will be sufficient. any more / thicker application is just a waste.

Their Nano Wash is pretty good, have been buying their 4L for RM65 and then finally decided to buy the 20L for RM120 earlier this year

Bird poops are mostly acidic in nature and when left unattended to for a long period of time especially if the car is parked under the perils of weather (hot sun etc), it will corrode through almost all paint protections, be it ceramic, graphene etc and when they are done with that, it will go for the clear coat and then eventually the paint itself.

not only bird poops that can do such harm, water spots from rain can have such effects as well.

i reckon that the reason why the "ring" of the stain is still visible is because the detailers did not want to cut too deep into the layers (illustration; if the stain corrodes through 4 layers of protection, your detailer "cuts" only 3 perhaps).

ouh ... if they did decide to discontinue this product and not release an equivalent or better replacement for it then it's really a shame

unless your friend's cars are used cars or they had it repainted with cheap quality paints, it is very unlikely that factory automotive paint will deteriorate in just 2 or 3 months even under extreme weather condition (which Malaysia doesn't have).

there are several layers of paintworks on the surface and ultimately the clear coat which also has heat radiation repellant properties (UV/IR).

there must be other underlying causes if your friend's car's white paint deteriorated so fast.

COATING

it is best to do some reading up before going for it otherwise you'll end up with major disappointment because you will be promised by unscrupulous salespersons with unreal expectations as to what coating can do.

in essence, coating is just another layer of clear coat applied on top of your car's existing layers of paintwork. the purpose of coating is to just make the paint "thicker" so that it becomes more susceptible and "that is all". imagine an onion, applying a coating is just adding more layers to that onion which can and will be "peeled off". introducing a "sacrificial layer", if you will.

oxidation is the root cause for why white paint becomes yellow so unless the coating has good heat dispersion properties or seals the original paintwork nicely, chances are it will do very little to prevent this. currently there are so-called "graphene-coatings" which claims to have better heat conductivity but these are relatively new in the market with very little real world statistics to back them up.

therefore i don't think you can assign a specific time frame as to when your paint will "turn yellow" since the weather and the time you exposed your car to it is variable.

the best way to approach this is taking preventive maintenance (eg):-

1) wash your car on weekly basis and if not possible, fortnightly;
2) park your car in shaded areas as often as possible (but avoid trees): and
3) wax your car every 3 months (or when the wax wears off) but if lazy then send for coating application (which is much more expensive) but you get the benefit of convenience.

... and for the rest of the time, just use your car like how it is intended to be used otherwise you'll basically be a slave to it.

good PPFs don't turn yellow in just a few months - your friend has opted for cheap quality PPFs which you can probably get for a few hundred to cover the entire front hood.

these look more like wraps than PPF and a cheap at it too - coupled with poor workmanship during application and then you get exactly this.

it's normal for dirt/mud to still be present on the car after the foam spray, the purpose of it is to rinse off loose particles before you do any contact washing. this will minimize the chances of you introducing scratches or swirl marks on the paint surface.

not sure if mix ratios are universal or not but for Osren's Nano Wash, the ratio is 1:10 for foam lance so as long as you're about the range, you are good.

to simplify the function of the knob, it's to adjust whether you want a thick or runny foam.

for me, i'll have it runny for my rinse and then slightly thicker for my contact wash (but not too thick else there is no lubrication).

so i basically go like "rinse > runny foam > rinse > slightly thicker form > contact wash > rinse".

i don't foam spray the entire car before i do the contact wash, i did it in panels. left side + rear + right side and then the front.

that way, i have the maximum possible lubricant at any given time and i don't need to rush against time to reach all panels before the foam dries up.

i do the rinsing after i've finished the contact wash - letting the shampoo work its magic but only if the car is cool but if it's still a little bit warm then i'll usually rinse it off almost immediately after each panel. don't want the suds to stain.

unless you hate the color, no wrap, just coat.