Okay Guys. I was taught by my dad (God rest his soul) that a car should be religiously and thoroughly waxed at least twice a year; spring and fall.
Spring for the anticipation of the hot summer months, and fall: in the same for the winter months. Being the firstborn, my dad really hammered these things to me, (also the most important of all to never let my tank go below one quarter of a tank…which has made me gasoline OCD to this day)
Anyways… I have heard the most of those waxes out there are nothing better than cucumber coaters…(carnuba…I’m lookin at you) and some claim to be the next best thing to a glass coat. You car renovators,etc…whats the word? I got that urge to wax…what should I choose?
I use Black Magic three times/year.
I’m not convinced that one wax is a LOT better then another one. Personally I like a Carnuba wax. It seems to last the longer then most. Almost every company out there sells a carnuba wax. The MOST important thing is to wax it…doesn’t matter with what…just put some wax on it.
Just look for the word “WAX” , not “polish” or “glaze”, on the can. Macguires products have always worked well for me…
Agreed…
I usually use a three part system…After I wash it…then I use a cleaner…then polisher…then wax…Takes me about 2 hours per vehicle…sometimes I use a barclay.
I like macguires…too…Also like Blue Coral and even Turtle…just stay away from the gimmick waxes you see advertised on TV.
I always used to wax my cars religiously 2-3 times a year, until one day 21 years ago. I spent that day waxing our car while my wife took care of our new baby. My wife believed I should be spending more time helping with our daughter than on the car, and she let me know that. While the discussion did start off as an argument at first, I did listen to her and am glad I did. The years of spending time with our kids and family means far more to me than how shiny our cars were.
My favorite is NuFinish. Yup, it really works.
Of course ANY brand name car wax will work if you use it. Three or four times a year is fine, depending on the climate and where the car spends most of it’s life. If you park in a garage at work and a garage at night you’l most certainly have a much longer lasting finish than if yuo park in the Arizona sun all day.
TSM, I’ve Been Using NuFinish For Many Years. It’s Fairly Inexpensive And It’s Liquid.
It shines very well and lasts quite a while. I’ve even used it in the sun and I like how easily the residue wipes off.
I use a little 5-6 inch electric random orbit waxer to apply it and being liquid helps soften bugs and crap and gets all the little gritties off. I used to do this by hand rubbing, but it kills my wrists for a couple of days and takes three times longer and doesn’t work as well. I still do nooks and crannies by hand, but there’s not many.
CSA
I use an old set of briefs…
The last time CU rated them, Black Magic and a Turtle liquid were tops for very low $. In general, liguids>paste>>spray-on.
It makes a difference if you have a white or very light-coolored car vs. a dark one. Black ones can tolerate no hazing, but some of the ones that do a little hazing are better in other areas.
I generally use paste waxes. I use Carnuba on my red vehicles and Turtle Wax on everything else. I also use Turtle Wax’s chrome polish. I don’t think the brand matters that much.
I agree…family time is far more important…But if keeping your car well maintained and looking nice is important you make the time. I’ve spent several nights working on cars or waxing our cars well past midnight. Don’t start until kids are in bed…that’s when I have MY FREE time…
You’ve gotta be nuts to use wax. Glare auto-polish. Apply, buff. Wash using their carwash replenishes the shine. Dry with a micro-fiber towel and it looks good as fresh waxed. I applied polish a year and a half ago, and have no reason to redo yet.
You’ve gotta be nuts to think polish gives you the same protection as wax.
I like to use Zymol - not because it is great wax, but because it smells good when I am using it. Zymol sold here in the US appears to me to be just Turtle wax with coconut scent in it.
For looks and longevity, I like 3M paste wax. It is easier to apply than you would expect from a paste wax. It is rarely sold in stores but the auto detailing supply websites always carry it.
With regard to the discussion on spending quality time with your kids, my kids have been out in the driveway helping me wash and wax cars since they were preschoolers. Now they are grown, and they know the importance of taking care of their equipment. When my 21 year-old daughter pulled up to her new boyfriend’s parent’s house a couple of weeks ago, they were surprised that a college student was driving a brand new BMW. Her 328 BMW is 13 years old and has over a quarter of a million miles on it, but she takes good care of it.
I agree with you Manolito. When my kids were also growing up…they were taught responsibilty of having to take of things as well…cars and cleaning were one of them. They continue that to this day.
Another rule that we had was that any child of ours that wanted to drive had to learn on a standard. That was the number one rule (we instituted it when x brought me home a used car…and had to teach me stick shift) To this days my kids, myself included, can drive anything.
Auto Polish is NOT a wax…it does NOT protect the paint.
Polish is GREAT for conditioning the paint. In fact…it will actually REMOVE most wax…Once polished the paint is ready to be waxed. Read the directions of any polish…it says that after you polish the paint you need to apply a sealant or wax.
I like to use Zymol - not because it is great wax, but because it smells good when I am using it. Zymol sold here in the US appears to me to be just Turtle wax with coconut scent in it.
Coconut scent - Carnuba Wax.
Read the directions for Glare autopolish. Even the best carnuba shine will fade in 6 weeks, and will yellow eventually. Not the same protection? Anything you say buddy.
I like to use Zymol - not because it is great wax, but because it smells good when I am using it.
I use Shell gasoline for its minty taste, and Valvoline oil for its rosy, but musky sent. 