newb help with products and methodology

[Accumulator]

should i apply another coat of wax?

I'm gonna slap some on my rims and windows this weekend, just did the paint this time.

I'd wait until after the next wash myself.

 

[riceguy]

Ok after that,



How often should i:



Use Zaio? (every time i wax?)



Wax? (ive read every 2-3months? how bout when i stop seeing it bead)



Claybar? (ive read twice a year)



I plan to do a car wash at least 1 a month if not more along with interior vacuuming and wipe.



Just wanted to note: OMG i love the Claybar, my car paint is so silky smooth i didn't no that was possible. Even for a brand new car this one must have been on the lot a long time or collected a lot of rail dust becuz there is a huge difference, i have to resist feeling the paint every time i drive it .

 

[Accumulator]

How often should i:



Use Zaio? (every time i wax?)

Nah, I'd probably use it less often than that, like when you see some staining or something that needs a bit of oomph to get off.



Maybe twice a year, generally speaking.

Wax? (ive read every 2-3months? how bout when i stop seeing it bead)

Wax before it needs it. I'd do it as soon as some characteristic you can keep track of (beading and slickness come to mind) changes for the worse. If you do it before that happens that's even better; a quick coat of wax should be easy enough to do, maybe one or two panels after a wash, just doing the places where the wax starts to degrade first.

Claybar? (ive read twice a year)

Noting that is is a kinda crappy answer, do it when it needs doing. I spot-clay with Sonus green at every wash, but I only do a full (still gentle) claying when I'm gonna redo the wax, if then.



Sooner or later you'll notice some contamination and that's the time to clay. Then I'd refresh the wax, maybe doing the ZAIO too.



But if you wash more frequently you should be able to just keep refreshing the wax for quite a while.

I plan to do a car wash at least 1 a month if not more along with interior vacuuming and wipe..

I'm not a detail-all-the-time guy like many here, but I'd still do it more often than that. Every other week or maybe every third one, depending on what it goes through day-to-day.



Letting it go too long makes for a *big* job and I'd rather to more frequent (and yeah, thus more numerous) small, quick jobs. Let it go long enough and you'll be in for anothe marathon session that'll be hard to schedule (and thus easier to put off, making things worse ).