which wax to use?

[black08equinox]

hi,

I have to admit, i'm not that car crazy and I dont have a fancy car. I recently bought a new 08 black equinox. The car is new but I know it was sitting in the lot for close to two years. Now To be honest i don't see my self claying the car. If you guys/gals can give me tips I would really appreciate it. I got myself a meguires car wash solution and thats it. I want to wax it once now and maybe use the spray wax afterwards. The first wax should be paste or spray?? is the cleaner paste wax a good idea on my vehicle (saw it at wally world)? and by the way, I've seen some of the pictures here and WOW. and hey maybe in the future I'll become car crazy!!!

thansk!

[Tuck91]

Re: which wax to use?

I would suggest doing this:

Wash
Clay
Cleaner Wax
NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0
Ultimate Quik Detailer and Ultimate Quik Wax to maintain
Hot Shine Tire Spray on the tires.

[CieraSL]

Re: which wax to use?

to MOL!

First off, at the bare minimum you should clay and wax your car every 4 months. At the bare minimum. Every 3 months would be ideal. I know you said you didn't really want to clay your car, but it's fun and it really doesn't take that long. Plus you can remove a lot of **** out of your car's paint. After that you can use a cleaner wax to add a little wax protection and remove light defects. Since your primary concern seems to be durability, I'd go with NXT Tech Wax 2.0 or 3M Performance Finish. This is just my personal recommendation of course. I wax pretty frequently so durability is not too big of a concern for me, but 3M Performance Finish will last a bit longer than NXT 2.0. Both are easy to apply and remove, and they look great. By the way, do you prefer liquid or paste wax? Either way, you would use that first, and then use the spray wax after washing. Hope this helps!

[Eddie6th]

Re: which wax to use?

Right,you're not a detailing dude,but you might become one.

I would follow the advice that Tuck gave you.

I don't understand why you don't want to clay your car.It's easy to do and doesn't take up a lot of time.It will make a big difference to your end result.If you don't prep properly,you're only putting wax on top of dirt.So,I would recommend that you at least do that.

In your case,I'd stick with a liquid wax.All waxes will be easier to apply and wipe off,if you've cleaned the surface well.

Everyone here loves NXT TechWax2.0,for it's appearance and ease of use,so I think that would be your best bet.

[Maserati Mario]

Re: which wax to use?

I highly recomend Claying.
This will remove the contaminates from the surface and prep it for wax.
This will give you the best results with little effort.
Do you want to learn how to do it correctly or just and easy fix?
Spray wax will work but if the paint is dirty your going to have problems.
If your going to wax then you don't need to use a spray wax after.
Ultimate/Quick detailer is made for maintain the wax.

[MarkH]

Re: which wax to use?

The first wax should be paste or spray??

Spray waxes are for maintaining your vehicle after you have already applied a coat of wax. If you mean should your first wax be paste or liquid wax, either will work fine and really only differ in how they are applied. The liquid waxes are usually easier, but both will look great.

If you are bound and determined to just wash and wax without claying, then I would highly suggest you use the cleaner wax that you mentioned! It is not a substitute for claying, but will help get some of the contaminants out of your paint.

[Maserati Mario]

Re: which wax to use?

Although you can maintain with a spray wax, it's like any other wax.
It's just in a spray form.
Ultimate/Quick Detailer are for maintenance.

[akimel]

Re: which wax to use?

Hey, there! Welcome to MOL.

May I suggest that you pick up a bottle of ColorX. This is a cleaner wax, and it will help remove a lot of the contamination and oxidation that your car has picked up over the past two years. It's a tad more aggressive than Cleaner Wax, but absolutely safe for your car. Many folks here on MOL use it regularly on their daily drivers. You can then maintain the shine with the Ultimate Quik Wax. Given how easy UQW is to apply, you might want to consider using it after every wash.

Do consider claying your car. It really is easy, and it will remove more dirt and contaminants than you imagine. By claying you lessen the chances that the bonded contaminants will get trapped between the paint surface and the applicator with which you will be waxing, thus marring the paint. Trust me, even a dodo like myself can clay a car ... if I can do it, ANYONE can do it.

Check out this article and the cited video links:

Your Daily Driver: A Simple Wash & Wax Regimen

Good luck and have fun!

Cheers,
Al

[black08equinox]

Re: which wax to use?

ok, you guys are the xperts and everyone says to clay. Therefore I'll wait for next weekend and I'll wash (maguires car wash), clay (I'll have to buy it), Maguires cleaner wax, and finish it off with quickwax. I was thinking that this weekend I could just run it thru a touch free car was and apply quickwax is that a good Idea? are those touch free car washes safe?

[Ol' Red]

Re: which wax to use?

As long as those crappy brushes aren't touching your car you should be fine. The touchless car washes are just weaker pressure washers from what I have seen, so you should be fine.

[Maserati Mario]

Re: which wax to use?

Quick Wax is fine.
Touch less car wash I don't know.
How about using the coin wash, at least you'll be doing it and won't scratch it.