To wax or not to wax
08-15-2007, 11:13 AM
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To wax or not to wax
The manual says I should wax it. Some of my friends say I shouldnt cuz it would wear on the clear coat. Yesterday I waxed it and it is so freaking shiny right now, i love it.
I used Turtle wax ultra shine, the kind that comes in a can, where you have to rub on wait then rub off.
What do you guys think about waxing?
I used Turtle wax ultra shine, the kind that comes in a can, where you have to rub on wait then rub off.
What do you guys think about waxing?
08-15-2007, 11:38 AM
#4
I use Turtle Wax Ice which is a synthetic wax which leaves no white residue. Not only does it make the paint look great, you can use it on plastic trim and it really makes it look black and new (and lasts a lot longer than other trim dressings like Back to Black or Armor All).
But yeah, as to the original question, most waxes are clear coat safe and will only help protect your paint/clear coat for the long term. Wax on!
But yeah, as to the original question, most waxes are clear coat safe and will only help protect your paint/clear coat for the long term. Wax on!
08-15-2007, 11:41 AM
#5
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Never fear, Jedi is here!
When in doubt; wax. Just make sure you are using something high quality that is not very abrasive to your clear coat / paint.
Zaino, Meguiars, Turtle Wax, Ice, all of those should work nicely
When in doubt; wax. Just make sure you are using something high quality that is not very abrasive to your clear coat / paint.
Zaino, Meguiars, Turtle Wax, Ice, all of those should work nicely
08-15-2007, 12:29 PM
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Wax is great and necessary to protect and replenish the paint of binders that get lost over time.
Cleaner waxes and polishes can wear the clear coat off the car and should be used sparingly. I polish my car once every couple of years to get that killer shine back. I paste wax with Mother's carnuba wax once a year for a hard protective polish for the paint, and I use a variety of paint dressings to shine the ca through the year. By doing this, I kept a factory shine on my last car for ten years without wearing through the clear coat or letting the paint get dull or sun bleached.
The Turtle wax that you used should be fine. I used to use the Turtle wax paste wax and only switched because I liked the Mother's shine and finish a little better, and I like Mequiar's polish for a really rich deep polish. It makes the finish look really wet, but these are just personal preferences.
Make sure that you wash the car in between waxes with a car finish detergent like zymol or mother's or something like that. Dish soaps and the like will strip the wax right off of a car.
Cleaner waxes and polishes can wear the clear coat off the car and should be used sparingly. I polish my car once every couple of years to get that killer shine back. I paste wax with Mother's carnuba wax once a year for a hard protective polish for the paint, and I use a variety of paint dressings to shine the ca through the year. By doing this, I kept a factory shine on my last car for ten years without wearing through the clear coat or letting the paint get dull or sun bleached.
The Turtle wax that you used should be fine. I used to use the Turtle wax paste wax and only switched because I liked the Mother's shine and finish a little better, and I like Mequiar's polish for a really rich deep polish. It makes the finish look really wet, but these are just personal preferences.
Make sure that you wash the car in between waxes with a car finish detergent like zymol or mother's or something like that. Dish soaps and the like will strip the wax right off of a car.
08-15-2007, 12:34 PM
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TOO...HOT....outside...
08-15-2007, 12:51 PM
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08-15-2007, 12:53 PM
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don't worry boys, the Jedi Mobile still looks SUPER shiny! 
08-15-2007, 12:59 PM
#14
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sure, but all you'll see is the car cover.
08-15-2007, 01:19 PM
#16
Using dawn is about the worst thing for paint. I use it once a year before clay barring then I apply a good paste wax. The rest of the year I use car soap which contains a mild wax and follow that with a cleaner wax every 2-3 months. The 8 has notorious cheap paint. I can tell the difference when I do my gf's BMW. My paint looks outstanding after 3 years and get compliments all the time.
08-15-2007, 01:22 PM
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Jedi only does Wax ON!
08-15-2007, 01:45 PM
#19
Nothing looks better than fresh, un-waxed paint. When I do shows, I machine compound and polish, but I don't wax because paint looks its best with nothing obscuring it - especially dark colors.
That said, the world immediately takes its toll on paint, so the next best thing is a layer of sacrificial wax over the finish.
That said, the world immediately takes its toll on paint, so the next best thing is a layer of sacrificial wax over the finish.
08-15-2007, 02:31 PM
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Waxing provides somewhat of a thin layer of protection on top of the clearcoat; waxing it is not going to hurt it. With a carnauba wax, I would recommend waxing every 1-2 months, and with a synthetic I would recommend every 2-3 months.
08-15-2007, 02:52 PM
#22
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what polishes to you guys like?
I'm still searching for a good hand polish to fight the swirls with...
the polish i've got is too agressive, and the cleaner wax i use is too passive - so i'm looking for something between them as i'd like to save a little elbow grease.
i was actually thinking that meguiar's scratch X would fit right in the middle.
should i feel bad about using it for this purpose? - once i restore the finish back to the way i want it, i'm going to step up my paint maintaince efforts to the next level to put off my next polish even farther..
i've got an '04 BB
[also maybe this thread should be in show and shine?]
I'm still searching for a good hand polish to fight the swirls with...
the polish i've got is too agressive, and the cleaner wax i use is too passive - so i'm looking for something between them as i'd like to save a little elbow grease.
i was actually thinking that meguiar's scratch X would fit right in the middle.
should i feel bad about using it for this purpose? - once i restore the finish back to the way i want it, i'm going to step up my paint maintaince efforts to the next level to put off my next polish even farther..
i've got an '04 BB
[also maybe this thread should be in show and shine?]
08-15-2007, 02:58 PM
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I'm a huge fan of Zaino. www.zainostore.com
Look at their Z5, it's designed to help with those fine scratches.
Look at their Z5, it's designed to help with those fine scratches.
08-15-2007, 04:22 PM
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"Turtle wax Platinum Series Ultra Gloss Paste Wax" "a premium formulation of Brzilian carnauba wax and high refractive index polymers" So does that make it a synthetic? The manual said use natural wax.
Also what is a good car wax, i am going to get it after i used this one up? clearly i dont know crap about waxing.
Also what is a good car wax, i am going to get it after i used this one up? clearly i dont know crap about waxing.
08-15-2007, 06:50 PM
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hrm, jedi - z5 covers up that stuff and sounds like it would be a good protectant, zpc sounds like it would really remove the issues i'm talking about. (I'd really like to get the paint nice before i put on a shell on it (even if the coating could disguise my problems). I don't plan on removing material very often, and clean paint always seems to look better than rough paint with protectant over it to me.
driving my car year round in new england (and no garage) my paint will never be d-lux like your's or other's, i'd rather not spend 17 dollars for 8 oz's [z5] (plus 9 to ship) - how long would that even last? (i really doubt i could get the '20 corvettes' worth.)
I guess if you'd swear up and down that the z5 is likely to make me happy i'd be willing to try it, but i'd really like something i can buy in a store (and maybe 16oz for that kind of dough [$26 after shipping]).
while i believe what people say about the zaino system i don't think its for me, i'm not trying to have a show car, just a car that looks nice. I like my car care products to stand on their own and zaino is a little too zealous to really push that you need the whole product range to get good results (i suppose that scares me off a bit...) (although the zpc sounds like it work fine by itself)
when i retire the car from DD status i'm thinking of getting it sprayed - so while i don't want to short my paint life, i'm not afraid of a little removal. We've seen people go and polish a brand new car to remove orange peel, no? And those other people who pay 'that guy' $7,000 to shine their new cars (i believe his first few steps are abrasive too, as he 'evens' the paint thickness across the entire car)
*shrug* any more recommendations? I'm still learning to put together a good paint care package & technique, since this is the first car who's finish i really really care about. I just want the car to pass the 5 ft test for any defects even in direct sunlight - that's about the limit of my insanity. (though that's more of a goal...)
driving my car year round in new england (and no garage) my paint will never be d-lux like your's or other's, i'd rather not spend 17 dollars for 8 oz's [z5] (plus 9 to ship) - how long would that even last? (i really doubt i could get the '20 corvettes' worth.)
I guess if you'd swear up and down that the z5 is likely to make me happy i'd be willing to try it, but i'd really like something i can buy in a store (and maybe 16oz for that kind of dough [$26 after shipping]).
while i believe what people say about the zaino system i don't think its for me, i'm not trying to have a show car, just a car that looks nice. I like my car care products to stand on their own and zaino is a little too zealous to really push that you need the whole product range to get good results (i suppose that scares me off a bit...) (although the zpc sounds like it work fine by itself)
when i retire the car from DD status i'm thinking of getting it sprayed - so while i don't want to short my paint life, i'm not afraid of a little removal. We've seen people go and polish a brand new car to remove orange peel, no? And those other people who pay 'that guy' $7,000 to shine their new cars (i believe his first few steps are abrasive too, as he 'evens' the paint thickness across the entire car)
*shrug* any more recommendations? I'm still learning to put together a good paint care package & technique, since this is the first car who's finish i really really care about. I just want the car to pass the 5 ft test for any defects even in direct sunlight - that's about the limit of my insanity. (though that's more of a goal...)