To wax or not to wax?


funat50

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Oct 1, 2006
150
Greensboro NC - IOP, SC
Should I apply wax to the 3M clear sheild areas of my car or just the exposed areas?
If I baby the exposed areas with layers of wax and hours of buffing will I notice a difference in body areas if the 3M sheild is ever removed?
 
Should I apply wax to the 3M clear sheild areas of my car or just the exposed areas?
If I baby the exposed areas with layers of wax and hours of buffing will I notice a difference in body areas if the 3M sheild is ever removed?



My non-expert, SWAG factor guess is "yes".

That's why I didn't go the 3M route. BUT - w/o the 3M you're sure to get rock chips.

Sooooooo, you pick your poison...
 
EP I had the venture shield installed on my car last weekend. The guy does both 3m and venture shield. He told me NOT to wax the product. There is a special spray wax specifically designed for this type of material.
 
EP I had the venture shield installed on my car last weekend. The guy does both 3m and venture shield. He told me NOT to wax the product. There is a special spray wax specifically designed for this type of material.


I think '50 is referring to waxing the BARE PAINT areas and then those areas not matching the 3M covered paint over time, '06 ...:shrug
 
wax it all - it will help you clean it. There's no reason not to wax or apply an acrylic sealant product to the film. If you track it, the rubber will come off much easier too not to mention the bugs. Wax on, wax off.
 
Oh:confused :willy
 
Oh:confused :willy

I get that feeling all the time!!!:rofl
 
wax it all - it will help you clean it. There's no reason not to wax or apply an acrylic sealant product to the film. If you track it, the rubber will come off much easier too not to mention the bugs. Wax on, wax off.

Correct.
 
Here is my experience with the films.

Applied 3M film to a Zo6 in 3/2004. The film has yellowed. Had another car done about the same time but sold it before issues arose.

So the Silver vette looks kinda bronze where the bra is. The guy doing this has a good reputation and does lots of high end cars.

When discussing the application for the GT he said that the films have changed since 2004 so in general they are better and more pliable, but the yellowing was linked to the pigments in some ( not all waxes/polishes ). He said that 3M, Avery and Venture all recommend the use of :

Plexus plastic cleaner. I use this for my facemask on my helmet.

www.plexusplasticcleaner.com - cut and paste to yor browser.

I have been paying about $8 something per can at a local motorcycle shop.

It can be used on paint, rubber and plastic trim, I use it to polish and static free coat the underside of my muscle cars. It works great. It will also help take off the rubber from track days. But the best stuff i have found for taking off the rubber was the Wax shop original product. The stuff must be half gasoline, but it wipes it away with ease. You may have some in your stash, try it on the rubber marks, you will like it.

As for the paint looking different after a few years:

My car was garaged 99% of the time. But removing it did not show any super ill effects after 3 years. The car saw nothing but track duty and drives to and from the track. But there was an area that seamed to get sand blasted pretty good, the part under the bra looked much better and there was a visible difference. I took some of the green zaino and a buffer to it. It blended well and you cannot tell the difference.
 
From my industrial design days - we used to substitute... Pledge for Plexus on certain plastics to repel dust & shine... no joke!

If I remember, Plexus even had the same "lemony fresh" smell ( & sure was cheaper / easier to find)... Just for those who may not be able to find Plexus... 'course, needless to say, test first, user results may vary blah blah...

I spoe directy w/ Venture & they said DO NOT use any products that contain ANY solvents such as bug 'n tar removers. Again, from my i.d. days, I aked if Novus 1-2-3 would be good & they said yes clean/ polish w/ Novus then wax. I only use 100% carnauba....

I also was dissatfied w 3M on another vehicle approx 2+ yrs ago - orange peel look etc. etc.Very dissapointed when I got stains in the 3M from some sort of tree dropping that got wet - stained the 3M black within a few hrs...

Hope this helps.

-Rod
 
thanx for the web address for Plexus! I have been meaning to order for a month!
 
Guys the guy who just did my car has been very up front with me. 3m product has an orange peel look-very small and difficult to see but still there. The reason for this is to mask paint imperfections from the factory or fallout from acid rain, bird s*&t etc. and not blame the 3m covering for the look after the install.
Further one needs to check if the 3m is clear coated. In most cases it is not and therefore affects the waxing. 3m will turn yellow. I have it on my cobra and it has yellowed quite a bit. Harder to see on dark colours but very noticable on light white colours.
The other issue with waxing is the build up and removal of wax along the seem between the mask and the original paint. This can be difficult to get to and remove. The best solution as mentioned is the plexus cleaner.
I have the Venture on the GT and was at a car show with a bunch of Ferrari guys (boy they really did not like my car being there) and no one could tell /see the mask until I pointed it out to them. This is on a white car. The seems are almost impossible to see. Great poduct and would use again. I am staying away from 3m now based on past experience and the new stuff.
 
There is a product some of us drag racers use called Burn-out guard.
As anyone who has ever drag raced with slicks knows, rubber builds up quick on the rear quarter panels when doing burn outs to heat up the tires. Burn-out guard sprays on the area, and make it super easy to wipe off the built up rubber. Just a little soap and water washes it right off. It's easy to apply, and I have never had any problems with it affecting the paint. I've used it for years on my race car, and it really works. The inventor is a good friend of mine. We raced in the same class together for years.

I'm not saying this would be a replacement for clear vinyl, but for occasional track use, or for keeping clean areas not protected by vinyl, I think it would work great. I think Summit Racing carries it. Check their web site. :thumbsup
 
wax or not to wax

The newer paint systems do not need wax. I have many cars and have never waxed any of them. My oldest sport car the 1999 Porsche looks brand new. I only clean it with car soap and water. I am careful to not let grit in the rag. This is what causes swirls in the paint. They are small scratchs.

If you wax you are forced to do it again and again as it detorates. if you enjoy it have a blast.

The plastics i do not know for sure but on the two cars I have with these I just wipe dowm. These are all '06 cars so only time will tell.

Lee :thumbsup
 
Agreed, the 3M and Avery products do have more orange peel. My vette had lots of Orange Peel, so it matched perfectly:lol

From what I found the installers find Venture a hard company to work with as they are experiencing growing pains. They like Avery for the service and the way the film lays down. I also learned that they are charged a cut fee from Xpel for each pattern they use, this is on top of the material. Venture gives away a few free cuts when you buy X amount of product.

There are two patterns for the front nose on the GT. One has a relief cut down by the radiator and one does not. I would suggest the one piece vs. the cut as it won't show a seam. Installers like the two piece as it takes less time to apply.

On another note there is new software that allows the installers to stretch the edges by .5 - 1.0 inches. This means they have extra material that can be wrapped around the edges. This you will pay a slight premium, but it reduces the number of edges that can build up wax, brake dust, etc. Also most real good guys can add extra stuff if you want as custom. Again there is an up charge.
 
Cobra1339 I had my guy install extra venture shield on the bottom of both door inserts to prevent scratches, along the entire "Ford:" door sills both sides and the outer edge of the lower air scoops both sides. In addition he did the entire front, the trunk lid, mirrors, full length of rocker panels and all 4 quarter panels.
It turned out amazing!!
 
Misread the original post - so deleted my lengthy and rather helpful reply!
 
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