How to apply wax without marring paint?

[Neo62381]

I`m very OCD about how I wash my car, accumulator method....whole nine yards, and while I feel like my vehicle is 90 some percent clean, we all know that no matter how you wash, theres still going to be SOMEthing on on your paint, even if the wind blew something on it. That bieng said, how does one go about waxing, without marring? Right now im using the Megs yellow MF applicators that you can get for a dime a dozen, I feel like I am applying the wax just as anyone else would, (draw a thin line of wax, and spread it out) BUT after every panel, I pick up my applicator pad and I can notice just a few small dots of dirt on it, and I know I have GOT to be marring the paint. I`ve even went to the extreme of buying about 60 some applicator pads, and throwing one out for the wash, if it gets any contamination on it. I`m also afraid that if there are waterspots on the car, and I wax over them, I could mar the paint. Any help would be greatly appreciated. :grrr

[Accumulator]

I`d try to work in a cleaner environment. The shop I where do my detailing is about as clean as I can imagine a "garage" being.



Before I had this purpose-built shop (and my previous shop wasn`t bad, used to be a Ford dealership building) I`d go over the panels with #34 before touching them.



Working outside :nixweiss. Keeping the driveway damp would at least keep a little dust down but stuff would still be blowing around. Fortunately, not everything is functionally abrasive (pollen won`t scratch Ceramiclear, for instance).

[Neo62381]

Accumulator, a garage or shop of any sort is not in the quesiton, I`m just not that lucky I suppose. I`ve often thought about switching to terry applicator pads, would probably deplete myself of a lot of product tho. Maybe a QD spray of some sort on each panel before-hand isn`t such a bad idea! I`ll try that, even tho I`ll still be scared $#!tless about marring the paint.

[DrGonzo]

I just do my best to keep pads and towels clean, after that you have to decide at what point you are going to let things slide. Personally, i think its best to live with a little bit of marring, your car will still look better than 99 percent on the road and you won`t drive yourself crazy.

[Mattress]

Personally i wipe the whole car down after every step with a QD... on my car anyway

[EMazda3S]

If I QD the whole car, by the time I get to the last panel, so much junk has blown on to the car it looks like I need to start the whole process again. It`s so frustrating.

I do as mentioned above and just use a "neutral" QD on a panel just before I apply wax or sealant. The only thing I worry about with this method is loosing some bonding capability of whatever product I am applying if there may be any fillers in the QD. It is probably needless worry as I haven`t yet had any problems.

Aside from all the debris in the air, I can`t ever seem to get out of the sun.



What I would give for an indoor environment to detail in....!

[MidLife Cruiser]

EMazda3s,

I have a garage, but I still do most of my detailing outdoors. My garage gets dusty too. Even if you had an extra clean indoor environment to detail in, sooner or later, that car has got to come outside. And, there you have it! Unless you want to ensconce your vehicle in bubble wrap forever, the darn thing is going to get dirty, and marring (like other things) happens. Do the best you can and I am certain your car will look better than 99% of the rest in your area. It`s okay to persue perfection. But, understand, the joy is what you find during the journey, for you will never arrive at the destination.

[imported_NT2SHBBY]

at the end of the day, a daily driver will never be 100% perfect...if you want perfection, buy a brand new car, make sure dealer don`t wash it, take delivery, bring home-wash-wax and leave in hermetically sealed garage for eternity



:nervous:

[percynjpn]

at the end of the day, a daily driver will never be 100% perfect...if you want perfection, buy a brand new car, make sure dealer don`t wash it, take delivery, bring home-wash-wax and leave in hermetically sealed garage for eternity



:nervous:



I think that`s something that one has to accept! Not even considering the "polishing method", just the general use of a vehicle will play havoc on it`s appearance.

[3Dog]

One suggestion might be....at Sams I saw a 10X20 tent garage for around 200.00 bucks.

[EMazda3S]

One suggestion might be....at Sams I saw a 10X20 tent garage for around 200.00 bucks.





I like that idea. I mentioned it to my wife and I don`t think I`ve ever seen anyone laugh that hard in a long while.... Tough. She`ll have to deal. :har:



My neighbors already think the men in the white suits will show up soon........



The above advice on the daily driver should ring true and I appreciate the comments. I needed a reality check. See my "frustration" thread. I still remain obsessed but I must accept the reality.

[Accumulator]

Well, I dunno about normal use necessarily resulting in marring, but that would depend on what`s "normal". My minivan stays as marring-free as my pampered cars, and we use it hard. But even when you do keep something perfect there`s always the possiblility of a deer incident :o So anyhow....



Yeah, working outside *is* a challenge. I didn`t always have a purpose-built detailing shop, didn`t even have a garage for a long time; I had to work outside back when I was younger and my cars then had black single stage lacquer. Heh heh, hint: don`t apply #7 to hot black paint in the sun :o At some point, the environmental situation does get to be controlling, there`s only so much you can do when the basic situation is stacked against you so be reasonable.



The canopy/tent idea isn`t as out-there as it might sound. A number of people here have done very well with those. Combining that with the wipedowns-before-contact should work out OK. Somebody I used to know took a regularly driven Jag to national-level concours honors without a garage, using an EZ-Up canopy and only working after work and on weekends.



I`d stock up on very plush MFs and some good QDs. I like #34 when polishing and I`m currently thrilled with FK 425 while applying LSPs, it seems to work well with everything. Working panel by panel, I bet you can avoid almost all of the marring that you`re worried about.



Oh, and waxing over waterspots generally won`t cause marring unless the deposits that make up the spots are also holding onto some other contamination. The QD approach oughta work well for this too and I`d consider using some mild clay like the Sonus green for stuff like this. Work on the spots when you see them and then go back to the process you were doing (LSPing, whatever). And keep wiping down with QDs/MFs.

[imported_chpsk8]

If I had to work in dusty conditions I`d use a MF and some distilled water and just swipe the panel lightly to remove any contaminants. Sometimes we obsess too much when a little splash of H2O will do the job just fine.



Take heart in the fact that if you do marr your paint, you have the skills to repair it!



I do wonder thought, exactly how many problems do you introduce when you wax. One little spot isnt` a big deal to go back to.



I`m glad I have a garage. I can hide in there and obsess in peace and my neighbors have no idea how crazy I really am. :D

[Neo62381]

I just feel as if I can`t win AT ALL! I mean, I just done a FULL detail on my car yesterday eve. I go outside today after I woke up, only to find extremely small water spots on the paint where condensation occoured. I`m going to do some more research into DI water filtration systems, and see if that will help as far as that end of things go. Now as far as QD`ing before applying wax....I take it, you have to have a QD with some mild cleaners in it to remove the waterspots you may have missed while drying?

[Neo62381]

One more thing.....After JUST polishing a car, I can apply wax via foam applicator to a panel....and I love just how smooth everything feels!!! However, (now keep in mind, I make sure that my wash is done VERY thoroghly) after a wash, I can wax a panel , and things don`t feel anywhere near as slick, feels borderline abraisive! ....It really scares the crap out of me!