thought it would have lasted longer....

[Johnson]

I would have thought the wax would have held up a little longer. Labor day weekend, I clayed, UC and waxed the car real good. I washed her this weekend and it didnt bead up at all. Its only been 2 months. Our weather hasnt been that great. Rain every other day it seems like. Maybe that has something to do with it? Did i not apply the wax very thick.. I know its suppose to be thin...

Anyway They are saying the temps will be in the higher 50's this weekend.. I was almost thinking about changing some plans and getting it waxed up again.

Since I clayed and everything 2 months ago, What should I use for a cleaner? I know theres cleaner wax and all of those.. What is the best to use. Yes I do have a D/A. I shouldent have to claybar right? The paint is still real smooth.

Thanks

[Murr1525]

Re: thought it would have lasted longer....

If the wax is out in the elements, it certainly wont last as long. Although beading alone does not mean a wax is or is not there.

I like to ColorX and Nxt 2.0 for a quick detail.

[Alex C.]

Re: thought it would have lasted longer....

You may want to clay the horizontal panels, but if they are as smooth as the vertical panels then no need. I too have used the combo Murr suggested with great results. You can't go wrong.

[JLMex]

Re: thought it would have lasted longer....

How long wax lasts also depends on the maintenance you give to the car. Wash it at least every other week, and maintain every other day or so with UQD or QD. Use UQW after each wash is a big plus. I did a full detail (clay, scratchX, SwirlX, polish, wax) about a month ago, and I've been maintaining it with UQD at least every 3rd day, and I washed it yesterday and it still feels smooth and water beads, after washed I applied UQW and it looks great again. And it has been raining almost every day here (seattle area) and this is my daily driver car (my only car actually )

If you clayed two months ago I don't think you have to clay again. If your paint is in good conditions you can just apply two thin coats of NXT wax, let it cure for 12-24hr between coats. Or if you prefer, you can use a cleaner wax, let it cure for 12-24 and finish with nxt wax, it's up to you.

Good luck!

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: thought it would have lasted longer....

Too many variables to give a difinitive answer as to how long wax should last. The combo Murr suggested is great.

[Johnson]

Re: thought it would have lasted longer....

would the cleaner wax have the same results? I have that on hand is why I am asking.. I also have swirlX and UC.. Is that to much for just doing a quick detail in this situation?

[JLMex]

Re: thought it would have lasted longer....

I think swirlX and UC are too much for just a quick detail. Either ColorX or cleaner wax, then followed a NXT wax should be fine.

[William_F]

Re: thought it would have lasted longer....

cleaner wax followed a NXT wax should be fine

This is what I did about a month and a half back on both my car and the wife's truck after claying. From there, I've been using a combination of the California Duster and QD on daily to every other day basis. I gave each vehicle a coat of UQW last week after they were washed.

So far, I have been very pleased with the results. Both of our cars are outside 24/7 and as long as I keep up the maintence between washes, they continue to look great. I still have a long way to go in my detailing education, but so far I can say we have the cleanest, best kept cars on our side of the apartement complex

[JLMex]

Re: thought it would have lasted longer....

So far, I have been very pleased with the results. Both of our cars are outside 24/7 and as long as I keep up the maintence between washes, they continue to look great. I still have a long way to go in my detailing education, but so far I can say we have the cleanest, best kept cars on our side of the apartement complex

Hehe yes, it feels good when your car is the "shiniest" of all the others, I also live in a condominium complex, and I can say that my car is probably the least fancy of all (mazda6 2007) next to me is a Miata, infront an Audi A6, then a Mercedes, Cadillac, Accura, Lexus, etc, etc... but they all see their cars through my reflections, not the other way around And my car still requires a lot more work to make it look the way I want, and yet learning through this process.

[tcope1]

Re: thought it would have lasted longer....

Waxed with what? "Wax" is a very general term. A good sealant such as NXT 2.0 and then perhaps a good carnuba wax on top of that could easily last 3 months.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: thought it would have lasted longer....

Waxed with what? "Wax" is a very general term. A good sealant such as NXT 2.0 and then perhaps a good carnuba wax on top of that could easily last 3 months.

Excellent question. Tyler, what wax did you use? It sounds as though you did every thing right a couple of months ago, but you're telling us you've had an awful lot of rain during that time and that will have a HUGE impact on how long any wax will last.

Is your car parked outside overnight or is it garaged? If not, that would just about double your exposure, and exposure is everything when it comes to life span of any wax. Apply a thick coat would not have made a difference since only so much wax will bond to the paint, everything else is dried product that you wipe off and basically just throw away. Keep your application thin.

Now, what should you do at this point? Exposure to a lot of rain may mean you need to do more than someone here in SoCal might have to do after a couple of months. Wash the car thoroughly and then dry it completely. Then carefully evaluate the surface, both with your hands and eyes, checking for smoothness of the surface and any scratches, swirls etc you may see below the surface. If the paint feels super smooth then you do not need to clay again, but if it feels rough, clay it. Again, exposure is everything here so how often you need to clay is dependent on what the car is exposed to. Same goes for removal of defects below the surface - if you're super careful about how you wash and dry the car you may not need a paint cleaner for year or more. If you aren't so picky about your wash/dry process you may need to do it more often. But if you find you need to remove below surface defects a few times a year, you really need to adjust your wash/dry process.

[Nappers]

Re: thought it would have lasted longer....

Get some Ultimate Quik Wax or Ultimate Quik Detail and use that after a wash to "boost" your wax....It helps, my cars are out (no garage) and have harsh winters and hot summers and wash it a lot during the summer to make up for looking terrible during winter and NXT 2.0 holds it's own and I use M26, M21, M16 among several others....

[gsxr310]

Re: thought it would have lasted longer....

I think swirlX and UC are too much for just a quick detail. Either ColorX or cleaner wax, then followed a NXT wax should be fine.

i'm not sure i understand what's quicker... wouldn't you work the colorx or cleaner wax in the paint like swirlx/uc?

[Blueline]

Re: thought it would have lasted longer....

M16 lasts at least three months. Last year detailed the end of November and the car was still beading profusely when I washed it in March. I never wash the car in the winter, so I guess I am not washing off the wax. Great stuff that M16. Did my central air unit with it last summer and even it still beads.

[noobhax0r]

Re: thought it would have lasted longer....

M16 lasts at least three months. Last year detailed the end of November and the car was still beading profusely when I washed it in March. I never wash the car in the winter, so I guess I am not washing off the wax. Great stuff that M16. Did my central air unit with it last summer and even it still beads.

M16