do you wax your car?

[hungt1999]

Should I wax the car before the winter? is-it recommended at all?

I know someone who bought a brand new honda Accord and the manufacturer does not recommend wax becase the paint had already been treated

is that the case for the Corolla?

anyway, if you wax the car, it ends up having tiny scratches all over which can be visible under bright sunlight. Right now my car is shiny like a mirror, not a single microscopic scratch. I am afraid that if I wax it, I will lose that mirror finish

On the other hand, wax should protect the paint against the elements (UV, salt, water etc)

[MXs]

if u got the protection package for the clear coating, i would just leave it. Relax and enjoy the corolla shine! Wax it later on, but u will get scratches, just not as much. It'll become more of an obsessive compulsive , perfectionist thing more than anything else which it sounds like to me.

[trucknut1]

i waxed my car the day i bought it and several times since, if water is not beading up on the surface it needs to be waxed... its a personal preference thing... i like my car very shiny so it put i the hours to make it so...

use a good quality wax, soft towels meant for waxing and stay away from power orbital polishers (imo) do it all by hand and you wont get the dreaded hair line scratches

[Tideland Prius]

I'd say yes. Protect the car while it's still relatively warm outside.

[jdhog]

I've waxed mine a couple of times in the summer (with meguiars nxt) and every winter I use a cheap product called Nu-Finish that is good for protecting the paint from the harsh winter weather. A while back I did a lot of searching on what was good, and it turned out that although the Nu-Finish is cheap, it is as good as some of the more expensive synthetic 'waxes'

I do it by hand, I keep meaning to get a buffer but maybe I shouldn't bother if it will cause scracthing a swirling....

[trucknut1]

i have used mothers gold 3 step wax for years with great results, it is alot of work but in the end i think its worth it. one wax job is between 6-8 hours so its not for those that dont enjoy doing it

[cabur]

Nu-Finish"s only drawback is it does not give the ultra shine finish.
A great product. Perfect lazyman's polish and I'm one of them

[Lbear]

One of the best waxes/protection out there is Zaino -

http://www.zainostore.com/

Hands down, the easiest to use, the best protection and the best shine. None of the white residue or silicone garbage. The stuff they sell at Auto Zone, Pep Boys, Wal Mart is mostly junk. Any true car enthusiast or show car attendee knows that true auto paint protection is not found in Auto Zone or Pep Boys.

[djb383]

If wax/polish is causing scratches in the paint, you're doing something bad wrong. That's the purpose of wax/polish - to fill in tiny scratches and clean/protect the paint/clearcoat surface. One of the worst things on a cars paint finish is commercial car washes. Stop and think about, those swirling/spinning brushes, at the car wash, are full of dirt/abrasives from the 10,000 cars that were there ahead of you and acts like fine sand paper. Washing/waxing a car is not rocket science and I can't imagine it taking more than 45 min to wax/polish a car......especially a small one like the 'rolla.

[hungt1999]

I remember when I got my corolla 1996 years ago brand new, it turned out with micro-scratches all over after the first wax job.

I used a Turtle wax that I applied with a the round sponge that came with the kit. You get the sponge slightly wet with water and then use that to apply wax on small sections of the car at a time. You let the wax to dry out a little bit (not in direct sunlight) then you polish it with a soft cloth.

When you polish it, the rubbing motion causes tiny scratches

what kind of cloth you guys are using to polish the car to avoid scratching?

[hendrix8989]

Originally Posted by hungt1999

I remember when I got my corolla 1996 years ago brand new, it turned out with micro-scratches all over after the first wax job.

I used a Turtle wax that I applied with a the round sponge that came with the kit. You get the sponge slightly wet with water and then use that to apply wax on small sections of the car at a time. You let the wax to dry out a little bit (not in direct sunlight) then you polish it with a soft cloth.

When you polish it, the rubbing motion causes tiny scratches

what kind of cloth you guys are using to polish the car to avoid scratching?

you were something wrong...I get alot of little scratches out when I wax my car

[trucknut1]

Originally Posted by djb383

If wax/polish is causing scratches in the paint, you're doing something bad wrong. That's the purpose of wax/polish - to fill in tiny scratches and clean/protect the paint/clearcoat surface. One of the worst things on a cars paint finish is commercial car washes. Stop and think about, those swirling/spinning brushes, at the car wash, are full of dirt/abrasives from the 10,000 cars that were there ahead of you and acts like fine sand paper. Washing/waxing a car is not rocket science and I can't imagine it taking more than 45 min to wax/polish a car......especially a small one like the 'rolla.

45 minutes lol!!!

...first i wash the car (do a good job cause any dirt left behind will be groud into the paint)
...then dry the car

should mention at this time when i wax the car it is the entire car incl door jambs, glass, head & tailights, hood and trunk seams

...now its time for Mothers step 1, the prewax cleaner... the hardest step, get in close scrub hard with a soft towel untill the paint is super smooth
...let step 1 set and dry
...now remove step 1
...after it is completely removed i get a clean towel and buff down the entire car

... time for step 2, the sealer & glaze, no need to push so hard here just put it on turning very often still takes awhile to do it right, wait for it to dry and remove
...grab a clean towel and buff down the car again

...step 3, non cleaner wax, apply like any other wax, dry and remove
...now buff down entire car again with clean towel

congrats you now have a gleaming car and have just spent 6 or more hours in the garage listening to tunes but since you started the job at 6am its only noon so go out and show off your ride

[djb383]

Wash = 30 min, wax = 45 min. It's just a car. I'd rather spend the next 4 hrs riding motorcycles with my wife and boys.

[trucknut1]

Originally Posted by djb383

Wash = 30 min, wax = 45 min. It's just a car. I'd rather spend the next 4 hrs riding motorcycles with my wife and boys.

...but since i was up at 6 am and its saturday the wife would have slept in till noon anyway...

[hendrix8989]

Originally Posted by trucknut1

...but since i was up at 6 am and its saturday the wife would have slept in till noon anyway...

I would rather ride my BMW anyday...rather than waste time....I can wax the rolla in 35 min