Waxing Your Car

[wendell]

How many times do you usually wax your car/truck. I wax my truck everytime a wash it, wash day is usually every sunday. Is this too much?

[SW03ES]

You can't wax a car too much. The frequency a car MUST be waxed depends on the color, the area, where its parked etc. Varies probably from every month in extreme cases to every 6 months in more usextreme cases.

[silvermate]

agreed.................my car is only in the garage when i'm at home, so its parked outside at work, and all every day.........as i live in the south with the heat and humidity in the summers and the upredictable winters...........as well as the color of my car is black jade so it definately pulls the sun in

i wax my car about every 2-3 months. and do a full on 4 or 5 step process about every six months.

[PennState]

agreed.................my car is only in the garage when i'm at home, so its parked outside at work, and all every day.........as i live in the south with the heat and humidity in the summers and the upredictable winters...........as well as the color of my car is black jade so it definately pulls the sun in

i wax my car about every 2-3 months. and do a full on 4 or 5 step process about every six months.

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Frequency of waxing depends on many factors. Synthetic waxes like Zaino tend to last a lot longer. The most important thing is paint prep and polishing/claying are critical prior to waxing. Without these steps waxing may trap in dirt and contaminants, which may worsen your paint!

Fred

[wendell]

I know I said that wash day is on sundays, but my schedule changes and get very busy at times. Sometimes I go for a month - a month and a half with out washing my car. There is a lot of construction around where I live, but I park it inside the garage all the time at home.

Thanks for the feedback

[SW03ES]

Then thats going to require that you reduce the time between waxings.

[ArmyofOne]

Then thats going to require that you reduce the time between waxings.

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i have heard horror stories about "over-waxing"

but i can assure you that they are flashoods on todays paints. if your car was made after 1980, its fine to wax it once a day if you want to! i used ot have that kind of time, and my contour saw a coat of wax 2 times a month. but the lex sees it 1 time a month if its lucky. it sees a carwash about the same interval. i have a really dark color, so its best to keep it waxed. if youhave champagne or white, you can let it go longer than you can with my Black Jade Metallic or SW03ES's Burgundy (not sure of the color ATM).

[silvermate]

have heard horror stories about "over-waxing

like what????

[SW03ES]

Well some of the horror stories used to be true, like Army said its modern paints and modern WAXES that have changed that.

Car paint used to be single stage and really pretty soft. Waxes also used to be hard, full of abrasives and harsh chemicals (along the lines of kerosene and gasoline). It used to be that if you waxes too much the chemicals would dull/remove the paint and you could do damage. Today that isn't a problem because paints are so much harder and waxes don't include the abrasives and petroleums that they used to. Even modern cleaner waxes are much more mild.

One thing that still holds true is polishing, you want to limit polishing your vehicle to twice a year, that is breaking out a buffer and polishing with abrasives. Whenever you polish with abrasives you're removing a portion of the paint film, over polishing can accelerate sun damage and clearcoat failure.

[ArmyofOne]

Whenever you polish with abrasives you're removing a portion of the paint film, over polishing can accelerate sun damage and clearcoat failure.

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now you tell me, i just took some rubbing compound to mine becuase i had some stubborn windshield washer fluid stains.

its been about amonth, and i have had to rewax the area at least 3 times, it startes turning a cloudy white, so i wash it and stick another coat of wax on it, and it looks good...for a day or 2. WTF was i thinking? i tried everything though, i tried vinegar, WD-40, buffing, nothing worked, i even tried a claybar. finally i just gave in. it does look OK, as long as i keep it waxed. i usually dont like rubbing compounds as they are VERY harsh, its as bad as wetsanding...no wait...wet sanding is actually better...

as for paints being of better quality, its not only that.

modern paints have clearcoats, ESPECIALLY the metallic paints.

[SW03ES]

Clearcoats don't really make a difference, a clearcoat is just paint, its paint with no pigment. All the clearcoat does is lock in the gloss of the paint and help hide minor marring. Clearcoat paints are harder than say single stage black but thats just because black paint is pigmented with carbon making it soft, single stage white for instance is very hard and resists scratching. The clearcoat also employs some UV protective qualities, but thats a longevity thing.

Yeah rubbing compound is a no-no on modern paints. What you've done is marr the surface, the reason it looks okay when its waxed is because the wax has temporarily hidden the marring. Only thing to do now is polish it out with a buffer.

i tried vinegar, WD-40, , nothing worked, i even tried a claybar

None of thats going to work because none of those steps are abrasive. Polishing a car is like sanding, in order to get the right surface you have to switch to finer and finer abrasives. Rubbing compounds and wetsanding have their place but they always leave marring behind that needs to be followed up with finer abrasives.

[ArmyofOne]

Clearcoats don't really make a difference, a clearcoat is just paint, its paint with no pigment. All the clearcoat does is lock in the gloss of the paint and help hide minor marring. Clearcoat paints are harder than say single stage black but thats just because black paint is pigmented with carbon making it soft, single stage white for instance is very hard and resists scratching. The clearcoat also employs some UV protective qualities, but thats a longevity thing.

Yeah rubbing compound is a no-no on modern paints. What you've done is marr the surface, the reason it looks okay when its waxed is because the wax has temporarily hidden the marring. Only thing to do now is polish it out with a buffer.

i tried vinegar, WD-40, , nothing worked, i even tried a claybar

None of thats going to work because none of those steps are abrasive. Polishing a car is like sanding, in order to get the right surface you have to switch to finer and finer abrasives. Rubbing compounds and wetsanding have their place but they always leave marring behind that needs to be followed up with finer abrasives.

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well heres after i hit the rubbing compund with polishing compound and then a few coats of NXT...

help...

so what other kind of abrasive should i use, i also have it on the roof and the hood in places too, but the hood i did right. it came out ok. did i maybe push or rub too hard here?

[silvermate]

man that looks awefull :(

but its nothing that can't be fixed :D

you need to invest in a porter cable 7424 and get some different pads as well as different products........anything by hand isnt' gonna touch that (long term, if at all), especially it being so old and neglected

i have a 92 and my car does not have 1 scratch, swirl, cobweb, or anything after i did her up with the PC a couple of times (but my shine was always very good, as i pride myself in it).......it sereiously looks like a brand new car, no lie.....i get complements all the time on the shine of my car..... and its 12 YEARS OLD!!!

if you need more details on what prodcuts and pads to get or where to get the buffer, just shoot me a pm and i'll tell you everything......

it really is a must have more enthusiasts that want their car to look its best at all times........

[SW03ES]

Army-

Thats surface marring, what that is is the abrasives in the rubbing compound cutting too roughly. Run your fingernail over it, can you feel your nail "hang" in the scratches? If not then they can be removed.

Honestly though you need some sort of buffer for that, you're not going to be able to do that by hand. In all honesty that may require a rotary, that might even be too much for the PC to handle.

[bartkat]

Try a couple of coats of Eagle One Nano particle wax on a portion of that surface. It fills in really well and should be worth a try at least.

[silvermate]

Try a couple of coats of Eagle One Nano particle wax on a portion of that surface. It fills in really well and should be worth a try at least.

anything by hand isn't gonna touch that, trust me..........at best it will MAYBE hide it for a little while, but i doubt it will even do that....

PC or Rotary is the only thing that will fix that

[SW03ES]

I don't think the Nanowax is going to hide them. He'd need something like a heavy glaze to hide marring like that, and even that might not be perfect and would only last until it was washed again.

I've used NXT and Nanowax back to back and the NXT actually hides swirls a little better than the Nanowax. He said that picture already had more than one coat of NXT, so I think its pretty much unhideable.

[silvermate]

don't think the Nanowax is going to hide them. He'd need something like a heavy glaze to hide marring like that, and even that might not be perfect and would only last until it was washed again.

I've used NXT and Nanowax back to back and the NXT actually hides swirls a little better than the Nanowax. He said that picture already had more than one coat of NXT, so I think its pretty much unhideable.

agreed :D ..............i too have tried both and i stick with the NXT, its far supperior than Nano. (but with that kind of ,marring and damage, he'll need a buffer or rotary to fix that, there is no 2 ways about it) that is if it can be fixed, you might even have to wet sand that..........

i've successfully removed 2000 grit with my PC with a cutting pad and DACP (globby touch up paint) looks great. just have to use cautiously, and with light pressure.

i've found the NXT just works better, hides great, buffs off easy, and smells great too :P ..... (doesn't really last all that long, but gives a great depth of shine) then i top it off with # 26 to seal her up, that prodcut lasts a lot longer then the synthetics.....

i haven't got more than 3 weeks outta NXt with 2-3 coats (but i have very dark paint) how long have you all got outta NXT?

, but the shine and depth of gloss makes up for it........you just have to seal it up with somthing more ridged for longevity.

[SW03ES]

then i top it off with # 26 to seal her up, that prodcut lasts a lot longer then the synthetics.....

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Then you haven't been using the right synthetics ;)

As heavy waxes go #26 isn't especially durable. Meg's #16 is more so as are the suite of Collinite Waxes. Almost all synthetics are much more durable than NXT and most synthetics outlast even the longest lasting carnuaba waxes...

[silvermate]

oh i forgot you're a know it all.....my fault, what was i thinking adding the little knowledge i have??, i should have known better......... :whistles:

#26 lasts me about 4 months, it works great for MY application.......i hate messing with paste wax

[SW03ES]

Woah woah woah... whats with the being insulted? Nothing wrong with adding in your input but I have every right to bounce mine off of whatever you post thats how this forum thing works. I've been doing this a long time and have a lot of experience with the usage and relative benefits of a lot of products. Why shouldn't I voice my opinion on something I think is incorrect?

The fact of the matter is that synthetics *by and large* are much more durable than carnuaba. Its sort of like the dino oil vs synthetic oil debate. *by and large* carnuaba has a better look but the tradeoff is durability. NXT as synthetics go is pretty poor, its all biased towards look and there's no durbaility behind it which can be somewhat typical for a Meguiars product. They've had several products in their line over the years that have been this way (Gold Class comes to mind). Other sealants like Zaino, Poorboys EX-P, Blackfire to a lesser extent, Klasse for sure have ironclad durability when they're applied properly. In fact, they can be difficult to get off. One main reason for this is that they aren't susceptible to heat like carbuaba is. I'd bet you money after a long day of sitting out in the sun the #26 has burned off the horizontal surfaces of your car because its so dark. There may be residual oils behind that bead, and in fact since your car is well polished and the paint is smooth it will probably bead with no wax at all, but #26 isn't lasting 4 months, at least not with any meaningful durability left. Especially the liquid.

Theres another difference in carnuaba *by and large* and thats paste vs liquid. Pastes are ALMOST always more durable than liquids and they're also easier on any glaze or previous wax coating you may have on the car before waxing. Liquids contain additives to keep the liquid...well a liquid that detract from the durability and can act like cleaning agents. #26 paste for instance is more durable than #26 liquid. Odds are the #26 liquid is removing the NXT you have on the car as you apply it. Paste waxes have far fewer liquifaction agents and therefore are more applicable to topping sealants for instance. Not all pastes are hard to use, #26 paste is pretty easy to use. P21S and Souveran are easier than liquid. Some are more difficult like Collinite 476 or Meguiars #16. Unfortunately as far as waxes go usually the longer they last the more difficult they are to work with.

No need to take anything personally, gotta be open to new ideas. In the end its the quality of your work that turns out a good finished product more than the products you choose. You obviously have the work down because your car looks great, but the statement "synthetics are less durable than carnuaba" could not be further from the truth.

[ArmyofOne]

Army-

Run your fingernail over it, can you feel your nail "hang" in the scratches? If not then they can be removed.

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no, i cant feel them. :D

I've used NXT and Nanowax back to back and the NXT actually hides swirls a little better than the Nanowax. He said that picture already had more than one coat of NXT, so I think its pretty much unhideable.

let me rephrase.

it looked FANTASTIC after the applications of NXT.

it olnly lasted 1.5 weeks. 1.5 weeks of straight RAIN.

it hid them well, but i get tired of having to reapply it, i want them gone if at all possible...

[SW03ES]

Ah I gotcha, I thought the coats of NXT were fresh. Thats exactly what happens when swirls are filled, get a good week of rain and the filler washes right out.

Thats actually good news though, if the NXT hid them then they weren't that deep and should be easily fixed.

[ArmyofOne]

Ah I gotcha, I thought the coats of NXT were fresh. Thats exactly what happens when swirls are filled, get a good week of rain and the filler washes right out.

Thats actually good news though, if the NXT hid them then they weren't that deep and should be easily fixed.

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cool. i have aporter cable, i will hit them with it the next chance i get. i will give it a fresh coat of NXT rightbeofre the meet and post the difference. B) i wont hit it with the buffer though till at least after the meet (oh and check the meet forum for details on that LOL)

[SW03ES]

You bought a porter cable? Cool! What kinda pads did you get with it? Also what kind of polish do you have to use with it? I just bought a set pf polishes from Poorboys that did a great job with the PC on my car when I did it a couple weeks ago.