EL3CTRO

whats up everyone, I just got my G a few days ago and the car is totally bad a$$. My car is MW and i was wondering how well does the self healing paint hold up during an automated car wash. Would any swirl marks disappear, or is this feature just a gimmick.

last lemming

I think you'll find the concensus to be to stay away from any type of automatic car wash and esp. the ones that you do yourself with the brush. Go to car care section and read up a bit.

Personally until I see it for myself I'm not sure I would trust any clear coat to be truly self healing, esp. with deeper scratches, so the best method of not incuring these scratches is a nice set wool car mits and micro fiber drying towels that vendors on this site can sell you.

You will also require specifc rules about how you can and cant polish your car, so read up there as well.

Enjoy your new ride and welcom.

da mayor

iTrader: (2)

stick w/ a brushless car wash or wash it by hand. in the long run you'll see the gloss finish look better compared w/ the 2008 g37 coupes

gthal

iTrader: (1)

I would avoid even the brushless washes if you can. The wash chemicals seem to strip any sealant/wax you use on the car quickly and leave the car unprotected. This is my experience anyway. I learned the hard way... if I can't wash it by hand because I'm too busy or whatever, it doesn't get washed!!

DrJones

iTrader: (1)

^ Amen brother!

ElLayG37s

iTrader: (2)

Automatic car wash, Hell no Bro! dont ever put your G through one!, any damage done wont be covered by the location it's at. Hand wash car wash is the way to go, it's a little extra$$ but hey or to be real safe, do it yourself.

freesurfer

What about those commercial DIY spray car wash, with the pressurized water wand? They're completely no-touch, are those okay in-between my hand washes?

goadee

Just out of curiosity, what do you do with your car that you require high pressure cleaning. I have a truck I subject to more abuse than either of my G's, but it has never been so dirty that I could not rinse it and clean it with a wash mit. I understand some people are detailing freaks and others could care less, but a hand wash in the driveway does not take much time especially if you do it regularly and the long term results are fa better than any type of car wash. I would even be skeptical of hand wash car washes because they can use dirty wash mits or cloths during drying and who knows what kinds of chemicals get over sprayed on their equipment or your car. I used to detail for a living and I have seen a lot of egregious things done by the "professionals".

gthal

iTrader: (1)

^^ +1... I don't let ANYONE wash my car other than me.

Every Saturday morning I wash the G37 and it takes, at most 30 to 40 minutes. 2 wash buckets (one with soap and one with water to rinse my wash mitt), dry with a good waffle weave towel and a quick coat of a spray sealant QD and I'm done.

Every month or so I do a more thorough cleaning. To me, 30 to 40 minutes a week to maintain the car is a small time committment. By NOT doing it correctly, over time, you will introduce swirls, hazing and marring to the car. I have the 09 seal healing clear coat too and I'm not going to take any chances that it doesn't work as advertised. Fixing a car with swirls and marring is FAR more time and $$ intensive than just properly maintaining it.

I actually really enjoy cleaning the car (kind of like mental downtime) and take pride in it looking nice. Maybe I'm a little obsessive

2009G37

iTrader: (1)

You know, I've heard a lot of skepticism from ppl about the self healing paint, and i was at first too. But I have noticed a diff in the sense that small scratches that were there before have become less noticeable. These aren't deep, and I'm sure the clear coat won't heal scratches you can feel with your hands. But like the very superficial scratches do heal. It just takes weeks, that's all. I've also heard that you need to park the car in the sun for the clear coat to activate/work.

2009G37

iTrader: (1)

And oh yeah, I should also mention that I hand wash too. I've had my 09 G for about 6 months now, and you'd be hard pressed to find any scratches on the clearcoat.

KnoxvilleG37

Same here....6 months of ownership and I'm not able to see any swirls or etching of the clear coat. I actually think there might be something to the self-healing "Scratch Shield" paint.

sbmwg37s

iTrader: (1)

+1 here. I still barely see any swirls under the sunlight.

but I can see some swirls on the taillights. So, I assume the self healing paint is working well.

Goonz

iTrader: (9)

<--- jealous! dammn you 09'ers with your fancy heated seat ***** and self healing paints!!!

08's swirls galore!!

Alex57r

I got an 09 sedan. OB. Self healing is BS. Already starting to see swirls and scratches do not heal. Its a sales gimic.