So Worried. I Wax My Car Lots, Just Wondering If It Will Wear Down The Acrylic Paint

[78_Caprice]

Well I have an Acrylic Enamel paint job no CLEAR COAT, and I wax the car atleast once or twice a week because it sits outside.

But the problem is I have paint thinning problems in some areas. Now can it get thinner by adding lots of wax to the areas? or can it only get thinner by cutting the paint again?

here's a pic of the spots, I've showed it before but just for you to get an idea.

[78_Caprice]

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[Mike Phillips]

Hi 78_Caprice,

I have owned three pre-74 K5 Blazers, and one 1971 3/4 ton 4-wheel drive truck, all with single stage paints, and all of which I polished often. All of these vehicles, including my current 73 K5 Blazer have areas that have thin paint, and no paint. In the no paint areas, you can see the primer as it shows up as a black area surrounded by red.

If I just wash these areas, use a quick detailer on these areas or apply a pure wax to these areas, I don't see the paint become any thinner. But when I polish these areas with a compound, a paint cleaner, a cleaner/polish or even a cleaner/wax, I see them growing in size, depending on what I'm using and how aggressive I'm getting.

If you stick with a pure wax like #26 or #16, or Deep Crystal Carnauba Wax, you should be okay. You may see yourself pulling a little color, (pigmented paint), onto your applicator pad, but this isn't so much the product as it is a combination of the product and the action of you pushing the foam against the finish and thus loosening sleight amounts of paint.

At this point, there's not much else you can do. If you neglect the finish, it will oxidize and in order to remove the oxidation you will have to use a more aggressive product, so you're kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place.

On the other hand, because the car is stored/parked outside all of the time and exposed to airborne dirt, dust and other contaminants, if you use a pure wax, you risk sealing in the dirt and other contaminants.

You might look at using Meguiar's Cleaner Wax (A-1216), in the maroon bottle in our Consumer line. It is a very mild cleaner/wax that will clean, polish and protect in one step.

Or, rotate between a cleaner/wax and a pure wax and be conscientious around the thin spots to be very gentle around them.

Hope this helps...

Mike

[78_Caprice]

Thanks Mike

so I guess I shouldn't use NXT on it right? because isn't that a cleaner/wax?

How long do you think this paint job could last me if I wax it lots like atleast once every two weeks or so?

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by 78_Caprice
Thanks Mike

so I guess I shouldn't use NXT on it right? because isn't that a cleaner/wax?

How long do you think this paint job could last me if I wax it lots like atleast once every two weeks or so?

NXT Tech Wax isn't really a cleaner/wax in the same category of other cleaner/waxes although some people like to position it that way. Both Meguiar's Cleaner Wax, and ColorX are real cleaner/waxes because they are formulated to go after a wide spectrum of paint defects whereas NXT Tech Wax isn't. It does contain a very sleight amount of some specialized non-abrasive cleaners to help eliminate swirls, but it's not what Meguiar's would define or categorize as a cleaner/wax.

You could use NXT Tech Wax but it does have more cleaning effect than a pure wax like the onces I mentioned. You could also substitute it for the Meguiar's Cleaner Wax I mentioned if you want to as it offers much better protection.

As far as how long your paint is going to last you? If your careful with it and it sounds like you are, and you continue to wash it and maintain it, then it should continue to hold up. Exactly how long will it last? I can't tell you that, I've seen some pretty old paint jobs and worked on quite a few, and the ones that last a long time have one of two things in common,

1) They are maintained often with premium quality products

2) They are stored indoors so they are not exposed to attack and deteriorating from the environment.

Mike