From rain, sun, and dirt to mud, bird droppings, and whatnots, your vehicle’s paint job puts up with a lot. BlazingAuto.com recommends applying a protective layer of wax to help your car combat these damaging elements.
When done correctly using high-quality products, the effects of waxing can last a long time. Thus, it is important not to go overboard with the task. When should you wax your ride? How often should you do so? The answers to these questions and more are covered in this piece, so pay close attention.
When Should You Wax Your Car?
To start, there are a couple of need-to-knows about car waxing.
As a minimum, apply wax only twice annually.
Ideally, perform the task in spring, just before summer, to protect your ride’s paint from the soaring temperatures. You can do it another time before the start of winter, which is when salt, rain, and snow tend to wreak havoc on automobiles. You may perform it twice more within the year, depending on your region.
Set a routine for waxing.
Whether you aim to wax twice or four times, we recommend setting a routine for the task. Not following a structure when it comes to waxing could defeat its purpose and end up with your car vulnerable to cosmetic damage.
How To Determine if Your Car Needs Waxing
Deciding whether or not your car needs waxing can be tricky. That’s because protective-layer and shine reduction can progress very slowly and could, therefore, be imperceptible to the untrained eye.
Even experts often find themselves having to resort to glass measuring devices to spot such deterioration. Hence, a good decision would be to take your car to a shop and let the people there make the decision for you. Nine times out of 10, their decision on what should be done to your car’s paintwork is spot on.
A lot of these specialists have decades of experience in automobile care, so you shouldn’t worry about their decision leading you astray. These establishments should know not only if your ride requires waxing or not but also what kind of wax it needs to achieve a fine balance. A car may respond better to a liquid or firm paste wax, depending on its paint job.
These are decisions you wouldn’t want to take lightly. As such, have an expert come into the picture when deciding these things. After all, your vehicle is an investment and not a mere means to get from point A to point B.
Does the Season Matter?
As mentioned, it very much does. In particular, before summer and pre-winter are times of the year when you should especially consider giving your car a good waxing ahead of these treacherous seasons.
A thorough coating of wax should be enough to last your ride through the summer, but wintertime could be a different story. Depending on the harshness of the cold season, you may need to apply an additional coat of wax sometime during these months to reinforce protection.
Does Age Matter?
Your car’s age and how well it’s taken care of through the years should factor into how often it needs waxing. Naturally, brand-new cars shouldn’t require you to do any more than the bare minimum. Their paintwork will be divine, so it’s all a matter of giving it the proper protection.
On the other hand, a used car will need more work to protect and provide shine. The scratches, blemishes, and dull paintwork associated with used vehicles tend to require more frequent waxing and polishing to minimize, remove, or cover-up. In many cases, the dual performance of polishing and waxing may not be enough to deliver the desired outcome.
How To Apply Wax Like an Expert
Follow these tips, and maybe you won’t have to pay a professional for a car waxing session:
● Don’t rush things.
Take time waxing your ride so that you do it thoroughly and properly. Rushing can defeat the purpose of the wax, as you tend to miss working on some parts.
● Wax in a shaded area.
Remember how heat is your paint job’s enemy? Well, it’s an enemy to freshly applied wax, too. Let the wax dry first before exposing your vehicle to the sun’s heat.
● Use a microfiber towel to dry your vehicle pre-waxing.
Drying with a microfiber towel preps the car’s surface so that the wax adheres as it should.
● Use a straight-line application when applying wax.
Vertical or horizontal applications should work. Don’t use a circular motion if you don’t want swirls forming on the surface of your ride.
Parting Words on Paint Job Protection
Aside from washing your ride regularly, we also recommend polishing and waxing it the right way. One thing waxing affords cars that other processes might not is protection.
Aside from covering up imperfections and filling up minor scratches, wax delivers a protective layer not often offered by polishing. That said, polishing tends to give cars a shine not often seen in most car waxing jobs. Have the two products work in tandem if you need both. Trust us, you do!
