Sunscreen products absorb or block long wave UVA light, or short-wave UVB, some chemicals to better then others and block both. There are two classes of sunscreens: chemical filters formulated with large molecules like Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane or Benzophenone-3 that scatter light, and mineral sun blocks, primarily zinc oxide (UVA/B) and titanium dioxide (UVB) that reflect light. Both attenuate, but don't completely block UV light...and for only a short time. When applied to skin, sunscreen needs to be reapplied as sweat displaces the water resistant carrier and the chemicals/mineral are washed away. To get good sun protection you need a pretty thick application of product. So you can understand why car care products would likely not provide much long-term protection. There are some new photo stabilized sunblock lotions that are being released in Asia and Europe that use nanosize carbon particles. That said, I'm not recommending using Banana Boat on your Corvette. Just trying to provide background. As for protecting your car...maybe the future is nanocarbon with a bonding sealer. Who knows, but you want large molecules between your clear coat and the sun. As far as I know, no such protect exists. Probably the closest you can get is a ceramic product. It would be interesting to test just the ceramics to see if any of these are decent (and test after a wash or two). Now the best you can do is to protect the clear coat from oxidation. Thus we wax.
@@bird6691 Yes, but LRP peels and I don't trust the clear sunscreens. I've switched to coppertone mineral based sunscreen for kids. It does dull the appearance of the finish, but doesn't seem to negatively affect the clear-coat or paint. When it comes down to it, protecting your car with sunscreen in the summer just makes sense. Wax basically does nothing to prevent UV damage. I like Dmitry's experiment, it's very creative, but I want to see a peer reviewed study. What are others applying to their cars in the summer? I have a friend who's using Neutrogena UltaSheer Dry-touch SPF 100 on her Ford F-150 SVT Raptor with good results. It's just that that's an expensive option and it washes off easier than the mineral products. That stuff also contains Oxybenzone, so it's not reef protective either--don't use if you live on the coast!
I think you are the first channel on RU-vid to test waxes and spray coatings for UV protection. I’m situated 5,000 feet above sea level so the UV is very intense and this test was of great interest to me. Many companies are claiming their waxes and sealants provide UV protection. You have shown those are just marketing claims designed to sell more product. Thanks for a well designed test in an area that has been overlooked by other detailing channels.
Thanks John, it does seem like it’s mostly marketing in my opinion. That being said good products will protect your clear coat from abrasion during washes. It is clear that cars that get washed properly and maintained with wax do look better over many years. Cars that don’t get washed or go through the whirling mayhem gas station washes just don’t look that great even in as little as 5 years, even if they aren’t wrecked or otherwise physically abused.
This is my first time visiting your channel. Your technique was very impressive and it reminded me of dark room class when I was talking photography. Your closing remarks well define the real goal of waxing a car. My sincere thanks for the education and for dispelling my misunderstanding of wax. I'm sure most people lack that fundamental understanding too and any car enthusiast would benefit from your video.
I wasn't expecting this exactly but I'm not surprised, I've seen videos testing interior protectants and the conclusion was roughly the same exact thing so I only assumed a similar result. I think this is good and not faulting it at all but I should mention they do make UV sensors which give an exact value in real time. I only say that as it seems like you wanted to go into a decent amount of detail. The sensor wouldnt really be useful for anything else (so kinda a waste) but none the less if you are wanting to go super technical that is an option.
Good seeing you again :), I think I'll test some of the interior products as well just to see. As far as UV sensors, they are out there, but I found high resolution UVA testers were a bit on the higher cost side. This is actually a very inexpensive test. It's not very high resolution, but it gives enough detail to get a comparative idea. I may get a sensor at some point.
@@DmitrysGarage Nah, I get that and I fully agree (and I made the comment about 30 seconds before the end of the video) by that point I figured you knew from what was said.
Ive been thinking this for a long time! Thank you for doing the testing for us! Most people do testing by throwing chemicals on it well its a good test but its primarily for chemical resistance. Uv is the real testing for durability. If we really want to know how durable the coating is the realistic way to do it is to coat half of a test panel or a car (if youre willing to sacrifice some clearcoat) with any protectant you like then cover the half panel. After that let it take sun for how long as much as you want without putting topper or waxes sealants on top. when it starts to get oxidization thats the end life of the coating. Theres better way maybe but you get the idea.
Thanks Vincent! The test panel outdoors is a cool test, but one challenge is the clime/environment isn't static. So it's hard to compare one product to another between batches. It would still give some idea, but winter vs. summer batches would be different, etc... I think simulated weathering would be better at that point, though pricey.
@@DmitrysGarage yes that is true there are too much variable like here in philippines it is always hot it will vary from place to place. I have a question, does PPF would do any better in protecting paint against UV?
Subscription earned. The next step is figuring out how different clear coat thicknesses affect UV protection. If you just did a 3 stage correction on a car, are you severely degrading UV protection? Are different clear coats better at protecting UV rays than others?
Derek, that's an interesting idea. I think the brand/type of clear will affect it quite a bit too. As far as a 3 stage correction, if you didn't go crazy and burn the paint, I doubt it has much effect. For example I've polished my test hood that's used for my wax review videos every single time I've tested a product. The clear coat is still there. I am careful not to burn through it though. The reality is modern clears are pretty durable, but some are softer than others (some Porsche paints for instance are pretty soft).
Degradation is vastly accelerated in the presence of atmospheric ozone. Regardless of which product or brand is used, all manufactured polymer will degrade given enough time under a UV and ozone-rich environment. Protective coatings are also exposed to cyclic expansion and contraction of the substrate from seasonal and day to night temperature changes. Chemical attacks from pollution and low pH or acid rain will also produce degradation and its synergy with UV and ozone. So it should be stated that an outdoor or direct sunlight application requires periodic maintenance. Given enough time all matter will degrade under sunlight exposure, some materials are slower than others. Well presented video!
I think, for the whole youtube, this channel is the only channel that measures the uva-uvb protection, great idea and love it :) Bored of the channels that just looks likes a product commercials.
Thanks, @DmitrysGarage We are mainly looking for wax because our car sits in the sun so I was definitely put off by this video but I am still going to use the wax. Despite your results, I bought the product and I feel something maybe better than nothing.
Great topic and well done. Sometime test Finish Kare's Hi-Temp Paste Wax, known for its UV protection. FK was started by a member of the Meguiar family in 1964.
Excellent test! I was thinking of doing something similar with a UV meter and a sheet of glass so thank you for doing the testing for me. Pretty disappointed that they offer next to no protection against UVA. I was hoping one would shine compared to the other products but so much for that.
I've been watching your videos, and they are educational and eye-opening. As a new car owner, I would like to know what I can do to help maintain my car's paint. I have a silver-colored car with an open garage (no roof), it is ceramic coated, and I currently use Soft99 Fusso Coat wax. Could you recommend any products I can use to protect my paint? Thank you and more power to your channel ❤
My car has to stay outside all day in the hot sun🔥 ☀️. I dont care about water beading.. I'm looking for a spray which will protect my Cars paint/clearcoat. Which do you recommend??
Dmitry a great creative review on effects of the sun on your clear coat. Would be great if you could get a coating chemist to come on and talk about how they test and what is the the realistic reduction you could get . What about getting few shops that do PPF to give you samples and apply the same test. Thanks for thinking outside the box.
Thanks! Glad you liked the video. PPF would be an interesting test. Would be cool to find a chemist. My guess is that this ultimately comes down to thickness of the layer.
If you actually want extra UV protection I think the route that you're going to want to go is actually PPF, not to mention it's a sacrificial layer that can be removed and replaced without removing additional clear and it protects your clear from the environment. It's probably not super cost effective to pay to have it done and so in reality for most normal people it's probably easier to just drive your car and attempt to preserve it and pay for a respray every 3 years depending on the amount of rock chips and damage that your cars pick up through time.
Wow, first of all fantastic video bud! I'm really surprised at the outcome, now the burning question is what about products like the 303 Aerospace protectant which boast about specifically blocking UV? I've been using that for years on the interior and all rubber components on my car, Id love to see if that's a true claim! Great video though, I've definitely subscribed
Thanks! That aerospace one is on my list to test. I think the products do provide some minor protection, but over time it can add up to longer life. Plus they keep the clear coat safe which provides the bulk of the protection. We can all agree that cars which are well washed and cared for have paint that looks great, sometimes for decades!
Great video and testing thanks, the first source I found on youtube that provided this clarification with something to back it up! I wonder whether they'll ever add more UV protection to coatings - surely would be worthwhile? I'll be watching more of your vids to see if I can learn more...
Thanks Andrew, really appreciate you watching! I would say it may be tough to add UV protection to DIY products. The reality is that these are incredibly thin layers. Clear coat usually ranges from 40 to 100 microns in thickness, but coatings and waxes usually range from less than 1 micron to maybe 4 or 5 microns at most. Unless they find something that does a super great job of blocking UVA in super thin layers it's probably not going to happen.
It goes to show that a lot of auto-detailer RU-vidrs are just peddling snake oil salesmen when they promote waxes, sealants, and ceramic coatings as UV protections for your cars. The best UV protections are your clear coat and parking garage (if you have access to one).
Awesome, and interesting how you tested this. I was always suspicious about the claims of UV protection given how thin these sealants are. Now if you can only figure out a good way to measure water spotting resistance and bird poop resistance, that would be epic.
Interesting, immediately after polishing my car I noticed it seemed nearly as hydrophobic as I expected from after ceramic coat, but figured it was residual polishing oils more than the leveled surface.
Yeah you can absolutely be sure it was probably the residual leftover oils. I found hydrophobic properties in so many products Even beyond the car spectrum, definitely some residues, i would agree with your assets
Yeah you can absolutely be sure it was probably the residual leftover oils. I found hydrophobic properties in so many products Even beyond the car spectrum, definitely some residues, i would agree with your assessment
What Would an extra layer of clear coat or various layers of clear coat do to a car on top of factory clear coat? Would it make a difference at all in anything like scratch resistance or better looking paint?? Like is it a meaningless thing to do?
Im sure more layers would help. However typically if a lot of clear coat is added it gets sanded down and buffed for a smooth finish. I think too many clear coat layers would end up looking uneven. In theory though the more clear the more protection. Scratches wouldn't be harder to make, but you would be able to buff more due to the thicker clear. If scratches make it through clear coat they are much harder to hide.
Glad you enjoyed the video. To he honest I’m not sure why. Ive seen very little content on this topic. My guess a combination of decades of marketing UV protection combined with not so obvious test methods for most detailers.
@@DmitrysGarage So I was searching for hours and found "Optimum Car Wax" They claim it's the only wax with real UV protection and apparently designed by the inventor of modern clear coat. They say it uses the same method as clear coat to block UV. I bought it allready but would love if you would test that.
I think the main takeaway is that consistent waxing helps keep your clearcoat free from contaminants, and your car cover (for outdoor storage of your vehicle) is going to be your UV protection.
Excellent video and testing. What options do we have for Gel coat or composite RV. Sounds like there isnt much in the way of chemical maintenance products.
That’s great info. What about exterior trim coatings and dressings? Do they provide any good UV protection? Those plastic trim pieces don’t have a layer of clear clear coat and, based on the explanation by Mike Philips, that’s why paint doesn’t fade as quickly as plastic trim.
Nice test. Not really surprised though. Have you also tried Optimum Car Wax? It's supposed to have those patented UV blockers. Looking forward to the interior protectants test if you decide to do it.
I really hoped some of these would work well, but now that I think about it it was silly to think such a thin layer would do much. Marketing gets all of us in the end haha. I did try Opti Seal which did yield a small effect, I gave it 1 point. I will get some interior protectants going as well, curious to see if any are better! I will say though just keeping surfaces moisturized helps a lot, I've maintained older leather before with oils and it does keep it supple. I just don't know how much UV protection there is in any product, I think garaging is probably the real solution lol.
So it does protect, but only on what was provided from the factory UV protection. Thinking of it as of blanket protection layer to be beat up instead of your clear coat makes alot more sense to me.
As you said in your other post, something is better than nothing. Keeping abrasion and other chemicals from interacting with your clear coat will help maintain the clear coat and its UV protective properties. For example water, bleach and other substances are supercharged by UV light and will accelerate weathering of the clear coat. Keeping a wax on that helps shed water and make it easier to clean the clear coat of contaminants means they won't interact with the UV and oxidize your clear coat. So while waxes and coatings won't really reflect/absorb UV, there are still some benefits.
I mostly use coatings on my cars, the mustang gets non-coating products as shorter term tests. Nothing I've really found so far has meaningful UV protection from direct UV-A rays.
Hey Toni, yes the 4 minutes of UV exposure and heat (it's right around 37C / 100F in there!) isn't enough to destroy any of these waxes. They all had beading when I was cleaning up the glass later to re-use it for future tests. I do intend to add future long term heat testing, but UV + Heat may be a challenge without a weathering appliance that costs many thousands of dollars. The problem is these UV lamps on their own don't make enough heat to test some high heat environments (think Phoenix, Turkey, etc...) and I don't think I can stick a UV lamp in a relatively inexpensive heater without starting a fire haha. I'll think about it though.
Great video, so waxing provided next to nothing regarding UV protection. So what are our options ? Where I live is blazing hot in the summer and all cars new and old eventually get sun damage. What can I do in my case ? I park on the street so that's part of the problem as well
I think it provides at most a little bit of protection over time vs. having nothing at all. The real benefit in my opinion is protecting the clear coat from other damage during washes for example. Your clear coat has UV inhibitors that should keep the paint from bleaching under it, but over time the clear coat will fail if the car is kept outdoors. There is no way around it really. Modern cars are much better about it and without a doubt cars that are well maintained with waxes/sealants/coatings and washed regularly look better longer.
I have not found one that makes a measurable difference in my test. I would recommend a wax that will do the best job of protecting your clearcoat during washes, something slick, hydrophobic and durable.
Hii, thanks again for another cool video. Can you try poorboys world natty paste wax some time? I tried to buy the adam's graphene spray but no one in the netherlands is selling this product and on amazon its sold out for a long time now. :( i hope adams will export there items more to europe.
Mitch, I'll add that Poorboys Natty Paste to the list, will give it a shot in a future test. It's too bad that getting Adam's Graphene is hard for you in the Netherlands, I really like that product. I just re-coated my truck in it (had cquartz uk 3 on it before) and love it so far!
The clear coat provides uv protection. It will eventually burn through and the best way to extend its life is storing the car out of direct sunlight when its not being driven. Either indoors or under a cover/shade. For example if you figure 84 hours of sunlight a week in the summer, assuming 8 hours of driving per week, leaving it outside might mean the car spends 90% of its time under the sun being burned for no reason. Also wash it carefully and wax/seal/coat it to prevent abrasion and oxidation of the clear coat. Those products may not block uv like clear coat but they still protect it from other damage.
Great video. Could you do a test with 303-Protectant? which is used mostly for interior plastics and rubbers. It claims to have "Ultimate UV Protection"
Rosa, it was SPF 70, but keep in mind SPF rating is for UVB. The particular (HEB brand) sun screen did say it blocked UVA as well, which it clearly did to some extent, much better than wax, but I couldn't find a rating which is unfortunately common in America.
So polish zour car once and the cars clearcoat protection is done. This means polishing makes your car looks nice for the short term but for the long term u make the paint worse and exposed.
The clear coat should not lose its protection from a single polish if you’re not burning through it. Wet sanding, very heavy rotary polishing, burn through, etc.. can reduce or destroy the clear-coat. It also depends on the thickness and hardness of the clear. For example I polished my test hood over 40 times at this point and I still have not burned through the clear coat. Im sure I’m getting close in some spots though.
@@the_captainhindsight у меня сайт с таблицами где легче посмотреть dmitrysgarage.com/wax но с точки зрения ультрафиолета не чего особо не помогает в прямую. Надо просто clear coat беречь чтобы не истирался. Тут как раз воски и другие химии помогают легче мыть и меньше загрязнять защитный слой краски.
@@JWL-UK Thanks :). The way I tested clear coat was the same as the other tests. I sprayed a sacrificial glass panel with two coats which is pretty standard for body work. Glass is cheaper than clear coat just $2/panel, was the easiest way to test.
@@DmitrysGarage nice! Perhaps you could try to add a layer of protection to that sample piece to see whether less UVA can get through. Or look for ways we can measure degradation of a protected VS unprotected clear coat. Just a thought which may neither be practical or achievable. Keep up with the great work. Greetings from the UK.
Haha, I do hear that the sunscreen does go bad though. Will have to test with an old bottle at some point lol. Usually I go fishing enough to not run out of spray bottles.
