Waxing in the cold...

[SkeeterJD]

Just curious if anyone has had any negative effects when waxing in the cold. With winter moving in here in Idaho (no snow yet....keeping fingers crossed) I've been having to wash and wax whenever I can, even if it just stays clean for a day or 2. I'm not looking to keep my car immaculate, like I do in the summer, but moreover just fighting a losing battle of having a clean car in the wintry months.

Surprisingly, I hit my car with a little #80 on the bad spots last night (temp. around 40 degrees) and it was easier to work with than in the summer. It wasn't a mad dash to work and area and then wipe it off before it dried, it stayed relatively wet, thus easier to wipe off. My car turned out great, but noticed this morning that I saw some buffer marks (I used my DA, not a rotary) that appeared to have some residual wax. I thought I wiped it clean, but maybe not.

Do any of you out there in the colder areas have any problems with waxing when its cold. The car is in the garage when I do all of this, but just curious. Thanks.


Scott
Boise, ID

[stealth]

I work in NJ all year round. I heat 1 garage with a kerosene heater or electric if it's not too cold & the other has central heat.

[Murr1525]

Well, it is getting cooler here, though not too cold yet. So far, working by hand, I have had good sucess with A-12 and ColorX, and the Nxt Glass Cleaner as well. Nxt Wax also seems ok, though again, wasnt used in real cold weather.

I used ColorX topped with Gold CLass Wax on a cool night , and got a couple smears, so not sure if the cold was the cause.

[a2z13]

yeah how cold is too cold -- i'd like to get a couple more coats of #21 on before the frigid weather sets in --

[Jeff Smith]

Here is a thread from Mike on the subject.
What temperature ranges are best for applying cleaners, polishes, and waxes

[Rob66]

Hi Skeeter

I used #80 at the weekend on this Porsche:



I found that it was very easy to spread and stayed 'damp' for quite a while (it was about 40f). I managed to get good results after 2 applications at between Speed 3 and 4 on a PC7224.

This was my first use of #80 so cant comment if its better or worse than in the summer months.

Rob

[Jeff Smith]

Originally posted by Rob66
Hi Skeeter

I used #80 at the weekend on this Porsche:



I found that it was very easy to spread and stayed 'damp' for quite a while (it was about 40f). I managed to get good results after 2 applications at between Speed 3 and 4 on a PC7224.

This was my first use of #80 so cant comment if its better or worse than in the summer months.

Rob

I think you need to try some round up. You need to do something to kill those trees growing on your car.

[mirrorfinishman]

Re: Waxing in the cold...

Originally posted by SkeeterJD
Do any of you out there in the colder areas have any problems with waxing when its cold.

Well, let's see. The other morning when I left my house at about 7AM, the sun was just beginning to rise and here in Southern New Jersey it was only 18 degrees outside. By the time I got to my customers house, about 15 miles away, it was way too cold to even think about washing the vehicle.

Since I normally clean, polish and wax the outside of the vehicle first, in this type of situation I reverse the order and start with the interior. Sure it's cold, but by the time I'm done with the interior, the temperature usually rises enough so that the car can be washed without the water freezing.

Now, back to the original question. Personally, I have never had a problem when polishing and waxing in cold tempertures. Of course, you wouldn't want to due this work on a cold, damp cloudy day. And you also wouldn't want to work when the surface temperture of the vehicle could still be below freezing. As long as it's a relatively clear day, with low humidity and the car is parked in the direct sunlight, there is usually enough heat to get the job done without any difficulty.

From my experience (and I do all of the polishing and waxing by hand) there is really no difference in the end result from polishing and waxing in cold weather.

[Rob66]

I think you need to try some round up. You need to do something to kill those trees growing on your car.

[mpmiller37]

#80 on that Porshe at speed 3-4
------------------------------------------

I suppose you weren't removing defects because I found that I needed a speed of 5-5.5 with #80 to remove swirls with a PC and I went over the car twice. If you don't have any defects to remove like swirls, then why use #80, why not something milder ?

[sneek]

just an update i waxed my accord in my garage it was -23 C outside in my garage about -3 nxt still works but takes ages to haze