Tools of the trade
“The proud wish God would agree with them. They are not interested in changing their opinions to agree with God’s” -Ezra Taft Benson
Are you a waxer? I suppose waxing the car was never hugely popular with the masses; here follow some real honest to God quotes about car waxing that I did not make up:
“Foresooth, I cannot be bothered to wax, tis a bane!” -Benjamin Franklin
“Rubbing wax on automobiles in little circles is the sign of an infantile mind.” -Albert Einstein
“The waxer doth neglect that which is critical for that which is vanity, he shall receive but perdition for his labour.” -St. Francis
“A car waxing man exhibits an unresolved childhood sexual neurosis.” -Sigmund Freud
I confess freely before men that I am a waxer.
Oops…
Today was my annual wax the truck day. Used to be, in my flaming youth, I waxed every three months. Then, as paints improved (or perhaps age crept up) my waxing slowed to twice a year. Now, in these Latter Daze™, I wax once each time around the sun. Perhaps I’m a Plinker now, slacking off.
Harbor Freight is my co-waxer.
When the day came this year I followed my usual procedure, wash the truck the night before, buy new wax and rubbing compound and bonnets, rise early.
Oh and you need tape…
These days I always do a double dose day, rubbing compound first then wax second. Long ago I gave up doing it all by hand, too old for that sheet. A Harbor Freight buffer, $19.95, and Turtle Wax Rubbing Compound and Turtle Wax do the job. The Wax Guru Guys™ on the Internetz will tell you that you must use clay bars from the mud of the sacred Indus River, compounds formulated by Tibetan monks made from the tears of Bodhisattvas, and only natural, gluten free, non GMO waxes created on planetary alignment days by Hobbits centuries ago before modern pollution and atomic testing and Barry Manilow ruined everything.
Rub rub rub
Bah. I’ve used cheap waxing crap for nigh on forty years and it’s just fine.
A friend once asked me why I wax the roof of the cab when none but God can see it.
But each time I wax, doubts plague me. Am I too old to be doing this? Isn’t this just pure unadulterated vanity? Shouldn’t I have grown up and left this sort of pridefulness behind?
Using a hand towel to remove the rubbing compound before the buffer is unleashed.
Isn’t this sort of thing, worrying about a shiny car, for teenagers? And why, in the name of YHWH, am I still doing this myself? If I insist on wax then ought I to be paying someone to do this now? But there’s the rub, I don’t trust anyone else to do it, they aren’t good enough. No one else is worthy to rub my paint. So I do it.
“He understood well enough how a man with a choice between pride and responsibility will almost always choose pride.” -Stephen King
Hand work on the rimz
Who am I doing this for? To impress others certainly, no denying that factoid. I could couch it in more clever lingo, that it’s to “protect my investment”, for “longterm maintenance and sustainability”, and such, and maybe some people wax for those reasons. Of course it makes me feel darn good to have a freshly shined whip, and I like to assure myself that if it never left the garage and no one saw it but me it’d still be worth it. But again that doubt nags at me that I ought to be more grow’ed up than this.
None of my friends wax their cars. Moved on. In my youth we’d all gather our cars in a circle on someone’s lawn and wax them together. Good times. Laughing, joking, mocking, talking about cars and girls, “Karen doesn’t like you because you, unlike me, got no personality!”, listening to Depeche Mode, the Eagles and Styx. One by one they all fell away, marriage then kids then golf games and the office, until it’s just me now, waxing along in the garage, nothing but the sound of a fan and the buffer to interrupt the silence.
Ahhh….
Chrome is my favorite color. The more the better.
“Humility is nothing but truth, and pride is nothing but lying.” -St. Vincent de Paul
Tire black!?
Yeah, uh, I, uh, still black the tires. I know I know, juvenile. Should an elderly man of my advanced years be blacking his tires like he’s 17 and about to Cruise Chester Ave.
“Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man.” -C.S. Lewis
Back in black
As we come to the end I black all the black because it makes me happy. Or does it? Well, yeah it does actually. Silly though, not something I go around telling people about, not in this climate. “Hey guess what?? I like to black my tires!” Yeah, that’ll go over well at the watercooler.
It is finished…
And so it is done for another year. And so I ask again, dost thou wax?
Would thou wert clean enough to spit upon
Even Shakespeare didn’t like waxing methinks. I can’t remember the last time I waxed anything, maybe the Topaz in 1998?
Motorcycle oil changes today, and it is very hot out so I’ll vacuum the pool while standing in it. 🙂
Every autumn…too damn hot during the summer. Thank heaven for base-clear coat finishes, I remember my dad trying to keep his ’68 VW Squareback from turning a chalky pink.
My name is Lokki, and I am a waxer. It has been less than 60 days since my last waxing. My daily driver gets three waxings per year although my wife’s garage queen is now only once per year. My old Alfa, my pet, gets waxed about every two months, cause she’s special…
As for why, I follow our guide’s example here, and quote the wisdom of the ancients:
“The mirror is a worthless invention. The only way to truly see yourself is in the reflection of
someone else’s eyesa freshly waxed hood”Voltaire
[edit] No, sadly I did -not- take this picture after reading the article. I already had it in my phone.
Amen brother Lokki! Your faith is pure!
I too used to be a quarterly waxer. But I fell off that train a long time ago. Certain of my cars I never waxed. My Kia Sedona normally lives in the garage, and I once paid a guy to wax and detail it. It looks great.
My other two cars must be waxed out of necessity. My Honda Fit is painted with an old-school white single stage paint and looks like absolute shit if I fail to wax it at least once a year. I know this because more than once I have failed to wax it at least once a year.
My Miata is about half clearcoated red and the other half old single stage red. The single stage part simply demands wax. Fortunately it is a small car. The clay bar actually did good things for this one.
I am an old soul and so I wax my cars by hand. I have an orbital waxer that comes from my days of waxing a Ford E series van but the little cars don’t seem to have enough wide-open sheetmetal to make it worth the hassle. But to answer your question, I am a waxer. The German part of my upbringing would allow me to be nothing else.
Like you, back when my car was my largest investment, I used to do it 3-4 times each year along with a complete interior detail. I’d use rubbing compound to remove oxidation but not on today’s clear coats. Now I use the once a year stuff and am lucky if I do it that often. Typically just get the spray on wax with the car wash. And yes, I almost always use the automatic wash these days too.
I used a clay bar once when some paint, presumably from road construction, got splattered on my truck. Little flecks all over. What a PITA that was, but the clay bar did get it off with a ton of elbow grease when nothing else I tried would. They are effective, my paint was never so smooth before or since.
I gave up on black restorer, never found one that lasted long enough to be worth the effort.
The Mazda will get waxed when it’s time to sell. The Mercury will get the treatment once I finish with the rest of the more important things and then once or twice during the summer. But that’s it.
My God, have never thought about it this way but I too have that secret vice, do we need to start a support group?
There is too much of this scruffily dressed let it all hang out mentality and its about time proper standards were brought back.
I even polish the brass Kismet Duplex foot pump kept in the boot, what would Sigmund say about that ?
Also think that it is criminal to let expensive things decay through sheer laziness, all you slackers are responsible for the squandering of Earths limited natural resources so we are saving the planet
Now I am out of the closet I feel so liberated, group hug
Twice a year whether it needs it or not, but on an 18 year old car that’s been subject to more than one collision repair, candy-apple red paint can fade at various rates on various panels, so if I didn’t keep up with it I could end up with a car colored in multiple shades from orange to pink.
Ditto with me, once in the spring, and once in the fall…and I’ve also got an 18 year old car. I live in the sunbelt, and though the paint looks very good for the age of the car, it is starting to fade on top of the plastic surfaces (the outside rearview mirror, door handles) though the car is garaged at home, it does stay outdoors a fair amount (it was garaged at work the first 6 years I owned it, not after that, and also spend weekends outside at my parents where I stay taking care of them). The composite headlight lenses are of course cloudy, I never did give polishing them up a try (guess I’m too lazy to mask or remove the front bumper cover).
Don’t know where I developed the routine, my Dad had us wash and wax his cars (but he was usually absent when we did it)…and I used to wax my bicycle as a teen….so I suppose that’s it. Maybe there’s not so much point to it on an 18 year old car…but I’d like to keep it another 5 years if possible. Kind of like collision coverage (though I never had collision on this car…bought it with cash and self-insured…it has had a fender bender but it was when someone hit me when I was standing still…waiting for traffic to progress…so haven’t missed not having collision…..another advantage of buying inexpensive cars, as I can almost buy 2 of them (mine and replacement for mine if it gets totalled without collision) for the price of a near-luxury car..I’m trying to get to the family record for length of car ownership, which my Mother established at 21 years (though my younger sister is within a year of that now with her 1998 240sx, so she’ll likely hold the record after that).
I vacuum the interior, and clean the inside glass/clear plastic surfaces around this frequency, and also apply the “back to black” vinyl treatment to the various external black surfaces outside the car…my previous car (’86 VW GTi) had lots of these black vinyl surfaces (fender flares, bumper covers) so I got in the habit of using it. Nothing on my tires, however….also probably should have been doing something to my wheels, though I do clean the brake dust from them, they are old enough to have some pitting (due to brake dust).
Lately I’ve been into cleaning my windows…used to do it rarely, but now I find that it brightens my mood to have clear windows (even if my car isn’t otherwise completely clean). I have a hatchback so that rear window gets dirty very quickly.
“The Wax Guru Guys™ on the Internetz will tell you that you must use clay bars from the mud of the sacred Indus River, compounds formulated by Tibetan monks made from the tears of Bodhisattvas, and only natural, gluten free, non GMO waxes created on planetary alignment days by Hobbits centuries ago before modern pollution and atomic testing and Barry Manilow ruined everything.”
Simply brilliant!
+1
+1
The daily drivers live outside and get attention maybe once a year or so. Clay bar was introduced to me by a detailer a very long time ago and I use it. The BMW clearcoat was ruined by a car wash using machine buffers like the one shown.
One thing that is done every three months is a quick spray of Back to Black on the Fit grille and mirrors.
I just waxed the Buick on Thursday. “Waxing the Buick” sounds like a pretty good euphemism, actually.
“Honey? Are you okay? You’ve been in the bathroom a long time? What are you doing in there?”
“Uh, waxing the Buick dear…”
My truck has been polished and waxed once, 2 years ago, because the canopy I used to store it under had steel pipe framing that rusted, and the rusty water dripping on the paint stained the paint. I paid to have this done, and now it looks like new again. When I lived in the land of smog and no rain (SoCal),
I would hand wash at home, using Turtle Wax car soap and wax.
Ever since I moved to the PNW in 1997, my ’86 Jetta and the 2004 Titan are towel dried after a good rainstorm and the original paint on both still looks great. Haven’t used soap or a hose in 21 years. The soothing rains preserve the paint quite well. Never ever have I used an automatic car wash.
I did wax my cars a few times back in the ’70’s in my youth.
I wax my old Fury once a month. I’ve been told Chrysler paint is terrible, and indeed my Helen only has a single coat of red paint. Still, nothing makes me happier then to look over my massive hood and he blinded by the glare of the sun.
I wonder who told you that old Chrysler paint is terrible? Chrysler certainly had the ability to do bad spray jobs that gave you a crummy finish in places, but their older single-stage enamel paints were generally quite durable. It certainly held up to the elements better than the GM lacquer finishes – which looked beautiful when new but which did not age all that well without a lot of care and effort.
It was at a car show, I believe. A security guard in a newer Charger police package sedan was looking over my paint job, amazed that a 30 year old Gran Fury had held up so well. Also, nice to meet you Mr. Cavanaugh! I’ve been a longtime reader of CC. I enjoy your work.
Thank you! That is a nice looking old Gran Fury – I cannot ever recall seeing a civilian-trim version in bright red like that.
That’s what I was told too! I’m amazed at the attention Helen gets. To me, she’s just a normal family car. There again, I’ve never seen another M body driving around in my town or anywhere else for that matter. She’s my COAL, for sure. I’d love to do a piece on her someday. Out of the five cars I’ve owned so far, she’s my favorite.
That is an AWESOME car!
In my greener days I would wax, wax against the dying of the paint, wax until the sheen would verily smite the eye. Then I tried a highly-recommended wax on my prized beautiful red Camry SE and noticed it was also buffing off the paint. Since then I’ve been wary about what evils may lie in the little round can or squeeze bottle. I do (carefully) wax rock chips or nicks, though. Can’t hurt, might help.
Just last year, I got rid of the buffer that my father bought me about 20 years ago – and which I never used. His generous gift happened to coincide with the End Of My Waxing Days.
Part of the reason I lost interest in waxing (other than time) is that I’ve never been fortunate enough to have a garage in my adult life, and waxing without the benefit of covered parking can be quite an exercise in frustration… the dust, etc. accumulates faster than I can wax a car, and constantly moving the car out of direct sunlight tries my patience way too much.
In my ideal life, I’d be a waxer, but unfortunately I am not.
Haven’t (polished and) waxed a car since lacquer paint was outlawed. Fancy new clearcoat paints don’t oxidize and only need a good cleaning to shine & sparkle. Plus the dirty little secret we all knew but never wanted to admit is that the wax doesn’t linger long enough on the finish to really offer that much protection.
Sorry guys, I’m a non-waxer and have no regrets.
I wax both cars twice a year, but we also have a garage.
What is this dirt and paint oxidation thing you all speak of? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it on my cars. 🙂
But no, not a big fan of the process. Mind you, I have the tools and the supplies acquired during self-improvement phases of my life (generally the period between January 1st and later in the afternoon also on January 1st.).
But I will happily admit your truck looks fantastic, Heath! The next owner will surely appreciate all your hard work.
“The next owner will surely appreciate all your hard work.”
What is this “next owner” of which you speak? All my vehicles are dismantled and scrapped once I finish with them, that way no one else can ever mess up my prized polished paint and chrome. ; )
Thinking back, I believe some of your coals STARTED OUT as dismantled and scrapped vehicles… 🙂
Hmm, sort of an ashes to ashes method.
Lovely and amusing column today–should get a *lot* of confessions.
Nope, I don’t routinely wax, but had a compunction to do so the other day. It was the first wax my ’99 Taurus had gotten since the young guy at the dealership did it 19 years ago. I did a non-obsessive, Turtle Wax job, but must say the car shined as it hadn’t in years. I’d like to believe that it silently thanked me for attention and devotion.
[Heath, I bought a new tin of Turtle Wax–the old one dating to the 20th century–and noticed that the T.W. logo had changed. Time marches on!]
The whole waxing routine took me back to teenage dating years–I got to use Dad’s car, and he got a free wash/wax out of it.
I’ll probably wax the Taurus again for the car’s 20th–we’ll see…
Heh, I used to do the same thing when I had a date. I still remember taking a Brillo pad to the whitewalls and bumper rub strips of my Dad’s car.
CJC, I hadn’t thought about the whitewalls/Brillo drill since my last (1980) car with whitewalls. Thanks for reviving a charming memory.
Hmm; I didn’t realize they’d once made a dedicated product (1962 ad); I just stole a Brillo from underneath the kitchen sink.
I preferred “Soft Scrub”. Sure, it was for cleaning the bathroom, but it was THE BEST on white stripes and raised white letters.
Now I don’t even by the product anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I still clean the bathroom with almost the same level of perfection as cleaning my car. I just never used the Soft Scrub for that. That product was for white walls. Who had those anymore?
My name is Rick and I am a [reformed occasional] Waxer. It has been almost 2 years since my last waxing (Civic right after I bought it with a coat of Carnauba only). It has been over 3 years since I waxed my beloved Mustang (Clay Bar; spray wax on the sides (cheating I know, but recommended right on the Clay Bar box); real wax on the deck surfaces). It’s probably been 5 years since I used a cleaner wax (wife’s Lancer), and over a decade since I used a cleaner or polish on any of my cars.
“Vanity, thy name is Rick” is something my wife likes to say, but it’s not about that here. I would much rather drive (and look at) a clean car than a dirty one. I get great pleasure from driving, and a clean car is part of that experience.
The picture below is very recent… from June 8th, 2018. The paint on the 2007 Mustang is original (11 years old now), as is the paint on the 2016 Civic, obviously. I used Carnauba wax with no abrasive cleaner in the fall after I bought the car (August of 2016 – just too damned hot then), and have not waxed it (for real*) since. And my Mustang? Yeah that was 3 or 4 years ago (I forget now… it was in the spring though) when I clay barred it for the first time. That was the first time I’d ever used that product and it was SO easy.
* Full Disclosure: Now for the cheat here: I use a product called “Wax & Dry” from Turtle Wax, or the equivalent “Wax-As-U-Dry” from Eagle One. Whichever one is on sale; it doesn’t matter. You spray it on your car when it’s wet after its wash, and then dry it off immediately with a terry cloth towel. In about 10 minutes it looks like you spent hours waxing it.
As Heath said about being much younger, in my own younger wilder days, I would wax my car like once every 3 weeks! Being older has not made the desire for a shiny car wane, but base-coat/clear-coat has been a Godsend, in that just a little maintenance like this is all it really needs.
Oh, and Heath… there is nothing wrong with wanting your tires black. Just don’t overdo it with that stuff. It’s a slippery slope… I mean, slippery surface. ;o)
Those look mighty fine. With your blessing I shall now tire black all the things!
My ex-wife, a GM Tech at the Pontiac Dealer where I bought my Grand Prix years ago, HATED when I used that stuff on my GTP’s tires. She didn’t like the slimy feel.
I said it could be worse. Some sleazy car dealers would apply used motor oil to make a car’s tires look black. While I’d never do that, I could imagine working on a car treated that way would SUCK.
Thanks for the compliment on my two Curbside Coupes. Your truck looks pretty awesome too!
Oh, and you’re lucky you have a garage. I do not have one. If I want to wax a car, I have to wait for a cloudy, cool, but low humidity day, and then have the time to wax. Those days are few and far between here in Baltimore – Fall usually being the best option there, weather-wise. Thank goodness for the aforementioned wax as you dry products and base-coat/clear-coat paint.
Motor oil eh, that’s kinda low ball.
I may have once, may have, painted my tires black with semi-gloss in my early car owning daze. May have.
Ah Baltimore, been there once some years back. Fort McHenry, a little driving around, lunch at a Burger King. Yep, we pulled out all the stops. ; )
I’ve never waxed any of my cars. But I do hand wash them more frequently than I used to. Meguiar’s makes a wash that has worked very well on my cars:
https://www.target.com/p/meguiar-s-ultimate-wash-wax-auto-care-fluid-48-oz/-/A-13794596
Yes, but much more often I use the spray ‘n wipe stuff after a wash. It helps when hosing down the car to get dust and pollen…and in this season, somke particles from wildfires…off the car. Then, with the water happily beaded on the surface, I use one of these methods of drying:
4-50
3-60
2-70
1-80
…depends on how little traffic is on the highway. That’s “four miles at 50 mph,” and so on.
A real wax/buff job? Once in spring before it gets warm and once in fall after it cools down. Three cars (the 1963 Corvette liives in a garage so it doesn’t need it, the wax lasts a long time).
Ah, I remember being 16, waxing the 320i I wrote up as a COAL about every time I washed it. My dad would get annoyed (probably because I was not doing some other chore), and snap at me “you’re going to rub the paint off that car”.
I still am pretty particular, but it’s more work and less fun that it used to be. My wife’s Cayenne is three years old and I haven’t waxed it bumper to bumper yet. Maybe it just sits in the garage so much it doesn’t need it? I dunno, it beads like crazy. Maybe it’s better than average paint. I’ll hit a panel with wax if I find a scratch, usually from one of the cats.
My ES350 sits out most days so I do try to keep it waxed…plus the dark blue shows every slight scratch or swirl mark. I use a black tinted wax which leaves a great, smooth glossy finish. I usually wax a portion each time I wash……driver side this time, passenger side next time, hood and front bumper the next, etc. Keeps it all in good shape and lets you break it up.
Our 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee is 5 years old this November…..has never sat a minute in the garage, gets run through the cloth car wash maybe 3-4 times a year, and has almost 80,000 miles. It has never been waxed, and it beads and shines like crazy. The dark metallic green (almost black) shows scratches in the right light…but dang, that’s some kind of miracle paint. I don’t know what accounts for it looking so good with so little TLC.
No. Life is a bit too short already at my age. I’d rather go for a hike. 🙂
But rubbing compound, regularly? I thought that stuff was quite abrasive, and only o be used for a heavily oxidized paint to get rid of the oxidized layer. Are you going to have any paint left in a few more years? 🙂
These new paint jobs today look good enough to me after a run through the $5 car wash. But then I guess I’ve just adapted to the slacker Eugene life style. Folks here are not exactly car-proud, obviously!
I admit that the white single-stage paint on my xB is looking a bit dull. I need to get JPC out here for a visit. Or you? 🙂
A hike?! You mean out in nature with bugs and stuff? Eeewww. : )
Yeah on the annual rubbing compound, even though it’s on the abrasive side. The stuff that passes for “air” here in loverly Central California is mostly composed of dirt, industrial pollutants, and a helluva lot of grime. I should have taken a pic of the rubbing compound buffer rag when I was done, it’s black with crud. During the decades of pointlessly living here I’ve found that wax alone will not remove the Central Calif Crud™ from the paint, hence the rubbing.
In your beneficial climate I’d probably only wax.
The other curse that we have here, and we have so many, is that modern clear coats, if they are not waxed, will eventually delaminate and look like hell. At that point nothing can be done to save them and it’s off to Earl Scheib they go! Takes about a decade here, more for some, less for others, to see that clear coat delaminate on a car.
+1
You can wax it now, or you can paint it later. These are your choices.
There’s also something called glaze–same concept as rubbing compound but less aggressive.
I wash, glaze, and wax once a year, in the summer.
No. It gives you autoism.
Yes, I am an anti-waxer.
I am a lapsed waxer.
Spiritually, I still feel like I’m a waxer, deep down. But much like a professed Catholic who hasn’t been to Mass in ten years, you have to wonder about their actual devotion.
I’ve now owned three cars in a row that I have not personally waxed. Here’s a photo of the last car I waxed regulary, freshly waxed. That car was totaled in an accident in 2009.
I think the last time I waxed a car was before Depeche Mode made it onto US airwaves. I do wax my Ducati’s fuel tank and that’s enough exercise for me. I took my wife’s VW, which had sat outside for three weeks while we’re on vacation, to the do-it-yourself carwash and think it looks great, for $5 worth of tokens. As for my truck, I’m heading up to Oregon soon and hoping for some rain. Otherwise, I’ll wait till the rainy season starts here.
Hoping for rain in Oregon this time of year? Good luck! Our summers are just like California’s (meaning dry); it’s just that the dry season isn’t quite as long the further north one goes. But we can be rain-less for 3-5 months once it stops.
Are you coming through Eugene?
It rained this morning on our walk (Happy Valley, suburb of Portland).
My sister lives near Astoria. Last time I was there in July the fog turned to real rain at the coast. We’re still in the midst of June gloom here near Monterey Bay. The weather doesn’t know it’s July now.
Yes, I’ll drop you an email.
When I was young and energetic my cars were old and tired and not worth the effort of waxing. When my wife and I got married, some thirty plus years ago, we would wax the cars on an at least semi-annual basis. This lasted until I purchased a new F150 as a daily driver; it got waxed once, a chore that took most of an afternoon. Now I’m older and much less energetic and limit the waxing to once a year, and then only the Mustang. With the convertible top there isn’t much metal to deal with on the Mustang and I can perform a good wax job in less than an hour. I just apply and remove the wax with soft cloths; the one time I tried my father-in-laws orbital buffer I ended up with swirl marks.
I used to be and now am lucky to wash every 3 or 4 months.
Yes, I wax my cars. I wax about 3-4 times a year, mostly to protect the paint between washings, but also for the shine. I wash the exterior every 2-3 weeks using the two bucket system. Every exterior wash includes an interior wipe down with a vinyl cleaner/protectant and a vacuum. When I wax, I also clean and condition the leather, and use a rug cleaner spray. I also keep a bottle of quick detailer and a micro fiber cloth in my trunk for bird droppings and the like.
I love this article, but I feel compelled to make one suggestion to the author and anyone else who likes to detail their cars. The products can make a huge difference. For instance, bathroom towels are much more likely to leave small scratches than microfiber cloths, and regular dish soap will strip wax. In terms of wax itself, there have been HUGE improvements since the days of Turtle Wax. Personally, I like Meguiar’s Ultimate Liquid Wax… instructions are to apply to the entire car before buffing, which is way easier than going panel by panel. Some folks swear by sealants.
If your car is in good shape to begin with, consistent detailing is hugely satisfying. My car is 15 years old but looks better than most 3 year old vehicles. That being said, there is also satisfaction in having a beater that frees you of such concerns.
You my friend are doing it right. Even I confess to have fallen from the two bucket wash method, I ought to get back to it.
As for the bath towel, I have a nice little pile of microfiber towels and use them here and there, but I still just like the old cotton bath towel for removing the major waxes before going over it with the buffer. You can get away with that on a silver finish, but a dark one probably not.
As with so many other hobbies, the internet really provides a rabbit’s hole of information for anyone inclined to detail their cars. My friends and family think I’m crazy, but my efforts are really just the tip of the iceberg compared to the rest of the detailing community. If anyone is interested, there is a dude on Youtube named Larry Kosilla… this guy details million dollar cars and is totally nuts about his routines. He’s even installed a water softener at his house to prevent hard water marks on his cars. Crazy.
I have to admit, I’m a little surprised that so few here at CC wax their cars!
The last time was my first car, a 1982 Renault 5, somewhere in the late eighties.
I’ve had a lot of cars over the years new and not so new. All of them were well cared for and almost all of them were waxed.
Our two cars get waxed every two years. However, the front of each vehicle (headlights too) gets waxed annually because of road salt and such over winter. Using a good quality wax (Mother’s) I don’t see the need to wax every year.
Waxing the car to me is a an opportunity to get some fresh air and exercise. I’ll set aside most of the day and start by washing the car in Dawn dish washing liquid to ensure the paint surface is absolutely clean.
Follow-up washing is done in the driveway whenever possible using Simoniz Gel Car Wash. And…the inside of the wheels get washed every year.
A long-lapsed waxer here. I remember using Star Brite (as advertised on TV!) on my old Mustang to get some shine out of a raggy and patchy old finish.
Yes, and no.
I do not wax my econobox lease vehicle.
I do however spend quality time with my bride’s VW GSR in the spring and fall. I claybar the black accents. Then wax the entire car. For some unknown reason, swirl marks appear on a car that has never been in a car wash since leaving the dealership.
Maybe it’s the heavy metro Detroit atmosphere.
A very enjoyable read. Your truck looks great – Chrome is meant to shine
Cleaning, polishing and waxing my car is a religion….Perhaps because living in Buffalo my car must stay in the garage for 6 months of the year…I clay bar, then used a blackfire polishing compound, followed by blackfire wet diamond paint sealant and finished with blackfire midnight sun carnuba wax….The first coats are applied with my random orbital buffer and the paste wax applied and removed by hand…..The results are so satisfying to me.
Wow, nice ride and nice shine. People who can keep a black finish looking like that are my heroes.
How sad. Not one reference to The Karate Kid. “Daniel show me wax on – now show me wax off!” Your truck looks great and I remember those days well. I used to host Car Day here at me home. It was an annual event where my friends and I would show our cars some love. Wives, kids and husbands put an end to it. My two garage was empty then. I just purchased a 2011 Honda CRV after my minivan self ignited. Bought Turtle Wax liquid wax, spray wax, leather cleaner and trim black. Paint was so nice that all I needed was the spray wax to sparkle.
Tis sad, no Karate Kid references at all. I kinda forgot…
That paint looks great! Is that blue? I love dark colors but given where I live I never do them, the heat and filth of the air conspire against dark colors here.
I have always been a reluctant (lazy) waxer. Back in the day I would only wax the hood of my car because it was all I needed to see from the driver’s seat. I now use the spray wax while drying.
I just bought a clay kit for my 10 year old pickup. It did wonders for the silver metallic paint.
14 yr old, 200K mile Marquis and 12 yr old, 160K mile Taurus. Taken a few years ago, but you get the point. The Marquis lived in the garage, the Taurus spent most of its life outdoors.
That Marquis looks nearly new.
I am embarrassed to say that I am not a waxer; I think I waxed my first car a few times, but I’m sure I never waxed my 2nd car in the almost 18 yrs I’ve had it. My father was an avid waxer in his younger days, as was my brother. It was Turtle wax for them, by hand, in the garage. Damn the cars looked good. My brother believed that a waxed car was more aerodynamic since it was more slippery, as aerodynamic as a 70s Chevy could be. I wish I could be a waxer, but first I’d have to be a washer, and to be honest, neither one of them is that important to me. I used to wax my motorcycle, the tank that is. But it hasn’t run in many years. No run? No wash or wax! In the 18 yrs I’ve had my car, I’ve washed it once, but that was for insurance pics, that doesn’t count. I don’t vacuum the car either, I mean there’s no trash on the floor, but plenty of sand from the wintertime. My car is a tool, I maintain it, but it’s a four wheeled hammer. It’s looks aren’t important to me, paying bills on time is important, a balanced checkbook is important. The tiny, dirty beast starts every day, and that’s good enough for me.
I just waxed my old van (11 years old, 175K miles) yesterday in anticipation of taking it on vacation next week. It’s our oldest car, but all our stuff fits easily in the back, so there’s no need for bike racks, etc. I don’t know if it’s really true or not, but it always seems that a clean car runs better.
Looking good! And since you and I both believe that clean cars run better we will make it dogma in the Church of the Waxers, henceforth unquestionable.
I am right there with you, commonsense. It was annual waxings that kept my 1994 Club Wagon looking good right up until I donated it to charity – within about a week after this picture was taken in late 2006.
62 years ago; when i was 11 growing up in the rust belt, my Father had a house built with hot and cold water plus french drains in the attached garage. I asked why and he replied,”so that your little hands don’t freeze when you wash my cars”. He would arrive home and tell me I had just enough time to wash the cars before dinner. I didn’t mind. They were often filthty from slush and muck. I used Dupont powdered car wash, and Wesley’s Bleech(sp) White.
I am now a serial car leasee. When new, I use Godzilla fake clay, which has a rubber like surface with a plastic handle. If you drop it, just wash it off. Takes 40 50 minutes. Then I seal with synthetic wax. I don’t wash often ( I live in SW Forida). I use a California duster and Lucas Slick Mist as a detailer.
I used to be a monthly waxer. Then I started doing a quarter of the car every weekend which required a small time commitment every weekend and a fully waxed car every month. Now I haven’t opened a can of wax for probably two years. The pollen that collected on my truck in the spring has taken root on the sides and I expect to see pine cones or acorns growing on the doors one of these days.
I would say the interest in waxing is waning.
I’ll show myself out now.
I’ll pray for your soul brother.
Your act just needs a little polish. 😉
There was a time when I used to wax my car twice annually, then later annually.
Then I bought my Kia Sedona, which I have to get on a ladder to wash the roof.
Then I sold my Fiat 500c Abarth.
To hell with it, I don’t wax anything bigger than a motorcycle anymore.
Waxing takes the place of actually working on the car for me. I may not be able to replace a timing belt or reset the timing, but I can make the Miata glisten in the sun…
No. I am terrible at it, it takes forever and I don’t enjoy it because it never turns out as good as I hoped in the end. I don’t even like simply washing cars for that matter, I keep the wheels and tires clean but I go months without touching the body. My relationship to cars is strictly mechanical, all the things people are greatful about not having to do on modern cars anymore are infinitely more fun and satisfying to me than keeping the paint shiny.
These days I have my car waxed twice a year. In my youth, I was a wax freak, sometimes doing it with Turtle Wax every quarter. Then it became three times a year, then two, and now…Naw, I’ll pay somebody.
My Frugal Father paid me all of 75 cents to Blue Coral wax the family station wagon twice a year.
True, prices have gone up since the mid 1960’s….
You’d probably be flooded with work if you charged that same rate today.
Even then I suspected that I was being rooked by dear ol’ Dad.
Does anyone recall how difficult it was to remove that Blue Coral paste wax?
Ugh.
I am an unrepentant wager twice a year since my first ca. Just got rid of my black 05 Chrysler 300c and the dealer couldn’t believe what he saw. Like a new car he says, are you sure it’s an 05? My other baby is an 75 Olds convertible and the 20 year old paint looks like it just left the painting booth, so yes it pays!
Yes, I first wash the car, and then take the clay bar over the entire car. The final step is the application of a coat of quality wax to it. I find this to be very relaxing – I take a vacation day from work, and just spend the day washing, prepping and then waxing the car. It’s my “quiet time.”
Part of it’s vanity. I don’t leave the house unshaven and wearing dingy, wrinkled clothes. I also prefer not to drive a dirty, unkempt car.
31 year old Black GM enamel. Was waxed fairly regularly by the original owner but when I bought it 4 years ago, that regimen had apparently been ignored for some time. Took some intense applications of polishing compound, and some MEquiars wax BNut the shine is still to be had. Black is a real problem child shows everything. and here in the Valley of the Sun, Phoenix, Az. It takes but a day and a fine layer of dust has covered it. Clear coats do hold there shines better and have improved gratly, however, “Ol’ Sol here takes that as a challenge and fair blasts the paint with as much UV havoc as can be had. Many cars develop cloudy scaly patches as the clear coat gives up. Frankly, I still wax the other vehicles, A Lincoln Sedan and an Edge daily drivers. However, this Black Buick , being a rare vehicle and a survivor may get 4 coats a year. All three are parked in the carport of my 1950s MCM None get polished in the summer, though, I may be crazy in my old age, but I ain’t stupid.
Hats off to you keeping up a black car in the desert! Looks great.
I detailed cars to get through school, and over years regardless of quality of my vehicles, or their mileage, theyve always looked their best. I can’t handle all things mechanical, but I can care for it appropriately….I have 2 cars and two trucks. 3 of those have at least 100k miles, but look loved. I detail them whenver I feel like it. I just cleaned this one….
Sweet truck! And do I detect a fellow tire blacker? Very nice indeed.
Totally i tire blacker! Thank you; I look forward to your posts.
Annual polisher (not waxer). Wash, dry w/ a chamois, then use a liquid polish with a sponge & microfiber. Avoids some of the toll on my shoulders. Maybe an orbital is in my future, based on what some of you have written.
The polish gives a nice, long-lasting shine and beading. Importantly, I can use it over the entire car (but not glass), w/ no worry abt residue.
I have thought about washing my car but wax nope and rubbing compound on a clearcoat is a definite no no, it brings up the colour on laquer or enamel just fine though. Maybe a quick hose down after winter for my beast will do?
Come brother kiwi, there is room at the altar of waxing for you too.
And what is that little old car lurking in the background?
I’ve polished my cars, but never waxed them. The Cortina used to get polished once a year – until I polished through the paint on the hood and got two spots which were never the same colour after. The Ford Laser (below) that replaced it as a DD got polish to try to get some shine into the dull blue paint, but that seemed to need doing more and more frequently, so I let it go. The Mazda 3 that replaced it just came up good with a wash, though my son waxed it before I sold it.
My son just about idolised the paint on his red Lancer, polishing and waxing it with the good stuff several times a year. it always looked like new – no mean feat for original paint on a sixteen-year-old car that wasn’t garaged.
Is that the red Lancer in the back? Purty.
Back in ye olden days I went through the paint on a couple of my cars polishing the bejesus out of them. I’ve since learned restraint…
Just finished waxing the ’82 Buick with my favourite wax, Autoglym, The paint is largely original and is getting faded/chalky, unfortunately….
Ah yes, “waxing the Buick” eh? Wink wink, nudge nudge…
What a nice car!
It becomes more of a problem in our long, hard, Winters….
Yes,I have to wax my NA Miata’s single stage paint. But in a way it’s like caressing
the curves of a woman,I’m not too old for that!
Hi my name is Vince and I am a wax-aholic…. Okay recovering…
Very timely topic Heath. I actually just spent some of today washing and waxing my wife’s Subaru. It was supposed to be a quick wash and wax and it was supposed to be done in the spring. The car had a boat load of tar on the sides from all the cold patch asphalt that was used over the winter months. I ended up claying the entire car, and then I still used some Meguiars Ultimate Compound to buff out some superficial damage, and then topped it off with a coat of Collinite 845. It ended up taking me a few hours in the blazing hot temperatures and humidity, but I enjoy it. I actually find it kind of therapeutic and it’s nice to see the results in the end.
I used to wax my cars often, when I was single. With a family, I try to do the daily drivers about three times a year, but twice is usually all they get. While I do think waxing does really improve the look of the car, my primary reason for doing so is for paint protection. I use long lasting waxes to ensure maximum protection.
One summer while I was still in school I worked at a detail shop at a dealer. I didn’t really care for the work, but I learned a lot. I also learned to work fast. I can wash and wax and quickly detail my exterior of my full-size truck in about 2 hours. I much prefer to work by hand, over machines, but I do have a buffer for using compounds to repair minor scratches and restore old paint. Working fast and vigorously by hand is actually not a bad exercise too.
Just waxed the wifes GMC acadia and our better suburban this weekend . I can’t stop
I’m 26 and wash/wax my cars at least once a month, even after 40-50 hour workweeks. I have five cars to keep up with (my 2013 200, 2006 Ram HD, 1993 Concorde, 1991 LeBaron convertible, and my wife’s 2015 Outback). All it takes is one weekend afternoon for all the cars, or sometimes I’ll just do one or two cars at a time. I’ll do the maintenance during this time as well. Five cars may sound like a lot, but it’s not. It’s actually fun and satisfying.
The interior detailing doesn’t take too long since my wife and I are clean freaks and have no children or pets. I just vacuum, clean and condition the leather (except for the Concorde, it’s cloth) and about once every two or three months I use my Hoover steam cleaner and shampoo the carpets. I’ve got WeatherTech in my 200 and my wife’s Outback so those don’t get shampooed as often. I wash the mats for the other cars in the washer and hang them to dry. I usually skip the windows and clean them every other session since there’s no need (no kids!). I use a handheld steamer to clean crevices.
The exteriors don’t get too bad but our cars get a light dusting real easily since there’s a long stretch of dirt road to get to our house (even though the road our house is on is paved) and most of Utah is dusty as it is. I will say that the waxing really does help to keep the finish cleaner, the dust just rolls off. I clay all the cars twice a year.
You sir are the hero of the waxing faith!! I am not worthy. Carry on! ?
Today, before reading this thread, I washed and waxed my 1998 Ford F150 Lariat pickup. She has 46,000 miles on her and is a keeper. I’m 74 years old and still like to take care of my cars and like driving a clean one!
Oh yes, very nice indeed. Of the three things that turn my head while driving, a sharply maintained and waxed older vehicle is one of them. Looks great.
The five old collector cars get waxed once a year as they live under covers and only need to be washed two-three times a year. The two daily drivers are washed every week and get waxed every 4-5 months. Clay bar, a light polish (never rubbing compound too aggressive), carnauba wax and then a 4-6 month paint sealant. Machine used is a Flex 3401 VRG. The two early 90’s with faded clear coat on upper surfaces never as it is too late for them and they weren’t my cars originally.
I own 10 cars and they all get waxed and detailed at every oil change. Its therapeutic, a good workout and a bonding experience with the cars. They are all drivers and either garaged or under a carport. I have it down about 3 hours to do the oil change, tire rotation, wash, wax, vacuum and the windows.
I waxed my wife’s 2002 Durango early in the spring. We bought it new and with just basic care and maintenance it still looks and runs great 16 years and 175K miles later.
Love your car and it will love you back.
LTDan, nice looking Durango. And congrats on the work to keep the fleet looking and running well!
Own 10 cars, eh? Why do I feel bad owning three? Maybe I should search out that 1965 Vette I dream of and used to own when I was young and carefree?
If a ’65 Corvette makes you happy and have the means, then absolutely, there should be a ’65 Corvette parked in your driveway.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/Cars-Trucks/6001/i.html?LH_ItemCondition=3000%7C1000%7C2500&_fosrp=1&_dcat=6001&_dmpt=US_Cars_Trucks&makeval=Chevrolet&modelval=Corvette&Model%2520Year=1965&_mtrvfc=1&_stpos=23072&_nkw=Chevrolet%20Corvette
The last car I waxed was my ‘71 Vega, probably in 1985 or so.
Yes. An afternoon well spent.
My Alfa has a Supagard finish, but I still intend to polish, if not wax, it. That red and the sunshine just makes you want to do it, never mind the subsequent ease of cleaning.
And your truck looks great
I do once a year, with NuFinish – it seems to last a while.
Fifty years ago, it was tradition that the GTA would be waxed on Memorial Day, during the festivities taking place in Indianapolis on radio (no televised action).
Remember the top speed in 1968 was about 150, so the race lasted…what 5 hours (?). Plenty of time to hand wax the flanks of the Fairlane.I remember using Liquid Glas or somesuch.
Great times.
Yes, I recall waxing cars with the race on the radio too. That is a tradition I should restart.
I have to confess that I wax my cars 4 or 5 times a year and treat the leather in the two that have it every 4 months. The vinyl top ( original) on my ’66 Mustang gets treated every time I clean it up, which is a couple of times a month in the warm months. I have always done that since I was a teenager.
My former brother in law used to say that it was too bad my cars didn’t run as good as they looked.
I’ve waxed only one car in my life. When I was 19 back in 1983 the warehouse manager had his ‘76 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser repainted in the original silver. The Florida sun was had been hard on his beloved 7 year old wagon, so he asked me to protect his newly resprayed ride. I did it by hand. It took a whole week of lunch hours to complete. That. Was. A. Lot. Of. Car. He was very satisfied. As for me, I said never again, and I’ve kept my word.
Not only do I wax my cars, I even polish & wax my lawn tractor.