Waxing

[ScionWes]

Hey gang,



As most of you know from my previous threads, I have a new Scion tC and am trying my best to keep it in beautiful condition.



The car has seen a few washes and because I drive 12 miles on the freeway to and from work every day, I hit the quarter car wash nearly every day after work and powerwash the bugs and other debris off the car that builds up from the trips. I wash it thoroughly every Sunday afternoon with my own stuff here at the house.



I have not waxed the car yet. I was wondering when you should wax the car and how often? After every wash on sunday? Once a month?



I bought that Poorboys soap package from Danase and I believe some form of wax came with it. I honestly have never waxed a car, and I'm not too sure what to use and really how to do it. I have a pretty good idea that you apply the wax in a circular motion with a pad and do a small section at a time, letting the wax dry to a haze. Then buff away. Any tips on doing this better would be greatly appreciated. Also, I dont have any kind of power wheel to use so this would all be done by hand. Any recommendations as far as wax products are concerned would be good help too





Thanks guys,



-wes

 

[Envious Eric]

I wax at least once a month, sometimes if I am bored twice a month

 

[abbeysdad]

Ah...you caught that 'new car fever' too. Be careful when the fever breaks!!!



You 'can' wax as often as you want, but once every three months is often enough.

You can monitor the need to 'wax' by seeing how well the water beads up when washing and during a rain.

I personally lean more towards polymers than carnuba waxes, but that's a personal preference - I think you get more durability from polymers than wax (although many will argue that true wax products offer a deeper/wetter shine. There are many good products to choose from and there is no 'holy grail' product standing over all others.



You should 'wax' yesterday - modern paints are cured in drying chambers and you don't need to delay before adding the surface protection for that new ride.



But lets back up. I think you might be over doing it with the daily washes - especially if you're using the coin-op soap spray which may be a bit strong. I would spray without the soap, just enough to get the bugs and road grime off - maybe alternate with the soap. If/when you have a good 'wax', the bugs won't stick and/or will come off pretty easily. Another alternative is to use a bug/tar remover and spot clean (assuming the bug slatter is minor).



You might consider using a 'wax' product that also has a spray wax. For example, I put Meguiars NXT Generation Tech Wax (a ploymer) liquid (I used liquid instead of paster because I applied with my PC 7424) on my new Rendezvous. I've augmented this every other week or so with the NXT Gen Spray wax . This is quicker than a full 'wax' and reinforces the shine and protection of the base 'wax'. I'm getting good sheen and reflection especially considering it's frost white.