Too Much Wax: Really an Issue?

[gathermewool]

I've heard of too much old wax minimizing gains while adding new wax, sealants, etc. Does it affect protection, however? For me, protection is all I care about.

Let's say I wax with carnauba wax every time I wash every six months or so. Will this cause buildup? Does it matter?

Just curious.

 

[gregk24]

If your waxing every 6 months with carnauba you won't have any build up. It likely will be long gone at that point if your car spends any significant time outside.

 

[gathermewool]

I should have left out the time frame.

The questions I really want to know the answers to:

1. is the only detriment looks?

2. Does a thicker layer offer more protection?

3. What about waxing on, but NOT waxing off? Would that visible film allow for more protection or would it attract more dirt?

 

[WylieCoyote]

I've never seen "wax buildup". When I was in my teens, I waxed my car every other weekend. Some of my friends back then told me my paint looked like it was a foot thick. That was back in the days when I had the energy to compound, polish, and wax by hand when I bought my first car. I don't know if it's even possible to wax too much. You can POLISH too much, but that's a different animal. I don't think it will pile up as you may be imagining. Wax to your heart's content. Just know that you can save yourself a lot of labor by making sure you've prepped the surface before you put wax on it. Wax adheres better to (and last longer on) a clean, smooth, decontaminated surface. Long gone are my days of waxing every other weekend. I correct the surface, apply a polymer "wax" and then maintain it with the use of a spray sealer after every wash. My cars are very shiny and always bead water, without all the labor.

 

[JoelB]

You don't get more protection from more layers. In general you may get more longevity as the wax flashes off or wears away from washing. If protection is what you seek I would use a sealant or ceramic coating. Carnauba wax doesn't last long and is pretty old school at this point. More for pre-show prep or a temporary gloss boost.

 

[RTexasF]

For me, protection is all I care about.

Then why are you using carnauba wax? A straight carnauba is for "show & shine" not protection. Collinite #845 is a hybrid with carnauba and long lasting. There are at least 100 different sealants that would do also the job.

Wax on but not wax off? Pointless and you may need a chisel to get it off your paint down the road.
Switch products and go on with life.

 

[WylieCoyote]

I forgot to add, like RTexasF says above, always remove the haze. My former boss thought it would be smart to apply a coat of wax (I think it was Raindance) to the roof of his conversion van. After many weeks of sunny days, he decided to get up there and wipe it off. It didn't come off. Ever.

 

[gathermewool]

Edit: I just realized that I tossed a bunch of old wax (some were separating) that I had accumulated over the years and ended up using the wax you see pic'd below.

Even still, I was more asking hypothetically, since I don't know much about detailing, since I haven't waxed either of our vehicles in YEARS! I understand that I need to do a lot more research on a subject I haven't paid much attention to over the past decade. The thread recently describing spray-on waxes as being excellent kind of blew my mind and got me thinking. I just used the last of my spray-wax to use for clay lube. Now that that's gone I've purchased a dedicated lube (Chemical Guys)

I'm looking for the shortest distance to the goal and you guys have given me some good tid-bits, thank you!

 

[gathermewool]

I forgot to add, like RTexasF says above, always remove the haze. My former boss thought it would be smart to apply a coat of wax (I think it was Raindance) to the roof of his conversion van. After many weeks of sunny days, he decided to get up there and wipe it off. It didn't come off. Ever.

Interesting. I wipe off all of the haze at the time, but I'm probably adding too much wax at a time, because there's always a return of haze here and there (no large surface areas). I carefully wipe those as I see them.

 

[gathermewool]

I know this sounds bad, but the reason I stopped taking cares of my cars as much as I used to (and ended up with a lot of old products) is because they look pretty boring no matter what I do to them. Or so I thought. After a simple wash, clay, and wax job, the Legacy looks pretty darned good. I cleaned the STI BBS wheels with a brush and they came out nicely, too. I'll see about waxing the wheels if I end up swapping the winter setup on this year. So far, it's been pretty warm for a swap.

I ended up driving the Forester a few times after washing, but before waxing, so I lost the opportunity there.

 

[manicrodder]

I forgot to add, like RTexasF says above, always remove the haze. My former boss thought it would be smart to apply a coat of wax (I think it was Raindance) to the roof of his conversion van. After many weeks of sunny days, he decided to get up there and wipe it off. It didn't come off. Ever.

The only wax I know of that can stay on indefinitely without being removed is Jax Wax Carnauba Liquid Paste Wax. Show car owners have been known to leave it untouched for months then blow the dust off and wipe off.
Short-lived beauty wax but so easy to apply and remove in my opinion.

 

[jimbrewer]

I’ve had wax buildup. So far as I know it doesn’t hurt anything.

 

[RTexasF]

gathermewool -

NXT 2 is a sealant in spite of the word wax in the description. I found it to not be as durable as others but you're on the right track for longevity as compared to straight carnauba.

 

[CatCam2]

Call me crazy but the best product if you want to protect your car is NuFinish. There is a reason it's been around forever.

 

[GMBoy]

Call me crazy but the best product if you want to protect your car is NuFinish. There is a reason it's been around forever.

CRAZY lol

A lot of people still use New Finish but its far from the best product. Easy to use and does last long but you don't get the ease of use and shine as with other products available.

 

[Eddie]

I use NuFinish and would like to find a better sealant/wax that retains all the attributes NuFinish has.

 

[RooflessVW]

I use NuFinish and would like to find a better sealant/wax that retains all the attributes NuFinish has.

Jescar Powerlock.
Can Coat.
Turtle Wax Seal n' Shine
Adam's Ceramic Spray Coating
McKee's 37 Hydro Blue
NanoSkin Ceramic Boost
NanoSkin Super Charger

 

[jimbrewer]

Since Nufinish is an all in one I would say the Duragloss 2 part AIO productS 105 and 601.

Don’t be put off by the two part aspect. The initial coating is slapped on just as fast as you can move your hand.

Seems to be especially favored by people in warm climates.