How long can I get that "just waxed" look to stay in the Pacific NW rain?

E

Evaporator

New member
Recently, my 06 Focus was washed through a cookie cutter car wash drive-thru. I clayed the whole car and got the paint to feel smooth.

I followed through with Turtle Wax Super Hardshell.

Looked good. Now, I want it to keep looking like that with minimal work. it doesn't have to look perfectly flawless show room clean.



A few weeks later,



I washed it with Optimum No Rinse. I then followed with Optiumum Car Wax Spray wax, which says five month of protection.



Drove it twice in the rain and its only been a week. Just to test it, I washed the hood again with ONR.

I applied OCW to half the hood and wiped it off. Comparing the two halves, I can clearly see the difference in depth and shine.



The left washed side just looked "clean"... the rewaxed side had the freshly waxed look, which I want to maintain.



Two rains and its gone? Really? Optimum Car Wax is water base.... Does it simply wash off if it gets wet?



It was also no longer "noise free" when I run my hand across it. When I reclayed a small area, it became "noise free" smooth again. I thought claying then waxing would prevent things from bonding on the paint?
 
Only a very good polymer sealant will "slow down" the bonding of enviormental contaminates.



And that is due to the use of "amino-funcitional resins" in the sealant, as they are "anti-corossive" in their composition.



However, even they can only resist the acidic nature of what contaminates which come in contact with the paint surface for a limited amount of time and the acids will eat through and create concerns to the finish.



Depth and shine are not always a true indicator of "protection from enviromental contaminates", those are usually only opitical base lines which fulfills one's visual perception.



As far as the "water based" issue, water is now used as a "solvent carrier" for most of the OEM and refinish paint materials applied to vehicles.



Once the "water" has been evacuated from the active ingrediants, the cross linking of the polymer components, pigments, etc can take place.



There are still a small percentage of "hydrocarbon solvents" in the paint systems and protective/shine products used today by those who apply waxes/sealants, etc to their vehicles.



Cure time of any of the last few generations of such products is very important, as "air is the curing agent" which sets the polymeric chain of the chosen product.



It is not like the old days when if one did not wipe off the "indicators/haze" quickly, the "haze" become very difficult to remove. Not so these modern days.



The longer one allows the newer products to "set/cure" and the longer one keeps water off that surface, the stronger the crosslinking is accomplished.



Why attempt to keep "water" away from that applied product?



Water stops the aerobic cure "air" from the cure process.



It "drowns" the polymers which require air to crosslink.



If I held your head under water, well what happens, so just think about that.



Hope this aids you in starting to understand how the new products work.



Grumpy
 
Have you thought about trying some Duragloss 501--it is from the DG Marine line of products and actually designed for boat hulls. 501 has chemically based paint cleaners and a polymer sealant--mix it 4 to 1 with DG 601 bonding agent--put on a thin coat- wait for it to haze and buffs off by hand very easily. A couple of hours later you can add a coat of DG 105 (same mix with 601) and then maintain with DG AquaWax (spray). Reasonable prices, fixed rate shipping from DG and great durability.
 
Often the shine and feel right after waxing is due partly to the carriers of the actual wax. As those evaporate away the look and feel may decline a little bit. Some take longer than others and some retain the initial look better, but ultimately there is always some degradation. Your protect is still there. If you need that just waxed look, a fresh application of a spray wax will give you the boost you are looking for.
 
Ultimately, appearance is equally as important as protection to me. Appearance is what detailing is all about isn't it?



My car is full of swirls. That's what I get for going through drive-thru car wash monthly for five years. :knockout:

I use one called "Kaady's" which is supposed to be less damaging than most car wash.



What would it cost to get swirls removed? It's a daily driver that sees frequent rain and gets parked outside in the rain often... so I don't want to spend a ton.
 
Hack car wash is hack car wash. :D:D:D Kaady's Just don't take it back anymore

'



Evaporator said:
Ultimately, appearance is equally as important as protection to me. Appearance is what detailing is all about isn't it?



My car is full of swirls. That's what I get for going through drive-thru car wash monthly for five years. :knockout:

I use one called "Kaady's" which is supposed to be less damaging than most car wash.



What would it cost to get swirls removed? It's a daily driver that sees frequent rain and gets parked outside in the rain often... so I don't want to spend a ton.
Click to expand...
 
Just spray a coat of Meg's D156 (a.k.a. UQW) after every wash and the just waxed look is restored. Takes about 10 minutes to go over the whole car or 15 min for a large SUV. This process will restore the look, slickness and extend the life of the wax or sealant.
 
Unfortunately, the OP wants the swirls gone. You can't use spray wax to substitute polishing, even if it isn't full correction. That is what is going to bring back the gloss.





jfelbab said:
Just spray a coat of Meg's D156 (a.k.a. UQW) after every wash and the just waxed look is restored. Takes about 10 minutes to go over the whole car or 15 min for a large SUV. This process will restore the look, slickness and extend the life of the wax or sealant.
Click to expand...
 
Thomas Dekany said:
Unfortunately, the OP wants the swirls gone. You can't use spray wax to substitute polishing, even if it isn't full correction. That is what is going to bring back the gloss.
Click to expand...



From the title of the thread "How long can I get that just waxed look to stay in the Pacific NW rain" and his thread, I get that the OP knows that he must polish. He did that prior to using his LSP. Once polished he can maintain that "just waxed" look for months by using a simple spray and wipe, that of course, assumes he uses proper washing techniques and reasonable care. D156 (UQW) is one of several products that will refresh the appearance and feel of a wax or sealant. I've kept that look and feel on a few select vehicles I own for over 6 months using this technique. They always look freshly waxed and feel slick to the hand. Polishing is a given, IMO, to prep the paint and eliminate swirls. After that, to extend the look and feel there is no better way than to use a spray sealant like D156 after every wash. I apply it to everything, glass, vinyl trim, chrome, steel, wheels and paint. It doesn't stain trim, can be used in direct sunlight and delivers just what the OP was asking about for several months.
 
Not sure where you live, but the rain here will destroy most sealants/waxes. You can't say this is what I do here (where ever you are) so do the same in Oregon. It is different here.



In any case, once you have a very durable base protection, yes, he can fluff the paint after each wash with a spray wax
 
Evaporator said:
Ultimately, appearance is equally as important as protection to me. Appearance is what detailing is all about isn't it?
Click to expand...



For me, detailing is more about taking good care of my things than anything else. The appearance part is a good thing as well, of course.
 
I thought about this thread today. Two weeks ago I detailed my black S2K and applied one coat of Swissvax Smaragd. The car looked great. I only applied one coat of wax because Smaragd always seem to sweat on me, no matter how thin I apply it. During the past two weeks the car was exposed to a fair amount of sun, as well as some rain. Today I washed the car, intending to apply a second coat of wax. After the wash I looked it over carefully. The car looked clean and glossy, but it didn't look like it had just been waxed. And then I applied the fresh coat of wax. And that special look was back. There's just something about the way a car looks after it's just been waxed (especially if you are using a carnauba).



So how does one keep that just-waxed look? By waxing it again! :tea:
 
I've tried tons of different stuff but nothing keeps it's look longer than Zaino or Duragloss. They simply do not go away after a wash or rain but they do fade over time at a very slow rate.
 
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