Waxing monthly/every other month

[Kyle R]

Well, the car looks great after its last wax, and I am going to try to wax it monthly or every other month. However, I have heard that waxing monthly will cause the wax to build up and haze. Any truth behind that? I know it is not harmful to wax a car every month, people seem to confuse waxing and polishing. Is it really necessary to use another product to remove the wax before waxing again? I know a lot of people wax their car monthly, and their car looks great. Thanks in advance.

[akimel]

Re: Waxing monthly/every other month

Lots of us wax our cars every month (some even more frequently), with no problems whatsoever.

I do believe it is good practice to remove all the wax and clean the paint periodically periodically (every three months? six months?) and thus start over with a fresh base. SwirlX or a cleaner wax (Cleaner Wax, ColorX, M20) would be good for this purpose: see Your Daily Driver: A Simple Wash & Wax Regimen.

[BobbyG]

Re: Waxing monthly/every other month

All finish protection products degrade over time due to sun, heat, rain, snow, environment etc. Washing your daily drive once a week and waxing it once a month will more or less maintain the protective layer you're trying to achieve. Depending on where you live and whether or not it's garaged play a key roll in how long the protection will last. Gage it's protection every time you wash it on the waters ability to bead and how the surface looks.

[Kyle R]

Re: Waxing monthly/every other month

Lots of us wax our cars every month (some even more frequently), with no problems whatsoever.

I do believe it is good practice to remove all the wax and clean the paint periodically periodically (every three months? six months?) and thus start over with a fresh base. SwirlX or a cleaner wax (Cleaner Wax, ColorX, M20) would be good for this purpose: see Your Daily Driver: A Simple Wash & Wax Regimen.

Sounds good, ill wax the car sometime this week. I'm going to try to remove the wax with cleaner wax every few months.

[Kyle R]

Re: Waxing monthly/every other month

All finish protection products degrade over time due to sun, heat, rain, snow, environment etc. Washing your daily drive once a week and waxing it once a month will more or less maintain the protective layer you're trying to achieve. Depending on where you live and whether or not it's garaged play a key roll in how long the protection will last. Gage it's protection every time you wash it on the waters ability to bead and how the surface looks.

The water still beads fairly well. Its kept in a garage most of the time, however, its been raining like crazy lately! Not to mention it has been close to 100 degrees outside every day for the last week or so. Unfortunately, the car was outside for about 7 hours a day and was exposed to the elements

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Waxing monthly/every other month

Funny how some folks will tell you that waxing too often will cause a "build up" that degrades the appearance while others tell you that you should "layer" wax by applying more and more coats so that it looks better and better and gives more and more protection. Hmmmmm...... which is it????

As BobbyG points out, any wax or sealant is a sacrificial barrier that slowly degrades over time. How much degradation you experience, and how quickly, all depends on exposure. Even after just a month you're going to experience some reduction in a previous layer of wax (you may not be able to see it visually, and water will likely still bead, but the layer of wax is degrading) and the act of applying a fresh coat is bound to further impact that previous coat to some degree.

If you asked if you should wax twice a year or every month, we'd suggest every month. Do you need to wax every month? Probably not (depending on exposure, of course). But it's a better regimen than simply twice a year.

[rweekley]

Re: Waxing monthly/every other month

This sorta goes along with the question of waxing monthly or every other month thing. This question has been going through my mind recently after reading about it on another forum. But if you do want to wax monthly or every other month and you are properly maintaining your cars finish with proper washing and you are happy with the finish, minimum swirls and such, can you just do an IPA wipe down, to remove the old wax, then re- wax, instead of using SwirlX?

[BobbyG]

Re: Waxing monthly/every other month

This sorta goes along with the question of waxing monthly or every other month thing. This question has been going through my mind recently after reading about it on another forum. But if you do want to wax monthly or every other month and you are properly maintaining your cars finish with proper washing and you are happy with the finish, minimum swirls and such, can you just do an IPA wipe down, to remove the old wax, then re- wax, instead of using SwirlX?

First Off Welcome!

I'll answer your question but add just a bit more.

This is a very basic approach I use when doing a basic detail. I can add allot more steps but I think you'll get the idea or order of operation.

Washing

To properly maintain a cars finish washing is paramount to success. Washing gives us the opportunity to float away any loose dirt, debris, or other water soluble contaminates.

Claying

Claying a cars finish is the next logical step. A clay bar when used properly in conjunction with a spray lube will remove those small particles of debris that become embedded in the finish.

Paint Correction

This step will remove minor floors or defects in the surface through the use of fine particles of abrasives specifically formulated just for this purpose. While I've never used it Swirl-X could fall under this category. Normally I'll start with Meguiar's M105 then M205 progressively getting finer as I go.

IPA

This is where I use an IPA wipe down to remove any residual oils and check the surface for quality.

Wax

Once satisfied I can either apply a sealant or wax for protection and shine.

[Kyle R]

Re: Waxing monthly/every other month

Funny how some folks will tell you that waxing too often will cause a "build up" that degrades the appearance while others tell you that you should "layer" wax by applying more and more coats so that it looks better and better and gives more and more protection. Hmmmmm...... which is it????

As BobbyG points out, any wax or sealant is a sacrificial barrier that slowly degrades over time. How much degradation you experience, and how quickly, all depends on exposure. Even after just a month you're going to experience some reduction in a previous layer of wax (you may not be able to see it visually, and water will likely still bead, but the layer of wax is degrading) and the act of applying a fresh coat is bound to further impact that previous coat to some degree.

If you asked if you should wax twice a year or every month, we'd suggest every month. Do you need to wax every month? Probably not (depending on exposure, of course). But it's a better regimen than simply twice a year.

Sounds like once month is the way to go. Thanks for the replies.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Waxing monthly/every other month

I always thought that it really depends on the circumstances for that vehicle. For example: the wife's car sits outside at her office 5 days a week, 9 hours a day. I tend to wax her car monthly.

My car is in the garage 80% of the time. I wax it every couple of months.

Hope this helps others.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Waxing monthly/every other month

I always thought that it really depends on the circumstances for that vehicle. For example: the wife's car sits outside at her office 5 days a week, 9 hours a day. I tend to wax her car monthly.

My car is in the garage 80% of the time. I wax it every couple of months.

Hope this helps others.

You're absolutely right - exposure is always the key to determining the minimum amount of waxing (or paint correction, claying, etc) that needs to be done. While a car that is garaged the majority of time doesn't need to be waxed as often as one that spends 80% of its time outside, there's certainly nothing wrong with waxing both cars every month if you so desire.

Waxing more frequently than needed isn't a bad thing.
Claying more frequently than needed is just a waste of time.
Machine polishing more frequently than needed is not only a waste of time but it could be detrimental to the paint over time.

[rqk]

Re: Waxing monthly/every other month

From what I've read here, it seams like some people are really concerned with wax buildup. Has anyone seen a waxy buildup? Is that even an issues with today's products or is it a throw back from the past when wax would build up on furniture making it look dull? Between washing, re-waxing and the passage of time it seams that wax isn't going to have a chance to build up. What am I missing?

If wax could build up, I'd build it up so thick it would last all winter ... but we know that can't be done.

[akimel]

Re: Waxing monthly/every other month

I understand that wax, or at least some waxes, can yellow over time--at least so avers Dom Colbeck of Dodo Juice fame.

[BobbyG]

Re: Waxing monthly/every other month

From what I've read here, it seams like some people are really concerned with wax buildup. Has anyone seen a waxy buildup? What am I missing?

I too find it odd that these questions come up.

Concerns about wax buildup is one and wax not bonding is another.

• Has anyone ever see wax build up on a car?
• Has anyone ever gone out to the garage and see wax piled up around their car because it didn't bond?

[Murr1525]

Re: Waxing monthly/every other month

The wax slides off my car all the time.... Real PITA...