how to properly wax a car

[Shift_Altima]

hey guys. I wanted to know how to properly wax a car. I have the turtle wax and it comes with a small circular sponge-like thing that I'm assuming you should use. I went on the internet and found a video tutorial on how to do it. They say rub the wax around the car in small ciruclar motions then get a terry cloth and rub in the SAME direction to get teh wax off. Is that true? How long should I wait before taking the wax off?

[stsxcrle]

First you'll want to make sure you have the right materials. It depends on how anal you want to be, I go a bit to the extreme but decide for yourself how far you want to take it.

1 bucket with soap (car soap not dish washing detergent or otherwise)1 bucket with clean water for rinsing ( you can dump it and refill if the car is really dirty) A wash mitt, wool or microfiber mitts are popular

Waxing:I like Maguire's NXT wax, Zano's is popular too, but only online. The higher quality wax you go with the longer it will last with exposure to the elements.a 100% made in the usa cotton or microfiber applicator pad (foam isn't as good as it doesn't apply as evenly and can leave swirls)

You can also get clay bar kits, these will remove particles that are stuck on the clear coat that cannot be removed from normal washing/waxing. This should only need to be done once a year or so, followed by a wax to keep your paint looking as clean, shiny and "wet" as possible.

You'll want to make sure the car is completely clean so you're not rubbing dust etc into the paint so only wax after freshly washing and drying the car.

Both washing and waxing the car you will want to start from the top/roof and work your way down as there is less dirt/debris up top and you will end up with less swirl marks this way.

As far as the waxing:As mentioned above I would use a microfiber pad or 100% cotton (made in usa (others scratch)) pad which you can either wet a little with water, or with a spray wax if you have some handy.

once you have a damp pad you can then put a LITTLE (like the size of a dime) bit of wax on the pad and work it in to the pad as evenly as possible by crunching it in your hand. (I've also seen a crazy vid of a guy that details supercars and he applied the wax with his bare hands, never tried it though)

You should be able to wax an entire body panel at least with just this bit of wax. The reason you want to use so little is that's all that's needed. while a lot of people will use more wax, the paint can only use so much, and you're just making more work for yourself in taking it off.

Once you have completely coated the car in a light application of wax you will want to take the wax off. Here I would HIGHLY recommend you purchase a few microfiber rags for this.

You want to make sure you aren't waxing in direct sunlight, as it will bake the wax into the paint and cause you quite a bit of work in getting the paint back to normal.

Also, I use original rain-x on all my windows, it works AWESOME at keeping your windows clean in the rain. Water beads off like a ducks back. Very nice.

As I said I take things a bit to the extreme so use whichever advice you deem appropriate given how much time/effort you want to put into washing/waxing.

[audtatious]

Here's a couple articles by staffers...

http://www.nicoclub.com/articl...p.pdfh ... cl...s.pdf

I do most of the above. I only use Dawn detergent when I want to remove the wax from the car prior to a detail.

[Shift_Altima]

When removing the wax.. do you do it in the same motion you applied it with a rag or terry cloth?

[Jeff7181]

When removing the wax.. do you do it in the same motion you applied it with a rag or terry cloth?

That's not as important as how well the wax is applied. Most of you are going to be using a one step cleaner wax, which has very fine abrasives in it. If you don't apply it with care, you'll end up with swirls in the clear coat.

Do one or two body panels at a time, for two reasons. One, you're not supposed to let the wax sit on the paint for very long, it just has to dry to a haze. Two, if you try to do the whole car at once and get tired, by the end you won't be as careful as you were when you started and you'll probably end up with swirl marks or missed spots.

For the best removal, use 100% cotton terry cloth towels or microfiber. I like terry cloth better because it's cheaper and it seems like microfiber holds onto the wax too well and you can't shake it out.

Also... the guy seen applying wax with his bare hands was applying pure carnauba wax, not using a cleaner wax. If you apply cleaner wax with your bare hands you're almost guaranteed to end up with swirl marks.

[ACoupe]

This forum is a great resource for all detailing and car care questions:http://autopia.org/forum/guide-detailing/

[generic808]

First you must wax on, then wax off, Daniel-san.

Sorry, I couldn't resist the Karate Kid quote

[audtatious]

This forum is a great resource for all detailing and car care questions:http://autopia.org/forum/guide-detailing/

Autopia is a great site for information. My buddy is one of their Admins and will send me supplies when I run out....

[Vhernandez919]

Wow! This is Really Good information to know! Thanks soo very much! U guys are so awesome!!!

[Shift_Altima]

Alright so..... I washed and waxed today. I can't figure out how to was a car without leaving streaks or whiteish marks. It's all about the drying but I'm having a hard time. I finally got it good enough and waxed teh car. I found a tutorial online which was very simple and seemse to work. Do one panel at a time in small cirlces. Let it dry.. remove with a terry cloth by wiping in the same direction. Simple enough. Car looks amazing. I'm gonna see if anyone notices a difference other than me.

[audtatious]

When you have time, do a couple of coats of a Sealant Glaze as it will help protect the paint.

I do a full detail on my car once a year (right before the NOPI Nats) which includes multiple steps of cleaning and polishing. Inbetween the full details I simply wash and clean (with a light waxing before other events as needed). Here is a pic of my supplies that I used prior to NOPI:



Which is:

1. Pack of microfiber towels2. Meguiars hair and lint extractor2a. Brush3. Meguiars wash mits4. 2-pack of microfiber polishing pads5. 1 pack of Turtle Wax Terry cloth bonnets (I have others as well)6. 1ea 3M compound buffing pad7. 1ea 3M polishing pad8. Lots and lots of Terry cloth towels9. Variable speed buffer10. AUTO GLEM bug and tar remover11. Sonus SFX-1 restorer (similar to Meguiars M84)12. Sonus SFX-2 Enhancer (similar to Meguiars M2)13. Sonus SFX-3 Final Finish (swirl removal step)14. Klasse All-in-one (cleaner/polish)15. Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze (similar to Meguiars #7)16. Meguiars Gold Class carnuba wax17. Mothers Back to Black rubber treatment18. Eagle One chrome cleaner19. Meguiars PlastX20. Dawn dishwashing liquid (origional)21. Armor All Cleaner Wipes22. Orbital Buffer23. Mag wheel cleaner23. Blue Coral carpet cleaner24. Simple Green25. Windex26. Satin black plastic paint27. Metallic Silver hi-temp engine paint28. Mothers clay bar kit29. Meguiars aerosol tire shine30. Meguiars spray tire shine31. Armor All spray cleaner

[Shift_Altima]

You should consider seeing a therapist

[audtatious]

I have a 6yo car that still shines like new. I must be doing something right

FWIW, using the sealant glaze will help the wax last longer. LMK if your car beads up in 6 weeks because that was the maximum a wax would stay on my car before doing the extra steps.

[SHIFT_COUPE]

You should consider seeing a therapist

For some, this is their therapy. I know it is for me I enjoy waxing and detailing a car, its relaxing and fullfilling. Its practically a hobby. I have more products then Matt listed above, I guess I need a REALLY good therapist.

[ssjones]

Waxing:I like Maguire's NXT wax, Zano's is popular too, but only online. The higher quality wax you go with the longer it will last with exposure to the elements.

I picked up a bottle of the NXT wax and put it down. It didn't appear to be a cleaner wax? I'm getting lazy and want a one-step product for the Altima. I use the Meguiars/Porter-Cable 7424 machine to apply products. If the NXT was that good, I'd give it a shot and polish before the wax (hey, I'm saving time with the machine anyway, right?)

Btw, that's a very nice write-up!

[Shift_Altima]

How do u know when and how to use all that stuff??

[generic808]

For some, this is their therapy. I know it is for me I enjoy waxing and detailing a car, its relaxing and fullfilling. Its practically a hobby. I have more products then Matt listed above, I guess I need a REALLY good therapist.

Tyler, I guess you weren't joking when you said you're anal about your car. I have a gripload of cleaning chemicals and gear, but not near as much as Matt does

[audtatious]

For some, this is their therapy. I know it is for me I enjoy waxing and detailing a car, its relaxing and fullfilling. Its practically a hobby. I have more products then Matt listed above, I guess I need a REALLY good therapist.

lolz

I have more. That's just the products that I use during my yearly full detail.

[Shift_Altima]

I have a bottle of car soap.. wax.. a car squeegee.. and towels. I'm running out of room to put all this stuff

[MisfitBrian]

When you have time, do a couple of coats of a Sealant Glaze as it will help protect the paint.

I do a full detail on my car once a year (right before the NOPI Nats) which includes multiple steps of cleaning and polishing. Inbetween the full details I simply wash and clean (with a light waxing before other events as needed). Here is a pic of my supplies that I used prior to NOPI:

Which is:

1. Pack of microfiber towels2. Meguiars hair and lint extractor2a. Brush3. Meguiars wash mits4. 2-pack of microfiber polishing pads5. 1 pack of Turtle Wax Terry cloth bonnets (I have others as well)6. 1ea 3M compound buffing pad7. 1ea 3M polishing pad8. Lots and lots of Terry cloth towels9. Variable speed buffer10. AUTO GLEM bug and tar remover11. Sonus SFX-1 restorer (similar to Meguiars M84)12. Sonus SFX-2 Enhancer (similar to Meguiars M2)13. Sonus SFX-3 Final Finish (swirl removal step)14. Klasse All-in-one (cleaner/polish)15. Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze (similar to Meguiars #7)16. Meguiars Gold Class carnuba wax17. Mothers Back to Black rubber treatment18. Eagle One chrome cleaner19. Meguiars PlastX20. Dawn dishwashing liquid (origional)21. Armor All Cleaner Wipes22. Orbital Buffer23. Mag wheel cleaner23. Blue Coral carpet cleaner24. Simple Green25. Windex26. Satin black plastic paint27. Metallic Silver hi-temp engine paint28. Mothers clay bar kit29. Meguiars aerosol tire shine30. Meguiars spray tire shine31. Armor All spray cleaner

You're as bad as I am. I just bought some of the Klasse products & so far I'm impressed.

[MisfitBrian]

I picked up a bottle of the NXT wax and put it down. It didn't appear to be a cleaner wax? I'm getting lazy and want a one-step product for the Altima. I use the Meguiars/Porter-Cable 7424 machine to apply products. If the NXT was that good, I'd give it a shot and polish before the wax (hey, I'm saving time with the machine anyway, right?)

Btw, that's a very nice write-up!

NXT is not a cleaner wax. I have found it also works best for darker cars as it gives a wet look. Not the longest lasting, but it is very forgiving. And the PC 7424 is my weapon of choice.

[mcheddadi]

hey guys. I wanted to know how to properly wax a car. I have the turtle wax and it comes with a small circular sponge-like thing that I'm assuming you should use. I went on the internet and found a video tutorial on how to do it. They say rub the wax around the car in small ciruclar motions then get a terry cloth and rub in the SAME direction to get teh wax off. Is that true? How long should I wait before taking the wax off?

I think this could help a little, it's an old thread about detailing and washing the car:zerothread?id=273103

[Shift_Altima]

i washed and waxed yesterday. From far away the car looks amazing. Get close up and u see the circular motion from where I waxed.. what do i do?

[LongBeachCoupe]

Read more before attempting!Someone will chime in here.. but if its not good to go.. you did something wrong...

[Shift_Altima]

Lol thanks for letting me know. Ya i know i did something wrong. I'm worried it'll ruin the paint and it's bothering me. But the weather is gonna be bad for a while now so i cna't do much about it. But for next time..

[Altimus_Maximus]

Getting all of the product (wax) off the car in your final wipe off is more difficult than it sounds.

Buy several microfiber detailing cloths, terry cloth is not nearly as good.

It is not necessary to wipe the wax off in the same motion as you applied it. Obsessing about that may actually impede you from really getting it all off. Most important is to remove ALL the wax and it will take multiple passes of wiping in all directions and motions

Fold your microfiber into a square and rub the surface clean then make a final pass slowly and deliberately with the clean side of your fold. Always make the final pass with a clean cloth. I usually get all the wax off and then go over it one last pass with a fresh cloth.

Also, buy some meguiar's NXT quik detailer and clean the whole car down with the same process I'm describing with care to remove all the product. Do the quik detailing the day after you wax, however, so that you allow the wax to cure one night before potentially removing any with the quik detailer.

Another good tip on waxing your car is that you really need to polish the car before applying your wax. Buy a glaze or polish (but not one that gives to much of a 'cut,' because you don't need to wear your clearcoat down on a brand new car). Again, it is essential that you remove ALL the product before applying the wax. Wax will seal in swirls and blemishes from whatever previous process the car received, be that washing or polishing, so you must have your car immaculately clean and shiny before waxing.

After cleaning the car with auto soap, I use Mequiar's paint cleaner, then mirror glaze, then NXT wax, and my superblack just beams. But you have to really work to get all the products from each step completely removed, and it take multiple passes of rubbing the holy hell out of it with fresh microfiber after fresh microfiber. AND buy high quality 3M or Meguiars cloths - they truly are worth the $10 or $15 bucks a piece.

Also, remember, any dirt or grit that you get into your pads or cloths can and will scratch the clearcoat. It WILL happen. And so once a year or whenever, you have to use a cutting compound and eat away that top scratched layer of clear just a tad. I suggest leaving that process to the professional detailers who know how to wield an orbital buffer.

Hope this helps!

[Shift_Altima]

Guys.. I'm just a kid trying to get a decent wash and wax. I know you guys are all really really good with this stuff but I just want to wash and wax with simple car soap and turtle wax. Nothing fancy.. I don't get half of what you're talking about and I can't go buy that much stuff to use.

[johnny_d]

i noticed that the front bumper is getting quite a few chips from rocks flying off the roads. Is there any good paint protector i can put on to reduce that? thanks

[stsxcrle]

I picked up a bottle of the NXT wax and put it down. It didn't appear to be a cleaner wax? I'm getting lazy and want a one-step product for the Altima. I use the Meguiars/Porter-Cable 7424 machine to apply products. If the NXT was that good, I'd give it a shot and polish before the wax (hey, I'm saving time with the machine anyway, right?)

Btw, that's a very nice write-up!

NXT is not a cleaner wax for sure definitely a "finisher". As far as polish before the wax... You mean use the cleaner wax then the NXT? If you keep up your waxing, and wax once every 6 weeks or so you shouldn't have any need to use a cleaner wax AND the NXT every time. Especially if you use a sealant as adutatious stated.

I'll do a clay bar after winter and a cleaner wax then just so I get ALL of the salt and grit off. Subsequently I'll just use the NXT once a month or so as long as the car doesn't get too dirty and the interval between washings isn't so long I lose the protectant coat of wax (it stops beading up)

and thanks, I think I missed a few things there but as usual anything I missed someone else picked up....

[Jeff7181]

i noticed that the front bumper is getting quite a few chips from rocks flying off the roads. Is there any good paint protector i can put on to reduce that? thanks

Go to a body shop... 3M makes a spray on product that's supposed to protect against that. It'll probaby cost 5 to 6 hundred dollars to do the entire leading edge of the car, but if you live in an area where there's lots of crap on the road that gets kicked up into your face, it would be worth it. It has the same abrasion resistance as those clear adhesive things you can put on.