Is Ultimate Wax safe on my car?

[KingV911]

I just purchased liquid Ultimate Wax to put on my wife's white, 2012 Chevy Malibu. I noticed on the container that it says, "For glossy paint finishes only-Do not use on flat, matte, or satin finishes."

I'm no "paint guy", so how do I know what kind of paint is on the car? It is reflective, does that mean it is glossy?

Thanks!

[ChevyNick]

I just purchased liquid Ultimate Wax to put on my wife's white, 2012 Chevy Malibu. I noticed on the container that it says, "For glossy paint finishes only-Do not use on flat, matte, or satin finishes."

I'm no "paint guy", so how do I know what kind of paint is on the car? It is reflective, does that mean it is glossy?

Thanks!

Yes its safe on your car. Generally, any modern car has this "glossy paint", I think that is referring to clear coat, but I don't know for sure.

So yes, its safe.

[KingV911]

Re: Is Ultimate Wax safe on my car?

Yes its safe on your car. Generally, any modern car has this "glossy paint", I think that is referring to clear coat, but I don't know for sure.

So yes, its safe.

Great, thanks for the clarification.

[umi000]

Re: Is Ultimate Wax safe on my car?

There are some cars that have flat or matte paint - non-glossy. I wouldn't use any wax or sealant not made specifically for this type of paint (only one I know of is sold by Swissvax), because it can either impart a gloss where there wasn't meant to be one, or leave behind wax residue. However, unless your car is one of those, you should be fine using UW on it.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Is Ultimate Wax safe on my car?

With the recent increase in popularity of matte finish paints, primarily in the aftermarket but more and more with the OEMs, we've put this warning on the label. Mercedes Benz, BMW and Hyundai all have matte finish paints available on some models, and they practically make you sign your life away regarding paint care. The problem with these paints is that if you do get a small scratch in them, there isn't anything you can do to fix it. Any sort of compound, paint cleaner, etc that has the ability to remove a scratch is going to impart some gloss to the finish. And nobody wants a big shiny spot in their matte paint any more than the rest of us want a big dull spot in the middle of our shiny paint.

We once took a phone call from a guy who had painted his car with a matte paint, then used Deep Crystal Polish on it and was furious that it started to impart a gloss to the finish. Go figure - the product did exactly what it's designed to do, but the end user simply didn't understand the concept.

99.99% of factory paint on the market today is glossy, so any wax or sealant is perfectly fine to use on them, including your wife's 2012 Malibu.