Every time I take the ftype in for a hand wash I pay the extra $50 to carnauba wax it with meguiars. Like every three weeks or so. No compound or polish obviously. Just wax, a liquid not paste wax.

P.s. those with silver wheels, do not underestimate how much better they look when -thoroughly- cleaned.

 

Carnauba wax wears off pretty quickly, once a month or so is fine.

That being said, one of the joys of owning a car you love is cleaning it, you let someone else touch it!?

 

That's what I thought.

I go to a car wash on sunset blvd that does a lot of high end cars. They do a good job. Today some old famous guy was there with his gigantic maybach. I can't recall his name

 

Not sure about the over wax but I've waxed my car and then washed 3 times this week. The black shows every little spot and I can't have that!

 

I'm feeling like a slacker. I've ony waxed mine twice. I guess I've ony had it for 2 months though and now its sleeping

 

I'm even worse. I waxed it last year, and didn't get around to waxing it this year. Goes into winter storage on Sat.

 

It depends on the wax I'd guess--- there are certain cleaner type waxes that can be used at will. It also depends on how you apply the wax. A hand application will have a far less impact on the clear coat vs a machine application but will also not clean up the imperfections as easily.

 

Some great products I recommend you check out are from Stay Fresh Car Care. They are a small company but know their home grown products. You can literally send them HD pictures of a spot of concern, and they will tell you what products you need to fix it. From what I have heard, they are pretty awesome.

 

Having significantly less sun here, waxes last longer.

A local detailing firm recommends waxing every 3 - 6 months, while using shampoo that doesn't remove wax every 1 - 4 weeks (depending on use and whether the car is kept inside or not).

Polishing is apparently something that's for paint which has a poor surface finish whether due to age, neglect, repair or manufacture.

If you're going to use clay bar, find a mild one (they apparently come in different grades, some pretty abrasive), and use lots of lubricant. Once a year should be regarded as a maximum, unless the paint really needs replacing but you lack the inclination or opportunity (original paint say, or a workshop you trust).

 

You can't over wax a car, but you want to make sure you don't have so many coats of wax on the paint that the old layers towards the bottom don't start hazing or yellowing. If that happens, just use a pre-wax cleaner to strip all the old stuff off and start fresh.

In Addition:

Carnauba waxes that are natural with no synthetic additives do only last about 2-3 months before wearing out. If you only get around to waxing your car once or twice a year, I would suggest using a paint sealant in addition to your waxings. You have to use a pre-wax cleaner first(clean the paint), then apply the paint sealant, wait 12 hours after wipe off (12 hour cure time for paint sealants), then you would be good to go with waxes. A paint sealant will give you roughly 8-12 months of protection based on which one you choose.

SO you apply a paint sealant once a year and even if you forget to wax your car after 7 months, you are still being protected by the paint sealant! Paint Sealants are extremely easy to apply these days, they look amazing, and they provide much better protection than a wax. A wax gives you basic protection against UV rays and water but its primary purpose is for the looks (deep wet shine).

Doubling up on both gets you the best of both worlds (The Protection and The Deep Shine). Even if you're someone that applies a wax once a week, I still always recommend putting on a paint sealant just to add to the protection element. Then just apply your waxes when ever you feel like it.

 

Personally I think wax is old technology. I use a coating. It is far more effective and lasts longer. Some of the glass coatings like CQuartz Finest or Modesta shine better than Carnauba too.

 

I am not familiar with these coatings. Can you apply them yourself or have to have a detailer do it?

 

does anyone remember that product they would sell on late night infomercials, that would shine up a dirty car from the junk yard, like it was brand new? Nufinish or something like that?

 

Or just get Opti-Coat applied and forget about having to mess with it at all.

 

You could do it yourself although I have always used a detailer. However I know guys who do it themselves.

Some are easier to self apply. Wolfs hardbody and Opticoat 2.0 can be done by consumer. Optiguard, Modesta and CQuartz are better applied by a pro.

The way to think of these coatings is as a supplemental clear coat. So this way if your car gets scratched you don't need to polish off a layer of paint, you just polish the coating. Also the hydrophobic properties of these coatings is really amazing.

 

If opti coat is that good why don't manufacturers just apply it like they do clear cost?

 

By that logic, you could also ask why manufacturers don't install Xpel paint protection film at the factory...

It just isn't part of their business model.

 

Pinnacle Black Label Diamond Coatings are the easiest coatings to apply on the market. Period. There are others out there that you can play around with but they do tend to be a little more tricky and less forgiving and you really have to know what you're doing. Pinnacle is really simple spray on, wipe in, light buff off. The hardest part of applying paint coatings is the prep steps: 1. wash 2. decontaminate the paint (clay) 3. paint correction (swirls/scratch removal) 4. Clean the paint surgically (remove all the oils and chemicals off the paint) 5. Apply the coating. These steps are crucial and take some time.

The problem with paying a detailer to coat your car is that it's quite pricey. Depending on how good they are, what they use, how many hours it takes them, etc.. It could easily cost you 600-700+ to get your car coated.

You could spend 400-500 dollars one time on EVERYTHING (wash/clay/polisher/buffer/pads/swirl removers/polishes/cleaners/coating) and you would be able to do it yourself for the rest of your life. It's not as hard as people make it out to be. It's more important to follow the directions/steps and taking your time. All coatings have a different element of difficulty.

But to answer your question, yes you can definitely coat your car yourself. I would highly recommend doing it yourself, not only are you going to save money, but you're also going to know it was done properly.

Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 was discontinued by the way.

 

I think the other guy explained it quite well. Same reason they don't apply clear-bra or apply tint or apply leather protection: because it adds cost and it also adds time. You need to wait for coating to cure before shipping and in high capital businesses adding even a day to inventory is expensive.

 

Opti-Coat 2.0 was the version for home application. Opti-Coat Pro is the one that's now used, and can only be applied by authorized installers.

I paid $500 to have my car completely done in Opti-Coat by a local shop, and I couldn't be more pleased. And I won't have to spend any time on it myself, ever!