Heat and wax longevity

M

Marj

New member
Living in SoCal, where we can have some high temps, I was wondering, with a black car, sitting outside for 8 hours, it seems that the wax melts or evaporate off. The paint is untouchable during the days.
 
bcgreen said:
Living in SoCal, where we can have some high temps, I was wondering, with a black car, sitting outside for 8 hours, it seems that the wax melts or evaporate off. The paint is untouchable during the days.
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I have never had a black car but, my last car was Midnight Blue which is still very dark. I lived in Florida then and even on the hottest days I never experienced a problem with my wax melting or evaporating off the paint. What have you been using?



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Have you thought of getting a lightweight cover. It should help with the direct sunlight and might also help prevent some waterspots when it rains.
 
What kind of wax? Perhaps you would consider a sealant ? You can always top it with wax for looks. I assume if the wax burned off the sealant would still last for at least a little while longer.
 
I was just curious about such high temps, if there is any effect on the longevity of wax. I was thinking perhaps wax would dissipate quicker under high heat. It just seems that the slickness of the waxes I use that after 3 or 4 days, its not as slick. I use P21s, also #26, Valugard machine wax, and detail + sealant. No I wouldn't use a car cover, I'm too much of a scratch free car freek.
 
yeah, high temps will affect the longevity of the wax.



and a good quality car cover won't scratch a clean, dust free car. ;)
 
hirosh said:
and a good quality car cover won't scratch a clean, dust free car. ;)
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I'll definitely second that :xyxthumbs





Car covers can be a honest to goodness godsend. I think I would twitch if I don't have my trusty Weathershield and Noah :D
 
A dark car in the sun can attain a surface temperature hotter than the melting point of most waxes. In addition, most waxes are hard and brittle and will not expand and contract with the panels on your car as the temperature changes. Tiny cracks will develop which grow, allowing the oils to leach out, evaporate, and wash off the car, and permit dirt to stick to the surface. This cycling effect also makes the wax system become unstable, decreasing gloss, water beading and paint protection..



Next time your car is in the sun, feel the paint and see if it feels "oily"
 
I've had two black cars so far, and I've never had a problem with wax when they were exposed to the sun. Of course, I didn't live in Sunny cali, but I've seen more than a few "dog" days of summer.



I've never seen wax "evaporate", or crack (how would it crack?) or wash off in any climate. Wax will expand in any weather condition, and it could also feasibly rise in temperature and become thinner. Left to itself, a wax will not completely evaporate or wash off. Beading and gloss are not necessarily good indicators of the pure wax's life, as their are other additives in a wax that promotes beading and gloss.



The only thing that I've noticed that will take off a wax completely is a cleaning agent. I've had wax residue last for years on one of my cars that sat outside (rain, heat and snow) without a cover. It did lose its gloss and beading from time to time, but there was still a lot of wax left on it, and I was only able to remove that wax with a paint cleaner.
 
Sorry, but Im with Detailking on this one. I too am in So Cal, (Been hot lately hasnt it !) and have witnessed my share of short term durability with just about every Carnauaba, especially in Summer. Heat isnt the only thing, show me something that will withstand the U.V factor. There all murder on wax, smog, heat, ash, and U.V. Wax doesnt stand a chance over 30 days in the summer. Its not that they dont do there job, they do, but not for long.



lb, are you sure that was "wax", or was it was residue. (The components left after wax has evaporated)
 
It was probably a combination of wax and residue. The residue, btw, is a wax by-product. It won't produce much of a shine once your gloss and beading has worn away, but it will offer protection during the interim until you re-wax or re-clean (actually it is better to re-clean if your resolution has worn away and you are left with cloudy residue).
 
~One man’s opinion / observations~



I’m also with DETAILKING on wax, Carnauba Wax melts at 180oF and evaporates / erodes over time (dependant upon ambient temperatures and climatic conditions) The surface temperature of a black vehicle in direct sunlight can attain 200oF+



~Hope this helps~



Knowledge unshared is experience wasted

justadumbarchitect / so I question everything/ Jon
 
hirosh said:
.....and a good quality car cover won't scratch a clean, dust free car. ;)
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How is a driven vehicle dust and dirt free? Not possible because of normal surface static and environmental fallout (i.e. truck exhaust particulates will adhere dirt/dust) , morning mist will also do the same during the drive to work. No car cover for me unless it is in the garage. Been there done that and will not repeat this error.



The question about wax "melting" is a difficult one because of all the volatile components that make a carnuaba-based protectant user friendly. I have noticed that a wax will haze sometimes in our Virginia heat. The protection I am sure is present but the appearance is not as crisp until this residue is removed. I haven't had this problem with hi-quality equally appearance-wise sealants on a meticulously prep vehicle finish.



In the end I do not thinks this is a universal problem with carnauba based products because of their widespread usage by most professional detailers. :cool:
 
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