Wax residue, towels and wiping wax off

[Car Potential]

1) I was just curious what would happen if you applied a thin layer of wax on the paint and left it and did not wipe it off. Besides the pasty look, would it be bad for the paint? Dont worry i am not going to try it.

2) Also, how many towels do you usually use to take off the wax? I just started using 4 and I used to use 2.

3) I sometimes think I have to apply too much pressure to get the wax off, and I will sometimes miss spots unless I just didnt wipe hard enough, im not sure, any thoughts? I try to apply a thin layer of wax.

4) Lastly, I try not to wash the car too much because I think the more I touch the paint the more inclined I am to make swirls and scratches even though I use 3 buckets, good towels, etc. But then I could always use polish or UC if I find swirls/scratches so I dont really know.


Thanks, one thing I learned so far is when my paint is in good condition I don't have to do much too much to the paint other than washing and waxing with the once in a blue moon polish and clay.

[ChevyNick]

1) I was just curious what would happen if you applied a thin layer of wax on the paint and left it and did not wipe it off. Besides the pasty look, would it be bad for the paint? Dont worry i am not going to try it.

haha I have always wondered the same thing. I'm thinking it wouldn't be bad for the paint. Heck I've left wax on my wheels and fog lights before for a week because I completely forgot and never noticed, lmao.

2) Also, how many towels do you usually use to take off the wax? I just started using 4 and I used to use 2.

Usually I can do it with 1 microfiber.

3) I sometimes think I have to apply too much pressure to get the wax off, and I will sometimes miss spots unless I just didnt wipe hard enough, im not sure, any thoughts? I try to apply a thin layer of wax.

Sometimes I notice I've gotta apply some decent amount of pressure. I used to miss a couple spots here and there but I've learned to slow down and take my time. Haven't missed anything since.

4) Lastly, I try not to wash the car too much because I think the more I touch the paint the more inclined I am to make swirls and scratches even though I use 3 buckets, good towels, etc. But then I could always use polish or UC if I find swirls/scratches so I dont really know.

the less you have to touch it, the better. I wouldn't be using UC too often if I were you.


Thanks, one thing I learned so far is when my paint is in good condition I don't have to do much too much to the paint other than washing and waxing with the once in a blue moon polish and clay.

Yep the more you keep up on it, the easier it is.

[STRIFE]

Re: Wax residue, towels and wiping wax off

I always seem to leave a bit here and there when I wax by hand.....seems since getting a DA, waxing is sooo much easier to remove once dried....I guess the wax is sooo thin via DA.

I usually use a couple SS MF towels, though I think I can get away with just one....this is especially true of wax applied via DA

I try to remove wax a lil at a time...Think Mike Phillips once mentioned to wipe a small circle into dried thin wax....in a circlular motion take a small bites off as the diametre of the circle increases.....thinly applied wax should not take too much pressure to wipe off.

I wash my DD Impreza quite regularly with ONR/ 2 buckets & grit guards in both. I recently started using 10 thick MF towels soaking in the ONR solution bucket, once I wash a panel or two...depending on the size of the panel....I would toss into the fresh clean water bucket (these MFs never touch my car again til I wash them)....I'm thinking I don't need 2 buckets with this new revised method I learn'd about on MOL.
During a reg bucket & hose wash, i tend to use my leaf blower to dry my car.....I assume I would minimize the scratches since I'm not actaully "touching" the paint.....If I do use my water magnets MF towels, i then to "blot" the water off, I don't really "wipe" the water off....sometimes I use UQW to help dry the car & protect a bit....

I think how i maintain my cars, I really don't need UC or SwirlX too much......I have recently started using one of those Speedy prep towels in place of regular clay.....I can say this new thing is great!!.... soo much easier to use than clay.....I'll talk about it more once I tried it on my 2011 Subie......so far it left my 2005 G35's paint smooth as glass & ready for waxing. Absolutely NO marring noticed!!

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Wax residue, towels and wiping wax off

ChevyNick's responses are pretty much spot on so all we can really add is this:

1. Leaving hazed wax on the paint is not going to cause any damage whatsoever, except maybe to your ego when people start wondering why all that hazed wax is on the paint (yes, we understand you have no plans on doing this).

2. If you find you need to use a fair bit of pressure to wipe off the hazed wax, it may just be that you've applied too much wax. The heavier you apply wax, the longer it takes to dry and harder it is to remove. Of course, if you're using an old school heavy carnauba like our M16 it's just going to be harder to remove than a more modern wax/sealant is, but for the most part you shouldn't have to work hard at all to take it off.

3. If you're taking really good precautions when washing then you'll really delay the creation of new swirls, but they are inevitable over time, especially on a daily driver. From the sounds of it, though, you're doing everything right, so keep at it!