There was a movie in 1980s Karate Kid where a boy, Daniel, wanted to learn fighting and his teacher, Mr. Miyagi, made him wax antique cars for the whole day. Wax on. Wax off… It was a difficult work and by the evening the boy got really tired but later on we came to understanding the waxing was directly connected to his karate lessons.
Any person that cares about the vehicle he/she owns, should wax it because besides the shine it gives, waxing also helps to protect the paint from the bad environmental influence: salt, insect fluids, bird droppings, ultraviolet energy and acid rains. Light scratches and stone chips can become less visible after waxing.
It is important to check the wax product before buying it. Some of them have abrasives which can ruin the finish of the car, so avoid buying those. Carnauba wax is known for a while and many people like it because it is easy to apply and remove. It is usually more expensive than others because it is made from natural materials (this wax is harvested from palm tree leaves). There are several modern clear coat finishes which remove scratches and swirl marks providing long lasting protection – some car owners prefer those.
However there are no car wax products that provide eternal protection for the coating, so the wax has to be applied regularly after every three-four months or at least twice a year. Not everybody takes good care of an auto, so if a person just purchased one, it is better to go through the detailing. The car owner can go to a dealership or to a local detailing shop and ask for a detailing package: the car will be buffed with electric buffer and the special polishing compound will take care of minor scratches, hard stains and other paint imperfections. In the end of the process the auto will be waxed. In about 3 month next waxing can be done without the whole detailing package.
Before any waxing work the auto has to be thoroughly washed. It is good to visit a car wash and clean the outside surface with soap. Take the wax and all the necessary tools with you in order to have everything done at the same time. With the time any person does it so well that the process of washing and waxing doesn’t take more than an hour.
After the car is clean and dry take it to a shady place because it is better to wax an auto when the metal is cool to touch. Prepare the tools for waxing: good quality car wax, a soft small sponge or a little cloth rag for waxing on and a few clean soft cloth towels for removing the wax. If you are trying the wax type for the first time, apply it to a small not very noticeable place to check if it works all right.
Apply a small amount of wax on the sponge or little rag and spread it on one section of the car. Remember to work with only one part at a time: fender, door, hood, etc. It is also good to start at the top of the vehicle because no matter how well you washed it, there is usually some dirt left at the bottom and it doesn’t need to be spread all over the car.
Almost all kinds of car waxes leave white stains on the surface, so when you apply one of them on the auto try to stay away from rubber like door or window trim and black plastic parts.
Many people prefer to apply the wax in circles, but it really doesn’t matter. Do it as you desire. The main fact is the whole surface of the car section has to be covered with a thin layer of wax.
The wax hazes in about a minute or two. After this the buffing can be done to remove extra wax and make the car surface really shiny. It is good to add some pressure to remove all the wax. Sometimes it is good to keep several soft towels or rags in case there was too much wax or the cloth got dirty. For the best result buffing has to be done with perfectly clean rags.
When the whole auto was waxed and buffed, use another clean soft cloth for the last touch and enjoy the beauty of your car!