Waxinig a new car

Ok, you guys are probably fed up with all the questions, but here goes another. What are your thoughts on Waxing a new car? I was thinking i should wax my 03 Forester before winter, but then someone at work said that becaue of the clear coat that i am not supposed to wax it. I find that hard to believe. so i am asking Subaru owners. What is the deal? Wax?, no wax? special clearcoat polish?, no special polish?

thanks,

Mike

Reply to
Michael Smith
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All cars need wax.

I used Meguiars Gold Class clear coat prep followed by Gold Class liquid wax on my new 2003 Outback the first week I got it home. I have been using the Meguiars products

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on a black

1996 Explorer since new and the paint looks factory fresh. The web site has lots of information on paint maintenance.

I highly recommend all of the Meguiars products. Some of their products are available in auto and chain stores. The hard to find ones I order direct.

I use the Meguiars foam pads for product application. Buy a good set of 100% cotton towels (bathroom quality, not auto store crap) for wax removal and polishing. Cut the tags off so they don't scratch the paint.

The Quick Detailer spray cleaner has been essential in keeping the hood clear of water spots and is good for touch-ups between cleaning.

I am a bit extreme when it comes to washing and waxing and always wash my cars by hand. Whatever you do don't ever use one of those $29.99 polishers as they are the fastest way to ruin a paint job. The Meguars products are very easy to hand apply and remove but good quality towels are essential.

Reply to
Jeff

Hey Mike. Of course wax it! I applied a coat of Meguiars gold class to both cars a couple of weeks ago. It's great to see the beading when it rains or goes through the car wash.

James '03 Subaru Forester XS-P '01 Subaru Outback LLBean Santa Fe, New Mexico

Reply to
James

I had an Outback for four years in the Philly area. Never waxed it, thought that the finish looked great when I sold it in June. My opinion: don't bother waxing!

Tom in PA

Reply to
Vmcw

I used to be sold on Meguiars, and still use their Mist and Wipe often.

But, in July I finally bought some Klasse. Not a wax or polish, but an "elastic acrylic polymer". See

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It's easy to apply and easier to polish than Meguiar's or Zymol. The car is so slick it's unbelievable. All I do between rains is to use a California Duster to keep it clean. But don't use a Duster on the hood when it's hot!!! First thing I noticed was that you can't shut the door if you are a "hand on the side of the door and push with a sliding motion". Your hand will slip off and the door won't close!!! ;-)

Reply to
Don Nickell

Reply to
Edward Hayes

Hi,

I used to use NuFinish liquid. Wasn't impressed that it was better or worse than anything else. Then one of the consumer mags claimed the paste version was better. I bought a can, and what a rotten mess! I don't know if the stuff was separating or what, but I had to stir it up just to apply it, and the "wipe off" was anything but easy. For that much work, I'll use carnauba! Is that normal, or did I get a bad can?

OTOH, I've found two "rules" for waxing cars:

1) The more elbow grease that goes into the job, the better and longer lasting the results (hand polishing, no "grinders" or other tools), and;

2) The more elbow grease required, the less likely one's gonna keep up the regimen very long, so the liquid "quickie" products may be better in the long run simply cuz they'll get used more (paint on the car I frequently use liquid Turtle wax on--no flames necessary!--looks better than the one that gets an infrequent "proper" polish and wax regimen!"

Naturally YMMV!

Rick

Reply to
Rick Courtright

Reply to
Edward Hayes

Yes you should wax the vehicle.

You should start by giving it a good wash. Wash the car with a soap made for cars. NO DISH DETERGENTS. Too harsh. Remove bugs and tar. Follow up with a good polish/cleaner, then wax. Should be done by hand no machines. Orbital or rotary buffers will leave swirls. The wax provides additional protection to the clearcoat paint.If you need more info you can go to

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or
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I have been detailing cars for almost 20 years and for anyone to say that you shouldn't wax is wrong. Yes clearcoat finishes are more resilient, but they still need protection

Bob

Reply to
Bob D

The slickness is impressive. I've applied Zaino Show Car Polish twice to my entire '02 ForesterS from the same 8 oz bottle and have enough for one more appl. If I lay my 100% cotton wipe towel on the hood it slides off onto the floor. Zaino by mail only:

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I read about a test run by an NS showcar site. Zaino beat Meguiar, Zymol and other much more expensive products. Zaino is for car buffs, not the 'slop on a wax job once a year folks'. This is just for info; I don't sell the stuff. :-)

BoB

Reply to
BoB

BTW, I just tried one of the NAPA micro-something cloths that's recommended by one Klasse distributor. It worked beautifully. He suggested Eagle Mist & Wipe instead of water for wetting the cloth, I used Meguar's Mist & Wipe and it worked great. He said "mist & wipe" would help soften any crud that didn't come off with the wash.

I don't sell anything, I only buy. Stupid, eh? ;-)

Don

Reply to
Don Nickell

I'm also a fan of the Meguiars products.

Their products help hide the clear coat scratches and it looks really nice -- I have a black Forester...

Reply to
Bart

Reply to
Edward Hayes

Reply to
null

For vinyl, rubber and plastic I like the Meguiars Gold Class Vinyl/Rubber Protectant.

For clear plastic I use the Meguiars Mirror Glaze Clear Plastic Detailer and Mirror Glaze Clear Plastic Cleaner. While I haven't used it on a car, I restored a scratched watch using Mirror Glaze Plastic Polish.

At

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you can find a product for all of your cleaning needs.

Good quality cotton towels are essential in preventing scratches. The ones sold by Meguiars are the one's I use (better than my bathroom towels). The new micro-fiber towels are impressive and may prompt me to switch (I use one wash-cloth size microfiber to dry the car).

I don't recommend Armor All as it leaves an artificial shine and I have read that if you stop using it bad things happen to plastic and rubber.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff

You'd better have a cable modem. It must be a BIG hummer. Gave up after 5 minutes of DLing.

BoB

Reply to
BoB

Reply to
null

Everyone out there needs to try a product called Buffalo Milke. It's a instant spray wax that goes on wet and goes off wet. You can do your whole car in 20-25 minutes. NO white residue to clean on trim and around doors, hood and chrome emblems. Great on chrome, glass, plastic parts etc. Real smooth finish and seems to last a good while. Actually it makes waxing fun, and want to do it more often just to keep that smooth feel that you lose after several washings with any wax. Loves dark colors, too.

Reply to
Jerre Bassler

i just downlozded it.... that is very through, thanks. well worth the download.

Reply to
Michael P. Smith

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