New to waxing

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badger05

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Dec 6, 2011
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Alright, the more I hang out on BITOG the more I want to take care of my cars. Having just gotten out of college and settling down now I actually have two cars that would benefit from me waxing them I think. My corolla and milan are both black in color.

What would you guys recommend to someone who has never waxed a car before? I'm looking for recommendations on products (I've read the favorite wax thread so I have some ideas here), placement and removal methods, and any other general tips or advice that might help me out.

Unfortunately I'm going to have to wait another two months or so til the weather begins to cooperate where I live. I also expect that it may take a few trys to get the hang of it, but thats ok, it will give me more garage time.
 
You need to give more details. NuFinish is great if you can avoid getting it on vinyl/plastic trim. My Jeep GC has way too much of that trim, so I use Ice paste.

Are you looking for super shine or long lasting shine? Is car very new or could the paint use some mild cleaning.
 
There's a wide range of "analness", if you will, on how deep and serious you can go when it comes to detailing.

If you're just starting out, I'd recommend starting on the more basic end in case you decide it really isn't your cup of tea. Going off the deep end can cost several hundred dollars on high end products and motorized buffers, pads etc. If you find it's your thing, you can upgrade these items later on.

I put together a basic kit for a relative this past Christmas for a relative new to detailing. Menards, Fleet Farm, and even Wal-Mart has decent stuff to get you going.

-Dedicated wash bucket
-2 Microfiber wash mitts
-Sythetic chamois (Absorber)
-A couple packs of terry cloth towels(interior detail, door jambs)
-A Couple packs of microfiber cloths(wax removal)
-A couple microfiber wax applicator pads
-Couple jugs of car wash liquid(Meguiars gold class or pink bottle at WM or FF)
-Mothers cleaner wax(FF)
-Mothers or Meguiars claybar kit(FF or WM)
-Mothers or Meguiars dash/interior dressing(FF or WM)
-Stoners aerosol glass cleaner(WM)
-Meguiars hot tire shine(WM or FF)

I was able to get all this stuff utilizing sales for about $50 and should provide a good basic starting off point.

Best tip I can give as a fellow black car owner is to wash out of the hot summer sun. Getting a good clean paint surface is key to a good wax job, and it can be a PITA to get the soapy water off and dried before the sun dries it out. Find a shady area, or as I've come to prefer, do it on a cloudy day.
 
Do not use nufinish. It's terrible and you will never want to wax a car again. Read the reviews on amazon and check up on any recommendations from this forum.
 
Originally Posted By: badger05
Alright, the more I hang out on BITOG the more I want to take care of my cars. Having just gotten out of college and settling down now I actually have two cars that would benefit from me waxing them I think. My corolla and milan are both black in color.

What would you guys recommend to someone who has never waxed a car before? I'm looking for recommendations on products (I've read the favorite wax thread so I have some ideas here), placement and removal methods, and any other general tips or advice that might help me out.

Unfortunately I'm going to have to wait another two months or so til the weather begins to cooperate where I live. I also expect that it may take a few trys to get the hang of it, but thats ok, it will give me more garage time.


If you just want to do a normal waxing once every couple of months with a full detail, I suggest get something with some fillers in it since you have black cars that will show most imperfections. Off the top of my head I don't know which over the counter stuff have fillers but I imagine most do to a certain extent.

If I were you, I would clay, use a cleaner/polish (I like Meg's Color-X for otc), and wax/sealant (Meg's NXT, Gold Class, 3M Performance Finish, Collinite #845, Meg's #26) . There are boutique stuff if you want to get into that.
 
Originally Posted By: 2Fast4U
Do not use nufinish. It's terrible and you will never want to wax a car again. Read the reviews on amazon and check up on any recommendations from this forum.


This guy seems to be on a mission to badmouth Nufinish and he misrepresents the evidence:

http://www.amazon.com/Nu-Finish-Liquid-C...howViewpoints=1

30 out of 43 reviews are 5 stars. 39 out of 43 are 4 or 5 stars. Conclusive: no way, but still very useful from a wide range of users, abilities, regions, cars, etc.

For a beginner - the ideal product, use very little. Also, do a clay bar treatment first.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: user52165
Originally Posted By: 2Fast4U
Do not use nufinish. It's terrible and you will never want to wax a car again. Read the reviews on amazon and check up on any recommendations from this forum.


This guy seems to be on a mission to badmouth Nufinish and he misrepresents the evidence:

http://www.amazon.com/Nu-Finish-Liquid-C...howViewpoints=1

30 out of 43 reviews are 5 stars. Conclusive: no way, but still very useful from a wide range of users, abilities, regions, cars, etc.

For a beginner - the ideal product, use very little. Also, do a clay bar treatment first.


There are better things out there than NuFinish, especially for ease of use.
 
I definitely was not a "waxing buff" (pun intended) before I joined BITOG. Since then I have probably gone overboard. meangreen01's list of products to wash your car are great. Long lasting durability and protection is what I care about the most, the two best waxes for that are Collinite 476s with a coat of 845 on top. It will last for a long time and shine beautifully. It costs roughly $40 with shipping included on Amazon or Autogeek but the stuff will last you for a loooong time. Wash it and clay bar your vehicles first to get the ground in dirt.

Do NOT get turned off to NuFinish, that is what I would use if I couldn't get Collinite. I have seen NuFinish keep vehicles maintained incredibly well by people who are not so great with car care. The name brands like Meg's and Mothers are good but they will not give you the protection nor durability Collinite (or NuFinish) gives. Great shine and ease of use to be fair.
 
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I'm specifically talking about nufinish cling.
http://www.amazon.com/Nu-Finish-Cling-Sp...howViewpoints=1

Synwax or duragloss will leave a new waxer with a great experience and fantastic results. You can't say that with 'regular' nufinish either. Why? Because it will be horrible if on plastic. It can be a pain to get off. Some people will say you have to claybar first. Should I start to give 15 other excuses people on this forum make?? Is this the kind of experience a new waxer wants?
 
Thanks for the input everyone. Obviously, like most car maintenance, there are going to be extremes for how much time/money/effort one could put into car detailing. Personally, I only imagine having the time to wax my vehicles 2-3 times a year. Therefore, I'm probably looking for something with ease of use (since I'm just learning) and also durability (not sure if these two things go hand in hand however). Something that is durable and can offer my cars protection through a Wisconsin winter would be very appealing to me.

meangreen - Thanks for so much information. The different assortment of applicating and removing towels is one thing I was looking for info on. Thanks.

ronbo - That looks like a pretty impressive review for the Mothers FX Syn Wax. I'm almost tempted to try it just based on that review. Will probably be researching it a bit more.
 
I guess my input for a first timer (especially with Black) is:

1. Make sure your car is squeaky clean. Any dirt will be ground into the paint and result in micro scratches.

2. Use good applicators and removal towels. Cheap towels can micro scratch your paint too.

3. Claying is super simple and easy. I only learned of it a few years ago.

4. "Wax"? First time, I think I would stick with just a applying a mild AIO (all in one) cleaner wax/sealant type.

Nufinish sealant is good, just try to keep it off plastic trim.
Mequires cleaner wax or their pro #21 cleaner/sealant work.
Mequires NXT cleaner sealant is super easy and great on dark colors. It doesn't last too long.
I've been wanting to try the Synwax. Its not available in my area.
Liquid Glass is an old school very mild cleaner sealant that's good. Similar to the Mequirs #21.

After this, you can experiment with some of the "better" stuff IF you have the time.

5. Apply the product very thin. Heavy coats only add to the removal effort. When young, I use to slather it on way too thick.
 
Originally Posted By: gathermewool
I've had great experience with Nufinish...



Me as well. Tried it again for the first time in many years for this winter, and I am very impressed on how well it is doing.

Both my cars look pretty good for the middle of winter....
 
Originally Posted By: badger05
Alright, the more I hang out on BITOG the more I want to take care of my cars. Having just gotten out of college and settling down now I actually have two cars that would benefit from me waxing them I think. My corolla and milan are both black in color.

What would you guys recommend to someone who has never waxed a car before? I'm looking for recommendations on products (I've read the favorite wax thread so I have some ideas here), placement and removal methods, and any other general tips or advice that might help me out.

Unfortunately I'm going to have to wait another two months or so til the weather begins to cooperate where I live. I also expect that it may take a few trys to get the hang of it, but thats ok, it will give me more garage time.


Your paint probably is very dirty and needs a clay bar cleaning before you wax.
 
Originally Posted By: 2Fast4U
Do not use nufinish. It's terrible and you will never want to wax a car again. Read the reviews on amazon and check up on any recommendations from this forum.


Ummmm, no. NuFinish has proven itself to be a top quality product.
 
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
I guess my input for a first timer (especially with Black) is:

1. Make sure your car is squeaky clean. Any dirt will be ground into the paint and result in micro scratches.

2. Use good applicators and removal towels. Cheap towels can micro scratch your paint too.

3. Claying is super simple and easy. I only learned of it a few years ago.

4. "Wax"? First time, I think I would stick with just a applying a mild AIO (all in one) cleaner wax/sealant type.

Nufinish sealant is good, just try to keep it off plastic trim.
Mequires cleaner wax or their pro #21 cleaner/sealant work.
Mequires NXT cleaner sealant is super easy and great on dark colors. It doesn't last too long.
I've been wanting to try the Synwax. Its not available in my area.
Liquid Glass is an old school very mild cleaner sealant that's good. Similar to the Mequirs #21.

After this, you can experiment with some of the "better" stuff IF you have the time.

5. Apply the product very thin. Heavy coats only add to the removal effort. When young, I use to slather it on way too thick.



Based on this advice and some of the other comments I've received on here it looks like I should do the following for starting out: Wash, clay, apply all in one cleaner/wax.

I will probably use some type of all in one 2-3 times this summer before applying something that has longer durability for next winter. I will continue researching for what I think will work best for me.

Thanks again for everyone's input.
 
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