The products I've used say the wax can last up to one year. I've been doing it twice a year, in the spring and fall. Is it really necessary to wax more often than twice a year to protect the finish? We do get some snow and road salt from December through March.
How often to wax the car's finish?
- Thread starter mikemc
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Gusess I should have posted in the 'wax' section (DUH).
Polymer-based polishes will last up to 6 months if you put on a few coats. Carnauba waxes usually don't last as long, maybe a few months.
It's easy to check though - if the water no longer beads, your wax cover is gone.
It's easy to check though - if the water no longer beads, your wax cover is gone.
I have been using Turtle Wax liquid. Easy on/off and it beads for several months. I may try a polymer based product and drop to once a year.
[ November 24, 2005, 12:00 PM: Message edited by: mikemc ]
[ November 24, 2005, 12:00 PM: Message edited by: mikemc ]
A typical Carnauba wax will protect from 4-8 weeks, depending on environmental conditions, exposure, etc. A good polymer sealant will last 3-6 months, again taking the above variables into consideration.
In harsh weather conditions, I'd use something like Meguiar's NXT, Meguiar's #20 or #21, Klasse Sealant Glaze or Zaino every 3 months and any Carnauba monthly. And make sure you apply a very thin coat. If the product hazes up white and thick so that you can hardly see the paint under it, you have put it on WAY too heavy!
As far as NuFinish - if I remember right, didn't their commercials refer to it as "the once a year car polish"? If so, and if they are using the terminology correctly, then it is a polish, not a wax. Polish is used to correct paint defects and prep the surface to be waxed. This is the step, or series of steps, that really gives you the shine. The wax or sealant is what protects the finish, and imparts some extra gloss or alters the shine/gloss/reflectivity of the prepped paint.
Water beading is not necessarily a sign of a protected, waxed surface. Some sealants will actually cause the water to sheet more than bead, and yet the paint is still "protected". I just washed one of my cars with Dawn and then clayed it. I gave it a quick wash to remove the "residue" of the clay/lube process prior to polishing, and the water still showed a good amount of beading, yet I guarantee you that after a Dawn wash and clay, there was no wax whatsover on the surface of my car.
In harsh weather conditions, I'd use something like Meguiar's NXT, Meguiar's #20 or #21, Klasse Sealant Glaze or Zaino every 3 months and any Carnauba monthly. And make sure you apply a very thin coat. If the product hazes up white and thick so that you can hardly see the paint under it, you have put it on WAY too heavy!
As far as NuFinish - if I remember right, didn't their commercials refer to it as "the once a year car polish"? If so, and if they are using the terminology correctly, then it is a polish, not a wax. Polish is used to correct paint defects and prep the surface to be waxed. This is the step, or series of steps, that really gives you the shine. The wax or sealant is what protects the finish, and imparts some extra gloss or alters the shine/gloss/reflectivity of the prepped paint.
Water beading is not necessarily a sign of a protected, waxed surface. Some sealants will actually cause the water to sheet more than bead, and yet the paint is still "protected". I just washed one of my cars with Dawn and then clayed it. I gave it a quick wash to remove the "residue" of the clay/lube process prior to polishing, and the water still showed a good amount of beading, yet I guarantee you that after a Dawn wash and clay, there was no wax whatsover on the surface of my car.
Patman
Staff member
I've got a question for you Mike-in-Orange, the detail shop I go to charges $59 for their "wash and wax", which is Meguiar's #26. But for $99 you can get their "paint sealant" package, which is Meguiar's #20.
I drive my 98 Corvette in winter, so it sees a lot of road salt, and I'm wondering if I will get better protection by doing one coat of #20 to last me the entire winter, or if I get them to do one coat of #26 now, and then one more coat of #26 in 6-8 weeks. I'm leaning towards the two coats of #26.
I drive my 98 Corvette in winter, so it sees a lot of road salt, and I'm wondering if I will get better protection by doing one coat of #20 to last me the entire winter, or if I get them to do one coat of #26 now, and then one more coat of #26 in 6-8 weeks. I'm leaning towards the two coats of #26.
patman -
i've had excellent durability out of #26. i do wash my car in the winter to keep the salt off. i also use eagle one waud after washing to keep things up. having a heated garage is a plus as well. my car gets waxed two or three times during the winter.
if it were me, i'd do the two visits. just to get everything nice and clean if nothing else.
i'm in the process of trying out the mother's fx engineered synwax for this winter. so far so good. best product for easy-on easy-off i've ever seen.
i've had excellent durability out of #26. i do wash my car in the winter to keep the salt off. i also use eagle one waud after washing to keep things up. having a heated garage is a plus as well. my car gets waxed two or three times during the winter.
if it were me, i'd do the two visits. just to get everything nice and clean if nothing else.
i'm in the process of trying out the mother's fx engineered synwax for this winter. so far so good. best product for easy-on easy-off i've ever seen.
Patman, since you live in a place that really batters a car's finish in the winter months, I think this is a tough call. I'm a little bothered by the cost difference between the two since the cost difference between the two raw products is virtually nil. Unless the place takes extra steps in the prep for the additional cost.
I know that doesn't really answer your question! I'm inclined to agree with RickRS, but man, that #26 is primarily a Carnauba with a bit of polymer sealant mixed in. Depending on how much road salt, rain, sleet, wet snow, etc you get, it may not hold up for 8 weeks! Under those same conditions I'm not sure if #20 would last all winter either. If you have no desire to apply a wax or sealant yourself as a follow up to the shop applying #20, then I would probably lean toward to RickRS's suggestion.
I know that doesn't really answer your question! I'm inclined to agree with RickRS, but man, that #26 is primarily a Carnauba with a bit of polymer sealant mixed in. Depending on how much road salt, rain, sleet, wet snow, etc you get, it may not hold up for 8 weeks! Under those same conditions I'm not sure if #20 would last all winter either. If you have no desire to apply a wax or sealant yourself as a follow up to the shop applying #20, then I would probably lean toward to RickRS's suggestion.
No wax or sealant is going to get great durability if it is applied onto a dirty surface.
Washing isnt enough either.
The 20 has some cleaners in it, so its possible that it will look better and last longer, but its due to the #20 cleaning.
If you all want something really easy to use order some Optimum Spray Wax, found at topoftheline.com .
Again, this should be applied to clean paint. Pain that is clayed twice a year and cleaned with a simple product like ColorX or Megs step1 of their Deep Crystal line. Both are at Advance Auto.
Washing isnt enough either.
The 20 has some cleaners in it, so its possible that it will look better and last longer, but its due to the #20 cleaning.
If you all want something really easy to use order some Optimum Spray Wax, found at topoftheline.com .
Again, this should be applied to clean paint. Pain that is clayed twice a year and cleaned with a simple product like ColorX or Megs step1 of their Deep Crystal line. Both are at Advance Auto.
My two cents -
I think getting two "wash and waxes" would keep your car looking better over the months and likely do just as well for protection.
I cross post to another forum,
[URL]Mequiar's Online just to see what the Meguiar people think.
I think getting two "wash and waxes" would keep your car looking better over the months and likely do just as well for protection.
I cross post to another forum,
[URL]Mequiar's Online just to see what the Meguiar people think.
Patman
Staff member
I don't believe they do anything different with the #20 application vs the #26, which is why I'm bothered by the extra cost too.
I normally do my own waxing, I use Meguiar's NXT, applied every 3-4 weeks in the warmer weather, however I cannot do it myself once the weather turns cold since I cannot wash the car in the driveway once it gets below freezing here. There might be a handful of warm days through the winter when I can do my own waxing, but sometimes those warm days happen during the work week, so that makes it difficult. So generally speaking, my only real option in the winter is to get the detail shop to wax it for me.
I think I'm now leaning towards getting them to apply a coat of #26 every 6 weeks instead. That'll probably offer me the best possible protection.
FWIW, in addition to getting them to fully hand wash my car every Saturday, I also visit the coin wash a few times a week to wash the salt off the paint too.
Even though my car is a 98, the original black paint on it still looks just as shiny as new, so I'd like to keep it that way.
I normally do my own waxing, I use Meguiar's NXT, applied every 3-4 weeks in the warmer weather, however I cannot do it myself once the weather turns cold since I cannot wash the car in the driveway once it gets below freezing here. There might be a handful of warm days through the winter when I can do my own waxing, but sometimes those warm days happen during the work week, so that makes it difficult. So generally speaking, my only real option in the winter is to get the detail shop to wax it for me.
I think I'm now leaning towards getting them to apply a coat of #26 every 6 weeks instead. That'll probably offer me the best possible protection.
FWIW, in addition to getting them to fully hand wash my car every Saturday, I also visit the coin wash a few times a week to wash the salt off the paint too.
Even though my car is a 98, the original black paint on it still looks just as shiny as new, so I'd like to keep it that way.
No wax or sealant is going to get great durability if it is applied onto a dirty surface.
Washing isnt enough either.: So your saying the painted surface needs to be clay bared or stripped of the old wax before applying a new coat.On my SE-R I use the Meguiers cleaner wax and in the Florida sun No wax lasts very long. I did try the One step car wax it seems to bead up the best.I try and cover my car if I am not going to drive it for a few days. That is a good idea I think because there is all kind of Sh#% in the air that stays on the paint till washed even if its overnight.
Washing isnt enough either.: So your saying the painted surface needs to be clay bared or stripped of the old wax before applying a new coat.On my SE-R I use the Meguiers cleaner wax and in the Florida sun No wax lasts very long. I did try the One step car wax it seems to bead up the best.I try and cover my car if I am not going to drive it for a few days. That is a good idea I think because there is all kind of Sh#% in the air that stays on the paint till washed even if its overnight.
A vehicle should be clay bared twice a year, the first time there will be a huge amount of crap pulled off the paint. After that it should be minimal, but still needs to be done.
If using a cleaner wax, then it is removing the last application of wax, and depending on how much it is worked in, will clean the dirt that washing doesnt remove.
Generally, cleaner waxes have low durability, just the way it is.
A nice durable combo is Klasse AIO then topped with 4*(star) Ultimate Paint Protection.
That will last 3-4 months, and it(the AIO) cleans the paint for better bonding of the UPP.
Another option is ColorX and Collinte, both are usually found at Advance Auto, the Collinte might be with the boat stuff. Collinte gets very good durability, 5 months when washed with a car soap that is PH balanced and doesnt strip wax(megs NXT-$5 at WallyWorld)
The colorX is a pretty decent paint cleaner, and does leave some wax behind, but i wouldnt classify it as a true cleaner wax, it will have low durability on its own, so it is good to top it with something.
I personally use Zaino, and in Florida's summer, it goes an easy 4 or 5 months, but i usually will add a coat if i get a breazy morning during the summer.
Zaino, is very good for northern winters also, but the paint should be properly prepped following the Zaino directions on the website.
If using a cleaner wax, then it is removing the last application of wax, and depending on how much it is worked in, will clean the dirt that washing doesnt remove.
Generally, cleaner waxes have low durability, just the way it is.
A nice durable combo is Klasse AIO then topped with 4*(star) Ultimate Paint Protection.
That will last 3-4 months, and it(the AIO) cleans the paint for better bonding of the UPP.
Another option is ColorX and Collinte, both are usually found at Advance Auto, the Collinte might be with the boat stuff. Collinte gets very good durability, 5 months when washed with a car soap that is PH balanced and doesnt strip wax(megs NXT-$5 at WallyWorld)
The colorX is a pretty decent paint cleaner, and does leave some wax behind, but i wouldnt classify it as a true cleaner wax, it will have low durability on its own, so it is good to top it with something.
I personally use Zaino, and in Florida's summer, it goes an easy 4 or 5 months, but i usually will add a coat if i get a breazy morning during the summer.
Zaino, is very good for northern winters also, but the paint should be properly prepped following the Zaino directions on the website.
I just put my first wax job on the car with the polisher wheel. When doing the whole car by hand I would almost have to cal a paramedic. But the buffing wheel makes it a lot easier. Are some waxes easier to use than others with the power tools. It seems I get too much wax on the surface and the terry cloth type applacator gets saturated. Either way a quick easy way to polish up the car.
JBM -- that process sounds downright criminal!! I wouldn't let one of my cars in the parking lot, let alone under the hands of those guys!
LubeOiler -- no matter whether you're applying wax/sealant by hand or machine, you want to apply VERY thin coats. Usually just a couple of ounces of product, sometimes even less, is enough to cover an entire midsize car. To test if it's ready to come off, give it a quick swipe with your fingertip - if there is any streaking left behind the wax/sealant still needs a bit of time to set up.
Patman -- you might want to try QEW which will allow you to wash using a single bucket and no hose. You can even do it in the garage if need be, with very little mess. It works well even on pretty dirty vehicles, but if you can hit the coin op place to remove the real heavy stuff first I think that would be ideal. You can then wax it yourself with the NXT you normally use (good choice, by the way). You can get the QEW at http://pakshak.com/protectall-qew.html and/or learn more about it by doing a search at www.autopia.org
LubeOiler -- no matter whether you're applying wax/sealant by hand or machine, you want to apply VERY thin coats. Usually just a couple of ounces of product, sometimes even less, is enough to cover an entire midsize car. To test if it's ready to come off, give it a quick swipe with your fingertip - if there is any streaking left behind the wax/sealant still needs a bit of time to set up.
Patman -- you might want to try QEW which will allow you to wash using a single bucket and no hose. You can even do it in the garage if need be, with very little mess. It works well even on pretty dirty vehicles, but if you can hit the coin op place to remove the real heavy stuff first I think that would be ideal. You can then wax it yourself with the NXT you normally use (good choice, by the way). You can get the QEW at http://pakshak.com/protectall-qew.html and/or learn more about it by doing a search at www.autopia.org
I wax with synthetic wax every other month, Clay the car at least once a year to remove contaminants. Hand polish swirls and scratches out as needed. remove bird crap and bugs asap to prevent acid damage
IMO, there is no wax that can 'protect" for year. you need to remove contaminats from the paint to prevent long term damage.
IMO, there is no wax that can 'protect" for year. you need to remove contaminats from the paint to prevent long term damage.
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