Waxinig a new car

[Michael Smith]

Ok, you guys are probably fed up with all the questions, but here goes
another. What are your thoughts on Waxing a new car? I was thinking
i should wax my 03 Forester before winter, but then someone at work
said that becaue of the clear coat that i am not supposed to wax it.
I find that hard to believe. so i am asking Subaru owners. What is
the deal? Wax?, no wax? special clearcoat polish?, no special
polish?

thanks,

Mike

 

[Jeff]

All cars need wax.

I used Meguiars Gold Class clear coat prep followed by Gold Class
liquid wax on my new 2003 Outback the first week I got it home. I
have been using the Meguiars products (www.meguiars.com) on a black
1996 Explorer since new and the paint looks factory fresh. The web
site has lots of information on paint maintenance.

I highly recommend all of the Meguiars products. Some of their
products are available in auto and chain stores. The hard to find
ones I order direct.

I use the Meguiars foam pads for product application. Buy a good set
of 100% cotton towels (bathroom quality, not auto store crap) for wax
removal and polishing. Cut the tags off so they don't scratch the
paint.

The Quick Detailer spray cleaner has been essential in keeping the
hood clear of water spots and is good for touch-ups between cleaning.

I am a bit extreme when it comes to washing and waxing and always wash
my cars by hand. Whatever you do don't ever use one of those $29.99
polishers as they are the fastest way to ruin a paint job. The
Meguars products are very easy to hand apply and remove but good
quality towels are essential.

 

[James]

Ok, you guys are probably fed up with all the questions, but here goes
another. What are your thoughts on Waxing a new car? I was thinking
i should wax my 03 Forester before winter, but then someone at work
said that becaue of the clear coat that i am not supposed to wax it.
I find that hard to believe. so i am asking Subaru owners. What is
the deal? Wax?, no wax? special clearcoat polish?, no special
polish?

thanks,

Mike

Hey Mike. Of course wax it! I applied a coat of Meguiars gold class
to both cars a couple of weeks ago. It's great to see the beading
when it rains or goes through the car wash.

James
'03 Subaru Forester XS-P
'01 Subaru Outback LLBean
Santa Fe, New Mexico

 

[Vmcw]

Ok, you guys are probably fed up with all the questions, but here goes

another. What are your thoughts on Waxing a new car?

I had an Outback for four years in the Philly area. Never waxed it, thought
that the finish looked great when I sold it in June. My opinion: don't bother
waxing!

Tom in PA

 

[Don Nickell]

Ok, you guys are probably fed up with all the questions, but here goes
another. What are your thoughts on Waxing a new car? I was thinking
i should wax my 03 Forester before winter, but then someone at work
said that becaue of the clear coat that i am not supposed to wax it.
I find that hard to believe. so i am asking Subaru owners. What is
the deal? Wax?, no wax? special clearcoat polish?, no special
polish?

thanks,

Mike

I used to be sold on Meguiars, and still use their Mist and Wipe often.

But, in July I finally bought some Klasse. Not a wax or polish, but an
"elastic acrylic polymer". See http://www.properautocare.com/kla-16.html

It's easy to apply and easier to polish than Meguiar's or Zymol. The
car is so slick it's unbelievable. All I do between rains is to use
a California Duster to keep it clean. But don't use a Duster on the
hood when it's hot!!! First thing I noticed was that you can't shut
the door if you are a "hand on the side of the door and push with a
sliding motion". Your hand will slip off and the door won't close!!!
;-)

 

[Edward Hayes]

I use NewFinish which is a polymer and much longer lasting than the old nut
type waxes i.e. carnauba. I also like the California dust buster from
Wal-Mart. eddie

 

[Rick Courtright]

I use NewFinish which is a polymer and much longer lasting than the old nut

Hi,

I used to use NuFinish liquid. Wasn't impressed that it was better or
worse than anything else. Then one of the consumer mags claimed the
paste version was better. I bought a can, and what a rotten mess! I
don't know if the stuff was separating or what, but I had to stir it up
just to apply it, and the "wipe off" was anything but easy. For that
much work, I'll use carnauba! Is that normal, or did I get a bad can?

OTOH, I've found two "rules" for waxing cars:

1) The more elbow grease that goes into the job, the better and longer
lasting the results (hand polishing, no "grinders" or other tools), and;

2) The more elbow grease required, the less likely one's gonna keep up
the regimen very long, so the liquid "quickie" products may be better in
the long run simply cuz they'll get used more (paint on the car I
frequently use liquid Turtle wax on--no flames necessary!--looks better
than the one that gets an infrequent "proper" polish and wax regimen!"

Naturally YMMV!

Rick

 

[Edward Hayes]

I use NuFinish paste and it's very good. I think you must have gotten a very
old can or somehow it got frozen. eddie

 

[Bob D]

Yes you should wax the vehicle.

You should start by giving it a good wash. Wash the car with a soap made for
cars. NO DISH DETERGENTS. Too harsh. Remove bugs and tar. Follow up with a
good polish/cleaner, then wax. Should be done by hand no machines. Orbital
or rotary buffers will leave swirls. The wax provides additional protection
to the clearcoat paint.If you need more info you can go to
www.karkleanprofessionals.com or www.carwash.com.

I have been detailing cars for almost 20 years and for anyone to say that
you shouldn't wax is wrong. Yes clearcoat finishes are more resilient, but
they still need protection

Bob

 

[BoB]

I used to be sold on Meguiars, and still use their Mist and Wipe often.

But, in July I finally bought some Klasse. Not a wax or polish, but an
"elastic acrylic polymer". See http://www.properautocare.com/kla-16.html

It's easy to apply and easier to polish than Meguiar's or Zymol. The
car is so slick it's unbelievable. All I do between rains is to use
a California Duster to keep it clean. But don't use a Duster on the
hood when it's hot!!! First thing I noticed was that you can't shut
the door if you are a "hand on the side of the door and push with a
sliding motion". Your hand will slip off and the door won't close!!!
;-)

The slickness is impressive. I've applied Zaino Show Car Polish
twice to my entire '02 ForesterS from the same 8 oz bottle and
have enough for one more appl. If I lay my 100% cotton wipe towel
on the hood it slides off onto the floor. Zaino by mail only:

http://www.zainobros.com/files/tips.htm

I read about a test run by an NS showcar site. Zaino beat Meguiar,
Zymol and other much more expensive products. Zaino is for car buffs,
not the 'slop on a wax job once a year folks'. This is just for info;
I don't sell the stuff.

BoB

 

[Don Nickell]

The slickness is impressive. I've applied Zaino Show Car Polish
twice to my entire '02 ForesterS from the same 8 oz bottle and
have enough for one more appl. If I lay my 100% cotton wipe towel
on the hood it slides off onto the floor. Zaino by mail only:

http://www.zainobros.com/files/tips.htm

I read about a test run by an NS showcar site. Zaino beat Meguiar,
Zymol and other much more expensive products. Zaino is for car buffs,
not the 'slop on a wax job once a year folks'. This is just for info;
I don't sell the stuff.

BoB

BTW, I just tried one of the NAPA micro-something cloths that's recommended
by one Klasse distributor. It worked beautifully. He suggested Eagle Mist &
Wipe instead of water for wetting the cloth, I used Meguar's Mist & Wipe and
it worked great. He said "mist & wipe" would help soften any crud that didn't
come off with the wash.

I don't sell anything, I only buy. Stupid, eh? ;-)

Don

 

[Bart]

I'm also a fan of the Meguiars products.

Their products help hide the clear coat scratches and it looks really
nice -- I have a black Forester...

 

[Edward Hayes]

I like Meguiars but, it doesn't last long enough so I ended up waxing 4-5
times a year. The newer Polymer waxes? last about 4 times as long and offer
UV protection here in Florida. eddie

 

[null]

Take a look at Vladimir's guide in pdf format. It well written and gives
alot of information.
http://homepage.mac.com/vladimir/bmwforum/Detailing.pdf

 

[Jeff]

For vinyl, rubber and plastic I like the Meguiars Gold Class
Vinyl/Rubber Protectant.

For clear plastic I use the Meguiars Mirror Glaze Clear Plastic
Detailer and Mirror Glaze Clear Plastic Cleaner. While I haven't used
it on a car, I restored a scratched watch using Mirror Glaze Plastic
Polish.

At www.meguiars.com you can find a product for all of your cleaning
needs.

Good quality cotton towels are essential in preventing scratches. The
ones sold by Meguiars are the one's I use (better than my bathroom
towels). The new micro-fiber towels are impressive and may prompt me
to switch (I use one wash-cloth size microfiber to dry the car).

I don't recommend Armor All as it leaves an artificial shine and I
have read that if you stop using it bad things happen to plastic and
rubber.

Jeff

 

[BoB]

Take a look at Vladimir's guide in pdf format. It well written and gives
alot of information.
http://homepage.mac.com/vladimir/bmwforum/Detailing.pdf

You'd better have a cable modem. It must be a BIG hummer.
Gave up after 5 minutes of DLing.

BoB

 

[null]

Yes I failed to mention that. It's a very large download for dialup
(~6.2MB). It's got lots of pictures hence the size but
well worth the wait.

 

[Jerre Bassler]

Everyone out there needs to try a product called Buffalo Milke. It's a
instant spray wax that goes on wet and goes off wet. You can do your
whole car in 20-25 minutes. NO white residue to clean on trim and
around doors, hood and chrome emblems. Great on chrome, glass, plastic
parts etc. Real smooth finish and seems to last a good while. Actually
it makes waxing fun, and want to do it more often just to keep that
smooth feel that you lose after several washings with any wax. Loves
dark colors, too.

 

[Michael P. Smith]

i just downlozded it.... that is very
through, thanks.
well worth the download.