Auto Paint in Kissimmee Florida

Sorry about the long sabbatical guys, but the work thing has been kicking my ass, 72 hours per week doesn’t leave a lot of time to keep up on the old blog, but I’m back now, please keep the applause to a low roar LOL, I know it’s about time to update the info here, so it’s down to business.

Our last article was Body Work & Final Prime, so what came after the final prime, well you’d need to unmask the car first, and then pull it out of the paint booth and get it ready to sand, by get it ready I mean wash it, and get all the primer over spray and dust that have settled on the car.

Now we’re going to prep the car for paint or sealer, it’s up to you rather you seal it or not, if during the sanding process you happen to go through the primer in a spot or two, or your worried about scratches that might show through the paint work, then it’s best to lay a couple of coats of sealer before you paint the car.

So now that we have that out of the way, I’ll explain how I’d go about prepping the car for paint, I always seal the car if your wondering, it’s just a good idea to me, yes it’s an extra step, but remember, your not in a hurry if you want your car done right.

I start by getting a bucket of water with a little dish soap in it, and a hose, then I load a long sanding block with 220 grit wet sand paper, it’s best to use the longest block possible, you trying to smooth the surface of the primer and get it ready for paint, I tend to like the rubber sanding blocks for sanding primer, but again this is up to you, there are a lot of styles of sanding blocks.

What I look to do with the 220 grit sand paper is smooth the surface of the primer. On the first stage of sanding is where you could cause the ocean wave effect, or wash board effect on your car, this is why I start with 220 grit wet paper foe the first stage of sanding, starting with 220 grit paper will minimize this effect, what you’re looking for before you move to the next stage of sanding is a pure ultra smooth look and feel to the primed surface of the car.

During the next step I step up to 320 grit wet paper, but you can go right to 400 grit, it’s your choice, what I look for during this stage of sanding is a dull shine over the entire surface of the car, once I have achieved this appearance I can move to the next and last stage of sanding for the project.

In the last step of the prep I move to 600 grit wet paper, I know that there are people that don’t agree with this step of the process, but I have done it for years, and taken prizes in shows doing it, most people would stop at 400 grit, and this is up to you but I will tell you this, you will not have any scratches showing through the paint after your done, what I look for here is almost a hazy mirror look to the primer when I’m done, when I achieve this look it’s time for sealer, and the prep sanding is done.

By: David Atkin

About the Author:

Auto Paint Kissimmee

As days go by, automobiles play an integral part in the lives of so many people. Almost everyday, they use cars to accomplish their various needs especially in terms of traveling. However, upon waking up some day, they may find these precious things greatly affected by wear-and-tear caused by certain underlying factors such as weather changes, accidental bumps, and scratches. To restore the beauty and glow of cars, a simple car painting process can get the job done.

The most important materials required in this simple car painting process are sandpaper, soap and water, and black enamel paint. Additionally, a wax stripper or any kind of degreaser is also necessary to attain that perfect car painting result. Body putty, wire, and clear coat paint also serve specific purposes, and so do a masking tape and a paint primer. Before starting, an ample amount of plastic is necessary to cover all the windows of the car. Lastly, a urethane-based paint of a desired color is also essential for that all-important final coating.

To facilitate the car painting process, some important tools can really help such as garden hose, paint sprayer, and rags. In terms of location, an enclosed room like a garage can complement the procedure, which is divided into two phases namely the pre-painting and the actual painting.

The Pre-Painting Phase:

1. To prepare a car for some really good painting, it is necessary to clean it thoroughly, removing all the dirt, grease, and wax in the process. Before starting, every surface must be absolutely clean. A garden hose can facilitate the attainment of this simple step.

2. For the paint to attain that perfect glow, the surface must be smooth. Use a sandpaper to level out and remove rough portions, scratches, and rust.

3. Use the wire to ground the car in order for the static dust to stop attracting more dust.

4. Wipe off any dirt, ensuring that the car is completely clean before starting the painting process.

5. Use the plastic to protect the windows from getting any of the paint. A masking tape is enough to keep the plastic in position. For portions of the car that needs no painting, cover them as well to protect from the paint.

6. If there are holes or uneven surfaces, simply apply some putty to level them out and create a smooth look all over.

7. Wait until the putty dries off totally, and prepare for the actual painting phase.

The Actual Painting Phase:

1. After all the preparations, it is now time to actually paint the car by loading the primer into the paint sprayer, and then spray it all over the surface of the automobile. After use, clean the sprayer very well in preparation for the second level of coating. Wait for some time until the surface totally dries off before proceeding to the next step.

2. It is now time to put the second coating by loading the black enamel paint into the sprayer, and then spray it evenly all over the surface. Clean the sprayer once again after use then wait for some time for the paint to dry off completely.

3. Use the sandpaper to remove all the rough areas as well as the entire coating of black enamel in preparation for the next step.

4. Reload the sprayer once again, this time using the urethane-based paint of desired color, and then spray it evenly all over the surface. Wait again for some time until the paint dries off.

5. When the last coat is already dry, repeat the last step and then clean the sprayer once again.

6. After the second coat of the urethane-based paint dries off, reload the clear coat paint into the sprayer, and then spray it all over the surface of the car. Wait for some time until the paint dries off completely.

7. Repeat the last step for two more times and then move on to clean the sprayer after use.

8. After the final coating is finally over, give it some time for at least overnight to dry off perfectly. For additional designs, this is the perfect time to put them.

9. After placing all the desired designs, take off the plastic as well as the masking tape. Clean off everything else and you are ready to go with a brand new looking car.

By: John Grant

About the Author:

Auto Paint in Kissimmee

So why is painting a picture of a car so hard compared to say a flower? Well, the main thing here with cars is if you don’t carry out every line in perfect proportion, if you just happen to make one little mistake then it can completely ruin the whole painting. The reason behind this is our brains are very good at remembering shapes and details around it. While a pink tulip can have different shades, come in different sizes, have different leaves etc, a car model remains the same, so when faced with a difference our brain will tend to spot it right away.

The idea is when you decide to start your next car painting, try to take your time and don’t rush the early stages, i am referring here to the part where you try to get all of the proportions right before starting to shade or paint your creation. Don’t let it get you down if you are not extremely talented with shading techniques or not the even the best with colors when you draw cars. The fact of the matter is, if you don’t manage to get the proportions right at the beginning the end result is usually a disaster. So you need to understand before going any further how important it is to get the proportions right. Which leaves us with the question of How do you do it? How do I do it?

Your first step is to start out with a clean sheet of paper, most preferably a pretty big one. Then go and find a picture of a car that inspires you to draw, a good picture of a car. This picture will now be used as a reference for your car painting or drawing.

Start of by drawing some soft lines on the paper, you want to try and get the general box proportion right. By box proportion I am referring to the most basic lines of the drawing such as the roof and bottom of the car. After having accomplished that, then start by adding on to your picture the front or rear of the car. This will probably be determined by how the car is positioned on your reference picture.

When you feel like you have done this and feel as if you have really nailed those lines well, then the next step will be to move on and start adding the small details to your picture such as the door handel’s, windows and the headlights ect. The next tip here is to not start doing the wheels to early because those are usually the hardest part. When you are happy with your overall lines of your car painting/picture then do the wheels. Then you need to take a well deserved break. Yes you heard right, make a cuppa take a time out. Why you might be asking? Well, this is an important step of the creation process as when you come back in an hour or so you will probably start to notice little things that need to be corrected which you didn’t happen to notice while you were drawing the car. So now add the small details and remember don’t start to shade and paint the car until you feel very satisfied with the cars shape and details. When you fell like you are happy with your design, then I would suggest you start to shade it carefully. Now how you shade it correctly is whole other topic topic, which I will be covering on my next article.

By: Lilly Jay

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Car Paint in Kissimmee

Getting your vehicle to look its best is important to you as its owner. You want to make sure that it stays looking great for a long time. This means that if something does need fixing you need to take care of it as soon as possible. Also you want to find a qualified person for the job. Depending on the job depends on who you will choose to complete the work. So, if your vehicle needs paint touch up you need to find a qualified professional for paint touch up on vehicles. Find out how to start and what to look for!

It is important that you find a qualified professional to touch up your vehicles paint. You may think you can do it yourself, however that usually will not produce the results you are looking for. You will also see many different automotive reconditioning shops located near you. Don’t choose the first place, don’t choose the cheapest place, don’t choose the closest place and don’t choose without doing your homework first!

Start looking for a professional to touch up your vehicles paint by first asking around to your friends, family and colleagues. Look to see what kind of word of mouth reputation automotive reconditioning shops have that are near you. Once you have an idea of which shop may be a good selection for you, you will need to go in and talk with them about what you want done on your car. See if they are knowledgeable about paint touch up. Also ask to see if they have any previous work that they can show you that they have done. That way you can see if you approve or like the work that they do. Then you need to check that they are using high quality paints and products to complete the paint touch up repair. One of the key elements to your paint touch up repair looking good in the end is if the auto body shop uses the latest technology for paint matching. It is usually done with the computer giving a direct match number for the paint. It is important that you select an auto body shop that does this. If the new paint does not match the old it will be very noticeable that you had paint touch up done.

Besides improving the look of your vehicle it is important to get paint touch up to prevent rust from occurring on your vehicle. The paint on your vehicle acts as a sealant for the metal body or frame which prevents it from rusting. So, if the metal body is exposed you will have a bigger problem at hand when it begins to rust.

It is important that you know that with paint touch up you will not get a perfect professional looking repair. They will try their best and do what they can to get your car looking its best with paint touch up, the important thing to remember is that it will be protecting your vehicle from rust!

By: Samantha Mccartney

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Auto Paints in Kissimmee

“Oh no, now I’ve done it.” You have just applied to much paint and created huge sagging paint globs to your once perfect model. That perfect contest winning finish you were hoping for is now a disaster.

All is not lost however. You can fix just about any paint mistake that you have made on your contest model with just a bit of work. With a careful paint sanding technique, you can create a perfect finish.

Using four techniques; paint standing, re-spray, paint polish and wax, you can fix just about any mistake you make. I will show you how to use these techniques to fix your model and bring it back to contest level.

Paint standing is the first technique we will use to correct and over spray or orange peel situation you have created on your model. Orange peel is just extra paint that is applied to thickly and ends up making the surface of your model looked like the outside of an orange. The easiest technique I’ve found to correct this kind of situation is just to use sandpaper to grind off the extra paint. The hardest part of doing this is not to stand into the details sticking out of the surface of your model.

There are many different grades or grits of sandpaper. I basically classify sandpaper into two types, rough and fine. Rough sandpaper comes in grit numbers from 100 to 1000. The lower the number the more course it is. For heavy paint removal I typically use number 320 grit. Fine sandpaper runs from 2000 thru 12000 grit. This fine grit is one secret to getting to a perfect finish.

Sandpaper comes with different kinds of backing. I prefer cloth backing over the cheaper paper backing because generally I use only a wet sanding technique. Wet sanding is where you use water to help lubricate the surface of the model and generally works better for my model paints.

Your first task is to let your paint mistake dry completely. Then start the uneven paint removal with a rough grit sanding being very careful not to sand into any plastic detail of your model. I will cut the sandpaper into very small pieces and hold them or glue them to wooden “tools” to get into small places. I will also use paint thinner to soften paint buildup around detailed areas keeping in mind that you do not want to ruin the plastic.

Once this is done, re-spray paint the damaged area.

Continue this process of sanding and re-spraying until you are satisfied with the finish. At this stage you are now ready to fine sand the paint.

Fine sanding is really the true secret to a perfect paint finish. I work the paint finish by sanding the paint using these grits in order.

2400

3200

4000

6000

8000

12000

The sandpaper I like to use is sandwiched between foam so that it conforms to the surface of the model more easily. Each step uses the wet sanding technique with water. Change your sanding strokes in different directions and try not to use a lot of pressure. At the end of this paint sanding sequence the surface of your model should be very even and smooth. This will bring us to the next step which is polishing the paint.

Paint polish is the next secret to that near perfect paint finish for your contest winning model. I prefer Novus plastic paint polish. I work the paint to a fine mirror finish by using No. 3, No.2, and then No.1 in sequence. This sets you up for the final step which is wax protection.

Wax protection is the final step in and creating your contest winning the model finish.
I use Meguiar’s mirror glaze #26 professional high tech yellow wax. You can find this at any automotive parts store. I apply it with a soft cloth and buff the paint to a showroom finish.

Well there you have it. It is a lot of work but it is well worth the effort. In the end you have fixed your pain problem and come out with a model that has a complete showroom and contest winning finish.

By: Tanya Glenn

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You’ve been driving around in that old clunker your dad gave you when you went off to college for years and now you can finally afford a new car. You’ve finished college, started your new career and worked your way up the ladder enough to finally get the salary you deserve. You’ve had your eye on a particular model and you happily go off to the dealership to buy one. While you are there, the dealer may offer to sell you a paint protection system that is designed to keep the paint on your car looking new. After driving an old car that saw a new paint job over a decade ago, you want to do everything to maintain that beautiful look and what the dealer is saying may sound quite enticing. Beware, because what sounds too good to be true usually is.

Dealers get paid a substantial profit by selling you expensive car paint protection systems. How much they charge you will depend on how much they feel they can get out of you. Don’t forget that these salespeople know all about your finances from your application and credit report. They know how much you make, how much you pay in housing and how much credit debt you have. This gives them a general idea of how much you can afford to pay. They may offer a debt laden person the system for $500 dollars and offer it to a person who has a lower amount of debt for $1500.00. Either way they are making a super profit and they do it under the guise of doing you a favor.

Admittedly, car paint protection is essential to any new car. Car paint can be damaged by the sun, hail, and dirt that are blown on a car. Wax can certainly keep a car shiny but can also allow dirt particles to stick to it. This means that when you go to wipe it down, the dirt or sand can actually cause damage to the paint job, since wiping the car will grind them into the paint.

The sun will also fade paint over time and if you live near the ocean, salt water will also harm the finish. This is why it’s important to get a good car paint protection system. Just don’t get it from a dealer. Part of the warranty may include having to bring the car in every 2 months to have the protection renewed. If you don’t come in, then the warranty will be voided and you’ve lost the money that you invested in the system.

There are plenty of quality paint protection systems on the market that you can purchase for a fraction of the cost that the dealers offer them for and you can apply and maintain them yourself. Visit your auto supply store or go online to research and find the best one for you.

By: Gregg Hall

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Auto Paint Kissimmee

We all love to hear our friends ask how we made our car look so good, or how we keep it looking so new. It is a fact that resale value is greatly affected by how your car looks and the better it looks, the more it is worth. Unfortunately, regardless of how much we car for our car, the inevitable does and will happen. Scratches, nicks and dings from road debris, bird droppings and tar from road work and construction, sun damage, acid rain and other things that are detrimental to the finish and look of the vehicle. Here are some tips on how to minimize these things happening and to lessen or remove their damage to your car’s finish.

Bird droppings and tar are equally difficult to remove from the paint and chrome. Bird droppings are actually acidic and will etch the paint or even chrome if left on too long, especially in the hot sun. Most bird droppings will break up with a little soap and water. Some may require soaking by placing a wet, bunched up paper towel directly on top of the spot and leaving it there until it becomes easy to remove. This is better than picking at it as this can cause paint to chip or come off on older cars. Tar requires use of a special tar removal spray. These are made so they will not be caustic to your paint and will quickly remove the sticky tar.

Sun damage is generally going to dull your paint. This can be fixed by using a car polish or, in really tough cases with bad oxidation, rubbing compound. This will also work for removing most small scratches. Car polishes and rubbing compound come as either a liquid or paste and is applied to the paint in a circular motion. After it dries to a haze it is buffed off with a clean terry towel. Be sure to thoroughly wash your car first as the dirt can contain contaminants that will scratch your paint and make it worse (be sure to use specific car cleaning solutions only). This will make the paint smooth and should be followed up with either a protective car wax or car polish. Synthetic car polishes will last longer, but car waxes do give the best shine. A great secret of the detailing superstars is to use 2 coats of car polish and then follow that with 2 coats of a carnauba wax. This will give you superior protection and an unbeatable showroom new car shine.

Nicks and dings usually occur together. Parking lot dings are the most popular where , someones car door will usually nick the paint and leave a small ding. Most body shops will want $300 – $500 or more just to fix a small ding and nick. The best way to do this is use a paintless dent removal expert. They are in pretty much every town under names like Dent Wizard (Tip, use Dent Wizard as they are the best and cheapest) and they can remove almost any small dent or ding. They will remove the entire ding for between $30 and $90 and all you are left with is the nick. A nick can easily be filled in with touchup paint and a toothpick. You can buy a small container of touchup paint for your exact color at your local dealer for under $10. Do not use a brush as it will go on too thick and make the touchup obvious. A toothpick will put the paint directly in to the nick or deep scratch.

Another big item that many people overlook is headlight restoration and cleaning. According to the Institute For Highway Safety:

It is a fact that 80 percent or more of the vehicles on the road have inefficient and worn or cloudy and improperly aimed headlights.

Are you one of these people? You are at a higher risk of an accident if you drive with inefficient headlights without enough light output due to opaque or cloudy lenses. Not only is your vision reduced, but other cars will not be able to see you as well with dim lights. There is a patented headlight restoration and cleaning kit made by mdwholesale.com which has been proven effective in restoring previously cloudy lenses to new again at a fraction of the cost of replacement. Headlight restoration will greatly improve your night time driving safety and make your car look so much better.

There you have it, some great tips that will make your car look better, be worth more money and be a whole lot safer at the same time. Now, go give your car that new car shine.

By: David Maillie

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You left the car window down or the sunroof open and there’s a water stain in your car’s leather seat….or your girlfriend spilled here red wine in your leather car seat on a night out on the town….or your kids decided they were a soon to be artist and tried their techniques out on your leather car seat with a pen, arrggg. Got kids myself, so feel your pain. Stain removal in leather seats can be tough, here’s a few tricks to help get you going.

As a professional leather repair specialist I’m here to tell you that there are not to many products that can be used on a leather car seat that won’t remove the finish before removing the stain. Most leather in todays cars is a finished leather with a water borne urethane leather dye applied to it and is pretty susceptible to chemicals and can be removed pretty easily with a solvent cleaner. So when in doubt call a professional.

Water stains in Leather Seat….this is a pretty hard one to get rid of. I recently had reader send me an email on how he could get the water stains out of his car after leaving his sunroof open. This part is kinda for him considering I think I lost his email with pictures, I did get to see them though, so not all was lost. The pictures showed a crease that ran along the middle of the leather seat where the water had puckered the leather. In this type of situation there are two things we could do, one is sand the crease out and with some fillers and dye make the seat new again, this is where a leather professional comes in to play, or replacement of the section that is creased, that’s where an upholstery shop comes in. In these type of situations there aren’t any leather conditioners or cleaners in the world that will remove a creased or puckered leather, what happens is the actual structure of the fibers in the leather have been altered and what you see is what you have.

If the water hasn’t puckered the leather and has just left a stain, a little trick I learned from my good friend Dwain Berlin with Leather Craft Secrets, and you go to your bread box in the kitchen for this one. Take a piece of bread and roll it up into a ball and rub and blot the area with the bread ball, works pretty good. Dwain has a lot of great advice for leather care, and if your interested in some great fun with leather go check out his book, it’s quite impressive and I myself learned a few things.

Most of the time water will just evaporate and with no problems and the stains will disappear. If your car leather gets wet dry it as best you can with a towel and then condition it with your Lexol Conditioner. One way to dry the cars leather is by leaving the windows down and setting it in the sun to dry, or crack the windows and turn your car on with the heat on full blast and let it run for about 30 minutes. I’m not real hip on that one cause it’s a waste of gas but it does work to dry things out better. But always condition, some rain waters are pretty dirty and harsh and the leather needs those extra nutrients to keep it soft.

If the stains are just too bad then new leather dye is the only way to bring it back then call your local leather professional like me to come and make it new again.
Mold Stains in Leather Seat….Or mildew which ever. This one kinda goes along with the water stains. Take and mix a cup of water and a cup of rubbing alcohol and mix them together, take a towel and rub a small amount of the solution onto the stained areas, until the spot is gone, again watch for dye lift, this trick works pretty well and usually removes the mildew pretty quick without dye removal.

Food Stains in Leather Seat….This one can be an easy one if you just don’t eat in your car, but I’m just as guilty as most and eat on the run. A mild dish soap and warm water with a rag or scotch brite pad will do the trick in most cases. Most automotive leather is finished and food stuffs usually will wipe right off. If you run into a stubborn one though try a little all-purpose degreaser on a rag, don’t rub too much or dye may lift. If the stain on your leather car seat from food doesn’t come up with this then the dye from the food has penetrated the fibers of the leather and has dyed it, so it’s time for a professional leather dye job.

Aniline leather or NuBuck leather is a different story though, thats the soft stuff you see as an inserted piece usually in the middle of the seats. You can use the soapy solution but water spots sometimes show up, so a special cleaner works best for this kind of leather. One I suggest is from the guys over at Leather Magic, they have a NuBuck Leather Care Kit that is the answer to all your NuBack needs. This kit includes cleaners and conditioners for the soft stuff, this type of leather is delicate and should be treated as such. Don’t use your usual leather cleaners and conditioners on this type of leather due to fact of the oils in them will damage the look of the leather, then no more soft feeling NuBuck, so definatly check out Leather Magics NuBuck Kit.

Ink, Marker, and Crayon on Leather Seat….Urgent!!! Get to it as soon as you can! If the ink is fresh you have a better chance of removing it from the leather then not. Rubbing alcohol, with a little bit of acetone added will sometimes get it. I’ve heard of hairspray, tried it with not much luck. Usually when an ink pen and leather come together they marry and don’t split to easily. Ink is a dye and is made to penetrate whatever it comes into contact with. Most ink spots I’ve ran into I’ve usually had to dye the leather to cover the spot.

Crayon on a leather seat can be a booger if it’s melted in the seat, you can try this but be careful not to burn or pucker your leather. Take an iron and a paper towel and lay the paper towel over the crayon and with a low heat rub the iron over the paper towel over the crayon. The crayon will melt into the paper towel, move the towel around to clean spots until the crayon is gone, a little of rubbing alcohol should remove the remaining. This trick works on carpet and cloth too. If they’re just marks on the leather seat a little soap and water should do the trick or even a little rubbing alcohol on a towel works good to. If all fails there is a product from Protective Products Corp. that is all natural with no solvents that will remove crayon and lipstick it’s called Solv-It, but just like anything try a spot in an unsuspecting spot to see if it removes dye.

One last trick that I’ve read about around the net and am in the process of testing it, but it the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, they do work around the house, so why not the car too. I’ve removed crayon and marks on my walls before with them, I do notice it take a little paint with it though, but they do work. If you use one, be careful and don’t go ape sh$#, rub it then look, rub it then look, they will remove dye, so when using it take your time and check it as you go.

Sweat Stains in Leather Seat ….Salt stains from sweat can be pretty gross looking, but there is a little trick. Take and make a solution of 3 parts vinegar and one part water and wet a towel and rub the area clean, the vinegar breaks down the and helps to remove the stain.

Paint on Leather Seat….Paint removal on a leather car seat, well that ones a hard one. If it has dried it’s probably there to stay. If it’s a water color, just use soap and water to remove it. Latex house paint, you can try a little Goof Off but keep in mind this is a solvent and can damage the leather seat and remove dye. I have in the past been able to take my pocket knife and scrape it off. Wet the area first with a little water and lightly try to lift the paint off with your knife or even a razor blade, but don’t cut the leather. Mostly though this really doesn’t work without removing the dye underneath, but I have had luck sometimes. If its car paint, try a little paint reducer on a rag, but just wipe lightly and don’t soak the area with the reducer. Solvents and leather seats just don’t mix.

My best advice to all when it come to stains in your leather car seats, and that is to be conscious of what you do, try to keep our little Picasso’s pen free, keep our food out of our cars, roll the windows up and sunroofs closed, and always remember to treat the leather with your Lexol Conditioner on a regular basis, this helps to keep the leather car seats protected and soft and makes it easier to get the spills and accidents from turning into disasters.
But always remember that we leather repair professionals are here to save those leather car seats and bring them back to there original state. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact me for all your leather repair needs.

By: Michael N Warren

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Car Paints in Kissimmee

If you have recently purchased a new or used vehicle, upon closing the deal, you may have been offered an extended warranty, a tire road hazard warranty, and/or dent repair insurance. But how about insuring your vehicle’s paint against bird poop? Spilled coffee on your seat? No problem; we got a plan for that too! No worries! Insurance–does it ever end?

Paint protection insurance is another ingenious marketing plan that nets big numbers for car dealers. Who would have thought car wax could become so profitable?

Simonize, a veteran in the car wax industry, is the leader in the paint and upholstery insurance business.

Simonize uses a Teflon-based wax to protect paint against acid rain, tree sap, the elements, and yes, bird poop. The interior is protected against coffee, soda stains…etc. All of these are quite harmful to your car. And yes, Teflon is the same non-stick material used on frying pans.

The full insurance/wax treatment process is called Simonize System 5.

The natural occurrences listed above are not covered by manufacturer warranties, thus Simonize steps in to fill this warranty void. The Simonize System 5 Protection Plan provides coverage of the paint and upholstery for five years, unlimited mileage.

Important Disclaimers

Simonize System 5 does not protect against the most common paint and body ailments such as dings, dents, scratches, and accidents. No “wax” could.

Also, Simonize does not and can not protect against cigarette burns or the normal wear and tear of an interior.

Application

According to Simonize, the treatment should only be applied by trained experts. I have asked those in the business who actually use the product, but they weren’t able to speak English. I’m sure they understood the training program taught in English…right?

Filing a Claim

It’s easy and straight forward. Your service center just needs to fax an itemized estimate to Simonize and voila a check arrives in the mail.

How Much Do These Plans Cost?

Protection plans cost several hundred dollars. You might be encouraged to conveniently roll it into your financing. Don’t!

Should I Buy The Simonize System 5 Protection Plan?

Absolutely Not!

Do I Need to Protect My Paint?

Absolutely! Wash and wax your car regularly…Hint: never wash your car with dish soaps–they contain detergents which strip any protective wax from your car.

You do need to wax your car, preferably with a premium wax. It doesn’t have to be Simonize System 5. Any premium wax will provide the same protection against acid rain, the elements, bird poop…etc.

Why is this protection even offered?

Profit baby! In the highly competitive market of auto sales, car dealerships are finding ingenious ways to increase/maintain profit margins.

In the end, despite the fact the System 5 is a good product; the extra expense of a protection plan does not make economic sense. The odds of ever having to file a claim for a spot or blemish (that would break the bank, or that you’d even care about) are not in your favor.

Great waxes to consider…

Mothers Meguiar’s Even Turtle Wax is better thank nothing, and it’s cheap!

Remember, all insurance is a gamble.

Waxing your car to protect against the elements is a must.

Bird poop insurance is a load of crap!

Save your money!

For more car repair help and general information on a variety of car repair insurance and auto protection plans visit our car repair help resource center

By: Theodore Olson

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Auto Paint Kissimmee

Whether you vehicle is old or new chances are you want it to look good! With that said there are many different ways to keep it looking good and different reasons why you want it to look good. It can sometimes be the simple things that keep your car in good condition. For example, getting your oil changed is a simple way to keep your engine going good for a long time. However, we are talking more about the outside appearance. To start with you should keep your vehicles paints looking great! You will find a few solutions and reasons to do so if you read on.

First of all you should start by washing your car on a regular basis. This keeps the paint clean and helps protect the coating. If you allow bugs, sap, and dirt to collect on your car’s paint it starts breaking down the coating and your paint can dull or worse. So, the easiest way to protect your cars paint is by washing it which does not take a lot of time and you can easily do it yourself.

On top of washing your vehicle you should wax your vehicle quite regularly as well. A good wax every now and then can keep your vehicle looking brand new for years and years. Many people seem to overlook this process since they think it takes a long time. But in reality it doesn’t take long at all if you keep up with it. The wax protects the paint from breaking down and keeps your vehicles paint looking shiny. It is well worth the time and effort of waxing.

The two above mentioned solutions you can do yourself quite simply. However if you don’t have the time or desire to do it yourself you will gain the benefits of these two services which are included in a car detail. You can get a professional to do the work for you; however it will cost you a bit more.

Another way to keep your vehicles paint looking good is by taking care of any chips or cracks in your vehicles paint. These chips and cracks can happen easily from road debris or a little parking lot mishap. However if you don’t get them taken care of they can cause the area around them to begin rusting. Your paint acts as a sealant for the steel that is under it, so if the paint isn’t there, that steel starts rusting which is not good for your vehicle. It also just doesn’t look good to have chips and cracks in your paint job. To avoid having to fix chips and cracks you may consider getting a 3M Clear bra put on your car to protect areas that are prone to having that happen, like your bumper.

Any professional auto body shop should be able to offer all the services mentioned above to keep your vehicles paint looking good. What are you waiting for; after all you want your vehicles paint to look good for a long time!

By: Samantha Mccartney

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Auto Paints Kissimmee