Waxed the 2013 TDI Beetle

[Nick1994]

I got to clean up my aunt's 2013 VW Beetle TDI that she bought 3 months ago. It's got 4,300 miles on it too. This was my first time using a clay bar too. I first washed with Meguiar's Car Wash Soap (the red stuff) with a microfiber wash-mit. I then dryer with an Absorber chamois and used a clay bar with some Meguiar's Ultimate Quik wax and wiped off with microfiber towels. It turned out pretty good too, I didn't take my time much either. I took the pictures with my iPhone 5s.

 

[gregk24]

Looks good, did you wax it or just clay and use spray wax as a lubricant?

 

[Nyati]

Lookin' Good!

 

[qwertydude]

It looks good but those spray "waxes" generally are only good to supplement real waxings. To keep the car looking great you should use a real wax.

For a very easy to use wax that works very well on red I suggest using NXT 2.0 or for longer protection Meguiars Ultimate wax.

They both apply and buff off very easily, remember to apply thinly and one bottle ought to last you years. It being a small car and not having tons of annoying plastic trim means you could probably get the whole car waxed in about 30 minutes.

You can always wait til the next washing then wax but don't wait too long because spray wax protection doesn't last and you'll get contaminants bonding to the paint pretty soon. It being Arizona it's especially important the brutal sun exposure just is not good for paint and even a quality wax will just simply evaporate off the paint even without washing or rainfall.

 

[Nick1994]

Originally Posted By: gregk24
Looks good, did you wax it or just clay and use spray wax as a lubricant?


I just used the spray Meguiars Quik Wax with the clay bar. Turned out better than I thought!

 

[Nick1994]

Originally Posted By: qwertydude
It looks good but those spray "waxes" generally are only good to supplement real waxings. To keep the car looking great you should use a real wax.

For a very easy to use wax that works very well on red I suggest using NXT 2.0 or for longer protection Meguiars Ultimate wax.

They both apply and buff off very easily, remember to apply thinly and one bottle ought to last you years. It being a small car and not having tons of annoying plastic trim means you could probably get the whole car waxed in about 30 minutes.

You can always wait til the next washing then wax but don't wait too long because spray wax protection doesn't last and you'll get contaminants bonding to the paint pretty soon. It being Arizona it's especially important the brutal sun exposure just is not good for paint and even a quality wax will just simply evaporate off the paint even without washing or rainfall.


Most people I know do even use a wax, they just take it to the car wash occasionally and park in the sun. This car is parked in the garage at home and a parking garage at work. I hope every couple weeks applying some spray wax holds up good, the water beaded nicely as I last waxed it about 5 weeks ago

 

[qwertydude]

The water is beading mostly because you have a clean smooth surface decontaminated by the clay bar.

But why spray wax every couple weeks when you could just wax one time every 6-12 weeks and just wash it in between? Your car will look better and be better protected for not that much more effort and it'll end up costing less in the long run as spray waxes are actually kinda pricey for the amount of cars it can wax and for how long it lasts.

Yes most people don't bother to wax but take a look at their cars a few years down the road it's gonna be terribly swirled up. And even on some with softer paints likely in a few years the paint could start peeling. Keeping the car properly waxed not only is just for good looks it's for paint protection and it also makes even washing the car easier as the dirt just washes off very easy without needing much in terms of scrubbing.

You'll see it and feel it soon enough. The car will start getting tougher to wash and contaminants will just want to stick. And then as you scrub it while washing you'll get more and more swirls.

Just using spray waxes ends up being more effort than one waxing every 2-3 months. Plus with a decent cleaner wax like NXT 2.0 when it does start getting swirly the cleaning and polising ability of NXT 2.0 will restore it to a like new condition every time you wax it but only if you maintain the waxes. If you just let it get contaminated and let the swirling get bad then you'll need a real polishing to get that nice and new-like finish.

 

[daves87rs]

Looks good!

 

[The Critic]

It looks great!

fyi - NXT 2.0 will always last longer than Ultimate Quik Wax.

As far the amount of time, this will vary by climate, wash habits, etc.

Generally speaking, the less that you touch the paint, the fewer defects that will be inflicted.

If you like a spray-on/off product, I would expect CarPro Reload to last every bit as long as NXT 2.0.

For something even quicker, CarPro Hydr02 will only add 5 min to the wash and still last almost as long as NXT 2.0.