What do you wax your car with? (If at all?)

[Swamp Yankee]

Originally Posted by H2O

I never wax, or even wash my car. Just let the sun and rain take care of things for me.

I park my pickup truck for the winter in my driveway which is under trees. Last year I had to wash it because seedlings were sprouting in the corners and creases in the bed...but that was the first time I had washed any one of our cars in several years.

I have never waxed a car.

[guitar george]

I buy a big container of this Turtle Wax Zip Wax and use it every time I wash the car. No extra waxing required. Probably doesn't shine quite like a hand waxed finish, but, it's cheap and easy and good enough for me.

TURTLE WAX.jpg

[flaggerphil]

Back in the '70s and early '80s I used Nu Finish for my cars and bikes. But I've been told that it's not good for modern car finishes.

I probably haven't washed a car since sometime in the '90s. For the past 15 years or so, I take my cars to a local car wash i like. Because of Florida weather and salt i get mine washed around once a week, my wife's, which lives in the garage, twice a month. Every few months I'll take mine in and have them vacuum out the sand and clean the dash.

[inky]

I've used almost all of the above over the years but the one that works for me is....Autoglym Aqua Wax.

Super fast to apply (wet or dry). No hard work buffing and leaves your paintwork super silky. No white residue on plastics, no smeary windows.

Lasts for years.

[RedJoker]

I used to use the turtle wax stuff back when I cared. Modern finishes on cars are so much better that it's not quite the requirement that it used to be.

As a side note, I had built a Shelby cobra replica that I sometimes took to cruise-ins. I'm not a car show person and would be happy hiding in the back but, ironically, I always got there late and ended up in a spot that was extremely visible as folks entered the show. Since my car was not a show car, it always had track dirt, brake dust and generally filthy. For some reason, I always got a TON of compliments by folks that liked that I was out there driving my car hard instead of polishing it in the garage.

[Silurian]

I only wax a car once.






When I sell it.

[Long Jon]

I have never waxed a car,

there’s a nice little cafe I wait in, right next to the car wash and valet;
Which is run by a great bunch of lads whose English continues to improve.

[golfreggie]

Originally Posted by jpd

Nu Finish.....best product this lazy old timer has ever used. It's a liquid that goes on easy, dries quickly, and lasts forever under all manner of weather. I've used it for over 20 years on clearcoat, old enamel, and scratched up old trucks. The stuff is amazing.

My father swore by this product, and I use it also. I am getting lazy tho', so I have only waxed my vehicles once a year.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by Long Jon

I have never waxed a car,

there’s a nice little cafe I wait in, right next to the car wash and valet;
Which is run by a great bunch of lads whose English continues to improve.

Hi Jon,

Mrs Moustache is a tad claustrophobic and can't handle car washes, so she accepts the offers of a team of eastern European gents who wash her car while she is shopping in Sainsbury's. They work very hard, do a very good job, and are competitive.

I have no fear of the Tesco's car wash, also manned by Eastern European gents. Good luck to them!

[Tico]

I don't wax my cars ... or my guitars.

[H165]

I tend to use Canada Geese droppings. It's free and plentiful.

What's the difference between a professional musician and a seagull?











The seagull has no problem making a deposit on a brand new Honda.

[6L6]

I've always hand washed my cars. I use just water (unless it's REALLY dirty).

I never wax any of my three cars except my '02 911 Cabriolet. For that I use only pure carnuba Classic Car Wax.

Easy to use, works great, nothing to scratch the paint.

If you hand wash and keep your newer cars clean with just water, there's no need for wax. The new paints are fantastic!

[Pitar]

Originally Posted by H2O

I never wax, or even wash my car. Just let the sun and rain take care of things for me.

Well, I'm not far behind. I wax the flat surfaces every couple months to stave off the damage from direct 365 Florida sunshine.

[PorkPieGuy]

I think I may start using one of those spray-on waxes instead of a hard shell wax. Our car-washing place is really good, and I may just hit it with the spray-on wax whenever we wash them. If I do that every time we run them through the car wash, I'm sure this will help. I think they only take a few minutes to apply as opposed to an hour or so with a paste wax.

Also where I live, I drive through the mountains every day. With new car finishes the way they are, I think there is very little danger of rust occurring from not waxing a car (unlike the old days). All the cars I see with rust basically rot from the inside out from road salt/brine. It gets so cold here and stays cold that there's no way to wash a car for sometimes weeks (or months) at a time after a snow that the salt just stays on the undercarriage of a car and eats away at it until temps get above, say 35 degrees.


Thanks everyone!

[Arthur Blake]

I use Zaino products exclusively.

I don't like to think of how old the car is, but the age is 24 years. Showed it to my new insurance agent, and he was sure it had been re painted. Not the first time I heard that.

Zaino is amazing but not particularly cheap. Still, I only followed their procedure when I first bought the car (used, gd. cond.) and now just use their car wash concentrate in a gallon of water.

Used dawn dishwashing detergent to remove any existing wax. Used a clay bar to remove surface contaminants, then applied their clear coat polish and removed with a made in USA cotton Fieldcrest towel from Bed, Bath and Beyond, with the hems cut off. Polish is easy to apply and remove and even smells great. They call it polish, but not abrasive. It will build up layers of protection with successive applications. Never yellows. Just looks spectacular. I think they call it show car polish, -- like for car shows where the finish is gleaming.

Also use the towel remnants for wiping down the guitar.

I also use a natural sponge to wash the car, and a chamois to dry it.

Protects well and looks great. I don't even think rain spots it.

Don't wash the car very often. Has excellent gloss.

Figure if I didn't protect the finish, it would be down to primer or worse just from weathering.