Can you over wax?

I

imported_Ari

New member
Hi,



Brand new to this forum, it looks a great board! :up



Now apologies if you've been asked this before, but here is my question.



In January this year I took delivery of a brand new Audi A4 Cabriolet finished in Moro Blue, a very deep pearlescent blue. The car looks fantastic.



Before taking delivery I had the dealer apply the "Autoglym Lifeshine" system, which is a series of very heardwearing treatments for the bodywork, glass, interior etc. More details of this system here (I'm afraid it won't allow me to copy and paste). http://www.autoglym.co.uk/frame2.html



About two weeks ago I then gave it my own treatment, comprising of two very thorough washes with Autoglym Car Shampoo, drying with the Autoglym synthetic chamoux, then two coats of Super Resin Polish and a finishing coat of Extra Gloss Protection, plus I waxed the wheels with Super Resin Polish.



Now the car looks great, but it isn't up to the mirror shine standards of the cars you guys have on here. :bow



So my questions, if I may?



Firstly, what else can I do to it?



Is it possible to over wax a car, indeed may I already have done this given that I put three coats on top of the treatment that the dealer had put on only a few weeks before?



How soon should I wax it again?



Is two coats of Super Resin and then a finishing coat of Extra Gloss Protection too much? Should I just put one coat of Super Resin on?



I'd greatly appreciate your advice guys. As I say, the car looks great, but your vehicles are in a different league for finish!



Cheers,



Ari.
 

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:welcome to Autopia



First off, don't sell yourself or your car short. Audi's have excellent paint jobs and your car is brand new so it should be in almost perfect condition. It is 100% impossible to make any judgements while looking at a picture on a computer screen. So its entirely possible that your car looks as good as any here.



To answer your questions, one subject that gets discussed here is the Law Of Diminishing Returns. In terms of car care, you will reach a point where more waxing or polishing really doesn't improve the shine. Spend some time reading threads and you'll find discussions on how products create their gloss and what is done to make paint look glossy.



Can you overwax? Well, yes and no. Yes, you are limited to the amount of wax or sealant that can be applied to your paint. But many car nuts like the process of waxing and polishing so they keep doing it for emotional/psychological reasons eventhough they're not really improving the shine.



I have no idea what else you can do to it. None of us can see your car in person. As you get more educated you'll get more discriminating and will be able to find flaws that need correction. So only you can answer, "what else can I do it?"



Rewax whenever you like. Most of us here do something to our cars every time we wash them, if not more often. The Autoglym stuff should last several weeks at worst so if you want to apply more EGP once a month, go right ahead. Its a judgement call and only you can be the judge.
 
Nice looking Audi :up . I am not familiar with Autoglym but some sealants do not layer. Nevertheless, perhaps monthly applications of the sealant are acceptable.



I use Einszett Glanz Wax and it is not layerable but I do apply it monthly. I polish my SUV every three months. I am satisfied with my regimen.



BTW, welcome to the forum.
 
I know a guy that has 12 collectable cars they are always in a garage. He use to wax them every 8 to 12 weeks with Meg. # 26. He started to notice that they were getting duller and duller. He used Meg . D.C. # 1 to clean the paint then D.C. # 2 to shine it. All he uses is D.C.#2 to polish the paint, No wax He been doing this for a year and a half and is very happy no more dull paint. The cars never sees rain.
 
Cheers guys, thanks fo rthe welcome and advice! :xyxthumbs





lawrencea said:
I know a guy that has 12 collectable cars they are always in a garage. He use to wax them every 8 to 12 weeks with Meg. # 26. He started to notice that they were getting duller and duller. He used Meg . D.C. # 1 to clean the paint then D.C. # 2 to shine it. All he uses is D.C.#2 to polish the paint, No wax He been doing this for a year and a half and is very happy no more dull paint. The cars never sees rain.
Click to expand...



Lawrencea, this is my concern, whether over waxing will lead to a build up and duller finish... :confused:
 
Ari .. all the Audis' seem to have paint like my VW which is excellent .. one step that might be missing in your equasion that you might be seeing here is the "*polishing* step prior to the sealant used. If the paint itself under the *system * applied isn't polished to perfection no matter what you apply on top of it will not bring it to the higest level.



I am refering to ( and only cuz I use it .. there are many out there ) clay then Menzerna Twins "then" the system applied over a surface your pleased with.



BTW awesome car .. my VW dealers is also Audi .. I sat in one the other day.
 
Jesstzn said:




BTW awesome car .. my VW dealers is also Audi .. I sat in one the other day.
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Cheers Jasstzn, I have to say I love the car! :xyxthumbs



So explain this clay bar thing to me? Does this strip everything off the car prior to waxing? If so then presumably it'll take off this "Lifeshine" treatment, which would be a shame since I've paid for it, not to mention all the work putting the extra coats of wax on.



Interestingly, despite offering just about every cleaning product under the sun, Autoglym don't seem to do a clay bar...



Another photo of the motor... :cool:
 

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Hi Ari,

I would just apply 1 coat of super resin and then as much coat's of extra gloss as you like.



If you want to top the extra gloss with a carnuba wax I would recommend P21s wax.



Ryan
 
Thanks Ryan. This "Carnuba" wax is the stuff to use then is it?



I saw a photo in a post by C-MDX, and this is how I'd love my car to look, this is awesome! :bow
 
Ari- I'm familar with Audis and with Autoglym products. It sounds like you did just fine with the SRPx2/EGP. Afer the next wash, you can add more EGP. If you wash the car properly (thorougly) you can do this when you notice the finish starts "lacking something". After maybe four months, redo the SRP then start adding EGP again.



You don't need to worry about overwaxing. I had a situation like the one lawrencea mentioned once, but it was on my garage-queen, a car that got waxed more than it was driven. Only time it's ever happened to me.



Generally, if it's done properly (gently), clay won't remove stuff like your Autoglym. But you're usually using it to remove stuff stuck *IN* the paint (i.e., under all the protection). Do it the next time you'll be redoing the whole SRP/EGP bit.



To make your finish even better, you don't need different products, just better prep work (polishes such as 3M's PI-III MG pn 05937 or Menzerna). Do this AFTER you clay and BEFORE you apply the SRP.



And don't worry about messing up the sealant you had applied. If the SRP didn't already remove it, it'll wear off after a while just like any other wax/sealant.
 
Welcome to Autopia :xyxthumbs



The biggest difference in shine is from the preparation prior to the final stage ie wax or in this case the Extra Gloss, which can be layered.



Autoglym do make a clay but I have only seen it sold in other countries :nixweiss



Lots of different clays for you to choose from here in Blighty.



The Lifeshine is simply the use of the professional range of products. You can buy the same items from a Autoglym distributer or equivalent products from 3M, Meguairs etc. Just out of interest, do you pay extra for the Lifeshine?





Nice looking car :up
 
Ari said:
Thanks Ryan. This "Carnuba" wax is the stuff to use then is it?



I saw a photo in a post by C-MDX, and this is how I'd love my car to look, this is awesome! :bow
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Welcome to autopia! Actually that isn't my car :D. it's AMP99's old Bimmer 7 series.
 
Hi again :)



Thanks for the additional replies, sounds like the clay bar thing is the way to go. I'll have to look into what the clay bar is all about.



To answer the questions, I'm down in the far south-west of England, and yes I did pay extra for the Lifeshine. I was very keen that the car was waxed and protected before it even left the dealership, plus the scotchguarding of the interior struck me as a good idea in a soft top! The treatment came with a huge bag of Autoglym goodies (everything from a sponge to wax) so all in all I think it was good value. I did enquire with Autoglym before I got the treatment done to ensure I could still wax the car afterwards and they assured me I could, which as mentioned above I've now done.



I've had the car two months now and I love it. It is my second Audi Cabriolet and there really isn't a car anywhere near the price that I'd rather have. My last one was Moro Blue too, I love the colour so much that despite thinking that I ought to have something different this time I ended going for exactly the same again. This car is "sport" spec so bigger wheels are the only real external difference although "Sport" gives me better seats, suspension etc. I think a lot of people don't even know I've changed the car! Like black its a colour that gets very dirty very quickly, but its worth the effort for the look when it is clean. :cool:



Here's my previous car...
 
I would not use the sponge on paint, get yourself a wash mit (soft fluffy thing) as sponges trap dirt and very effectively allow the dirt to scratch the paint.
 
Interesting point, I've always used sponges since I first started washing cars, never occured to me to use anything else.



Wonder whether they sell these wash mitts in Holfords? (actually as most of you seem to be in the USA you probably can't answer that! Better just go and see I guess...)
 
Have you ever considered that maybe some people are better photographers than others and that while your car looks fantastic, you just don't have great photography skills or a great camera?
 
Well, no because my car isn't that shiny just looking at it, its not that it is that shiny but it just doesn't look it in the photos. (It is shiny, just not mirror shiny like those pics).



But it has crossed my mind that you probably get a lot stronger sunlight in the States which may help with the impressive photos. :cool:
 
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