Notice that your car or truck's paint isn't as shiny as it used to be? Your vehicle needs more than just a wash to look good. And with this weather we have up here, waxing will keep your paint in excellent condition. You may think that waxing the car is something only your Grandfather used to do to his car and with today's modern paint, that car washes with their spray on wax is all your car needs.
This sadly is not true. Spray on wax just doesn't do even a quarter of the job that real hard wax does. If you want your baby to keep looking it's best, you need to be waxing it for a couple reasons. First off, it's fun! If your not single, don't use waxing the car as an excuse to isolate yourself! Get your significant other involved! It's a great way to spend some time together! Pop open a couple of your favorite beverages and talk while you work. You'll find that being productive together while doing something seemingly mundane can be a lot of fun. I like to make an afternoon of it; if you don't have a buffer it can take about an hour or two. It's also a cheap date, all you need is the wax (two cans if there two of you so everyone gets their own applicator), some micro fiber cloth and a little elbow grease. If your doing it alone, it's a great way to invest your time in something positive. You'll be contributing to the value of your car and you'll feel good driving that nice shiny thing around town.
Second, waxing not only keeps your vehicle looking good and extends the life and shine of your paint, but it can protect it from being scratched also. With all the rain we've been getting, it'll also help prevent water spotting when your car eventually dries as the water will bead much better. Wax does it's magic by filling in micro-scratches in the paint's clear coat. These scratches just happen unfortunately. Most often from washing using a brush that's too stiff or from using a rag or sponge that picked up some abrasive road grim in the washing process. Airborne sand or dust can also cause these scratches. But the good news is that with a well done wax job, those micro-scratches will disappear!
Now, a little bit on the wax. You can spend about twenty dollars on the fancy waxes but I prefer the regular Turtle Wax. It's cheap and makes a nice hard surface that can actually protect your paint from scratches. The fancy waxes are softer, and while they may be easier to apply, they also don't last nearly as long or protect as well. A good wax job should last three to six months. The can says 12 but I don't know about that. Depends on how much you drive I guess. With softer butter waxes I find myself having to redo them much more often. Now there are a lot of different ways to do this as well as a million different products. Hardcore enthusiasts use like 5 different products: a soap to wash, a clay bar kit to remove any other contaminants, a pre-wax conditioner, a hard synthetic wax, then a soft caranuba wax. We're gonna do it the simpler way.
First off, wash the car. Unlike Turtle Wax, good car detergent ain't cheap. I recommend the regular Armor-all Soap. It seems kinda expensive but it's also really concentrated so it actually lasts a pretty long time, bubbles really well and doesn't have a lot of harsh detergents in it. It also preps your paint really nicely. Once you have your baby washed and dried it's time to start waxing! Pick a day that's not too hot. Hardly a problem here but even so. If you have a garage, use it. Direct sunlight can make the wax dry really quick and then its hard to buff. But again not really a problem up here. Enjoy the sun if its out right?
APPLICATION! Use the little spongy thing that came with the wax and dab it in the wax and rub a THIN layer evenly over an area. Like as thin as possible. Smear it around good so the paint is all covered in the little area your doing, then dab more onto the sponge and do another little area. Work like this till you cover the whole car; I like to do a body panel at a time when applying: wax is gunky and it likes to get in places it shouldn't, i.e. between panels. Don't put a lot on the applicator and it'll be easier. The idea is you avoid getting in deep crevasses and on plastics. Especially textured plastics. Rubbing alcohol mixed with water will take it off, but best not to even have to do that. Most of the time it'll just wipe off.
NOW BUFF!! Well, after the wax dries. You can tell when you run your finger over it and it doesn't smear. Then it's time to get your micro fiber cloth and buff all the wax off! Use circular motions (Wax on, Wax off!) and when the cloth starts getting all gunky switch sides or get a new one. This is the most time intensive part but there's really not a big rush in this climate. If you wait too long the wax can get hard to buff off. Remember to take some breaks!
When your done, marvel at what your hard work has done! And tell us how it went!
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