MikeWinLDS
09-28-2008, 08:55 AM
*Warning, essay alert :grinno:
Hey everyone,
I was wondering how long carnauba paste waxes typically last in extreme, desert weather. I live in a very hot (let`s say the average temperature around these parts are 100 degrees fahrenheit) and dry climate (not to mention dusty, but more of that below), and I`ve read that carnauba waxes don`t typically last as long when exposed to constant sunlight and high temperatures.
I`m the type of person that likes to wax my car after every wash, but I`m finding that some days I just don`t have enough time to spare to wax. It usually takes me 45 minutes to wash and dry the car, and then another 2 hours to wax the car, applying and removing by hand. Don`t get me started on how long it takes to clay the car either. I usually clay it every month. So this week I`m going to skip on waxing the car. For the past month or so, I`ve been waxing after every weekly wash.
I`ve noticed that the car still beads water every week when I wash it, so I guess that means the carnauba is still there, though how much I`m not sure. Plus, I usually go out of my way to find parking spots that supply adequate amounts of shade, so that may be a plus in the longevity of the wax. I don`t expect the car to stop beading water after this next week (so it will be two weeks total from my last waxing), or stop beading at all if I left it for a very long time.
But if I do decide to refrain from waxing, what are some indicators to look for that tell me it`s time for another waxing? I probably will see it stop beading totally if I leave the car for like a year, so I don`t think that will be a good sign. Will I start to see no beading action at all in areas of like 1 feet by 1 feet or something? For those of you who live in similar environments, how long do your carnauba waxes last, and how can you tell when it`s time to rewax?
Also, am I waxing too much if I do it once a week? I can`t really tell if the car looks better or not when I keep waxing every week. Every time I wax, though, the car does look good, but I think that`s just from seeing the wax haze and the car looking dull then buffing off the hazy residue to the shiny surface underneath. Does waxing frequently enhance the shine or gloss of the paint?
I remember when I first started on here, I was talking about how the current paste wax I was using, Meguiar`s Hi-Tech Yellow, was such a pain in the butt to remove and it was so dusty when I was buffing it off. Turns out I was using too much and only had to swipe the applicator along the lip and scrape a little wax out to apply to a large section of the car. The reason being that there`s only a finite amount of wax that will adhere to the paint and the excess was just being buff off anyhow.
So that brings me to the whole notion of "layering" carnauba or whatnot. Is my weekly waxing considered layering the wax? And is there really a purpose? I mean if the wax only adheres to the paint in a finite amount, isn`t any extra just going to slough off when it comes time to buff the waxy residue off? I`ve read on here that reapplication is good for maybe hitting spots that no longer have protection, talking about really small microscopic spots that might deteriorate over the week from concentrated sunlight exposure or whatnot in order to relevel the layer of wax on the car so that every part is protected evenly.
Lastly, does anyone know of any waxes that are fairly inexpensive that provide a slick, smooth surface? I`ve been using S100 for the past month or so, and while it looks good, it doesn`t provide that slick, smooth feel when I run my hand across the paint like other waxes I`ve used, such as Meguiar`s Gold Class paste wax. I`ve even reclayed the car and tried applying the S100, but it still feels grabby, moreso than the Gold Class. I think the consensus on here was that Gold Class contained more oils and fillers that made it more slick to the touch.
Since personal preference comes into play a lot when it comes to the products we use, I`ve decided to maybe alternate week by week from the S100 to a wax that is slick and smooth to the touch like Gold Class. Since I don`t have any Gold Class to use, this is where I have the opportunity to buy something new. I`m looking to spend no more than maybe $20-30 (I`ll get some Souveran down the line eventually, but not now) that fits the bill of leaving the paint smooth and slick with the least amount of staining of trim as possible (that`s what I like about the S100). Any ideas?
And I`ll probably never run of out these waxes. At the rate I`m using this S100, even if I continue to wax each week for a whole year, I`ll probably only be at half of the jar. I wonder how you guys that don`t do this as a business manage to use up all your wax. Hard to buy and play with new wax when you still got a nearly full container of another one nearby. I guess it would be the same with compounds and polishes too.
Hey everyone,
I was wondering how long carnauba paste waxes typically last in extreme, desert weather. I live in a very hot (let`s say the average temperature around these parts are 100 degrees fahrenheit) and dry climate (not to mention dusty, but more of that below), and I`ve read that carnauba waxes don`t typically last as long when exposed to constant sunlight and high temperatures.
I`m the type of person that likes to wax my car after every wash, but I`m finding that some days I just don`t have enough time to spare to wax. It usually takes me 45 minutes to wash and dry the car, and then another 2 hours to wax the car, applying and removing by hand. Don`t get me started on how long it takes to clay the car either. I usually clay it every month. So this week I`m going to skip on waxing the car. For the past month or so, I`ve been waxing after every weekly wash.
I`ve noticed that the car still beads water every week when I wash it, so I guess that means the carnauba is still there, though how much I`m not sure. Plus, I usually go out of my way to find parking spots that supply adequate amounts of shade, so that may be a plus in the longevity of the wax. I don`t expect the car to stop beading water after this next week (so it will be two weeks total from my last waxing), or stop beading at all if I left it for a very long time.
But if I do decide to refrain from waxing, what are some indicators to look for that tell me it`s time for another waxing? I probably will see it stop beading totally if I leave the car for like a year, so I don`t think that will be a good sign. Will I start to see no beading action at all in areas of like 1 feet by 1 feet or something? For those of you who live in similar environments, how long do your carnauba waxes last, and how can you tell when it`s time to rewax?
Also, am I waxing too much if I do it once a week? I can`t really tell if the car looks better or not when I keep waxing every week. Every time I wax, though, the car does look good, but I think that`s just from seeing the wax haze and the car looking dull then buffing off the hazy residue to the shiny surface underneath. Does waxing frequently enhance the shine or gloss of the paint?
I remember when I first started on here, I was talking about how the current paste wax I was using, Meguiar`s Hi-Tech Yellow, was such a pain in the butt to remove and it was so dusty when I was buffing it off. Turns out I was using too much and only had to swipe the applicator along the lip and scrape a little wax out to apply to a large section of the car. The reason being that there`s only a finite amount of wax that will adhere to the paint and the excess was just being buff off anyhow.
So that brings me to the whole notion of "layering" carnauba or whatnot. Is my weekly waxing considered layering the wax? And is there really a purpose? I mean if the wax only adheres to the paint in a finite amount, isn`t any extra just going to slough off when it comes time to buff the waxy residue off? I`ve read on here that reapplication is good for maybe hitting spots that no longer have protection, talking about really small microscopic spots that might deteriorate over the week from concentrated sunlight exposure or whatnot in order to relevel the layer of wax on the car so that every part is protected evenly.
Lastly, does anyone know of any waxes that are fairly inexpensive that provide a slick, smooth surface? I`ve been using S100 for the past month or so, and while it looks good, it doesn`t provide that slick, smooth feel when I run my hand across the paint like other waxes I`ve used, such as Meguiar`s Gold Class paste wax. I`ve even reclayed the car and tried applying the S100, but it still feels grabby, moreso than the Gold Class. I think the consensus on here was that Gold Class contained more oils and fillers that made it more slick to the touch.
Since personal preference comes into play a lot when it comes to the products we use, I`ve decided to maybe alternate week by week from the S100 to a wax that is slick and smooth to the touch like Gold Class. Since I don`t have any Gold Class to use, this is where I have the opportunity to buy something new. I`m looking to spend no more than maybe $20-30 (I`ll get some Souveran down the line eventually, but not now) that fits the bill of leaving the paint smooth and slick with the least amount of staining of trim as possible (that`s what I like about the S100). Any ideas?
And I`ll probably never run of out these waxes. At the rate I`m using this S100, even if I continue to wax each week for a whole year, I`ll probably only be at half of the jar. I wonder how you guys that don`t do this as a business manage to use up all your wax. Hard to buy and play with new wax when you still got a nearly full container of another one nearby. I guess it would be the same with compounds and polishes too.