YACT: POLL: Waxing? Yes or No?

MisterPresident

Golden Member
Mar 6, 2002
1,163
0
0
Well as the title states, do you wax your car regularly? I'm not talking about the $1 add on at the drivethru wash place, I mean waxing by hand using Turtle Wax or equivalent. I just got done waxing an SUV, and it doesn't look much better than it did after the wash. Are there any other benefits to waxing other than the looks?
 

pyonir

Lifer
Dec 18, 2001
40,856
321
126
when the temp is 115 and the UV index is beyond unhealthy? No. I don't.
 

Walleye

Banned
Dec 1, 2002
7,939
0
0
Originally posted by: pyonir
when the temp is 115 and the UV index is beyond unhealthy? No. I don't.

pull the car into the garage, and do it in relative coolness.
 

gotsmack

Diamond Member
Mar 4, 2001
5,768
0
71
Yea, I waxed it a few hours ago. 2 coats of the cheap turtle wax. I wax the car about 3 or 4 times a year. The water really beads on the car when it rains as promised by Turtle Wx.
 

ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Mar 20, 2000
102,395
8,558
126
Originally posted by: pyonir
when the temp is 115 and the UV index is beyond unhealthy? No. I don't.

not supposed to wax in direct light...
 

iamwiz82

Lifer
Jan 10, 2001
30,772
13
81
i find washing, polishing, and wax to relax me so i do it as often as possible.
 

Mutilator

Diamond Member
Aug 22, 2000
3,513
10
81
I shudder every time I see an ATOT car care thread. :(
Please visit Autopia and learn a little about proper car care. Waxing is good for many reasons including making your car look better and having the paint last longer. Think of it kinda like sunscreen for your car... when you go out in the sun without sunscreen on you burn and your skin starts to peel off. The same basic thing happens with your car when you don't take care of it over time.
 

Quixfire

Diamond Member
Jul 31, 2001
6,892
0
0
We wax twice a year with a flash coat after every washing.

And we use AMWAY products, and the car looks new after 15 years of michigan weather.
 

Spac3d

Banned
Jul 3, 2001
6,651
1
0
Originally posted by: Mutilator
I shudder every time I see an ATOT car care thread. :(
Please visit Autopia and learn a little about proper car care. Waxing is good for many reasons including making your car look better and having the paint last longer. Think of it kinda like sunscreen for your car... when you go out in the sun without sunscreen on you burn and your skin starts to peel off. The same basic thing happens with your car when you don't take care of it over time.

 

Mr N8

Diamond Member
Dec 3, 2001
8,793
0
76
Originally posted by: ElFenix
OMG TURTLE WAX = TEH SUQ!

Definitely. I use Meguir's Cleaner, Wax and Polish. Take a good 3-4 hours to do it properly by hand. I'm thinking of trying the Klasse all-in-one stuff next time, to see how I like it.
 

jlee

Lifer
Sep 12, 2001
48,518
223
106
Originally posted by: Walleye
Originally posted by: pyonir
when the temp is 115 and the UV index is beyond unhealthy? No. I don't.

pull the car into the garage, and do it in relative coolness.

No garage here.. :(

I've waxed it once...I will eventually do it again, but I want a buffer or something - I'm not too fond of doing it all by hand.
 

DougK62

Diamond Member
Mar 28, 2001
8,035
6
81
I only wax my daily driver to protect the paint. I do it every other month or so. My weekend fun car has never seen wax and never will. Wax = teh suck for shine.

 

Mutilator

Diamond Member
Aug 22, 2000
3,513
10
81
Originally posted by: CadetLee
Originally posted by: Walleye
Originally posted by: pyonir
when the temp is 115 and the UV index is beyond unhealthy? No. I don't.

pull the car into the garage, and do it in relative coolness.

No garage here.. :(

I've waxed it once...I will eventually do it again, but I want a buffer or something - I'm not too fond of doing it all by hand.
Get yourself some P21S paste wax from properautocare.com or the autopia store if David sells it. Or you can go to a local Harley shop and get some S100 (same basic stuff, just marketed towards bike owners). It's like putting melted butter on your paint and then wiping it right back off... no need to wait for it to haze. It doesn't get any easier than that. Using a buffer is actually harder because of the weight of the machine, the vibration, and all the wasted product.
I won't ever polish a car by hand again now that I have my porter cable though. ;)


 

Ornery

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
20,022
17
81
Originally posted by: Mutilator
I shudder every time I see an ATOT car care thread. :(
Please visit Autopia and learn a little about proper car care. Waxing is good for many reasons including making your car look better and having the paint last longer. Think of it kinda like sunscreen for your car... when you go out in the sun without sunscreen on you burn and your skin starts to peel off. The same basic thing happens with your car when you don't take care of it over time.
Oh brother.
rolleye.gif
Those people are lunatics! They make a GD hobby of washing and 'waxing' their cars. It's pretty sick really.

I'll use a car polish on mine twice per year. Takes about 45 minutes to wash and dry, then 45 minutes to polish it. That's plenty! Got enough other things to do that I don't need to spend my life polishing the damn cars.
 

aircooled

Lifer
Oct 10, 2000
15,965
1
0
I need to hire a neighborhood kid to do it. But damn they don't wash cars and mow lawns for $10 anymore!
 

Mutilator

Diamond Member
Aug 22, 2000
3,513
10
81
Originally posted by: Ornery
Originally posted by: Mutilator
I shudder every time I see an ATOT car care thread. :(
Please visit Autopia and learn a little about proper car care. Waxing is good for many reasons including making your car look better and having the paint last longer. Think of it kinda like sunscreen for your car... when you go out in the sun without sunscreen on you burn and your skin starts to peel off. The same basic thing happens with your car when you don't take care of it over time.
Oh brother.
rolleye.gif
Those people are lunatics! They make a GD hobby of washing and 'waxing' their cars. It's pretty sick really.

I'll use a car polish on mine twice per year. Takes about 45 minutes to wash and dry, then 45 minutes to polish it. That's plenty! Got enough other things to do that I don't need to spend my life polishing the damn cars.
Between this and that running thread you're really living up to your name today aren't you? ;)
You could always pay one of those crazy autopians to do the detailing for you... or at the very least make sure you're using Klasse or Zaino or something similar (polymer sealant) for those twice a year applications and not some crappy store bought carnauba that'll last 2 weeks in the sun.
 

DurocShark

Lifer
Apr 18, 2001
15,708
5
56
Originally posted by: MogulMonster
Originally posted by: ElFenix
OMG TURTLE WAX = TEH SUQ!

Definitely. I use Meguir's Cleaner, Wax and Polish. Take a good 3-4 hours to do it properly by hand. I'm thinking of trying the Klasse all-in-one stuff next time, to see how I like it.

DON'T USE CLEANER WAX ON GOOD PAINT!!!

It's got rubbing compound in it... Unless your paint is oxidized just use a good carnuba wax or a glaze/polish like TR3.

Now, if your paint *is* oxidized or has heavy swirlmarks go ahead and use it... I agree that Meguire's cleaner wax is the best I've tried so far. However, you may get better results using a clay bar to remove the oxidation and then use a regular wax, but that's 2 steps. Cleaner wax is just one... heh
 

B00ne

Platinum Member
May 21, 2001
2,168
1
0
How do u guys do the waxing? I mean what do u use to: A) apply the wax, and B) to polish it off? Do u use those polishing machines?

I have a used car with extremely dull weathered paint. SO recently I bought some special wax for that purpose.

I waxed it on with a moist sponge, and then after letting it dry for a couple minutes, poloshed it with Car Cotton Balls (?right word??).
-> Now I have a Tennisarm (r. word?? - my shoulder joint/upper arm bone hurts) (my dad recommended me not to use a polishing machine - for whatever reason, thanks for the pain dad :D)


So what do u guys use?
 

Ornery

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
20,022
17
81
Don't get sucked in by the hype. Most people get rid of their cars after only a few years anyway, so who are you trying to kid about making the paint last longer? A couple applications per year is enough.

WHICH WAX IS BETTER? Zaino or Zymol?
  • Round one was a tie between Zaino Z-2 and Zymol Natural Liquid Auto Polish.

    Round two: Over the course of 4 weeks, people stopped by and looked at the hood, touched it, and gave us an opinion. They were not told which products were used on the sections. The voting was as follows:
    1.) Zaino Z-2 Show Car Polish (70%)
    2.) Zymol Natural Liquid Auto Polish (20%)
    3.) Meguiar's Liquid Clear Coat Car Wax (6%)
    4.) Zymol NSX Glaze (2%)
    5.) No wax (2%)

    Round two, Zaino Z-2 Show Car Polish wins easily.

    Round three: After 4 weeks, we washed the hood with a mild car wash to remove the dust, water spots, and grime. Using a chamois, we dried the hood off. After the hood was dry, we used a light spraying action from the water hose with the hood tilted at about 10 degrees. We wanted to see which wax was still "beading" or "sheeting". The Zaino performed very well. It still had plenty of protection and the water just ran off in sheets. Very impressive. The Meguiar's was horrible. That section performed the same as the section with no wax at all. The Zymol NSX Glaze did very well. It beaded up nicely and the water ran right off of the hood. The Zymol Natural Liquid Auto Polish performed very well too. It was as good as the Zaino.

    Round three, Zaino Z-2 and Zymol Natural Liquid Auto Polish tied for first, followed closely by the Zymol NSX Glaze...
Zymol Natural Liquid Auto Polish is available at Walmart for about $12.00.
 

Mutilator

Diamond Member
Aug 22, 2000
3,513
10
81
Originally posted by: B00ne
How do u guys do the waxing? I mean what do u use to: A) apply the wax, and B) to polish it off? Do u use those polishing machines?

I have a used car with extremely dull weathered paint. SO recently I bought some special wax for that purpose.

I waxed it on with a moist sponge, and then after letting it dry for a couple minutes, poloshed it with Car Cotton Balls (?right word??).
-> Now I have a Tennisarm (r. word?? - my shoulder joint/upper arm bone hurts) (my dad recommended me not to use a polishing machine - for whatever reason, thanks for the pain dad :D)


So what do u guys use?

Washing:
Sheepskin wash mitt
5 Gallon bucket

Drying:
California Waterblade
Waffle Weave Microfiber towel (JT International - search Autopia)
Regular Microfiber towels (JT International)

Polishing:
3M Swirl Mark Remover if necessary #39009
P21S Gloss Enhancing Paint Cleansing Polish
Porter Cable 7336SP Orbital Polisher
Microfiber towels to buff off residue

Waxing:
Currently P21S paste wax... use to use Zaino
I apply it with a regular yellow foam applicator and remove it with microfiber towels

I think that covers the basics... ;)