deailing before road trip...

[richard200593]

my wife and i are taking a road trip to Las Vegas in a little over a month, its been about a year-year and a half since my car was clayed and polished and im interested in getting the products and doing it myself this time around. I want to detail and put a sealant on it before the road trip for one so the paint itself looks better even if it is dirty, and two to protect it better from bugs.. my wife and everyone i have talked to say im a completely idiot and just wait till i get back to detail it.. thoughts?

[flyinlow89]

My opinion. Clean it, seal it for protection. But don't bother with the polishing until after the trip. Then reseal

[ihaveacamaro]

Get some sealant or wax on it beforehand....

As the idiom goes: An ounce of protection is worth a pound of cure

[scandata]

I agree with Fliyinlow89. Seal it now just for protection against road cooties on the trip, then strip it and do the whole shebang when you get back. It will be better protected , and it would be a shame to do all the detailing now, then get home and have just one or two new areas that require you to detail it all over again.

[JTruck]

There are definitely benefits to sealing before, I would if I were you.

[richard200593]

Either way it's getting a good wax before the trip. There's a part of me that wanted it gleaming for vegas of I decide to get any good pictures but reality is it will be dirty on the 8 hour drive there and no way am I going to a random car wash in vegas. I'll wax it before, than detail when I get back. Thanks everyone for taking the wife's side! (Even if it is the best choice)

[richard200593]

I jumped the gun with my last post. I've never actually used a sealant (as stated never done a full detail) but wax about every two months, car mostly sits outside doesn't get driven allot. Would my regular carnauba wax work for the long trip or should I apply a sealer (plan on going this route after detail)

[scandata]

Originally Posted by richard200593

I jumped the gun with my last post. I've never actually used a sealant (as stated never done a full detail) but wax about every two months, car mostly sits outside doesn't get driven allot. Would my regular carnauba wax work for the long trip or should I apply a sealer (plan on going this route after detail)

DEFINITELY strip it, then use a sealant. (Blackfire Wet Diamond is a good one for first-timers, about $20.00 a bottle, and you'll have enough left over to do the car again when you return). It's much more durable than wax. Also, it will help to hide the micro-scratches and swirls, just like the wax does, so your ride will look somewhat detailed for the trip anyway. Wax on top of it for an extra gloss. And you might want to bring along a bottle of waterless wash and some microfiber so you can keep it looking sharp if any of those photo-ops come up!