Wax damaging clear coat

[onnfire]

So today, i picked up my car after i had a scratch repainted and it looks a lot nicer. After talking to the guy for awhile, i ask him how long i have to wait i have to wait until i wax. He says the typical thirty days, but then he proceeds to say that a fresh clear coat does not need any wax on it. THen he said that waxxing too often will actually harm the clear coat.

Can someone please clear this up for me as he has confused me.

[the other pc]

If you use a nasty wax that’s loaded with gritty abrasives (Meguiar’s doesn’t make any of those) you can wax to often.

If you use nasty, scratchy applicators to put wax on and scratchy rags to remove it you can wax too often.

If you use gentle applicators and top quality wax (like Meguiar’s*) it’s pretty much impossible to wax too often and you cannot harm your clearcoat.


PC.




* OK, if you use #66 with a rotary buffer and wool pads you can wax too often too. Tip: if you maintain a finish properly you should never have to use #66 with a rotary.

[Michael Stoops]

Wait 30 days then go ahead and wax with your choice of high quality products. Use proper technique and good quality tools, you'll be fine.

Better yet, do the above on just half of that newly painted bumper. On the other half, just wash once a week or so. Do this for 5 years and see what you think about the difference. You'll kick yourself for listening to me because the unwaxed half of your bumper will look horrible in comparison.

Moral of the story: (in this thread anyway) just follow the recommendaion in my first paragraph!

[MotorcycleDetailing]

Using a high quaility wax should not harm the paint as it shouldn't have any abrasives in it. Wax is only there to add a sacrifical barrier to your paint so the containinants get onto it instead of the paint work.

If you use a polish and wax in one product it would take you over a centary to reduce your paint work thickness to a state where you needed to repaint it. Most high quaility polish/waxs use abrasives that degrade the longer you work them.

Buy hand using something strong like scratchX will still take you decades to reduce the paint thickness to needing a new paint.

Now if you use a polish or abrasive and a machine often and by using the wrong techniqe you can reduce the paint thickness to metal in seconds or if used correctly and often it will take years to need a new paint.

To me from reading these forums and using Mikes own words "use the less abrasive product you need" or something like that. Don't take my word...I still new to this but I like trolling the forums and the above thoughts are what I have gleamed from them.

[Guiser]

Originally posted by MotorcycleDetailing
Using a high quaility wax should not harm the paint as it shouldn't have any abrasives in it. Wax is only there to add a sacrifical barrier to your paint so the containinants get onto it instead of the paint work.

If you use a polish and wax in one product it would take you over a centary to reduce your paint work thickness to a state where you needed to repaint it. Most high quaility polish/waxs use abrasives that degrade the longer you work them.

Buy hand using something strong like scratchX will still take you decades to reduce the paint thickness to needing a new paint.

Now if you use a polish or abrasive and a machine often and by using the wrong techniqe you can reduce the paint thickness to metal in seconds or if used correctly and often it will take years to need a new paint.

To me from reading these forums and using Mikes own words "use the less abrasive product you need" or something like that. Don't take my word...I still new to this but I like trolling the forums and the above thoughts are what I have gleamed from them.

Do you mean cleaner/waxes? As far as I know these are all cleaner/polish/waxes in the Megs line.

- Ben

[the other pc]

A12, ColorX, #6, #20 and #66 are cleaner/waxes. (which is why I made the crack about #66 and the rotary, #66 is Meg's most aggressive cleaner/wax)

Gold Class, NXT and Medallion are listed as polish/waxes.

#26, #16, A22, #21 and X-Press are pure waxes.

The G100 product/pad chart has a list.


PC

[Kickin Griffin]

I think what the guy at the bodyshop is telling you is stemming from old style off the shelf wax products that not only contain wax but contain mild cleaners and abbrassives as well - its these abbrassives that will damage your paint, so if someone uses an off the shelf cleaner wax with abbrassives every wekk then over time they will erode the clearcoat.

But, if you use a pure wax or sealent - that is a product that doesn't contain any abbrassives, it simply prtects, then you will not erode any clearcoat in the application. You will simply be adding a protection layer. Glazes are the same, they don not harm the clearcoat in any way at all, just infuse the paint with oils.

[STG]

The guy from the body shop is protecting himself.

Can you imagine how many customers ruin a good paint job because they can't polish or wax paint correctly? He's MUCH better off telling the average guy, "Just don't touch it."