If you’re not a keen home detailer, you might have never even used car wax. But out of the
plethora of different car cleaning productions out there, wax is one of the few that can be
considered a must. This is because, in the long run, it’ll make your life a hell of a lot easier
when it comes to keeping your car clean, while also protecting your paintwork.
But what exactly goes into wax products? Why are they so important, and how are you
supposed to use them?
The most obvious starting point is to look at exactly what the stuff you’re slapping on your
car is. At its core is – well, wax. But wax is a term that encompasses a wide variety
of materials. “Wax refers to a hard hydrocarbon at room temperature. The waxes can come
from natural sources like carnauba – which is made from the wax on the leaves of the
carnauba plant – or you can have palm waxes, and you can even find waxes in
hydrocarbons like coal. Or you can have synthetic waxes, such as waxes from silicones,”
The problem is, spreading a hard material over a car isn’t possible, which is why solvents
and oils are then added to the mix to make a more malleable substance. More than one
kind of wax can go into a car wax product, and the oils and solvents can vary greatly
If you’re not a keen home detailer, you might have never even used car wax. But out of the
plethora of different car cleaning productions out there, wax is one of the few that can be
considered a must. This is because, in the long run, it’ll make your life a hell of a lot easier
when it comes to keeping your car clean, while also protecting your paintwork.
But what exactly goes into wax products? Why are they so important, and how are you
supposed to use them?
The most obvious starting point is to look at exactly what the stuff you’re slapping on your
car is. At its core is – well, wax. But wax is a term that encompasses a wide variety
of materials. “Wax refers to a hard hydrocarbon at room temperature. The waxes can come
from natural sources like carnauba – which is made from the wax on the leaves of the
carnauba plant – or you can have palm waxes, and you can even find waxes in
hydrocarbons like coal. Or you can have synthetic waxes, such as waxes from silicones,”
The problem is, spreading a hard material over a car isn’t possible, which is why solvents
and oils are then added to the mix to make a more malleable substance. More than one
kind of wax can go into a car wax product, and the oils and solvents can vary greatly.
Wax is – for the most part – about protection. You’re putting a barrier between the clearcoat
and the outside world to protect it from nasty stuff in the air, UV rays, and water. Water is of
particular concern – rainwater and spray from the roads are full of all sorts of pollutants which
can easily transfer onto the paint, so the best way to protect against it is to make sure water
quickly runs straight off your bodywork – something that wax will do by making the surface
‘hydrophobic’.
WAX VEHICLE Making it harder for mucky air and water to deposit grime all over your car
means washing doesn’t need to be so frequent, or so intensive. Again, that’s less time spent
in potentially harmful contact with your paintwork, and you might even be able to make the
car sufficiently clean with a ‘non-contact wash’ using snow foam. For that method, it’s just a
case of coating a car in foam using a lance on a pressure washer, leaving it for a few
minutes, and then rinsing away the foam and any contaminants.
WAX VEHICLE Making it harder for mucky air and water to deposit grime all over your car
means washing doesn’t need to be so frequent, or so intensive. Again, that’s less time spent
in potentially harmful contact with your paintwork, and you might even be able to make the
car sufficiently clean with a ‘non-contact wash’ using snow foam. For that method, it’s just a
case of coating a car in foam using a lance on a pressure washer, leaving it for a few
minutes, and then rinsing away the foam and any contaminants.
If you’ve ever used car wax, you’ll also know that it gives the car a nice shiny finish.
There are two parts to this question: when during your wash regime should you use wax,
and how often should you use the stuff? The first one is easier to answer – it should always
be the last thing you apply. After washing the car and applying treatments like polish, the
wax goes on to ‘seal’ and protect your hard work
The question of how often you should apply wax is a little more tricky to answer, but
suggests around three times a year, depending on the sort of driving you’re doing. Between
then simple shampoo washes (or even a snow foam treatment, if the car’s not too mucky)
will be sufficient, and good car shampoos shouldn’t strip away the layer of wax.
It’s all about applying in small, even circles with a decent amount of wax, without slapping
too much on or being too stingy. How long you need to leave it before buffing off (preferably
with a microfiber cloth) depends on the wax.
If you want to look after your paintwork, make car washing easier, and get a little extra shine
(we hope that’s a yes to all three), you should wax your car now and then.
It’s not difficult or expensive (yes, you can spend thousands on a tub of wax, but it’s unlikely that you’ll notice a huge difference between that and a more sensibly-priced
product), and doesn’t even need doing that often. Is it time you got a little more wax in your
life?
Source: carthrottle.com