Does Cyber Green fade easily?

[peapodtdi]

I have read in a few threads here about how Cyber Green tends to fade. Is this true? If so, what can I do to prevent this?(besides keeping the car in a garage) Is there a particular wax I should be using or something?

Thanks!

[DZLBUG]

It does fade very easily unfortunately. I don't know if there is any wax that is better than another, but keeping it waxed all the time will definitely help. Go with a high quality wax like Meguiers.

I noticed your location...and you're in luck. There is probably one of the single BEST TDI mechanics in the country located in St. Louis. His name is Brian and he works at Car-Doc Automotive. He is the only mechanic you should EVER let touch your car. Stay away from the dealer. Brian is the guy that always seems to end up fixing their mistakes, particularly on TDI's.

If you want to find out more about what he knows, check out the forums at TDIclub.com where he goes by the username "oilhammer." Great guy to deal with and he knows these cars inside and out.

[marvins_dad]

Yes...no way to keep it from doing so. My back bumper and fuel door are faded...and I baby my car.

[pdoel]

Mine hasn't been too bad. I often park next to another Cyber Green Beetle (same year as mine) at the gym. You can easily tell how badly that one has faded, and mine has held up rather well.

Granted, I garage mine and it doesn't get out during the winter, so that helps a lot.

[peapodtdi]

NOOOO! I wish I had a garage!


Thanks for telling me about the mechanic. I'll have to check that out!

[peapodtdi]

I am looking at getting a car cover. Walmart and Target have some that are a little under $100. I know that my dad paid a lot more than that for covers for his show cars back in the day. Has anyone bought a car cover from Target or Walmart? Do you think it would help protect my baby from fading?

[SMG]

A cheap loose-fitting car cover is only going to damage the paint. Honestly just plan to repaint the car in a few years when it's faded. Aftermarket paint doesn't fade if you go with a good brand and invest in a clearcoat with a lot of UV protection.

[Frog U]

That is what I'm doing now. They have this clear coat that has the uv stuff in it. I'm doing a body kit and old school paint job. My eye lids and spoiler isn't faded because I used the new paint so in person you can see it. But I love this color I hunted for this color for mouths and I got one. If you get a cover get one that is made for the bug I love mine it even has the spots for the mirrors to fit in and the antenna.

[peapodtdi]

The paint on my car now is pretty near perfect. Could I get UV clear coat put on now? How much does something like that cost?

[saved2]

FOR THE CLEAR COAT TO STICK it must be applied 20 mi. after the base coat , clear applied to dry paint will chip.

[peapodtdi]

poop! man, i really dont want my paint to fade sooner than usual. I am going to invest in a car cover to at least give it some protection...

[Yello_jellybean]

LOL! (I am laughing at the "poop" comment) Cheer up! Cyber Green is beautiful no matter what stage it's in.
It is one of my very favorite colors.

[ButtonsAmy]

Mine is a 1999 and the rear bumper and fenders were NOT very good. They were faded when I bought the car. I just replaced the bumper and the drivers side rear fender, replaced the gas door and the car looks NEW!!!! Really, it looks fantastic!!! I am including some pictures, because you really need to see the difference. It wasn't that difficult to do at all, and it could be done in under 2 hours if you had several people helping take all the bolts out.

Ok, some people would say that is not a great idea, but I got new/used bumper (I had to buff out some scratches, but nothing serious) for $100.

I got all the little do-das I was missing INSIDE the car too. I traded my old fender and gas door, I traded my VW hubcaps things for ones that looked new, got the little plasting ring that goes on the ebrake, a metal bracket to mount the center armrest too!

He deals in salvaged cars, and rebuilds them to look like new! He had 4 Beetles on his property, and 2 were cyber green!! One of them had been rolled and sat upsidown in a lake for a few months before it was rescued, and he had just the body panels from another. (Ok, I was really sad to see these cars, but, I got so much out of them)

Just so you know, the pictures go in this order:
BEFORE: you can see the terrible fade on my rear bumper in comparison to the fender.

TAILLIGHT: Yeah, I took the taillight out myself. My two guy friends didn't know how.

MONSTER: WHAT IS THAT!?! Yes, that is how gross and terrible your Beetle looks without the bumpers on it too!!! I did clean it off with an air compressor because I was so horrified.

AFTER: Now just look at the difference! I didn't replace the passenger side rear bumper, so there is a slight color variance, but you'd never notice. Seriously, the guy who sold me the parts was shocked. He said the car looked brand new, and was probably one of the best looking out there, considering its age and mileage.

Overall, it was worth the money and time I spent doing this project, and now I wax my car religiously every week and keep it meticulously maintained. I just wish the previous owner had done the same-
Amy

[ButtonsAmy]

Oh-please notice the very sexy man in the last picture. That is my personal mechanic friend who does all the work on my cars for free. He is THE BEST, and not to mention, he is fantastic eye candy!!! I am a lucky girl!!!

[Yello_jellybean]

LOL! Amy, we need better pictures of this eye candy, the cell phone pic is not doing any justice.

Originally Posted by ButtonsAmy

Oh-please notice the very sexy man in the last picture. That is my personal mechanic friend who does all the work on my cars for free. He is THE BEST, and not to mention, he is fantastic eye candy!!! I am a lucky girl!!!

[evlwevl]

All colors fade in the sun and ambient light at differnt rates, white being the slowest to fade. We used to have a percentage chart at the paint shop that showed the comparative rate of oxidation between colors. There are many factors that play in this rate. You have sunlight, you have the amount of pigment in the paint itself as well as the amount of metallic in some colors. Cybergreen has a lot of metallic and green pigment in general is very transparent. Some higher quality paint has better UV protectants but they will only go so far.
After owning a green metallic truck, the color just eventually goes away. Waxing, claying and all the care in the world didn appear to make much of a differnce. I used to wax my truck so much that I eventually wore the clearcoat off in some areas and let me tell you, the clear coat on new cars is ever so thin these days.
I now keep my yellow '00 in the garage or covered when parked, yellow fades bad too.
I now use cheap car covers after years of experience with expensive technalon car covers. In some areas of the country you might have a car cover last a summer season before they start to deteriorate and you have to throw them away. The high end covers can go up to 200 bucks and they WILL damage your paint just as bad if you don't no how to use them. You never leave any cover on in the rain or if they is moisture in the air, you want to pull the cover off immediately. Ive had paint jobs stain permanently from even the high end car covers left on after a dew covered morning follwed by the sunlight. Your best bet is a garage if you have one, and a cover if you don't. Expect to replace that cover when you notice it starting to shed. My '00 is still appears as vibrant as the day i bought it.