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HOW-TO WAX YOUR CAR

In this chapter:
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New car finishes and waxing [*]
Clearcoat finish protection [*]
Automobile wax technology [*]
Is Carnauba wax a dinosaurs? [*]
Applying waxes and sealants [/ul]




When you purchased your most recent car, chances are the first impression you had came from the paint finish. It's what you stared at for nearly an hour, and it's what you admire still today. The manufacturer created a window sticker with an impressive list of features, but all of those features took a back seat to that initial look. We buy with our eyes. This explains why the majority of the cost involved in building a new car factory goes into the paint finish system. Carmakers know your first impression of the paint finish is key to making the sale. The color, vividness and quality of the paint finish matters most.

Automotive paint history dates back a full century. Although man has been coating metal, wood and stone for several thousand years, motor vehicle specific coatings were not invented until a few years after Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company. These early automotive coatings were varnish products carried over from the horse and buggy industry.

Today’s paint systems, mostly waterborne, multi-stage, clearcoat systems, are better than ever. The new paint systems offer extraordinary colors, vivid depth and clarity, extremely high gloss, and new levels of durability. Still, even with the improvements, new car finishes must be waxed and properly maintained.


DO NEW CAR FINISHES REALLY NEED CAR WAX?The improvements in clearcoat paint technology have started a distressing trend at new car dealerships. Many new car dealers are telling their clients that the paint on their new car is maintenance-free and does not require car wax. This could not be further from the truth. While the improved paint technology has created a longer lasting finish, the finish does oxidize and it is not impervious to environmental conditions. It still requires regular care, including car wax.

New car dealers who don't preach maintenance-free paintwork seem to go the route of a life-time or 5-year paint sealant upgrade. While not as harmful as suggesting new paint is maintenance-free, a true life-time sealant product is not available. The technology simply does not exist. Think about it. How can a car wax product with a coating thickness less than one millionth of an inch protect your car for a lifetime, let alone for more than a few months? It simply can't. What you're really buying with a paint sealant upgrade is a maintenance contract. Please read the fine print before you buy the package.[/color]

There are distressing signs that the message from new car makers and dealers is having an impact on retail car care product sales. I have recently noticed a trend with large retailers, starting with Target and K-Mart, that has them pushing car wax products from mid-store to the rear and reducing the shelf space.

SPECIAL PAINT HYPEThere have been some reports that European car paint systems are significantly different and require different care. According to my research, there is little difference. Any notion that the paint on European cars has better color, vibrancy or richness is a matter of personal preference.

There are a few high-end car manufacturers, namely Mercedes-Benz, experimenting with ceramic paint systems. Ceramic paint systems are still too new to provide any concrete feedback.

DuPont and PPG manufacture more than 80% of all automotive paint used worldwide. A third player, BASF, manufactures paint for many of the European car manufactures and a few car models in the United States. It is well known that both PPG and DuPont have responded to complaints that their clearcoats were easily scratched. As a result, the new clearcoat systems from PPG and DuPont are slightly harder than the BASF system, but the difference is not significant.

Paints from different manufacturers do not favor one wax coating over another. The notion that a wax is produced specifically for a make and model of car, such as an Acura NSX or a BMW Z3, is ridiculous. Car owners should beware of any company or person marketing such products. There is no factual basis for a special wax blend based on the car brand or model.

CLEAR COAT PROTECTIONClearcoat finishes are not particular about the car wax you use, as long as you're not using an overly abrasive cleaner-wax. Many cleaner waxes available were designed for conventional finishes that require more "scrubbing" action to remove heavy oxidation and stains. Only in rare circumstances will a heavy abrasive be required to properly treat a clearcoat finish. If you're going to use a cleaner-wax on your clearcoat, be sure it's a clearcoat safe product, like Klasse All-In-One, which uses "soft cleaners" that lightly clean and polish.

In most climate conditions, I recommend waxing a minimum of twice a year. Waxing any less frequently than this and your paint will suffer premature deterioration from oxidation. If you use a pure car wax (a car wax with no cleaners) product, you cannot over-wax your car. If you use a clearcoat safe cleaner-wax, wax no more than four times a year. A pure car wax like [color=#000080]P21S is an excellent choice if you like to wax your car frequently to maintain a perfect paint finish.


CAR WAX TECHNOLOGYIt was European coach builders that first applied coatings of animal fats and wax to protect the custom paint on their horse-drawn carriages. This tradition has endured over 100 years and is still a great way to protect the paint on modern-day coaches.

Today, the multilayered finish on your car, from the primer through the top clearcoat, is only .004 to .006 of an inch thick. Regardless of how fine the finish is now, it will deteriorate and dull. Radiant and ultraviolet energy, acid rain, salt, atmospheric pollution, insect fluids and bird droppings wage a constant war on your car's finish. Waxing provides an easily renewable, transparent barrier between the finish and a hostile environment.

Waxing also makes your car, new or old, look better. Many quality car waxes combine enriching oils that "wet" the surface with protective formulas of Brazilian carnauba or modern polymers for a high-gloss shine. This brings us to the subject of selecting a wax. Waxes can be made from a natural wax, usually Brazilian carnauba, or synthetically made of polymers and acrylic resins.






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Car waxes and sealants make the surface of a car reflect more light. As a result, the car looks vibrant. When I saw this Porsche Carrera GT, it was hard to tell which reflected more, the water or the paint. It looked alive. Carnauba-based car waxes add an element of depth and warmth to a car. Synthetic wax formulas create brilliance and sparkle.

Carnauba Car WaxCarnauba comes from the fronds of the "tree of life" (Copernicia cerifera) native to Brazil. It is nature's hardest, purest and most transparent wax. Ca