Is uv paint protection important in a top coat?
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I'm not a chemist but here's my 2 cents.
The primary benefit for using any brand of paint protection, be it a carnauba wax, a synthetic paint sealant or a ceramic coating it to protect the paint itself so it can do its job and part of it's job is to protect itself and all the underlying layers of paint, (basecoat/primer/ecoat), from deterioration from exposure to UV rays from the sun as well as all the other things that act to deteriorate the top clearcoat layer of paint.
Doing nothing gets you nothing. Doing something buys you time, sometimes a lot of time.
Paint companies put a UV inhibitor into their paints. I've been told that this UV inhibitor has a half-life of 5 years. This means, if you buy a car in 2025, by the year 2030 half of the UV inhibitor is no longer functional.
This is also why it's not normally a good practice to SAND factory finishes. Sure it can be done and I've done it. But as a GENERAL PRACTCICE, it's not a good idea because you're removing the UV inhibitors in the clearcoat layer making the entire matrix of paint more susceptible to degradation moving forward.
Again, I'm not a chemist and I'm not speaking for any chemist, but if it is possible to put a UV inhibitor into a wax, sealant, or ceramic coating, the thickness of what's left behind for any of these products couldn't amount to much actual UV ray blocking or protection. Thus, the BIG PICTURE GOAL is to protect the topcoat, (usually clearcoat paint but this would also include single stage paint), so that this topcoat layer of paint can do it's job and protect the entire matrix of paint.
Feel free to share this on Reddit but please also cite the source, i.e. this thread on this forum. And of course, all those Reddit folks are welcome to join my forum to discuss.
Mike
The primary benefit for using any brand of paint protection, be it a carnauba wax, a synthetic paint sealant or a ceramic coating it to protect the paint itself so it can do its job and part of it's job is to protect itself and all the underlying layers of paint, (basecoat/primer/ecoat), from deterioration from exposure to UV rays from the sun as well as all the other things that act to deteriorate the top clearcoat layer of paint.
Doing nothing gets you nothing. Doing something buys you time, sometimes a lot of time.
Paint companies put a UV inhibitor into their paints. I've been told that this UV inhibitor has a half-life of 5 years. This means, if you buy a car in 2025, by the year 2030 half of the UV inhibitor is no longer functional.
This is also why it's not normally a good practice to SAND factory finishes. Sure it can be done and I've done it. But as a GENERAL PRACTCICE, it's not a good idea because you're removing the UV inhibitors in the clearcoat layer making the entire matrix of paint more susceptible to degradation moving forward.
Again, I'm not a chemist and I'm not speaking for any chemist, but if it is possible to put a UV inhibitor into a wax, sealant, or ceramic coating, the thickness of what's left behind for any of these products couldn't amount to much actual UV ray blocking or protection. Thus, the BIG PICTURE GOAL is to protect the topcoat, (usually clearcoat paint but this would also include single stage paint), so that this topcoat layer of paint can do it's job and protect the entire matrix of paint.
Feel free to share this on Reddit but please also cite the source, i.e. this thread on this forum. And of course, all those Reddit folks are welcome to join my forum to discuss.
Mike
Thank you Mike for the response. I definitely wouldn’t keep the paint without any protection whatsoever. I was looking into it because I noticed that the nano wash and spray protection that I used during the winter contained no uv protection. So when looking for a longer lasting finish, I was wandering the importance of it having the uv protection in that as well.