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Do you all "wax" your cars? Bought mine about 4 months ago and haven't done anything to outside other than dust it so far. Paint is in great shape as it was garaged by PO and pretty well taken care of. It's been a long time since I have waxed a car or even had it done. As I'm retired, all my cars in garage 99 percent of time. If waxing, what works best for you? This is my 4th vette, but others were many years ago when I was much younger and yes I waxed them back then. Probably before clearcoat days.... Tx. Randy PS I still obsess over my cars these days and probably overmaintain them......
Yes sometimes. Car washes got so costly and don't get the scum off I diy at home. The C4 hood with wax looks so cool and shiny reflections waxed. I use Collinite products, try one of the kits: https://www.collinite.com/
Back in the good old days when I was single I'd wash and wax it every Saturday. Granted it was bit dusty down in El Paso. After getting married it became monthly, after kids maybe quarterly. Nowadays there are ceramic and ceramic/wax hybrids, they last a long time. Mine's a daily driver, and I work 12 hr shifts, 50% days, 50% nights. So it endures all sorts of weather.
As luck would have it the last time I applied the hybrid on it was a few hrs before I worked a night shift and we had misting rain that night. I came out to the parking lot at the mill and there were a few wet spots on the asphalt, a vehicle here and there had a water drop or two that hadn't rolled off. I got near the Vette and it was beyond comical in comparison. It was covered in beaded water everywhere but the glass. Unfortunately a few weeks later that great water repeller had attracted a decent amount of dust and required a rinse.
If you've ever heard of ProjectFarm on YouTube he reviews a lot of stuff, very 3rd party objective torture test style, and did one on ceramic and hybrid waxes about 2 years ago.
Last edited by flannel_man; Dec 25, 2024 at 06:29 PM.
I do wax my Vette, but I only give it one really good waxing with a polisher at the start of the season (I live in Michigan and store the car in the winter). After that, it gets a weekly or biweekly spray waxing to just maintain it.
The car is almost a daily for me, I only don't drive it when it's raining. As a result, the car never gets dirty, only dusty. I'll dust it every day it's driven and having the wax really does make it easy to dust! I also like the paint getting UV protection because of the wax. It'll get hand washed by me also only about once per month, then touched up after drying off with spray wax.
Wax isnt just to make the paint look better. It is also to protect it. Think.. acidic bird poop, rain spots, etc. Those wipe off easier when there is a wax coat layer.
Nowdays the question is ceramic coating or wax. My daily drivers that are kept outside are ceramic coated. It makes keeping them clean a lot easier. For a garage queen, a nice carnauba wax looks better, but doesn't last as long. You can spend as much as you want here, but you're not going to see a whole lot of difference between them all. Applying a paste wax is very satisfying though.
Wax no, polish YES! aerolon.com This is the best stuff on earth! Quick, easy, AMAZING results.
That picture is 3 weeks after wash and application. And in the Florida sun and rain.
Here is what i do. I foam the car first then rinse with water then foam again and with two buckets and good sponge wash down and rinse. This is all being done in the shade of course. Then i break out the Alcohol and distilled water and wipe car down. Fifty fifty on water and alcohol. Use a towel wiping front to back Then i would apply Jescar power lock twice per bottle instructions and when fully dry apply. Collinite no 845 wax . Car will last a year and be a first place winner at any show
Wax no, polish YES! aerolon.com This is the best stuff on earth! Quick, easy, AMAZING results.
That picture is 3 weeks after wash and application. And in the Florida sun and rain.
Polish and wax are not the same at all.
A polish is wearing down your clear coat to a smooth finish, removing swirls and small scratches and such. It adds no protection unless it's an all in one product with a sealant or wax in it.
A wax (or sealant) is a protective top layer that helps remove water, protects the paint from UV, acid, etc.
The second step is to clay bar it. It is unbelievable just how smooth the paint will feel after doing this. (I have even done it on the glass, and it works there too)
The third step is wax. I would like to try some of the newer ceramics, but I have not. I like the Meguiars NXT. It is the easiest to apply that I have ever used. You can let it stay on while you finish the whole car. It almost seems like the longer it stays on, the easier to wipe the residue off. The wax brings out the color and helps to protect the paint. The only issue is that this wax does not seem to last very long. I like to repeat it about every 3 months (although it usually turns out to be about 6 months.
A polish is wearing down your clear coat to a smooth finish, removing swirls and small scratches and such. It adds no protection unless it's an all in one product with a sealant or wax in it.
A wax (or sealant) is a protective top layer that helps remove water, protects the paint from UV, acid, etc.
I believe what you're describing would be using a polishing compound and probably with a buffer. Polish as a general term, and especially hand polishing will not damage anything. When you "polish" gold or silver jewelery you're not wearing down anything. I used polish in this case to describe a NANO coating. Experts have long said using a wax on car paint is a very poor practice for many reasons including that it results in buildup on the paint surface, and provides no actual protection.
I hand wash my vehicles and clay bar and wax. Usually use Meguiars, sometimes Mothers. I do my Vettes more often than my other cars but it’s typically once or twice a year for the Vettes and every couple years for my other cars….they are an SUV and F150 so take longer to do, therefore they get done less often compared to the Vettes.
I believe what you're describing would be using a polishing compound and probably with a buffer. Polish as a general term, and especially hand polishing will not damage anything. When you "polish" gold or silver jewelery you're not wearing down anything. I used polish in this case to describe a NANO coating. Experts have long said using a wax on car paint is a very poor practice for many reasons including that it results in buildup on the paint surface, and provides no actual protection.
Polishing is literally the act of lightly abrading the surface to remove imperfections. That's what polish means.
Experts saying waxing paint is bull, it ABSOLUTELY provides UV protection, that's literally why the Carnauba Palm creates the wax we use on cars. As far as build up goes, that bogus too. Buffing off any residual wax after applying a wax takes care of that, and any consumed wax on your paint will come off with a wash.
At the end of the day, what product you use (carnauba wax, nano synthetic coatings, ceramic infused stuff, graphene infused stuff, whatever else they try to sell us) matters a lot less than the prep and care of the vehicle.
Polishing is literally the act of lightly abrading the surface to remove imperfections. That's what polish means.
Experts saying waxing paint is bull, it ABSOLUTELY provides UV protection, that's literally why the Carnauba Palm creates the wax we use on cars. As far as build up goes, that bogus too. Buffing off any residual wax after applying a wax takes care of that, and any consumed wax on your paint will come off with a wash.
At the end of the day, what product you use (carnauba wax, nano synthetic coatings, ceramic infused stuff, graphene infused stuff, whatever else they try to sell us) matters a lot less than the prep and care of the vehicle.
What is carnauba wax?
Where's the wax? Did I miss it? I doubt anyone makes or sells (in this country) a wax intended to use on automotive paint.
And again you're describing buffing with a compound that has an abrasive.
You could even use a drill with a nano coating and it will ABSOLUTELY 100% NOT damage your paint. You're only a couple of hours away. Drive over here and I'll do it on my C8. If I'm wrong it'll cost me a $15k paint job, I'll pay for your gas and time, and buy/pay for your dinner at Berns. If I'm right, you buy me dinner at Berns and post up a simple concession.
Last edited by Corvette_Dez; Dec 29, 2024 at 11:27 AM.
Where's the wax? Did I miss it? I doubt anyone makes or sells (in this country) a wax intended to use on automotive paint.
And again you're describing buffing with a compound that has an abrasive.
You could even use a drill with a nano coating and it will ABSOLUTELY 100% NOT damage your paint. You're only a couple of hours away. Drive over here and I'll do it on my C8. If I'm wrong it'll cost me a $15k paint job, I'll pay for your gas and time, and buy/pay for your dinner at Berns. If I'm right, you buy me dinner at Berns and post up a simple concession.
Don't take a drill to your car. You're going to be very disappointed in the reality vs marketing of it. This coming from a guy who has a car with a "10H Graphene Hard Ceramic coating".
Don't take a drill to your car. You're going to be very disappointed in the reality vs marketing of it. This coming from a guy who has a car with a "10H Graphene Hard Ceramic coating".
My offer stands. I have a really nice Milwaukee drill too.
From: SCMR Rat Pack'r Charter Member..Great Bend KS
Originally Posted by Corvette_Dez
I believe what you're describing would be using a polishing compound and probably with a buffer. Polish as a general term, and especially hand polishing will not damage anything. When you "polish" gold or silver jewelery you're not wearing down anything.
If your polishing cloth turns black, you are removing a small amount of whatever metal you are polishing.
Polishes are abrasive by their nature. Commercial polishes do not leave a protective film UNLESS IT SAYS IT WILL.
Waxes are not abrasive UNLESS IT CLAIMS TO BE A CLEANER-WAX.
Waxed necessary?
