3.Paint protection. I LOVE the way this car looks and LOVE the Soul Red paint. But I don't have a garage and the car sits outside (covered parking though) most of time in hot Texan sun. Apart from keeping it clean (washes every 2 weeks), what can I do to keep the paint in excellent condition and prevent the fading that is typical to red? I know people have suggested claybaring and waxing. What would be a reasonable frequency to do both of these? Once a quarter? Twice a year? More frequent? What else can I do to keep this car looking great?
Fading red paint is somewhat a thing of the past. For the most part, Red cars that faded where using a single stage paint, so no clear coat. Automotive paint has come a long way since then and you shouldn't see a whole of fading with the paint over the life of the car, If you maintain it properly. If you never wash or wax your car and let it bake in the sun year in year out you are likely to start seeing clear coat failure years down the line.
As for what to use to keep it clean and protected, there is a multimillion dollar industry dedicated to car care. You can pay as little as a few bucks to Hundreds for a container of wax or protectant. When ever I set out to wash/wax/clay/protect a vehicle I like to use the KISS method thinking. KISS = Keep It Simple Stupid. One can easily over saturate themselves with car care advice and products. The General rule of thumb is to start with the least aggressive and work your way up to the most aggressive when polishing or correcting the paint. Since your car is brand new I doubt you have much if any paint corrections to do. I did on my new car because the dealer was stupid and hand washed the car with old dirty shop rags cause they closed their wash system for the day, long story.
Anyhow, back on topic. There are two main types of "wax" out there for cars, Natural (carnauba) and synthetic. A lot of "waxes" are a combination of both. Carnauba wax will give you the best shine and a nice deep finish but it's harder to apply and take off, will stain your trim work, and don't last as long. Synthetic "waxes", which are really paint sealants, last much longer and give better protection for the vehicle. Most of them are trim friendly meaning they won't leave white residue on the trim and are easy to apply and take off. I would highly recommend you get a good synthetic paint sealant for the car and apply it ever 4-6 months. Unless you really like waxing your car then get a natural wax and do it every 1-3 month depending on the wax.
I'm a big fan right now of Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid wax, not the paste. The paste may stain the trim. The ultimate wax is a fairly new, ground up, product from Megs and costs about $15-20 for the kit that includes an applicator pad and Microfiber towel. It's a fully synthetic polymer sealant, even though they label it a wax for marketing reasons. What I really like about this product is the deep shine it gives. Closest to the natural waxes I have found. I used turtle wax Ice wax and it protected well, lasted a long time and had great water beading but never really made the paint finish pop like the Meguiar's.
You can also use one of the sealant treatments for even longer protection. Turtle wax Ice Shine lock and Meguiar's 365 paint protect are the only two I know of that are available over the counter so to speak. Both of them are said to last up to a year. If you use either of those I would still follow with a wax of some sort. I did the ICE shine lock sealant and Megs Ultimate wax for my car.
Clay bar is a definite yes. You'd be surprised how much "stuff" will get imbedded into the paint. The clay removes those contaminates. Really any of the clay bar kits will get the job done. I have the meguiar's kit and like it. Just make sure you use the provided quick detailer when claying as you need some sort of medium for lubrication.
if you can't tell I'm a fan of meguiar's. I don't get paid by them or get free products for promoting there brand or anything. It's just that they make some good products at a decent price that can be found locally. For a daily driver I don't feel the need to spend hundreds ordering boutique brand waxes and such. Meguiars also gives back to the detailing community quite a bit and put on care care clinics and what not around the country.
Here is what I would recommend for you to do with your new car. Do hand washes every 2 weeks or so. If you can't hand wash, go to the coin op car washes, if you don't have that go to a touchless car wash, the touch washes are horrible for the finish as all the wipers and brushes and rarely cleaned or replaced and are full of grit and grime that will mar the paint. You don't want to be the one following the pickup truck that just got done mudding for the day! With a clean car, clay bar the entire car, even the windows if you want. After clay bar is done apply s paint sealant like Megs 365 paint protect or the Turtle Wax ICE shine lock sealant. You can skip that if you choose. Then after letting the sealant cure, apply a coat of Meguiars Ultimate Liquid wax to all the surfaces of the car, trim included. That should last you several months and require little upkeep in between washes. When the water beading starts to fade, repeat the clay bar and waxing. The sealant is a once a year thing. To make your Ultimate wax last a bit longer you can use a product like the Ultimate Spay wax after every other wash or so. It's a spray on wipe off sort of product. Better protection then a quick detailer not quite the protection of the ultimate wax.
Remember taking care of your care can be therapeutic, not the reason you need therapy! You may find other products that you like or other products that other will recommend. I've just given you what I like to use. Good luck and Congrats on the new car.
Here's a pic of my car after doing what I just wrote. I also had to do a light polishing cause of the swirl marks the dealer left with their washing.
