BlueMaxMtl
20th January 2009, 13:14
As Lefteris started a thread about washing our cars, I decided to start one about waxing them.;)
Many of us who perform our own detailing swear by the type and brand of car wax that we use on our cars. Depending on the type of paint used on our vehicles as well as the country of manufacture, all paints are truly different.
Paint types
For example, Japanese cars have very thin and fragile clear coatings that wear easily with repeated buffing and compounding. On the other hand, German cars have a more substantial amount of clear coat that can endure the punishment dealt by the untrained novice. Older German cars possess urethane-based paint systems whereas the newer generation are all eco-friendly water-based systems. In some rare cases, many of the pre-'80's Porsches had lacquer-type or acrylic lacquer paints which had no clearcoat.
Wax types
In general, there are two basic types of waxes that are used by the consumer. One of them is the most commonly known type which is Carnauba-based and gives the best "depth-of-shine". The other type is the polymer-based wax which is available on most department store shelves. Polymer-based waxes are long-lasting but do not yield the results obtained as with Carnauba-based waxes.
Before waxing...
Prior to waxing your ride, a good hand car wash followed by an application of paintwork cleanser should be sufficient in removing most of the impurities that have bonded to your paint's surface. Some people will also use a clay bar to remove high spots or paint overspray from a previous small repair.
Which wax to use?
First and foremost, you must determine what type of paint your car possesses. There are many websites that can help you prepare for your "waxing" weekend. I swear by Larry Reynolds years of experience over at Car Care Specialties. http://www.carcareonline.com/howto.aspx
He shares a lot of his knowledge on his website's FAQ database and will personally respond to any further questions that you may have regarding wax, cleaners, etc..
My Favorite
Which wax do I use? I've tried many of the department store variants following the viewing of numerous TV info-mercials stating and claiming mirror-like finishes. In the end, I took Larry's advice and bought some German-made P21S car wax. The wet-look shine following a proper application of this wax is simply stunning! I've recommended this wax to many of my friends who have sworn in using their own "blends" of paint protectant. The final verdict was that P21S did in fact yield the best shine.
Now for the fun part. Which brand of wax do you use?
Many of us who perform our own detailing swear by the type and brand of car wax that we use on our cars. Depending on the type of paint used on our vehicles as well as the country of manufacture, all paints are truly different.
Paint types
For example, Japanese cars have very thin and fragile clear coatings that wear easily with repeated buffing and compounding. On the other hand, German cars have a more substantial amount of clear coat that can endure the punishment dealt by the untrained novice. Older German cars possess urethane-based paint systems whereas the newer generation are all eco-friendly water-based systems. In some rare cases, many of the pre-'80's Porsches had lacquer-type or acrylic lacquer paints which had no clearcoat.
Wax types
In general, there are two basic types of waxes that are used by the consumer. One of them is the most commonly known type which is Carnauba-based and gives the best "depth-of-shine". The other type is the polymer-based wax which is available on most department store shelves. Polymer-based waxes are long-lasting but do not yield the results obtained as with Carnauba-based waxes.
Before waxing...
Prior to waxing your ride, a good hand car wash followed by an application of paintwork cleanser should be sufficient in removing most of the impurities that have bonded to your paint's surface. Some people will also use a clay bar to remove high spots or paint overspray from a previous small repair.
Which wax to use?
First and foremost, you must determine what type of paint your car possesses. There are many websites that can help you prepare for your "waxing" weekend. I swear by Larry Reynolds years of experience over at Car Care Specialties. http://www.carcareonline.com/howto.aspx
He shares a lot of his knowledge on his website's FAQ database and will personally respond to any further questions that you may have regarding wax, cleaners, etc..
My Favorite
Which wax do I use? I've tried many of the department store variants following the viewing of numerous TV info-mercials stating and claiming mirror-like finishes. In the end, I took Larry's advice and bought some German-made P21S car wax. The wet-look shine following a proper application of this wax is simply stunning! I've recommended this wax to many of my friends who have sworn in using their own "blends" of paint protectant. The final verdict was that P21S did in fact yield the best shine.
Now for the fun part. Which brand of wax do you use?