SANTA ANA, CA - The City of Santa Ana, Calif., known for building green initiatives, recently partnered with Permagard America to apply Permagard products to its fleet vehicles. Permagard cleans and completely seals the vehicles' outer surfaces, creating a permanent barrier between the vehicle's paint and harsh environmental contaminants, eliminating the oxidation and fading of painted vehicles. The treatment involves the application of a sophisticated polymer fluid, which cleans the surface of the paint and restores it to the original color. Once cured, the clear protective polymer layer provides UV filtering and high resistance to water and corrosive substances which damage vehicle paint.

"Permagard helps provide protection to the treated surface, deflecting dirt and dust from the surface, so the vehicle needs to be washed less often. The treatment also eliminates the need for strong cleaning agents, which can be replaced by more environmentally friendly alternatives," stated Permagard America CEO Todd Johnson.

Rick Longobart, fleet manager, City of Santa Ana, and president of the Municipal Equipment Maintenance Association (MEMA), added, "The reduction of water and harsh detergent usage is important to our fleet and community. The use of Permagard on our vehicles reinforces our commitment to the environment and improves appearance, extends paint life, and reduces the amount of washing needed and preserves our natural resources."

Santa Ana has completed treatment on two vehicles and hopes to treat its 50 new police vehicles, Longobart said. He expects this will prolong paint life and prevent the need for vehicle detailing, required several times each year at a cost of $150 per vehicle. He also expects the treatment will reduce water consumption from car washes and labor staff time.

The company estimates use of the treatment can reduce wash cycles by at least 50 percent, extend paint life by more than 50 percent, and reduce use of cleaning agents by more than 90 percent, plus complete elimination of wax and polish.

According to the company, it restores old paint, thus deferring the need for an aging vehicle to undergo a new paint job; it can be applied on new vehicles from a preventive standpoint. Permagard is a non-toxic product that creates no pollution during application.

Santa Ana will have the manufacturer apply the treatment, although training is available for agencies that wish to apply the Permagard themselves.

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