Does air temperature matter when polishing/waxing?

F

flymybird

New member
It's still pretty cold in upstate NY but before I put my summer ride out on the road I wanted to do a clean/polish/wax in the garage but a buddy of mine who's a pretty experienced detailer said I won't get good results because the temps are still in the 40s and it needs to be warmer for the chemicals to work.



That got me to thinking... Does he have a good point?
 
I would say, dont polish in weather under 45degrees, its cold here in ohio, but I heat the garage to about 50ish...and thats perfect for me. I cant say if you buddy is right or wrong, just that I haven't had a problem in the high 40"s
 
I find temps in the 50's-80's work best but in all honesty, I feel that humidity plays a larger roll than temps.
 
Waxes will take longer to dry, and sealants may outright refuse to cure in cold weather.



Polishing, OTOH, doesn't really matter. You're going to be generating so much friction with that pad on the paint that the starting temperature isn't really going to matter much. You'll still get all the heat you need to properly break down the polish (assuming you're using diminishing abrasive polishes).



When I have a problem getting wax or sealant to cure, putting the halogen stands about three feet away from the car provides enough heat to pretty much cure any LSP. Edit: you can do the same thing if you're using a temperature fussy polish like SIP. Just use the halogens to warm your paint a bit.



I'd say get it done while it's still nice and cool. Beats sweating in the heat any day.
 
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