want to wax my car..any tips?

[Semidevil]

I've never been able to wax my car to where it looks good. never as shiny...is there any techniques to wax them?

all I usually do is use the turtle wax stuff, and wax in small circles...but that literally takes hours....................

 

[Specop 007]

Clean rags.
Wash top to bottom.
Start at the front and wash all the way to the back in one motion.
Same for waxing, the whole length in one sweep, none of this wax on wax off sh1t.
Buf the same way.

 

[PELarson]

Yes, wax on wax off wax on wax off.

 

[venk]

1)Buy Wax
2)Wax Car
3)Profit

BAHHAHAHAHAHAH.....I FIgured out Step 2, I am soooooo l33t!!!!!

 

[OS]

Generally turtle wax is not the best stuff. They do make a colored polish I like, which does a good job of minimizing the appearance of scratches/chips/etc. Meguiars is pretty good for retail available stuff.

Do a proper wash firs; rinse, wash, rinse, dry. Only use car wash soap and cotton rags. Don't wash in direct sunlight. If your paint feels rough/contaminated, consider using a clay bar.

Wax one section at a time. Let it dry to a glaze, buff it with a cotton rag, turn over the rag to a clean section for final wipe. Don't wax in direct sunlight.

 

[white]

if you want a good shine, you're going to have to put in the time. you'll need to wash real good and make sure all the dirt is off. then remove swirls and then wax with quality (stuff that doesn't scratch) towels. and don't use turtle wax.

 

[HiTek21]

Wash your car thorougly with dawn dish soap
dry it with a chamosis or a good quality bath towel (Crestfield or Cannon Brand)
use a claybar kit and remove all paint contaminates
wash the car again with good car wash soap

apply wax with either a foam applicator or a terry cloth applicator & wipe off with a good quality terry cloth towel. You can use a nice microfiber towel for the final wipe down.
apply a layer of swirl remover & wipe off.
apply a layer of polish & wipe off
apply a layer or two of carnuba wax & wipe off.

It'll probably take you serveral hours to do this process but the end results will shock you. Your paint will feel like glass and look like a mirror.

There are hundreds of waxes to choose from, each will give you different results (shine vs lifespan) a good wax to go with would be zaino or poor boys. Carnuba waxes usually dont last very long but it gives you a really nice shine synthetic waxes dont give the shine of a carnuba but last a lot longer. I'd stay away from Meguiars cleaner & carnuba waxes (that includes the gold class wax), it'll give you a nice shine the day you wax it and for 2 weeks then it'll look dull again.

To speed up the process you could buy a power buffer like a Porter Cable 7424 random orbit buffer and foam pad kit from autopia (it'll cost you a lot but it cuts the time in half to do a car)

Proper Autocare
Autopia Car Care
Zaino Wax
Poorboys

A quick way to get a good shine is to use Meguiars 3 Step. It's pretty quick, cheap and looks good when you're done.

Step 1 Paint cleaner will remove contaminates and light swirl marks.
Step 2 Polish will give it a wet look
Step 3 Carnuba wax will protect the paint

I would avoid using step 3 and find a better brand of wax. All that time spent polishing will go down the drain in a couple of weeks.

 

[TheLonelyPhoenix]

Caranuba wax is what most guys recommend, its got a really nice shine to it and usually lasts about 2-3 months.

Avoid waxing if it is extremely hot or cold outside. Park your car in a shaded spot if possible.

Remember the path you take over the surface of the car while applying wax. By the time you get to the end, it should be time for you to go back to the beginning and wipe off.

Use clean, lint free rags.

 

[JoeKing]

Have the mexican dudes at the car wash do it for you. Ya you gotta spend $50 (external only that's why it's cheap), but no matter how hard I try, I can never equal the job these guys can do.
I get it done about once every 4 months, so I just rationalize it as $11 a month for car maintenance.

 

[loic2003]

Originally posted by: OS
Generally turtle wax is not the best stuff. They do make a colored polish I like, which does a good job of minimizing the appearance of scratches/chips/etc. Meguiars is pretty good for retail available stuff.

Do a proper wash firs; rinse, wash, rinse, dry. Only use car wash soap and cotton rags. Don't wash in direct sunlight. If your paint feels rough/contaminated, consider using a clay bar.

Wax one section at a time. Let it dry to a glaze, buff it with a cotton rag, turn over the rag to a clean section for final wipe. Don't wax in direct sunlight.

The coloured stuff often contains a mild abrasive in order to 'sand out' minor scratches and imperfections, take a good look at the back of the bottle before you buy. Not a good idea for regular use. Turtle wax is the bomb and leaves nice protective layer. Other than that, the above advice seems sound.

 

[TRDGT]

Wash car with Dawn to remove old wax if any.
Re-wash car with real car wash.
Clay bar hood and roof and trunk.
Buy a good orbital such as a Porter Cable.
Use a good polish and buff out, do a panel at a time.
Apply a glaze,same as above. remove with microfiber towel.
Next,use a good quality wax. NO Turtle Wax!!!!!!! do a panel at a time,remove with microfiber towel.
Lastly,use a good detail spray,use a real cotton towel.
Stand back and have a beer.

 

[gsaldivar]

Originally posted by: JoeKing
Have the mexican dudes at the car wash do it for you.

:thumbsup:😀

 

[Kaido]

My way:

1. Buy some Turtle Wax (the paste) and park your car in a shady area out of the sun. Do NOT wax while it's cold outside, otherwise you'll spend forever trying to get the wax off.
2. Get a soft, clean towel
3. Using the sponge thing that comes with the Turtle Wax, apply the wax to one body panel at a time (hood, front passenger door, trunk, etc.). Rub in a circular motion.
4. Once you've applied the wax to the first body panel, move on and do a second body panel. By the time you finish the second panel, the first body panel should be dry enough so that you can take the towel and wipe off the dried wax.
5. Apply the wax to a third body panel, when you're finished, wipe off the second, and so on. Basically, you're just allowing time for each section to dry and then removing the wax from it. If you try to do the entire car at once, (1) the wax will get harder, and (2) it's less manageable. It's like the old saying, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Just take it one panel at a time and you'll never get overwhelmed or behind. Finish the car this way and it should be nice and shiny 🙂

Also, don't get too close to the locks, door handles, or trim of the car. It's REALLY hard to get wax off around beveled edges and such. Wax down to about a quarter inch around those things, then when you use the towel, push the dried wax/towel mix closer to the handle so that that area gets shiny too. If you do get too close and can't rub it out, get a soft toothbrush to remove the way from the area.

As for washing your car, my dad taught me not to use car soaps unless you have tar or something on your car that won't come out. Car soaps aren't very good for car paintjobs. Same thing for Windex, it'll rot away the weather stripping. So, for washing:

1. Spray the whole car down with water
2. Get a towel and clean each panel in a circular motion, holding the water hose over the towel so that it washes off any dirt. Dirt is the most abrasive stuff on the planet and will scratch your car, so keep that water running over each section as you work.
3. Use a soft t-shirt to do the windows.
4. Only use car soap if you can't get tar or some other crud off your windows.
5. Use a chamois (a special super-absorbant towel) to dry off your car. Otherwise you could get water spots.

I like to wash once a week and wax every two weeks. Except now there's snow everywhere and my car hasn't gotten any kind of a wash in like two months 😛

 

[Sheepathon]

Kaido does it the exact same way I do, with turtle wax, too, except I do the whole car so I get an arm workout later : /

 

[dartworth]

Originally posted by: HiTek21
Wash your car thorougly with dawn dish soap
dry it with a chamosis or a good quality bath towel (Crestfield or Cannon Brand)
use a claybar kit and remove all paint contaminates
wash the car again with good car wash soap

apply wax with either a foam applicator or a terry cloth applicator & wipe off with a good quality terry cloth towel. You can use a nice microfiber towel for the final wipe down.
apply a layer of swirl remover & wipe off.
apply a layer of polish & wipe off
apply a layer or two of carnuba wax & wipe off.

It'll probably take you serveral hours to do this process but the end results will shock you. Your paint will feel like glass and look like a mirror.

There are hundreds of waxes to choose from, each will give you different results (shine vs lifespan) a good wax to go with would be zaino or poor boys. Carnuba waxes usually dont last very long but it gives you a really nice shine synthetic waxes dont give the shine of a carnuba but last a lot longer. I'd stay away from Meguiars cleaner & carnuba waxes (that includes the gold class wax), it'll give you a nice shine the day you wax it and for 2 weeks then it'll look dull again.

To speed up the process you could buy a power buffer like a Porter Cable 7424 random orbit buffer and foam pad kit from autopia (it'll cost you a lot but it cuts the time in half to do a car)

Proper Autocare
Autopia Car Care
Zaino Wax
Poorboys

A quick way to get a good shine is to use Meguiars 3 Step. It's pretty quick, cheap and looks good when you're done.

Step 1 Paint cleaner will remove contaminates and light swirl marks.
Step 2 Polish will give it a wet look
Step 3 Carnuba wax will protect the paint

I would avoid using step 3 and find a better brand of wax. All that time spent polishing will go down the drain in a couple of weeks.

This post right here^^ is all you need.

Check out Autopia. Lots and lots of good reading...🙂

 

[gscone]

Turtle wax is a pure garbage. mY wax of choice is nothing but Zaino. Pricier, but the quality is def. there.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: gscone
Turtle wax is a pure garbage. mY wax of choice is nothing but Zaino. Pricier, but the quality is def. there.

why? it always made my truck look nice 🙂

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: dartworth

Originally posted by: HiTek21
Wash your car thorougly with dawn dish soap
dry it with a chamosis or a good quality bath towel (Crestfield or Cannon Brand)
use a claybar kit and remove all paint contaminates
wash the car again with good car wash soap

apply wax with either a foam applicator or a terry cloth applicator & wipe off with a good quality terry cloth towel. You can use a nice microfiber towel for the final wipe down.
apply a layer of swirl remover & wipe off.
apply a layer of polish & wipe off
apply a layer or two of carnuba wax & wipe off.

It'll probably take you serveral hours to do this process but the end results will shock you. Your paint will feel like glass and look like a mirror.

There are hundreds of waxes to choose from, each will give you different results (shine vs lifespan) a good wax to go with would be zaino or poor boys. Carnuba waxes usually dont last very long but it gives you a really nice shine synthetic waxes dont give the shine of a carnuba but last a lot longer. I'd stay away from Meguiars cleaner & carnuba waxes (that includes the gold class wax), it'll give you a nice shine the day you wax it and for 2 weeks then it'll look dull again.

To speed up the process you could buy a power buffer like a Porter Cable 7424 random orbit buffer and foam pad kit from autopia (it'll cost you a lot but it cuts the time in half to do a car)

Proper Autocare
Autopia Car Care
Zaino Wax
Poorboys

A quick way to get a good shine is to use Meguiars 3 Step. It's pretty quick, cheap and looks good when you're done.

Step 1 Paint cleaner will remove contaminates and light swirl marks.
Step 2 Polish will give it a wet look
Step 3 Carnuba wax will protect the paint

I would avoid using step 3 and find a better brand of wax. All that time spent polishing will go down the drain in a couple of weeks.

This post right here^^ is all you need.

Check out Autopia. Lots and lots of good reading...🙂

free ebook, w00t!