Can you apply UQW without a prior wash?

[Zaris]

It is a general recommendation here on MOL to wash your car once a week. And it is also a general recommendation here to apply UQW right after your wash to reinforce the existing wax.

Living in dry Los Angeles, we are asked to conserve water in my townhouse complex wherever possible. I'm pretty diligent about regularly wiping my car down with UQD/#135, so I don't need to wash my car terribly often. To tell you the truth, I haven't washed my car in well over a month but it's getting around to that point.

The thing is, in that month, I haven't applied UQW to my car at all. Now the wax feels like it's "running off" (a slight hazy discoloration that shows up most prominently on the hood where the paint gets hotter than any other surface, and where regular mist and wipe products cannot remove), which indicates to me that I probably need a new coat of wax altogether. But after my next wash and wax, it could be up to another month before I wash my car again. Will I have to go through the entire rewax process then?

So what I would like to know is as the thread title states: can I apply UQW without having to wash my car first? Say, one or two weeks after I rewax, I wipe the car clean of debris with UQD/#135. Can I then spray on UQW to reinforce the wax? It is my hope that, if this is feasible, I'll be able to keep my car's wax looking sharp for two or more months instead of just one, with quick applications of UQW to go in between.

Thanks in advance.

[HealthyCivic]

Re: Can you apply UQW without a prior wash?

Which main wax do you currently use? It should last longer than 1-2 months anyway. You said that you don't get to wash that often. What I would do, is do a regular wax every other wash or every 3 washes, or so.

The reason why rubbing stuff on an unwashed car is risky is simply because you can be rubbing tiny pieces of grit and dirt into the paint and causing swirls. Why risk it? Instead, just hold off and do a full wash and wax.

Another option for you is to do a rinseless wash and then UQW or wax the car. Make sure you clay somewhat often too, that sounds important in the environment you described.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Can you apply UQW without a prior wash?

I have used UQW after qd. No issues at all.

I agree another option to conserve water would be the rinse less wash/UQW.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Can you apply UQW without a prior wash?

So what I would like to know is as the thread title states: can I apply UQW without having to wash my car first? Say, one or two weeks after I rewax, I wipe the car clean of debris with UQD/#135. Can I then spray on UQW to reinforce the wax? It is my hope that, if this is feasible, I'll be able to keep my car's wax looking sharp for two or more months instead of just one, with quick applications of UQW to go in between.

Thanks in advance.

You aren't using UQD/135 to remove the accumulated junk from a full week or two, are you? A couple of days at most would be our recommendation - you can pick up an awful lot of fallout in a week, let alone two.

That said, if you've used a mist & wipe product to remove light dust from the surface first, you most certainly can follow up with UQW right away.

[Zaris]

Re: Can you apply UQW without a prior wash?

I use NXT 2.0 as my wax. My car's a daily driver per sae, but sees the road anywhere from 3-5 times a week (my job hours vary). So HealthyCivic, by regular wax, you mean my NXT 2.0 and to apply that every 2 months or so based on my originally stated timetable. Correct? (Of course, wax won't last forever; and for daily drivers, even less.)

Good to hear from J. A. Michaels that you can use Quik Detailer on the car before UQW. But just to make sure, regular QD only because it doesn't have the hydrophobic properties that UQD has?

EDIT: Oh no, I am not using UQD/#135 only once a week. I wipe my car down just about after every single time I take it out. I'm well aware the amount of dirt a car can collect after just one day's worth of driving (but then, L.A. does have some of the foulest air in the world). The line you bolded was meant to express a certain day in the future when I want to apply UQW and would apply UQD/#135 first before doing so (and seeing if that is all right). It was not meant to reflect the only time I actually apply UQD/#135. Hope that clarifies.

[RDVT4ME]

Re: Can you apply UQW without a prior wash?

My daily driver (MB C230) gets a weekly wash with Optimum No Rinse (ONR) followed by UQW. That has worked well for me and keeps the Benz looking nice. Using ONR requires only a couple of gallons of water and will keep you in line with California watering restrictions.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Can you apply UQW without a prior wash?

On my car, I use 135 and when needed do to the uqw. On the other hand, I regularly use Last Touch. I have used UQW on that also. No issues either way.

[akimel]

Re: Can you apply UQW without a prior wash?

Zaris, I second the recommendation of Optimum No Rinse (ONR). It's tailor-made for geographical areas that must endure water-restrictions. You can apply UQW after an ONR rinse without fear of swirling the paint.

Perhaps one day Meguiar's will sell a rinseless wash, but until then ONR is our best rinseless option.

[Zaris]

Re: Can you apply UQW without a prior wash?

I'm looking at this Optimum No Rinse wash method on autogeek.net and it looks to be an option worth exploring, especially when I move to another gated community where washing my car becomes impossible altogether.

But in the meantime, good to know that UQD followed by UQW is absolutely a-okay. I will definitely be using UQW more often now. Thanks, all.

[HealthyCivic]

Re: Can you apply UQW without a prior wash?

Yeah, I also did not know that you were QDing that frequently. UQW should be fine then as long as there is not heavy dirt or grit on the paint at the time you apply it.