Educate me on Waxing my car
 

First of all: I know nothing about wax.

Secondly: 2 weeks ago I waxed my car using this thing Costco guy was advertising called ibiz wax, (the whole kit was like $60)
I put the wax on the made the car so shiny and good looking. he said the wax is good for 6 months and also he said it will prevent the water spots and water will just slide on it.


After 2 weeks, I think the car is not as shiny, and the water does stick to the car (wont slide as advertised) what is the right thing to do for me ? Wax it again ? or wash my car with high pressure water and no need to wax again ? if I wash my car with soap and use microfiber towles, will the wax be cleaned out ?

how does wax work, and how often do you put wax on ? and what different types of it ?
can someone educate me ? what tools do I need to do a good tool, I saw an electric buffer on ebay I ordered that. what else do I need ?

Shevin -

You're better off spending ALOT of time reading old threads here or here

autopia.org
autogeekonline.net

Personally, I have not been on the detailing forums in a couple years now. Content and discussions are not what it used to . BUT, there is plenty of good content there as a starting point.

BTW, what buffer did you buy ?
IMO, the entry point for anybody would be the Griots backed by a lifetime warranty....

Then there are other big boy toys that scale up.

I agree the GG6 is a great machine with a lifetime warranty -

OP, the way technology is working now, you have spray sealants on the market that offer 6 months of protection from one application and need to cure time to buff like old school liquid waxes, etc.

I don't know what the hell is sold at Costco but I stopped buying products there many years ago (Walmart, VatoZone, etc as well) - only thing for my cars I need there is their cheap microfibers that I wipe down grimy engine bays and door jambs with (and end up tossing after one use)

I heared those sprays have silicon in it and it damages body paint.

I bought Ibiz Wax https://waxdirect.com/
it is expensive and I am not really impressed with them to be honest.


One big question I have from everyone.
What is the point of waxing ? is it for shine ? or is it for water sliding on the car when it rains ?

I bought one on ebay that connects to my cigarette lighter. it doesnt have a famous brand. I don't expect it to last for years either. I just wanna experiment waxing.

Since your location shows Minneapolis, you may have to wait until next spring
as most products want 60+ temps.

I use Klasse products with multiple layers as some of the newer products while having a cleaner/shinier result don't hide swirls as well

also don't forget clay or nanoskin as one of the 1st steps when preparing the
surface

Rich

I've never seen a cig. powered buffer but for sure, 100%, it's not going to do the job.

Something cheaper, pick up a unit from Harbor Freight.
6 in. 5.7 Amp Heavy Duty Dual Action Variable Speed Polisher


The Griots is a smigen more but again, BACKED by a lifetime warranty...

It for the protection of the clearcoat or if your car doesn't have a clearcoat it's for the protection of the paint. Think of it as sunblock and moisturizer for the clearcoat/paint. People who neglect taking care of their car will see the clear coat peeling like dead skin after a bad sunburn or the paint fading.

yeah I dont have power outlet in my parking. Currently I buffered using hand, so it will be probably an improvement from hand to electric.

Thanks I have indoor parking, the temp is usually 76 in the parking.
what do you mean clay for 1st step ?

do I need to clay first ?

long ass extension cord ? hand buffer might have more strength than a 12V vig powered buffer....

If you want to get it semi-serious on detail, check out the detailing links above

Or a quick step process as in -

Iron X on Wheels
Iron X on Paint
Nanoskin followup on paint or clay
Polish - whether it be 1 step or 2
Cheap and durable - Collonite Offerings
Spray and wipe dry - but only 2/3 months durability - Gyeon Wetcoat
6 Months + - Millions of options, all depending on your pocket or your golden eyes

IMO, cleaning the paint prior to polishing is one step to NOT BE avoided

WRONG - cheap shit from Walmart might have silicon - spray sealants like CarPro Reload, Gyeon WetCoat etc have SILICA - totally different polymer.

The point of sealing or waxing is to provide a sacrificial layer to absorb UV, and avoid road film and grime from settling into the pores of the paint and keeping the paint protected - you are protecting the clear coat this way -

Same as the point of decontamination such as Iron X that jsoto posted above is to release the bonded contaminants from the pores of the paint, sort of "exfoliation" for paint so to speak.

so what is clay for ?

Releasing bonded contaminants from the paint's surface so that they do not bond further and over time degrade the clear coat and penetrate below the surface of the paint - It also makes for a better bonding surface for your sealant or wax -

It's almost like saying to your wife that her legs would be smooth with body lotion applied to them, but if she shaved her legs first they would be even smoother, you know?

shevin -

How did it go.
ahhh...detailing. It's like a bad drug I just can quit...
I jumped online to order 1 MF Pad, next thing you know, I've got a 2 hundo purchase order.

hahaha funniest description for clay ever !
can I use clay on the windows also ?

Yes, best trick for windows (per my detail buddy who was just featured at SEMA) is the steel wool/rain X trick. Get a bag of 0000 steel wool (finest steel wool) and a bottle of old school rain-X. Clean the windows and windshield (especially windshield) with a rag/window cleaner. Then dry them and rub the steel wool liberally all over the windows. You'll notice they get really smooth feeling. THEN apply the rain-x with a foam pad or micro fiber liberally...let it dry and then kinda 'buff' it off. Some don't buff it they just rinse it with a hose. If you don't need to drive soon, the longer you can let it sit the better.

You'll be amazed how the road grime in the winter literally flies off your windshield. Wipers work amazing again too.

Same buddy turned me onto the best quick detail and no-rinse around made by Optimum. Get the blue Optimum No-rinse car wash, use it to do the no-rinse wash whenever you want, it works well (if the car isn't too dirty, get the heavy stuff off first). A little goes a long way, get a microfiber mitt and a bucket and I think its 2oz per gallon of water.

For the detail spray: gallon of DISTILLED water. Pour out 10oz of water. Get an 8oz bottle of the Optimum Opti-Seal (it's $$ but worth it). Pour the whole 8oz in the gallon jug of water THEN add 2oz of the Optimum no-rinse car wash (blue stuff) and you now have a gallon of the best quick detail I've ever used. Works amazing on glasses, phone screens, iPads etc. too. It'll separate so make sure you shake it before you use it.

Oh, and I have the harbor freight buffer (at the recommendation of above detailer buddy) and it's done both cars and both custom choppers a half dozen times in the last few years. Get the orbital one it's like $50. Their pads suck though. Spend money on good pads, clean them when done and store them in a ziplock.

Wow I have not heard of combining Opti Seal with ONR - I guess in theory it could work -

Here is an example of what a good polish and wax job will do when done by a professional.....understand that i'm sure this was a few thousand dollars, but i think you can see the difference.

http://www.xoutpost.com/bmw-related-...mw-m5-e39.html

Phil's work is some of the best i have ever seen and highlights how abuse can be corrected (to a point) and what it entails to really do a good job.

OP - to answer your question on what you need...the answer is it depends on what outcome you desire. Perform all the steps noted elsewhere in here and youll be happy with the results. Trust me youll go insane or broke or both with all the products on the market to chose from and equally insane from peoples opinions. Stick with basics and your good. Since I show my cars I took to next level. Stay away from the snake oil shit from these guys promising everything in a bottle. They likely contain fillers and other crap.

What I needed was a baseline and had paint correction done and coating. I wasnt happy with my personal results with the equipment, products, and pads I had ordered and I was too scared to go too aggressive. So I handed over to professional. Paint came out like the M5 noted above.

That poor M5, thankfully mine didnt look anywhere near that bad. That was some serious paint correction all those buffer trails YIKES. Hope he coated that thing after all that work.

Honestly it depends on your budget. I'd recommend getting a decent clay bar and clay the paint work after a decent wash. That way you'll get a really deep shine when you wax/polish


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

CB doesn't produce shine. It removes contaminents from paint. Buffing/Polishing - removes both *film*, as well scratches/marring that the light from refracted to reflected....

As a matter of fact, depending on how soft paint is...CB will actually induce more marring, but this will simply be removed when it's polished out.