The true test as my dad used to say was the “butt test.” When you are done waxing, if you can slide your butt against the side of the car and feel no resistance, then its good.
How very … um … scientific. 
Good test, butt…
I used NuFinish for years, and found it very easy to apply and to remove. I haven’t tried the sprays, but if my arthritis gets any worse I probably eventually will.
50 years ago paste wax was the way to go. But in today’s world, liquid waxes work great. Frankly, the paints used now are low-VOC, not at all the same as the paints used 50 years ago. Much better IMHO… once all the manufacturers figured out how to use it (there were some bad years in the '80s). The new aqueous based paints are much more durable than the old lacquers used to be.
My ladyfriend of many years has a 2002 Corolla that she has not allowed me to wash & wax for at least three years, probably more like five years. Frankly, I can see it slowly losing its sheen as the clearcoat ages, but it still looks pretty darned good. A good cleaning and waxing would perk it right up. She won’t let me touch it because of my own health issues, but since I helped pick it out originally, and because she’s so good to me in so many ways, I feel some sense of responsibility.
By the way, the last time it was done I used NuFinish.
What you use has a lot to do with your goal. If your goal is a showroom finish or better (Concours), then a hand rubbed high quality carnuba paste wax is the only way to go. But if the goal is protection, weekly cleaning with a wash/wax product maybe just as good.
The easier the wax is to use, the shorter its life, but you just do it more often.
I bought the new Meguires crosslink polymer wax but have not been able to use it yet. There is a wasp nest in the window above the hose bib and these are very aggressive wasps. I call them the teenage mutant ninja wasps. They fly in military formation and attack from your blind side. I have used Raid wasp spray, Spectricide wasp spray and Spectricide Pro and so far all I have done is piss them off.
I have come up with a home solution that I will try early tomorrow morning when they aren’t very active and hope it works, but until I get rid of these wasps, the car will remain dirty.
My plan is one complete application, then an application to the front bumper every 6 months or so with an annual application to the hood and roof. Weekly cleanings with a wash/wax will complete the care, though the weekly cleanings may be a lot less than weekly in the winter. My biggest problem is that I live in the country and the front gets covered with bugs and their acidic little body splatters eat holes in the finish.
I should be paid by the local farmers for bug removal services.
I ve been attacked by squadrons of wasps before. they scramble to get airborne, form up, acquire target, and then attack in formation. I always seem to be on the edge of roof working on a gutter when it happens…
edit…my mistake
I call that the “almost fell over test”. I try to remember not to support myself by leaning an arm against the car after it has just been waxed. Good thing the ground only changes in winter.
My dad used to take a cane pole (back when you fished with them and the gas station had stacks of them), wrap a rag on the end. soak it with gas, light it and up the ladder to reach the soffet peak with the wasp nest. Took care of them but had to be careful not to burn the house down.
Re: The wasps problem.
Wasps are much less aggressive at night, esp when it is completely dark.
Me, I’m sort of partial towards wasps as they do a very good job of eating harmful garden bugs. I’d rather have the wasps around than be forced to use insecticides to kill the veggie eating bugs in the vegetable garden. Just the other day I noticed a wasp in the process of eating a big tomato hornworm. That wasp doing his job is plenty more tomatoes for me the way I see it.
For the most part I try to just live with the wasps. I do my thing, they do theirs. I’ve noticed once they discover I’m not going to be aggressive toward them, they’ll generally just leave me alone to do the gardening. They seem to appreciate that I water the garden, as it gives them an opportunity for a drink of water. One time there was a bunch of underground wasps in one part of the garden, and they’d come out and fly toward me one after another in formation, but that’s all they did. Sometimes they’d bump into me. But no stings. The only time I seem to get stung by wasps is pulling up the old dried pea/bean vines for some reason. They’ll be on the vine, I won’t see them, and when I grap hold they’ll give me a little sting on the finger. Go figure.
But if wasps have built a nest near where other people might go, kids etc, like the hose bib, I do remove the nest. In the spring I’m on the watch for wasp nest formation, and if I see one starting, I’ll spray it down with the hose. That works pretty good if you catch it early on. If I don’t catch it in time and it gets to be a full size nest, then I’ll deal with it at night. I usually just get a big piece of cloth, like an old blanket or pillowcase, and wrap over the nest after dark, and remove it. I turn all the lighting in that area out beforehand. If it is so dark I can’t see what I’m doing, I’ll use a flashlight but put a piece of red plastic over it first. I’m not sure if wasps can’t see red very well, or just that the red foil reduces the total illumination.
I believe that Nu Finish Liquid is easier to use than Megular’s, and lasts longer as well. It doesn’t look quite as shiny right after the job is done. I don’t think anyone with arthritis is going to a 4-step process with a clay bar. I have used an orbital polisher which helps to get the big areas done fast. I like the terry bonnets better than the fancy pants new microfiber. A good thing about Nu Finish, you can do it a section at a time. You can leave it on a good while and still get it off. And it’s a one step process.
The home solution I made got rid of the wasps, but then I got sick from that new upper respiratory infection going around. I’ll get to the wax job in a day or two but I am behind on other household jobs, like the grass is about a foot tall now, or seems like it anyway.
Word of caution on NuFInish and also a few others; the leave a white residue on black plastic trim. So if you have black plastic trim, then, read the label and find something that does not. The Turtle was liquid ice is one that I like for this reason.
The easy-to apply-waxes of years past were often silicone based. Not sure if silicone is still used in car waxes these days. I heard some speculations at the time that using silicone wax could be a problem if the car ever needed a new paint job, as the silicone would become embedded in the old paint and might cause an visible problem with the finish if new paint was applied over the top of the old paint contaminated with silicone.
Anybody else ever hear this? Is it a problem any more?
Thanks for the warning about black plastic. The car is all white except for black vinyl/plastic B pillars.
Also, FYI for responders, I am not worried about ultra shiny perfection. Rather I am determined to PROTECT the exterior of the car parts and paint job for the long run. Unfortunately, arthritis rules and requires certain compromises in life. The perfect appearing shiny wax job is one of those compromises. I cannot physically handle the most desirable wax job nor financially pony up $100 or more for professional detailing. So, I will do the best I can, working on it incrementally. Plan to get some product at the nearby Auto Zone or hardware store tomorrow now that I’m over the worst of the 3 week long respiaratory virus that has been putting thousands of young children in hospitals all across the midwest. Waxing a car is merely a moderate chore for most folks. This is a major chore for me but thanks to all the helpful advice I have a better idea how to get it done.
Thank you everyone.
@Marnet - how much will the car be out in the sun? How much driving in snow/salt? If little of either, the need for waxing is limited.
Marnet, I like your attitude. Me, I do what I can on my “good” days and tend to my maladies on my “bad” days. It’s that simple.
And, by the way, I agree with Melott’s assessment of NuFinish as being easier to use than Maguires, albeit not quite as shiny. White residue can easily be removed with that rubber/plastic protectant in squirt bottles (cannot remember the name). I do it all the time.
Yeah we discussed the silicone issue before. Some said it was easily removed with Prep Sol. I’ve heard it is not that easy. I’ve used Prep Sol though and still got fish eyes and even had trouble using the fish eye additive. Can’t say whether it was silcone or not but some body folks are fearful of it. So who knows?
me too…
them s the breaks…
armor all?
Armor all!!! That’s the stuff!!!
Thanks, wes.
your welcome, and I need some armor all myself