Wax and clear coat

[Ride92]

No product that gets applied in a liquid or paste form is going to stop rock chips from happening. This includes, waxes, sealants, synthetic polymers, coatings and the like. The only thing that will guard against rock chips is a PPF. Other products will add shine and help reduce the amount of swirls or scratches induced during washing and normal driving. But drive at 70mph down the free way and having a rock fly up will not be stopped by any sort of wax, your paint will chip.

PPF have gotten really good. I've got 3+ years on mine and it's still in great shape. When the car is clean, you have to really look for the line where the film stops midway up the hood and fenders. If you want to avoid a line you can get full hood and fender coverage as well.

Quality microfibers are a must and it's better to spend a little more know and have them last then buy cheap ones that wear out sooner and need to be replaced. I use the Rag Company's Edgeless Eagle towels 16x16 for my winter ONR washes and have for 3+ years and they are still just as plush a the day I bought them. I can't say the same for the Costco towels I bought about the same time. The Costco tires I use for interior cleaning, glass and the dirtier areas like door jambs and what not. Proper washing of the microfibers is very important as well. Wash them on a cool to warm water setting with an extra rinse and do an air only dry cycle in the dryer. Also use a free and clear detergent and no fabric softener. Fabric softeners, dyes and perfumes will all hurt the performace of your towels. Oh, and don't wash them with other clothes or anything, just other microfibers to cut down on any lint they may pick up.

 

[Natey]

Back in the day we used to use old cloth diapers. Best wax buffer ever! The more you wash 'em the softer they get.

 

[Puyapim]

Back in the day we used to use old cloth diapers. Best wax buffer ever! The more you wash 'em the softer they get.

Yes but back in the day the paint and chrome was thick and could stand up to the abuse. Today’s water based eco paints are thin and very susceptible to scratches. With a few exceptions pretty much all the automakers have switched to this process.

 

[Natey]

Microfiber works fine and it's definitely the thing everyone uses these days, but it's not the easiest on the paint and never was. Did you know microfiber is made from plastic bottles?

Cloth diapers are made to go against the softest part of the softest skin of a new born baby. They don't make them out of petroleum-based microfiber, they make them out of natural, biodegradable cotton. Nothing is easier on your paint than an old used cloth diaper that's been through the wash 100 times.

 

[BillOhio]

Agreed Kaps.

Everyone I know who has a clear bra on their car, eventually the clear bra looks like absolute crap. You can see the line because of dirt and it gets nicked up. Perhaps if you replace it regularly, but I don't know, seems like a pricey proposition.

I got my front half covered with film and there are no lines. All of the pieces of film cover complete segments of the body. I.E. the piece of film on the hood covers the entire hood and wraps under so that any line would actually be underneath. The exception would be the side mirrors and door cups. The only finger nail sized chip I have after 5 months is where I ran over a tumbleweed on the highway. The film cost, I think, $1700 so if it needs replaced anytime soon then I'd say it wasn't worth it. If it looks 'OK' for several years and I know that I don't have the chip problems on my actual paint job then I guess that's OK.

 

[ColoradoDriver]

Ah. Cool deal. Most I have seen just cover the front part of the hood.

 

[wrxray]

Agreed Kaps.

Everyone I know who has a clear bra on their car, eventually the clear bra looks like absolute crap. You can see the line because of dirt and it gets nicked up. Perhaps if you replace it regularly, but I don't know, seems like a pricey proposition.

I have to disagree somewhat on this. I had an X-Pel kit installed on my 2003 Wrx when I bought it new and it was on the car for 10 years when I eventually sold the car. The film did have a few nicks in it but they were way less noticeable than chips in the paint or plastic bumper cover. You have to maintain the film with a quality wax or sealant just like paint. Any dirt that collects at the edges of the film can be removed with a Q-tip. I am pretty anal about keeping my cats clean and polished/waxed, so I am sure that has some impact on my PPF experiences.

Also, the installation techniques have greatly improved... on my 2017 GTI, the edges of the film are wrapped around to the underside of the hood and fenders to minimize the exposed edges. It really is difficult to even tell the car has the film installed.

 

[ColoradoDriver]

I have to disagree somewhat on this. I had an X-Pel kit installed on my 2003 Wrx when I bought it new and it was on the car for 10 years when I eventually sold the car. The film did have a few nicks in it but they were way less noticeable than chips in the paint or plastic bumper cover. You have to maintain the film with a quality wax or sealant just like paint. Any dirt that collects at the edges of the film can be removed with a Q-tip. I am pretty anal about keeping my cats clean and polished/waxed, so I am sure that has some impact on my PPF experiences.

Also, the installation techniques have greatly improved... on my 2017 GTI, the edges of the film are wrapped around to the underside of the hood and fenders to minimize the exposed edges. It really is difficult to even tell the car has the film installed.

Fair enough point. The few people I know who have the clear bras, it only goes part way up the hood, you can clearly see the line between the clear bra and the hood, and they are lazy people who use auto car washes, and have never, ever waxed the car. Their clear bras look like total crap that you can spot from farther away.

Granted, my CX-5 is pretty beat up with rock chips as well since I have no protection, and I didn't know about proper washing and certainly didn't hand wax it for it's first 4 years I had it. Yeah, it took a beating, and I take much better care of it now. But the one thing by comparison to my sister's car with the clear bra that looks dirty and craptacular? You can only see my hood chips up close.

So, if you keep up with proper care, great, but if not, in my opinion it will look like absolute crap.