How to: Waxing
 

Ok, since this is my first real car and I wanted to take care of her, I asked someone that I KNOW knows how to wax (r3velation) to teach me how.

Well, he sent me up an EXCELENT how to and upon his request, asked me to share it with you all. Mods, move to appropriate section if necessary.

Credit to r3velation.

on the matter of waxing. there are plenty of ways to do it.

here's how i do it (keep in mind, i have a VERY strict outline of how i
go about doing this and i do it every 3 days and leave about 6-10
hours...i'm a freak)

things you'll need.
-CLEAN & DRY microfiber towels
-eagle one detailer's spray wipe and shine (or if you like another)
-preferred wax (i use the meguiars cleaner wax)

step 1) wash the car very carefully and rinse very often (the wetter
the better)

step 2) dry immediately in long and slow strides to get the most of the
moisture off.
step 2.1) pop the trunk and dry the wells, open the doors and dry the
door sills and all around the car with the same towel because our cars
love to retain water. basically dry that **** real well, to the best of
your ability. (the side mirrors also love to streak down, and the 0-100
is a bad idea the water that IS stuck on the car will attract
dust/dirt and then you're gonna be **** out of luck and dirty again)

step 3) park car in shaded area and inspect for water spots and stuff
and take care of it with a nice detailers spray (i use eagle one wipe
and shine, it's my fav cuz it wipes off real easy, gives it a nice shine,
takes off the wax residue from previous wax jobs, and has a nice
smell...available at all autozones) now you're gonna want to use a clean and
dry microfiber towel for it.

step 4) pat yourself on the back and take a rest, the next part is
gonna be where the real elbow grease starts to come (i say around 1-2 hours
is good to get the entire car nice and dry.

step 5) after the break, get about 3 microfiber towels ready to go (1
for the top of the car, 1 for the middle sections, and the final for the
lower section) and a nice can of your preferred wax (dry or liquid
doesn't matter) i like to start with the roof of the car and with the
applicator pad i start at one corner and make the longest stride i can (all
going in the same direction) and coat the entire roof. then i proceed
to applying wax to the hood in the same fashion. once i'm done waxing
the hood, i'l grab a towel and start very lightly rubbing the wax off in
the same line that i applied it in. then once i'm done with the roof,
i'll start with the hood. then i'll apply the wax onto the trunk and
spoiler then wax the driver side door, then you guessed it, take off the
wax from the trunk. the door counts as the mid section(that's where you
switch the towel, for the trunk, you can still use the first
microfiber) keep in mind the parts that constitute as the lower panels are the
side skirts, the lower bumpers (pretty much areas that get the most
amount of dirt build-up..that's where you use the 3rd towel)

step 6) look at it in all directions and keeping in mind of having
ample lighting to work with (i prefer sunlight because it gives me a
broader spectrum of light to work with, lightbulbs tend to concentrate the
light in only certain areas leaving miniscule angles out of the picture.

step 7) if you see streaks (and you might considering this will be one
of your first times, get some detailers spray and just take care of it
with that)

step 8) this is the hardest step. don't drive the car for a couple
hours to ensure proper drying has commenced. after a couple hours the wax
will just keep curing and it'll start to have a nice gloss and wondrous
depth.


there you have it, thats how i do it.

now if you're in a real hurry like i am on those days between the
waxes, i just use the eagleone detailers spray all over the car. because i
wash it so frequently, i do not have to worry about dirt buildup because
i drive very slow through puddles if i see one and do my best to keep
the car clean. eagleone every inch of the car (it's safe on plastic and
glass so that's just a plus, you can't mess that part up, but i'd use
a window cleaner if you can get it). once you're done with that you're
good to go.


if you follow these steps and do everything carefully and precisely,
you'll have a great looking shine. hope it helps.

RE: How to: Waxing
 

if that system works for you and you're happy with it, OK. However, didn't see anything in there about claying or polishing/paint correction prior to waxing. You might want to post/read posts on the detailing section of the forums to get some more comprehensive ideas.

RE: How to: Waxing
 

Yeah, I agree. You will never realize how good your wax job can look until you incorporate claybar into your routine at least a couple times a year.....

RE: How to: Waxing
 

claybar ftw!

RE: How to: Waxing
 

yea i agree you gotta clay bar it works awsome makes a big diff

RE: How to: Waxing
 

before it comes out of storage and after my winter modding fest is over. ill use a cleaning agent i got from the paint supply store that will strip off all old wax, tar,oilsetc. WEAR GLOVES its nasty stuff and will peel the skin off your hands and dont use it on paint less than a couple weeks old it will strip it off also. then claybar and rewax withmultiple coats and buff it out with a power buffer.

RE: How to: Waxing
 

It doesn't matter to me that this gets posted quite often. I love reading different people's ideas about cleaning, waxing, etc. Thanks for posting the info, Noober.

RE: How to: Waxing
 

If you own a dark color car, then using a polish or scratch remover like Meguiars Scratch X is also a great step.

I've been taught to wash, dry, clay (only if needed), painter cleaner, polish, and then finally wax the car.

RE: How to: Waxing
 

Waxing is quite easy Noober...wax on, wax off...simple enough

RE: How to: Waxing
 

I liked your old avatar! Unless you work for them or are owned by them (which looking at your car, you may very well be...) leave your old saleen car avatar up!