How to guage wax left on car..

[ariesu4urlife]

Well, as most of you know by my constant cribbing about the winter here, my Prelude is greyish white and looks bad. But when there is a good snowfall, it still looks clean for a bit. Well, I did a 2 layer wax job with P21S and Meguairs on the Prelude (with Autopia's help) right before winter. Due to the prolonged winter, I am starting to get worried that the wax is all gone and my paint is starting to get the brunt of this winter. Is there any way that I can check if my detailing job is still holding up?



:nixweiss <-- I am clueless..

 

[togwt]

Quote: How to gauge wax left on car..







~One mans opinion / observation~



Carnauba wax is a sacrificial yet renewable protection, it evaporates over time (dependant upon ambient temperatures), which limits its durability. As a general rule-of-thumb: 50% after 30 days, 75% is gone after 60 days and after 90 days it should be reapplied.



I always apply a polymer sealant under a top layer of Carnauba wax for the reasons stated above





~Hope this helps~





Experience unshared; is knowledge wasted…/



justadumbarchitect * so i question everything*

 

[Bill D]

If this rule still holds true these days, you can find out when you spray your car down with water. The smaller and more numerous the beads that form means a good coat of wax/sealant is left, larger and fewer beads means time to reapply.



HTH

 

[shaf]

Personally I use a rather unscientific combination of water beading and slickness to guestimate if protection is gone or not. Check after you wash the car and test the dry, clean paint with dry, clean hands and see how it feels.



There are lots of variables that play havoc with how long a wax lasts. How often it's washed and how is one. Dark paint gets hotter, so that reduces the lifespan, and environment plays a big role. Garaged? Pollution? Road salt? The list goes on...

 

[ariesu4urlife]

Its like 10F all the time here.. no washing car. The water still beads into little droplets.. I always thought that larger beads meant that more wax was on the paint..