# Waxing car **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** chevrolet, malibu\ **Created:** [September 11, 2010, 3:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/waxing-car/54955 "2010-09-11T15:07:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kimalanis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3da27b/32.png) [@kimalanis](https://community.cartalk.com/u/kimalanis)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 3:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/waxing-car/54955/1 "2010-09-11T15:07:37Z")
Do I need to wax my 2008 car? ---
**Author:** ![Joe-Guy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joe-guy/32/124_2.png) [@Joe-Guy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joe-Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 3:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/waxing-car/54955/2 "2010-09-11T15:17:34Z")
You only need to wax your car if you want to protect it from dirt and other stuff. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 3:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/waxing-car/54955/3 "2010-09-11T15:17:53Z")
You only need to wax it if you want to keep the paint looking good. My cars, which are garaged, and which are washed about once a month and waxed just once a year, look virtually like new cars when I finally trade them in after 8 or 9 years. By comparison, many other cars that are only a few years old tend to look far older than my 8-9 year old cars. The difference is in how their paint was protected. In addition to garaging, washing, and waxing my cars, I am also very careful to put touch-up paint on any nicks and scratches as soon as they appear. When you hand-wash your car and when you wax it, this allows you to get “up close and personal” with the paint and causes you to be much more aware of nicks and scratches. Even if the appearance of the car is not a priority for you, its appearance will have an effect on its value when you sell it or trade it in later in its life–so taking care of the paint can pay off, literally. The choice is yours. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 4:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/waxing-car/54955/4 "2010-09-11T16:26:40Z")
No you do not…that is IF you don’t mind the paint becoming dull, oxidized, and perhaps even disappearing leaving exposed metal to surface rust (especially if you live in the sun belt). If you’d like your car to continue looking new year after year, then you need to wax the car well three or four times annually. Of take it to a detailer and have them do it. ---
**Author:** ![missileman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/missileman/32/1366_2.png) [@missileman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/missileman)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 4:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/waxing-car/54955/5 "2010-09-11T16:32:06Z")
I would. It protects the paint and keeps it looking good year after year. ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 7:06pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/waxing-car/54955/6 "2010-09-11T19:06:25Z")
Well it really depends. You local weather and air quality, where is may be stored, where you live (near a steel mill means waxing it daily ? ) waxing is up to you. I wax once or twice a year. I use a good wax and at eight years so far, the finish is still looking great and I am still on the same bottle of wax. ``` Modern finishes from the factory are great and they don't need the amount of care that cars needed in the old days when I was a kid. It is up to you. Good Luck. ``` ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 1:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/waxing-car/54955/7 "2010-09-12T13:23:39Z")
I wax our vehicles 3 times a year…My 05 4runner looks far far better then my neighbors 08 Pilot (who’s never waxed her Pilot). Since I tend to keep my vehicles 10+ years and usually well past the 250k mile mark I want to keep them looking good. The better it looks the more likely you’ll keep it up (mechanically).