!st of all I would like to say hi to everyone. I am a previous 06 Rav4 owner and just bought a 07 tC. I am interested to see what everyones opinion is on paint sealant?

The dealer is charging I think 200 or 300 for it. I live in MN with bad winters and not to bad of summers. Is it worth the money or should I save it and put it somewhere else?

Thanks!

And those of you in the Northern States, Becareful out in this storm. I have to go pick up my new tC tonight and boy am I ever dreading it! (well driving it home in this mess anyway)

 

as long as their gonna do a good application i cant see why it whouldent be worth it
paint sealent makes the paint POP even wehn its old

 

Welcome! I am pretty sure most of the sealers the dealers offer are not worth it. But I am not really an auto paint expert.

I live over in Minnetonka, so good to see another owner in the TC (Twin Cities.. not car ). It is dumping some good amounts of snow on us today for sure. Luckilly, my business trip was cut short and I flew back from Lafayette, LA last night.

If you have any questions on mods or anything in general, give me a shout. I am happy to help! Paint isnt my area really, but I can offer help anywhere else. Enjoy the new ride and be careful out there tonight. I am driving the 4Runner today, so the winter car and the tC are sitting there getting buried!

Dave

 

I know sealers are a good thing, but you can probably get it done or apply it yourself for much less. Someone else on here mentioned a good one they use, just cant remember which one. I stick to waxing it and claying it. But a good sealer would be nice to find.

 

yeah i got the offer to do the same but i didnt do it. I also live in MN. What I did get though was a clear bra i think that was worth it im never gonna have to worry about rock chips on the hood

 

Yeah we are sure getting dumped on that is for sure! The tC is way different in the snow then my 06 Rav4 V6 4wd. I miss it a bit, but I think I will love the tC once I can drive it again.

I use to live off Carlson Pkwy in Minnetonka and there was a guy that parked down a bit from me that had a sweet looking blue tC.

As for the paint sealant I am still trying to decide. When I bought the car it had the rust proof and undercoat and 3M hood bra on it already so they said lets do the paint sealant. I will see. Hope you are safe and talk to you soon! Thanks and I am sure I will be talking to you about mods!

 

I know the car you are talking about I think. If it was in the Gates, and was parked in the garage, it was probably mine There is one that is parked outside as well.

Which building did you live in?

 

IF you have them do it , insist the charge you half of what they normally charge . Even so , it is not worth it . Paint sealant is a dime a dozen . There is nothing magical about theirs . Klasse is excellent but , cheaper sealants are about just as good . Buy a sealant and do it yourself . You will probably do a better job anyway . If you do not like to do that kind of stuff , buy a sealant and get a detailing shop to apply it for you . Again , I prefer Klasse but , cheaper sealants do an excellent job as well . Leave the dealer alone .

 

I am sure it was your car. I lived in the 330 building. I had a dark blue Rav4 and parked in the 2nd stall from the recycle dumpsters.

I bought a new townhouse in Plymouth and now have a Corolla S and the tC. So far I have had the fogs, auto dimming mirror and the iPod radio put in. I am thinking of getting 18" wheels, but with the weather here I am not so sure about it.

Did your car ever get messed with when all those other people cars had wheels and other things stolen?

 

Small world!! You parked almost right next to me!

The blue chevy pickup next to me had its wheels ripped off.. right in our garage! He was a super nice guy too. My tC was spared, but I also own the red saturn parked out front, and they broke the trunk lock and ripped off the box, 2 12's and the amp in it. They left our 4Runner parked next to it alone, but it is bone stock. The Saturn is completely stock on the outside, which tells me that one of them lived here and new the cars around the complex. They also had access to the garages. They got a good number of cars, then nothing more. I would LOVE to find out who they are! It was really crazy happening in such a nice complex. But I guess nice places are like a shopping center for douchebags like that.

Pretty cool we used to live in the same building. We are also looking for a house this year. Hopefully getting into one this summer. Congrats on yours! Funny thing is, we probably met or at least said hey on multiple occasions when you lived here. I have spent a lot of time down there in the garage messing with led swaps, testing them and doing stuff to my car. Which floor were you on?

 

That is tottally crazy! I lived on the 3rd floor. Yeah it is a great place but when that crap started I decided to move. Now I have a garag of my own and not as much to worry about. But I guess it is everywhere. My roommate had his 93 Lexus broken into in my driveway in Plymouth even.

Well better run for now the dog wants to play and I need to do some painting around the house. I would love to do some mods to my tC when it gets warmer out and if the $$$ is flowing.

Take care and talk with you soon.

Caz (Zac)

 

I heard that it started in Plymouth and moved its way all the way around the Minne side of the loop. But I definitely think that someone here had the inside scoop for them. I know some people that worked here then. They said there was a guy whose son came to stay off and on. They had to tell him not to come back because the cops were looking for him. Then suddenly, all the break ins... and the guy moves out. So no telling there.

We are definitely looking for a house.. and one with a nice sized garage. Besides cars, I am big into doing remodel work, so I need space to work in Our apartment is big, and nice, but I am sick of the apartment life for sure. We live on the first floor here.

Anyway, have fun with the dog and the painting!

 

$200 - $300 for paint sealant seems like alot.
I'd get it done thru independant retailers. Don't let the dealer
sublet that service and milk you for your money.

 

from my understanding, it wasnt a sprayed product. they rubbed it on like a wax.

i wouldnt get it. just wax it and you'll be fine. i told them to get bent on all the after crap.. my car is flawless

 

From what I was told by the dealer it is a spary on product and then the car gets buffed. When I use to be a mechanic I know then they sprayed on the sealant and sent the car through a buffing machine. I am trying to talk to the dealer to see if I can get out of it since all the papers are signed. Do yall think the car would be ok till spring since it would be very hard to seal or wax when it is cold and snowy here like it has been. Well unless I sneak back to my old apartment with a extra garage door opener I bought when I lived there...

 

i would say it should not hurt to wait till spring...and welcome to the scionlife...i you are up to it we have a meet and greet at davies & busters on march 24 look n the north region under sticky

 

I have never applied paint sealer to mine, just regular waxing. So you will be fine. When spring hits, I will be washing with hand dishwashing liquid to strip the wax, clay barring and then apply Klasse sealer and wax. Then back to my normal wax routine, which is every couple of months with quick detailer in between.

If you had the tC with the homelink mirror when you lived here... you could just drive right in I can still get into the 140 building where I used to live since it is on a different button of the mirror :D

 

That price for sealant from a dealer is way too high. Paint sealant is a good thing though. The thing to really watch out for is I can almost garauntee that they wash the car, dry it, aplly the sealant and send it out. The problem with that is this:

Even though a car is new, it will have fallout from the atmosphere imbeded in the paint. Take a plastic bag ziploc type or saranwrap and put it over your hand. Now wipe your freshly cleaned car with it gently. Feel all those bumps and grit? It's fallout and nasty junk embeded in your paint. It needs to be properly stripped, clayed and so on before a sealant is applied followed by protectant or wax.

If the dealer simply washes then sprays ont their sealant you have just sealed in all those wonderful particles slowly working to destroy your paint optically over time.

Probably more info than you really wanted but maybe it will help you!

 

Well I ended up having the dealer do it. They only charged me 140.00. Plus I talked to the guy that does it and he said they strip the whole car and then buff any bad spots and then seal it.

This dealer knows how **** I am and I have made a good living for him. Bought 4 cars from him in the last few years. Just brought home a Black 2007 Rav4 V6 Sport 4WD. So now I have two new toys! The Rav will still beat the tC 0-60, but the tC will out handle the Rav. Well ok maybe in the summer or spring. The Rav has the tC beat in the winter.

Caz

 

Well I am too late but I would have looked into applying it yourself (Zymol). I also thought that it was a bad thing to wax a new car (or new paint anyway) right away ?
This might apply to older cars though and not to clearcoat finishes .....