Car surfaces endure a lot during their lifetime. Finnish conditions bring snow, water, sand, mud, insects, and salt. None of these are particularly friendly to a car's paintwork... So it's better to protect the surfaces!
We've made a list of the three most common ways to protect a car's paintwork. All of them do pretty much the same thing but differ in terms of durability and application.
1. Spray-on Protections
The quickest and easiest protection for a car comes from spray-on waxes and protectants available on the market. Their durability ranges from one week to a few months. There are also two different versions of these. Some products can be sprayed directly onto a wet surface and simply rinsed off, while others are sprayed onto a dry surface and wiped off with a microfiber cloth. In terms of durability, these protections are not top-notch; rather, these products are more about ease of application. When the protection seems to have worn off, just spray a new layer on. Such products start from €10 and are easy to apply yourself.
Pros and Cons
+ Quick to apply
+ Gives a nice shine
+ Covers small scratches
– Poorest durability of the three
– Does not withstand strong detergents or solvents
For this, we offer our own Fure Quick Wax which provides protection for 2-3 months!
2. Hard Wax
Waxing a car is probably the most common way to protect paintwork. Various car waxes have been around for decades, and many have experience with them. There are thousands of different car waxes on the market. Some offer incredible shine, while others offer long-lasting durability, allowing customers to choose the product they prefer. Waxes are available with durability ranging from 1 to 12 months.
Car waxing is often perceived as a time-consuming task, and many seem to have experiences of car wax drying on the paintwork, requiring hours of strenuous scrubbing with the thought "Never again!" However, modern waxes have significantly improved, and by following the instructions, application is truly effortless. The biggest job in waxing a car is washing all contaminants off the car before waxing. Professional car waxing starts from €100.
Pros and Cons
+ Easy to apply
+ Gives a nice shine
+ Covers small scratches
– Mid-range durability of the three
– Does not withstand strong detergents or solvents
3. Coating
4-5 years ago, durable coatings began appearing on the market, advertised to protect a car's paintwork for 3-5 years. The coating forms a very hard protective layer over the car's existing clear coat. These have gained great popularity, and nowadays cars are being coated more and more. The overwhelming advantage of this method is the superior durability of the protection compared to wax or spray-on protections, and also that the coating withstands strong detergents much better. This makes it easier, for example, to wash off stubbornly adhering salt in winter.
However, durable coatings also have some minor weaknesses. The coating itself does not hide scratches on the car's paintwork, so these must be mechanically polished away before the coating can be applied. Also, the best and most durable coatings are only available to professionals and require training to be used. Professional car coating costs from €750, depending entirely on the size of the car and the condition of the paintwork.
Pros and Cons
+ Best durability
+ Withstands strong solvents
– Requires a professional
– Expensive to apply
– Does not cover scratches
