SirDrums

Great advice guys, I can tell you that I am a little indecisive about what to do. I know I want to protect the shine and my 05 escape never had a cover and it still looks good, but with the mustang and loving the color and shine so much I do want to give it my best shot.

Speaking of shine, how often should I wax it? Is a soap/wax mix good enough. I have the turtle wax "wash and wax" that I have used on the escape, is that good enough or would I need to give it a good wax every once in awhile?

I have heard some say that with the clear coats nowadays you shouldn't use traditional wax. Is this true?

07 Stang

I don't believe the soap/wax is enough. You can rub you hand across a car that has that then rub your hand across a car that has a good wax on it and you can feel the difference.
As far as how often, since your car (like mine) has to sit outside, I would say at least once a month with something like McGuires Gold Class and every 4-6 months a better polish and wax like I mentioned above. I know the guys in the detailing forums will guide you, but I've been doing this method and my finish still looks like new.
I know exactly what you are going through as we all have gone through it.....new car, great finish and you want to protect it so it will last.

Galactic

I purchased the Weathershield HP
http://www.covercraft.com/App%20Guid...cs_outdoor.pdf
I purchased mine from autosupermart.com for $300 and some change. They are custom made so it takes about 10 days to get it shipped.

It keeps my car dry when it pours and when/if there is any water on top of the cover it rolls right off, NO heavy soaking cover.

I've added 4 small spring clamps at the corners just so it does not fly off in heavy wind, $0.37 at home depot each.

chronos

I think mine was the Covercraft Weathershield. I bought that cover about 10 years ago. Back then it cost me $250. The material and technology may have improved since then, I wont argue that, but for me it just didn't work. I used it on a spare vehicle that I didn't have a place to park inside and it was a pain. It was a big heavy cover when it got wet, and I didn't remove it or wipe the car down every time it rained. It was advertised as water proof, and breathable, but I soon found out that wasn't really the case. One thing also, the cover wore out due to the weather after about 2 years. I got another one free of charge because it had like a 5 year warranty on it. After that I sold the car but kept the cover. I would still use it on a car as a dust protector in a garage, but I wont rely on it for outside all weather protection. On a small car like a Mustang it may not be too bad to remove, but my vehicle was a 75 station wagon, so it was HUGE, (20ft long to be precise). That was the only vehicle to date that I could sit 8 people in with seat belts (9 if you didn't use a seat belt).

Adam

Definitely not. I'd recommend applying a good sealant twice a year at a minimum. I apply a fresh coat every other car wash, or approximately every six weeks, and the paint looks fantastic. However, I'm a bit ****

This isn't true. I still prefer synthetic sealants because they last a long time and give a nice shine. Maximum shine can be seen after you've applied about three layers.