Polish to wax time frame

[gamtnroadie]

I'm going to use the Deep Cystal Polish on my truck. Do I need to wait any length of time after using it before using ulitmate liquid wax or can I go from the polishing step straight to waxing?

Also, I will be putting 2 coats of ulitmate wax, is there a curing time between the 2 wax steps?

[Murr1525]

Re: Polish to wax time frame

No need to wait between polish and wax.

It is nice to wait 15 minutes or so between coats of wax, 12 hours for best looks.

[Echelon]

Re: Polish to wax time frame

+1 on not waiting between correction and protection, just go right to the next step.
As far as the curing time, not on liquid ultimate liquid wax, if you're using a carnuba wax the longer the cure the better, but with Ultimate Liquid Wax the cure time is 3-5 minutes. After that wipe it off and start the second coat.

[wifpd4]

Re: Polish to wax time frame

Being fairly new to concerned car care, I'm no expert on many of the finer details of polishing and waxing. However I remembered a discussion I read about applying synthetic wax, in this case it was Tech. Here is what Mike Phillips said, in a somewhat old discussion, about waiting. Keeping in mind "drying time" or initial wipe off is different then "cure time" or the time it takes a synthetic to develop cross linking and bonding.

I'm pretty sure most Pro/Production oriented detailers only apply one coat and move one. If they do apply a second coat, then it's within minutes of applying the first coat.

The primary reason to apply a second coat is to,

Insure and even and thorough layer over the entire surface

The idea of applying two coats is not to create a second layer over the first layer, but to insure a uniform layer over the entire finish. The idea behind allowing some time to go by before applying the second coat is to allow the first set of polymers to fully set-up or bond to the finish.

Waiting till the next day or 12 hours to apply the second application is really something only the most serious of detailing enthusiasts would probably do in the first place. Meguiar’s calls these kinds of people Car Crazy because they are so passionate about they’re cars and they express this in doing things the normal person wouldn’t do, like waiting to put a second coat of wax on.

So please don’t think waiting hours to apply a second application is a necessary step, it’s not. It’s an optional step for those that want to maximize the depth, shine, richness and gloss that Tech Wax has to offer.

The average person is going to apply one coat and go. If they choose to apply a second coat, they will more than likely do this immediately after removing the second coat. Meguiar’s has always said that two thin coats are better than one thick coat no matter which wax you apply.

Mike
__________________
Mike Phillips
Office: 800-869-3011 x206
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek.net
"Find something you like and use it often"

Please keep in mind that discussion is quite dated (June of 2004), before Ultimate Wax was even available to the consumer.

For me at least, wipe off or drying time with Ultimate Wax is anywhere from 3-5 minutes to hours and cure time is 8 to 12 hours. So I've tried to put a coat of Ultimate Wax on at the end of a day and put the second coat on start of the next day. If of course, I have that luxury of putting on a second coat just to insure full coverage.

I've also grown to really like Ultimate Polish and I use it both as a cleaner and a polish and will follow it immediately, without waiting, with Ultimate Wax.