How Often Should I Wax My Car?
We get this question a lot as many people consider this part of car appearance care as an 'extra', something to do on a rare 'special' occasion in comparison to a regular planned event. Most car owners are on top of their vehicle's maintenance requirements (oil changes, brakes up to snuff, tires are good) and the like but the car appearance part of things beyond when it's time to take it through a car wash is where that part of things can stop for some.
When your car comes out of the factory, the paint and clear coat are right at their optimum stage for protection. From there it is up to you, the owner. If you've ever looked at your car on a sunny day on a bit of an angle, you will likely see what we in the trade refer to as 'spider webbing'. This circular effect is from light scratches going into the paints clear coat and, over time and without care, will continue to deteriorate the exterior protection of your car. The cause of this is pretty straight forward. When you are driving, stuff hits your car (bug guts, sand/debris and what not); when you go through a car wash, some washes are more aggressive than others on your paints surface – Have you ever seen a large dirty work truck go into a wash and come out clean?
You're next so you grab hold of the same brush as that guy and use it to gently lather soap on your valuable ride - your intent was good but your actually brushing gravel around your exterior? ; and so on. If you have no wax protection remaining on your car it's pretty self explanatory what's happening to your car's exterior.
So how often should you put wax on? Well the short answer is...that depends. Do you store your vehicle inside or out? How often do you wash it? How do you wash it? What kind of conditions does it go through? How long do you want to have it looking as good as you can? Is resale value important to you? Many wax manufacturers recommend every 45 days or so under normal 'wear and tear'. With the technology in some of the waxes today, the wax can last much longer. For example, in our shop we have a product that is good for 6 months at a time. It actually creates another barrier over the clear coat at a higher level than 'regular wax' does.
How to tell: There are a simple way or two of determining if it's time for another coat of wax or not: When you wash your car, does it still bead up nicely or does the water seem to form large 'sheets' on the surface? Beads=wax. Also, when you're done washing the car and it's dried off, take a dry terry cloth and fold it into a palm sized square. Press it down firmly on your car and twist it back and forth. If it squeaks...likely time for wax.
With our Auto Spa Car Appearance System, we have a number of clients that allow us to perform quarterly appearance care to their vehicle. Along with decontaminating the vehicles surface, we will hand wash, hand dry, test the wax that's left, determine if it is time to polish it (a topic for another day), and put a protective coat on the vehicle so it is as ready for the changing season as you are. This time of year, it is ideal for protecting your car from salt, ice and the wear and tear that makes new cars grow old before their time. Give us a call at 1.306.664.8843, visit us on Facebook or check out our website at www.thedetailshop.ca . We'd be delighted to have a chat with you!
(www.thedetailshop.ca) 306.664.8843
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