Valuable instruments use finishes, adhesives, woods, metals and moving parts selected for sound and conservation. Automotive coating should not be applied without the maker or a qualified instrument conservator.

A piano's high-gloss case may look superficially similar to vehicle paint, but coating can change repairability, appearance and future conservation. Strings, keys, soundboards, bridges and contact surfaces must remain untreated.

No general treatment can guarantee scratch prevention, slower ageing or unchanged acoustics across instruments.

This article preserves a former AVP niche concept. Current care should follow the instrument manufacturer, technician or conservator.