5 coats of wax??

[Brentwaxer]

Hi everyone I have a waxing story/question. It allstarted 3 days ago when I was looking through the cabinet and found DC3, Turtle Wax Super Hard Shell, Cleaner Wax, Color X, and NXT 2.0. My dad only uses the Tech wax and the other waxes just sit and collect dust. So I thought why not use all of the waxes by hand starting w/ DC3, TW, Color X, Cleaner Wax, and NXT2.0 in that order. So on Tuesday I waxthe trunk and bumper w/ the waxes and I was shocked by how silky smooth the combo was (this was by hand.) I finished that up and called it a night. The next morning I washed the car to do the rest with the same combo and when I rubbed the washrag over the waxed bumper next to the unwaxed fender it was like night and day. My question is will there be any durability to the wax or will it only last a month or so in the sun (the car sits outside) The whole process took around 8 hours over 2 days and the car is 3 years old and sits out all of the time. No clay bar was used.

[Fly Bye]

Re: 5 coats of wax??


Car wax will only layer so much. Five coats of wax will not provide any benefit, other than ensuring complete coverage. Most folks will apply 2 coats to ensure complete coverage.

[dave93761]

Re: 5 coats of wax??

As Fly Bye has pointed out, 5 layers of wax is a little excessive. The LAW OF DIMINISHING RETURNS comes into play here - only so much stuff can be put down before you're simply replacing what is already on there!!!

Also remember that ColorX and Cleaner Wax (obviously) contains cleaners, thus pretty much removing any previous layer(s) of wax laid down before it.

I believe NXT 2.0 also has a very very very mild cleaner, but it is also a synthetic sealant; as such you shouldn't layer a sealant over a wax, rather it should be the other way round

If you did feel compelled to do 5 layers, you'd be better off ditching the ColorX and Cleaner Wax, and just laying down 1/2 coats of NXT 2.0 and then topping it with 1/2 coats of DC3 or TW to ensure maximum protection and durability.

Otherwise a single coat of the ColorX or Cleaner Wax (as previously stated, a secondary coat of these only removes the initial coat anyway) topped with the TW or DC3 would be the way to go.

Good to hear it still felt awesome, but you were basically only washing over a coat of NXT 2.0....

Hope this helps!

[tguil]

Re: 5 coats of wax??

... My dad only uses the Tech wax and the other waxes just sit and collect dust...

Smart dad.

Tom

[Slicked]

Re: 5 coats of wax??

Cleaner Wax followed by Gold Class liquid wax is my fav combo for a double layer.

I agree that more than two layers is excessive.

[Mary S]

Re: 5 coats of wax??

The cleaner waxes, including ColorX, I am pretty sure will remove the coats underneath them, so you really should only use a cleaner wax once, and then you can layer on top of that. Whether you can mix sealants with waxes probably depends on the nature of the particular sealant. Usually a sealant is applied first and only waxes on top of it. But layers of waxes or layers of the same sealant might be of more subjective benefit than 1, and especially waxes, you would get a cumulative effect up to a point.

[Keebler]

Re: 5 coats of wax??

Try just the ColorX followed by the NXT, that is my standard process and the results are fantastic.

[Garage Troll]

Re: 5 coats of wax??

I concur with the rest of the folks. 2 coats is plenty. My personal preference is 1 of NXT followed by 1 of M16. I'm not sure what the most durable combo is but experiment and find out what works for you.

[BlackScreaminMachine]

Re: 5 coats of wax??

Great post and great points from the responders. I have learned a lot since coming here.

At this point, if I was starting fresh where a whole process needs to be done. MOST times I always clay since it creates a better foundation for the glaze/wax to adhere to.

So mine would be

Clay
"Correction if Needed"
Glaze #7 Show Car (by hand)
NXT 2.0 OR #26 Hi Tech Yellow (4-12 hr cure) (by hand)
Follow Up with Ultimate Quick Wax.

A proven combonation for me!

[Michael Stoops]

Re: 5 coats of wax??

We're willing to bet the main reason you're feeling such a noticeable difference between the areas that got this "5 wax treatment" and the non treated areas is not so much because you waxed them 5 times, but because you did two treatments of a cleaner wax.

If you used these 5 products in the order you stated (DC3, TW, Color X, Cleaner Wax, and NXT2.0) then this is essentially what you did:

• DC3 - applied a coat of carnauba wax.
  • this literally did nothing more than put a layer of wax on the car, perhaps adding a bit of slickness and gloss, depending on the state of the paint before application
• TW - applied a second coat of wax
  • same as above
• ColorX - applied a fairly strong cleaner wax
  • this would have effectively removed the two previous coats of wax, plus done a good job of deep cleaning the paint.
  • this deep cleaning of the paint will go a very long toward improving the gloss and clarity of the finish, much more so than a simple coat of wax like in the first two steps.
  • the more vigorously you apply this product the more it will deep clean the paint (within limits, of course, since it's not a dedicated paint cleaner)
• Cleaner Wax - applied an effective cleaner, though not quite as strong as ColorX
  • this would have given the paint a second cleaning, sort of a follow up or touch up of the ColorX step, if you will
  • it would have effectively removed the wax protection added by the ColorX
• NXT Tech Wax 2.0 - applied a synthetic polish/wax
  • this would not have removed the wax protection provided by Cleaner Wax but rather added some polish and long lasting, 100% synthetic protection.

Now, we don't really want to be so harsh as to say that your first two steps were a waste of time, but in the context of the whole process you did, they sort of were. After all, your third and fourth steps pretty well negated any effort and result from the first two.

In future, after a proper wash/dry, inspect the finish carefully in strong, direct light. Feel it with your fingertips. If it feels rough, clay it. If not, don't bother. If you see very fine swirls or towel marks, then use the ColorX with a bit of passion behind the pad, and then follow up a coat of NXT. If you don't see any such minor defects, then just to straight to the NXT. But remember, two thin, uniform coats!

[mb911]

Re: 5 coats of wax??

Yeah, instead of doing all those steps...

I'd recommend claying...

Then maybe Color X followed by NXT.

Claying first will give you longevity too as the wax can bond to the paint better, rather than bonding to contaminants.

Nevertheless, I'm sure you cleaned the car up nicely with that lengthy process!

[tguil]

Re: 5 coats of wax??

Something to think about. There are lots of "mighty fine" looking cars out there that are only treated to frequent waxing with the cleaner wax (burgundy bottle). Using the cleaner wax frequently will remove road grime that builds up even with frequent washing. It will also remove quite a few surface contaminants. Clay? you don't need no stinkin clay....at least 90% of the time.

Tom

p.s. I use the cleaner wax, ColorX or NXT depending on my OCD* level.

*Obsessive Compulsive Detailer syndrome

[searle]

Re: 5 coats of wax??

You (and everyone else) CANNOT layer wax. see details in thread http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/sho...2&postcount=74
You get a great finish from great preparation (cleaner) and then good wax (2 coats to ensure even coverage of all spots, not for layering)

You can use SwirlX and then 2 wax coats (same or different wax/sealants), or use a cleanerwax (cloroX or cleanerWax) to combine cleaning and first wax, and then a 2nd wax to ensure complete coverage.

Fastest is likely ColorX (cleaner +glaze +wax) and then topped with NXT2 sealant.

[Tuck91]

Re: 5 coats of wax??

I have never applied more than three coats of sealant to a car.

[Brentwaxer]

Re: 5 coats of wax??

Update: The paint on the car is still smooth as glass even after lots of sun and rain and even a week at the shop to get some repairs done to the car.