REVscene - Vancouver Automotive Forum

Nintensity · 10-13-2010, 08:52 PM

Hello, Revscene!

I'm looking for tips on waxing my car! (not the other type of waxing). Earlier on today, I bought a "Perfect Palm Applicator" (see image below) along with some Turtle Wax and a Microfibre Cloth at Canadian Tire.

Anyways, after washing and drying my car, I applied the Turtle wax among the surface of the car, and carefully blotting the wax around with the Palm Applicator. Afterwards, I used the Microfibre cloth to gently remove any excess wax off the car in a vertical motion.. But I was worried if I might scratch the car using the vertical motions from my Microfibre cloth.

Can I get other tips on how to carefully waxing your car without instilling scratches into the surface? Mine is a black car, so scratches will be more visible to the human eye, so I really want to find out the best way to wax the car without scratching it.

Any tips, tricks, stories, or videos you would like to share?

!Yaminashi · 10-13-2010, 09:33 PM

As long as the microfibre is clean I highly doubt you'll risk scratching your paint.
You're gonna need lots of those suckers if you're doing it by hand.

Personally I like sealant, it TENDS to last longer.
There are also alot of spray and wipe alternatives too. Give 911fanatic a call and he can set you up with something ideal

snowball · 10-13-2010, 11:02 PM

^ wax on top of a sealant, even better!

If you cloth is and car are clean you won't scratch your car. You're most likely to make swirl marks when you are washing the car rather than as you're waxing it.

Make sure you have proper washing techniques and use two buckets, one for soap, and one for rinsing your washmitt.

Bonka · 10-13-2010, 11:17 PM

I've got tons of detailing stuff. If you come by to pick up my calipers I'll help you out

As long as you clay before and/or make sure the paint surface is relatively smooth it should not marr the clearcoat. A few times I've had a tiny speck of sand on the applicator leading to some scratches that I couldn't completely remove even with Powergloss.

Matsuda · 10-13-2010, 11:28 PM

i think Nintensity should wax my car for me =)

ilvtofu · 10-13-2010, 11:39 PM

Not really about scratching but especially on darker cars you want to make sure all the wax in the gaps are wiped off, my car still has some from the last time, they don't show right away >.<
also make sure u don't get it on your plastic trim, it's a bitch to get out

Nintensity · 10-14-2010, 12:40 AM

Yeah @ilvtofu.. I realized that the previous owner had left some wax residue leftover, which caused the plastic to form this white layer that I don't know how to get off. any suggestions? I'll show you guys pictures of it tomorrow when its bright.

@Matsuda, HAHA, Only if you teach me more photo techniques

I'm dying to learn more!

@Bonka, I'll let you know tomorrow

Kill 2 birds with 1 stone if I learn a thing or two about waxing as well if I nab the Calipers. Will let you know tomorrow....

Anyways, after doing some research around, I heard Turtlewax isn't the way to go these days, I'm going to try to pick up a claybar and some Meguiars wax at Canadian tire (if anyone has got any, PM me!)

jjl · 10-14-2010, 01:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nintensity

Yeah @ilvtofu.. I realized that the previous owner had left some wax residue leftover, which caused the plastic to form this white layer that I don't know how to get off. any suggestions? I'll show you guys pictures of it tomorrow when its bright.

Anyways, after doing some research around, I heard Turtlewax isn't the way to go these days, I'm going to try to pick up a claybar and some Meguiars wax at Canadian tire (if anyone has got any, PM me!)

Turtle wax was popular back in the days... If you're going to pick up some Meguiar's wax, the only thing decent carried at Ctire is NXT which is very overpriced. You could pick up some Autoglym HD wax, or Ken(Autowerkesexclusive) carries some nice waxes, some cheaper than NXT. You can also pick up some Zaino locally.

Some APC (All purpose cleaner), or rubbing alcohol should get rid of the wax residue. Some agitation may be required to get it off. Be sure to follow up with some protection. Some waxes won't stain trims, but obviously the previous owner wasn't careful enough

Make sure to apply wax thinly. Using too much is wasteful and it's just more work to buff off later. To be safe you could do two layers to ensure coverage for your first application.

Bonka · 10-14-2010, 02:23 AM

There are a lot of good off the shelf waxes without breaking the bank. NXT is a good wax but durability is awful and depending on whether you like a deep, wet or reflective shine it might not be the one for you. Meg's #26, #16 or Mother's carnauba all in tin form are good over the counter waxes they seem to be a good compromise between durability and look, but you'll have to decide what you want out of a wax to find the one that's suitable for you.

snowball · 10-14-2010, 03:15 AM

^ 26 looks incredible once it's cured, unfortunately I never found it to last long since it's pure carnauba.

Mugen EvOlutioN · 10-14-2010, 08:49 AM

i tried out pretty much all of the waxes that you can buy over the counter shelf and i finally realize sealant is the way to go

tho sealant is not as smooth/shiny/glossy as compare to wax, but their durability is wayyyyyyyyy longer

wax lasts anywhere from 2-5 weeks and thats it

sealant can lasts 2-4 months

http://www.autoobsessed.com/shop/images/no.845.jpg

thats what i use they lasts a longggg time

easy to apply easy to come out

http://www.autowerkesexclusive.com/p...ger/index.html

thats what Yaminashi uses and apparently he said its really great, havent had the chance to try it out. But so far collinite sealant does the job

i wonder if i should apply a coat of wax than sealant, or vice versa

or just 2 coats of sealant for longer durability

jjl · 10-14-2010, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mugen EvOlutioN

i tried out pretty much all of the waxes that you can buy over the counter shelf and i finally realize sealant is the way to go

tho sealant is not as smooth/shiny/glossy as compare to wax, but their durability is wayyyyyyyyy longer

wax lasts anywhere from 2-5 weeks and thats it

sealant can lasts 2-4 months

http://www.autoobsessed.com/shop/images/no.845.jpg

thats what i use they lasts a longggg time

easy to apply easy to come out

http://www.autowerkesexclusive.com/p...ger/index.html

thats what Yaminashi uses and apparently he said its really great, havent had the chance to try it out. But so far collinite sealant does the job

i wonder if i should apply a coat of wax than sealant, or vice versa

or just 2 coats of sealant for longer durability

If your comparing 845 to carnauba, then most likely it won't have a nicer appearance. Collinite is definitely dubbed as a durability sealant but some people find it lacks in appearance. I've never tried it myself though so I don't know!

But there are plenty of sealants that look great. They typically offer more shine, but I think the deep wet look is there too. A wax/sealant can only do so much to a cars appearance. Polishing is the best bet, and keeping that sealed with wax consistently will help to maintain your cars new car look for a long time.

Definitely apply wax on top of the sealant, otherwise the sealant will have issues bonding with the paint if you try applying it over wax. It is also nice to wait 12 hours to let the sealant cure before applying the wax on top.

Two coats of sealant is great to ensure missed coverage. Some more might make it shine a little more, but anymore than that within a few days sitting is a waste in my opinion.

I use zaino z2 topped with p21s or z8 in the summer when we see sun for 3 months straight. Then I use zaino z5 in the fall/winter/spring. I've been wanting to try possibly the optimum spray wax line or some sealant/carnauba hybrid wax next year.

Mugen EvOlutioN · 10-14-2010, 05:50 PM

coo thx alot

so its sealant than wax

not wax than sealant

snowball · 10-14-2010, 06:43 PM

^ yeah you want the layer that will break down earliest to be on top, if you put the wax on the bottom it will start breaking down before the sealant and make the sealant break down earlier, you should reapply ur wax on top of the sealant every month to make the sealant last even longer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjl

I've been wanting to try possibly the optimum spray wax line or some sealant/carnauba hybrid wax next year.

the spray wax is my go to LSP now because it's so fast, takes less than 10 minutes to do a small car and the results are great.

Mugen EvOlutioN · 10-14-2010, 08:19 PM

^

except soon it wil be way too cold to wash/wax your car

guess another coat of sealant makes more sense than wax

jjl · 10-14-2010, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gatorade

^ yeah you want the layer that will break down earliest to be on top, if you put the wax on the bottom it will start breaking down before the sealant and make the sealant break down earlier, you should reapply ur wax on top of the sealant every month to make the sealant last even longer.

the spray wax is my go to LSP now because it's so fast, takes less than 10 minutes to do a small car and the results are great.

What kind of spray wax are you using? I'm thinking of getting optimum poli-seal/clear seal/spray wax combo. Only downside is it doesn't have much of a beading effect, although it does sheet water well.

To be honest though once I have the few layers of sealant on, I put on very thin layers and it takes no effort to buff off, one towel can handle the entire car.