wax protection ...

B

Baveux

Joined
May 25, 2003
Messages
713
Location
Quebec Canada
Do you really believe that a microscopic layer of wax of any kind really protect your paint ?

Looks to me that the main effect of a coat of wax is to make the car shine a bit more and permitting better night of sleep.

I am still doing it but I always have the feeling that I am falling for a fabricated need that I dont really need .
 
I had the same thought recently. I wonder if anyone has done an experiment. One car being the control with no wax and one being waxed on a regular basis. Say every 3 to 6 months. How would they both look in 10 years (both cars coming off the same assembly line painted the same color of course subject to the same elements).

Regardless you WILL catch me regularly detailing our vehicles, which includes wax/sealant etc.
 
Your clearcoat is just a microscopic layer on top of the paint just for some perspective. What you are really trying to protect is that clearcoat.

A lot of dirt and debris plus road grime, oil and other chemicals from other vehicles plus birds and natural things like saps all attack that clearcoat leaving microscopic pits that will further accumulate contamination.

The wax or sealant you use helps to keep the surface clean and adds a bit of UV protection to boot. It is definitely worth it.
 
A real symptom of the times we're living in when proven practices are being called into question.

Car waxes/sealants/coatings:

Help prevent water from sitting on the surface
Help prevent contaminants bonding to the paint
Make dirt and grime easier to wash off
Provide addition UV protection
Improve gloss

Modern clear coats are the same thickness as a post-it note.
 
Last edited:
One thing that I've noticed on body shop repainted cars-a number that weren't base/clear originally-is that the color coat was misted on to be rough and help 'hold' the clear coat. Often, that still resulted in clear runs that were then wet sanded. I get the feeling that the paint is thin and the clear thick. I didn't care for the gloss of the early clears and had a few older cars painted single stage urethane. I found that the older guys could do that acceptably, but younger fellas struggled with laying down color only as they seemed mentally programed to mist the color and one car had to be cleared in the end to be acceptable.
 
Baveux said:
Do you really believe that a microscopic layer of wax of any kind really protect your paint ?

Looks to me that the main effect of a coat of wax is to make the car shine a bit more and permitting better night of sleep.

I am still doing it but I always have the feeling that I am falling for a fabricated need that I dont really need .
Click to expand...
Absolutely ! What is not to protect? There is a protective seal over the paint, pollution/acid rain, oxidation cant get to the paint. The wax/sealant takes the beating, not the paint. Its like a clear coat over the clear coat much thinner and why it needs to be "replaced" ever six to 12 months if using a sturdy sealant like NuFinish.
 
rooflessVW said:
A real symptom of the times we're living in when proven practices are being called into question.

Car waxes/sealants/coatings:

Help prevent water from sitting on the surface
Help prevent contaminants bonding to the paint
Make dirt and grime easier to wash off
Provide addition UV protection
Improve gloss

Modern clear coats are the same thickness as a post-it note.
Click to expand...


Hummm, proven practice but from a different era. Changing oil at 3000 miles is also a proven practice , but a ridiculous one nowadays .

Clear coat as far as I know was created as a solution for paint protection, and brilliance.

a clear coat might be thin, but you can measure is thickness, and its kind of a somewhat solid addition to the paint.

However how thick is a coat of wax ? How hard is a coat of wax ?

In regards of preventing water from sitting on the surface ... what about the beading that most like to see ? What about the magnifying glass effect beading create under the sun ? BTW Im no expert, but Im trying to understands if I am protecting or not my paint or my sleep
 
Wax hardness will vary. Today’s waxes are mostly polymers. The general public wants something that is easy to apply and buff off.

This is why ceramics have taken over the market. They are easy to apply, they add great shine and protection and they generally last longer than wax.

On the beading question, yes that can be a problem in very sunny climates. Water beading can magnify the suns rays and create pits in the clearcoat. Sheeting is actually preferred over beading but beading is a long time measurement of a good wax job. Education is changing that notion.


In short, don’t wax your car. Just wash it. Over time you will be able to see a difference between your car and a car that has been maintained with wax or sealant on a regular basis.
 
Baveux,

I'm of the opinion that the less you touch your paint, the better it is. Cleaning (non abrasive) and sealing your paint a minimum amount (for my conditions twice a year) will probably help maintain paint quality for the vehicle's life (depending on OEM factory paint quality).

Considering the thinness of the clearcoat everyone is harping about above, I have to wonder how many people are damaging it by abrasive polishing it often to attempt to keep it show car quality? To each their own. I want to be a slave to my material possessions just enough that it is enjoyable, not cause anxiety.

That's my take on it and I'm sticking to it! Maintain? - yes. Protect? - maybe just a bit.
 
onsitedetail.net

Paint Oxidation and Clear Coat Failure | Onsite Detail

We’ve all seen times where a vehicle’s paint has been neglected to the point the paint is no longer shining. This is paint oxidation or clear coat failure.
onsitedetail.net onsitedetail.net
.
11c44d8927d143b586f20f500795815a.jpg
 
Mercedes and other companies have tried to come up with a permanent solution over the years.. something that didn't need to be waxed (or as often).

Never really worked.

Hard to fight sunlight, microscopic road debris, and rain that might be slightly acidic.
 
personally I think waxing the paint isn't needed anymore with modern paint systems. My fathers car, which is 11 years old, never waxed - only washed still looks perfectly fine. No clear coat damage. Freshly washed and gone over with some detailer or spray wax and it looks better than new.

I find it most important to wash and clean regularly, waxing and sealing in my opinion is an optional step that provides somewhat of a protection but mostly shine.

If you think about it - the most damaging elements for the paint job are UV rays, bird droppings, acid rain, fallout, road grime. Carnauba wax doesn't really stop any of these etching into the paint, even a quality sealant can't hold up against these. Maybe a ceramic coating has some resistance to offer. That brings me back to the point that regular washing and cleaning is far more important to keept the paint clean and free from damage. Waxes and sealants might help to keep the car looking cleaner for longer, but in reality they have not much to offer in terms of road grime, bird droppings and so on.

Personally I haven't seen heavyily failed clear coats in the last 2 decades, and if - it's not a failure of not waxing, it's simply a bad paint job. It's much more important to keep the paint clean from road grime, bird etchings, tree sap, fallout and other various contaminants.


On my cars I nowadays use a wash and wax and drying with a detailer - currently Meguiars wash and wax and Meguiars Ultimate Quick Detailer / Quick Wax. That's it. By doing that light maintenance I'm already doing much better than 95% of the car owners.
On my motorcycle I use CarPro Ech2o as a waterless wash - works fine and has protection built in.

I tried various sealants and waxes on headlights to keep their clear from failing, which is the most vulnerable part on modern cars, that didn't work. I got them polished ad repainted with headlight paint - so for the next 10 years I have nothing to worry about.

I used to wax and seal my cars regularly, but now in retroperspective, it didn't really do much in terms of protection. On my VW Phaeton I have 3 layers of CarPro CQuartz UK, which brings nice gloss, nice beading and sheeting. But does it add longevity to the paint? I don't know, the Phaeton has such a superb high quality paintjob, I cannot imagine it to fail under any circumstances.

Furthermore nowadays paint systems by the manufacturers are tested for the regular customers, which means it has to live up against irregular cleaning cycles - and if cleaned it must stand up against harsh automatic car wash cycles.

Furthermore, after years of intensive detailing (and a lot of spent time) I nowadays am a strong believer in the theory: The less you touch the paint the better. Less touching = less swirls = less dullness.
 
Last edited:
Here's a close comparison if this helps.
Both my wife and her sister(my SIL) each had a new 2001 Lexus RX300. And both had'em for 15 yrs.
Our RX was never garaged and my SIL's was always garaged.

I always cleaned our RX and used ONLY "WAUD" or "QD" type products after washing.
My SIL never hand washed her RX and ONLY took it through the local car wash with never having the paint waxed nor detailed. NEVER!

After 15 years each, our RX always looked great and my SIL's RX always looked, Mmm, dull. Not faded nor pealing but just dull(Lexus has good paint work). A good detail would have brought my SIL's RX back to nice condition. Even I could have brought it back in one afternoon.

My cars always look better than our friends/family's cars after the same amount of time(within a year) and my cars are ALWAYS outside(never garaged). Most(not all) of our friends/family do in fact garage their vehicles.
 
If you washed the car every day, then wax may not make that much difference. But since most don't, it keeps the dirt and sap from sticking and damaging the paint. Sap is easier to clean off when waxed.
 
spasm3 said:
If you washed the car every day, then wax may not make that much difference. But since most don't, it keeps the dirt and sap from sticking and damaging the paint. Sap is easier to clean off when waxed.
Click to expand...
Everything is easier to clean when the finish is waxed/sealed/coated.

Is waxing necessary? I guess not.

Is wax beneficial? Yes. It has been since the 1800’s when it was used to protect painted horse carriages.
 
Last edited:
Now, in the case of my SIL, she didn't wash her RX300 even once per week. She only did it when she though about it or if she was in the area of the local car wash. Maybe closer to once per week in the winter(when temps allowed) but, that is more of the exception than the rule.

There is in my area, a local car wash franchise and that has many stores...Car Wash, Gas, Mini Mart/food etc. At this car wash store, if you pay $25/month, you can bring your vehicle in everyday and get the (SUPER) car wash/bells & whistles(Rain-X, Paint Sealant, Tire Dressing, Chassis Under Spray etc). But, you have to have the 1 yr subscription/contract. And it has to be for the 1 yr.

Otherwise, 2 full SUPER car washes alone could cost that >$25. But if you pay that $25/month/1 yr($300/yr +tax), you could actually get 365 car washes. Then when you pull out of the car wash, the attendees dry off your vehicle each time(tipping is expected) unless you drive around them to leave the premises.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

C
Sealant vs Wax
2
Replies
36
Views
5K
Chevelle3221
wings&wheels
Dealer Ceramic Coats
2
Replies
22
Views
2K
TimeFlies
E
Rv and boats.
Replies
3
Views
344
jetman
M
What product to restore paint "moisture"?
Replies
18
Views
716
nate379
F
Tempted to try........
Replies
8
Views
2K
ls1mike
Back
Top