Silly Question--does a clear coat need waxing?

[bcossa2001]

1997 Avalon...
After a recent wash I waxed 1/2 of the rear trunk with Turtle Wax and cannot tell any difference between it and the rest of the car finsh.

There are multiple products on this forum that get glowing results and I would like to try one; however, if all the wax will do is bead the water then I'll pass....

Thanks in advance..

 

[river_rat]

Helps preserve the clearcoat.

 

[meangreen01]

Originally Posted By: river_rat
Helps preserve the clearcoat.


+1. Sunlight and contaminants in the air, rain, bird poop will break down the clearcoat and then the paint without some sort of protection.

 

[Steve S]

Clear coat is clear paint so ,,,

 

[Noey]

Wax is a protective layer btw'n the clear and the environment, so it acts a barrier btw'n the crud and the paint.

You didn't notice a diff b/c Turtle wax is garbage...treat your car to Meguiars NXT 2.0 and look at those results!

 

[Jeffs2006EvoIX]

What people don't know is most if not all OEM paint jobs have a 5 yr warranty right out of the box. The dealers never tell you this of course because they will lose money on the "teflon coating" they sell for $500. They give it a "5 year warranty to protect your paint" mmmm thats odd, the paint already has a 5 yr warranty. Anyway, I learned that when my Dad was a Manager of an ACURA dealer.

I also have been around the automotive biz with my Dad for over 20 yrs. Do you need to wax a clear coat? Yes. Most definately. If you want to keep the gloss and the shine, you will need to wax the car 1/4ly at least, depending on the enviroment.

I would clay bar 1-2 times a year, wax 1/4ly and use a spray wax in between. Turtle Wax Spray "ICE" wax is very good and has a UV block in it. If there is no UV block don't buy it.

Reds are really tough, they will fade no matter what you do. Its just a fact of having a Red car.

Again, the 5 yr warranty on paint is usually "pro rated" so take that for what its worth, but that also applies to the so called "special coatings" put on by dealers.

Hope this helps you?

Jeff

 

[snowmaker]

wax is a LSP in most cases. Most is in the prep and wax alone will not do much.

 

[Spazdog]

I think paint is one of the areas carmakers have failed to improve in.

Just google [ Insert car manufacturer here ] paint problems. Chrysler and Toyota have over 3 million results. Mercedes Benz almost 4 million. GM is over 4 million. Ford, 11 million.

Even Rolls Royce managed 700,000 results. Mostly complaints about how re-shoots don't match up to the impeccable original quality though.


Just wax it once in awhile for maintenance purposes. It certainly isn't going to make it last any shorter amount of time.

 

[440Magnum]

Modern clear coats benefit from a deep cleaning and polish periodically, but too frequent waxing just wears down the clear. Maybe 1-2 times a year depending on climate.

Even if you just leave it alone and never do anything to it its pretty amazingly tough. Neither one of my jeeps ever got a single coat of wax in the 10 years before I bought them, and although both have some small imperfections from tree sap and bird poop the paint is amazingly intact. If they'd been waxed once a year and (more importantly) washed regularly, they'd still be perfect. A lot of people spend WAY too much time and money on waxing their cars, when they'd be better off doing mechanical maintenance.

 

[MKZman]

If you are using the good applicators and techniques, waxing will not wear down the clear. Poor technique will lead to marring (swirls or generally dulling) but the clear coat thickness is not reduced.

If you are applying a wax and not seeing any difference, it probably means you paint is not in the best condition. Paint needs to be smooth and clean to get maximum benefit from waxes. Swirls, oxidation, etc. can affect paint gloss.

 

[RTexasF]

Clear coat doesn't specifically require "wax" but it does require some protection. A synthetic sealant will give a nice look with longer durability. Neither one "wears down the clear" if used often. That is ridiculous......unless it's applied with a brick.

Duragloss #105 is a light cleaner that leaves sealant behind. Clean car only.
Wet Paint is a waterless wash/paint brightener/sealant. Both are very easy to use and produce good looking durable results. Google for online vendors.

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: MKZman
If you are using the good applicators and techniques, waxing will not wear down the clear.


Absurd. Wax WORKS by removing the surface layer of the paint (primarily oxidized paint in the case of old-style paints that really needed waxing to stay shiny). Every time you wax, you lose just a little paint.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
Absurd. Wax WORKS by removing the surface layer of the paint (primarily oxidized paint in the case of old-style paints that really needed waxing to stay shiny). Every time you wax, you lose just a little paint.


That depends on whether or not the product you are using contains cleaners or abrasives.

I've been told before by the detailing forums, that even if you lightly polished your paint on a regular basis, it is unlikely that you will wear out the clearcoat during the life of your car.

 

[bretfraz]

Car paint today is nothing like car paint from the 1980s or older. Everything today is water based. Paint is much thinner but harder. Most automakers include a UV protectant in the clear to dramatically reduce fading and maintain gloss.

There are very few newer cars with single stage (non-clearcoat) paint jobs. Some cars have a tinted clearcoat which provides an interesting appearance. Some brands like Infiniti are coming with "self healing" paint which is supposed to elminate swirl marks and light scratches.

Bottom line is all these paint technologies benefit from regular polishing and waxing. Some protection is better than no protection. Besides, everyone likes a clean, shiny car.

 

[RTexasF]

Quote:

Absurd. Wax WORKS by removing the surface layer of the paint (primarily oxidized paint in the case of old-style paints that really needed waxing to stay shiny). Every time you wax, you lose just a little paint.


You are confusing wax with polish or compound. Carnauba wax is not abrasive, it is merely a top coat. Even a cleaner wax works chemically not abrasively. Old style paints are no longer a factor and haven't been for a long time.

 

[bcossa2001]

Ok--original poster back after 5 months on spruce metallic 97 Avalon. Washed car and clay barred, then Nu Finish then wax (some old J Wax Kit I had laying around). Picked up lots of stuff with the clay bar. The car is noticeably shinier than before.

I washed/clay barred/Nu finish my son's honda today--wax tomorrow---noticeably shinier. I'm impressed with the clay bar and what it does. His hood was somewhat faded (white car) but the shine on the hood now matches the shine on his fenders...

I have been using Simple green every time I wash our cars. It does a much better job than any other car wash I have used, but apparently it takes off the wax also. I'm curious to see how well the Turtle Wax car wash does on one of the 2 above automobiles when it is time to wash.

One more vehicle--the wife's silver van....sigh....

Having said that I have certainly learned a lot on this forum, but still need to learn some more about spray waxes in between car washes...UV protectant seems to make sense....

 

[Hallmark]

Are you using Simple Green car wash or Simple Green general purpose cleaner? There's a huge difference...if you're using the latter, OMG!

 

[johnsmellsalot]

Do NOT use Simple Green to wash your car. That is worse than using dish soap. Use car soap instead. I've used Turtle Wax Zip Wax to wash my car. It makes the wax on the car last longer because Zip Wax has wax in it. It's been almost a year since I've last waxed my car and water still beads off it. Plus it is only like $5 for a whole gallon at Walmart.

 

[bcossa2001]

Yes, I was using Simple Green General purpose cleaner. By odd coincidence I purchased Turtle Wax Zip wash last week and have started using it. I'm somewhat disappointed because it did nothing to get the bird dropping stains off of my car; however, the car has not been waxed in months....

My regimen for washing and waxing is evidently all wrong.. In the past I have washed cars maybe once every 3 months and then only during the hot seasons. It looks like a lot of the posters on this forum wash their cars MUCH more frequently--like maybe once/week. Evidently I am not washing frequently enough....

 

[RTexasF]

You are not washing it often enough, using the worst products possible (Simple Green), and using a wax that likely went south ten years ago.

Use real car wash soap at least twice a month, use the Nu-Finish at least twice a year, and throw the J Wax in the trash. Nu-Finish should last six months or so and the J-Wax lasts a matter of days so what is the point in layering it?