Why so much wax in containers? Am I not using it enough?

[akimel]

Re: Why so much wax in containers? Am I not using it enough?

I think a rinseless product like ONR is your best choice right now until Meguiar's comes up with one. With it you could wash in the garage and do the washing and drying there. And since it uses little water you could use distilled water to avoid your hard water. In addition you would not have as much water trapped in the trim appearing at later times which I hate specially when it comes up while waxing.

I agree. I used Optimum No Rinse through this past winter and was very pleased with it. It's easy and safe for your paint, as long as you use the right tools and technique. You wash and dry one panel at a time, so you don't have to worry about the rinse prematurely drying on you; and if you use distilled water, you won't have to worry about hard water spotting, though I have hard water in my area, too, but have had no problems using water straight from the tap for my ONR. And you can ONR your car right in your garage!

Check out this video from ScottWax:

[xantonin]

Re: Why so much wax in containers? Am I not using it enough?

Okay, so just to clarify with ONR do you sort of "pre-soak" the panel? For example spray on ONR then use the mitt/wash and dry? I ask because if the panel is try and you just apply a wet mitt, I don't care what the product is it's possible to scratch the paint by dragging what's on the surface across. By at least pre-soaking you losen up whatever is on there already. Opinions?

And chop had a good ponit, I hate when water comes out of the trim while waxing or detailing.

Now, excluding the method of the wash cycle, can someone comment on my planned car maintenance schedule?

[akimel]

Re: Why so much wax in containers? Am I not using it enough?

I know that ONR sounds like it might scratch the surface, but it doesn't. I don't know how it works, but it does. Check out the Definitive ONR Thread.

Your proposed regimen looks great, by the way. Go to it!

[xantonin]

Re: Why so much wax in containers? Am I not using it enough?

Thanks!

I'm gonna have lots of fun with this. I'll get to using more wax now, too.

Is it best to apply wax by hand if you're not going to clay/clean the paint, if you simply wash it? I plan to buy the DA Meguiars offers in the future. But since the surface won't be as well prepared I imagine there won't be as much of a difference with the application method.

[Backcountry]

Re: Why so much wax in containers? Am I not using it enough?

A) The water is hard. A ton of minerals in it, it's horrible. I've seen what happens to faucets outside and other things that have the water flow through them. I imagine that after rinsing off my car the act of drying it alone may wear away layers of something or another (unless I buy that air blower, but not the point). I'm not sure if I should use a water blade or shammy, maybe both. Unfortunately for my car if I dry it off, an hour later water will sill trickle down from somewhere I can't reach.

Seek and destroy. Once you know where the water drips from, you can mitigate the effects by focusing on those areas with extra towels or even some compressed air. And if you know when they're likely to come out, it's simply a matter of wiping down the drips once they've occurred and maybe hitting any spotting with a quick detailer. Easy as pie.

The hard water's really not that much of an issue, I promise. You're not leaving the water on the car when you finish washing, and most shampoos do some level of water softening.

Unless you're using sandpaper for towels, drying should not be causing wear on your paint.

B) It's really hot here!!! My drive way faces north, with little shade to the east or west. Simply in the process of washing my car with a mitt the soap is already drying to the paint. It's ridiculous. I've had to get up at 5 AM to wash my car, then pull it into the garage before the sun tries to beat me at drying my car. I then dry off my car in the garage.

Unless your work schedule dictates otherwise, the ideal time to wash in Phoenix is the late afternoon. It can be a pain in the butt obviously, so if you want a "wash right now gosh darnit" product, pick up some Optimum No Rinse.

What you describe will happen no matter where you are if you're washing in the sun.

[IMSHAKN]

Re: Why so much wax in containers? Am I not using it enough?

If you are having trouble washing out here in the heat, the best advice I can give you is wash every panel off as soon as you complete it as well as keep the rest of the car wet. Also helps to work quickly, watching me wash my car from start to finish during the summer has got to be pretty funny as I'm running around cleaning is as fast as possible. The water here isn't amazing, but as long as you are not letting it dry completely on the car you should have little to no problems with the water hardness.

And as others have said, ONR is definitely an option if you are really worried about things.

[Desertdawg]

Re: Why so much wax in containers? Am I not using it enough?

When it gets hot I will wash and dry half of my car or trucks at a time...

Wash cab forward, then dry from the windshield forward.
Then wash the back half and rinse backwards.

If your careful you don't get the dried part wet again.
When I do my crewcab I have actually broken it down into 4 sections to get it clean and dried without spotting....

[Chop]

Re: Why so much wax in containers? Am I not using it enough?

Thanks!

I'm gonna have lots of fun with this. I'll get to using more wax now, too.

Is it best to apply wax by hand if you're not going to clay/clean the paint, if you simply wash it? I plan to buy the DA Meguiars offers in the future. But since the surface won't be as well prepared I imagine there won't be as much of a difference with the application method.

Wax by hand or DA is more of a personal preference I would say. Since you are only spreading wax you could do it either way.

I personally apply by hand for two reasons:

1. I don't have a DA yet
2. I have more control on the application and can be really careful not to stain trim.
3. I like the feeling of removing wax by hand and how the MF glides on the waxed paint.

With a DA on the other hand:

1. You would use more product
2. It would be done a lot faster. So easy on time and easy on the body.

So take your pick.

[xantonin]

Re: Why so much wax in containers? Am I not using it enough?

I agree I love the feeling of the MF sliding effortlessly across the paint as you remove the wax....