Waxing Question

Today I put two coats of Gold Class on my car today and it looks great and I was thinking of putting some more on tomorrow . Will I be doing anything wrong by putting 3 or 4 coats of wax on ? .............will it last longer or do any damage to it and ect? What benefits or disadvantges would I have ?

I think after two coats of wax, you're hitting a point of diminishing returns. Additional layers beyond two will probably last a bit longer, but it may not result in any visual difference in shine and gloss. Also, every time you do detail your vehicle, you do run the risk of adding swirl marks if you are not careful.

 

I'd save the elbow grease and extra wax for a follow up in three months time.

 

Ken

Also, Gold Class is sort of a cleaner wax. It has a high enough solvent content that its not really layering itself. Gold Class is the kind of wax that you want to put a new coat on once a month to keep it fresh, but most liquid waxes don't layer very well because of the solvents.

Recommend Zanio wax products. I've used this for the last 4 years and found it superior to any other product. This includes shine and most important, lasting protection. I used Zanio on my car last July and the New England snow practically slid off the car in January.

I have no affilation with the company, just honest experience!

www.zainobros.com

Zaino isn't a wax. After 4 years of using it you would think you knew that. Zaino is a sealant and has zero carnauba in it.

Is there a product that could be put on in several layers and add more shine to the car ? What is the proper way to protect and shine ? I have a lot of time on my hands latley and I dont mind putting in the time to make my car look great!

Sealants are the way to go on that. They can be layered and layered. 3 to 5 layers is about the point where the effort to put on futher layers doesn't really produce quantifiable results. I like Wolfgang because it tops out at 3 coats visually. Zaino is nice because you can buy the ZFX additive to allow the sealant to cure faster. Most polymer or acrylic sealants need a 24 hour cure time before you can put on additional coats. Its not like anybody has the time to sit there and wax their car all day anyway. I usually just put on one coat a week for 3 weeks and call it good for awhile. With Zaino ZFX you could put on as many coats as you have time for. Its a good polymer sealant.

 

Sealants like Wolfgang or Four Star Ultimate are also polymer sealants that look really good. Klasse is an acrylic sealant that gives the car that polished rock kind of shine, but it is incredibly durable and my first choice for winter protection. For good looks I would go with something other than that if appearance is important. Wolfgang and Four Star Ultimate are good protecting polymers that have a carnauba like glow. I like them for that reason. Wolfgang is my current favorite out of all the sealants I've tried. Appearance is very important to me and the client's I detail for. Wolfgang has gotten me more 'WOW!'s than Zaino or Klasse or any other sealant I have ever used. I gotta go with that.

I've used the 4* Ultimate; it's the smoooothest, slickest product I've ever used. No experience with Wolfgang, it came out right about the time I settled on a product that worked best for me. If I hadn't found that, I probably would be a Wolfie guy too. I've always been a wax guy, but the newest sealants give up very little to wax in appearance and go way beyond wax in ease of application and protection.

 

GC has enough solvent that 2 coats doesn't equal twice as much wax, but not so much that a second coat doesn't add some more. Think of it not as increasing the thickness of the coat, but of increasing the density of the coat. I couldn't accurately say how much it is increased, but I would be surprised if it was more than 20%. It may not be that high. The new GC is a better product than the old GC, btw.

 

 

A friend of mine who is in the know (OC knows him as well) makes the very cogent point that the act of continually rubbing your paint with mildly abrasive lubricants will produce gloss, regardless of whether it builds layers. I modded the crap out of my Miata, and reached a point where I didn't want to spend another dime on it... but I didn't want to stop working on it, either. So I polished it, over and over and over. Every time I felt like spending money on it, I polished it instead....

 

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/4/web/220000-220999/220856_82_full.jpg

 

 

Tom

So could I put sealnt on it now or would I have to use some type of cleaner first ?Sorry for the stupid questions. I have never really had a car that I cared how it looked . OCD it sounds like you really know your stuff. To bad your not around here I would take my car to you for sure!

Most sealants have a pre cleaner for them as well. Wolfgang, Four Star Ultimate, Blackfire, Klasse all have a pre cleaner that makes a good base for the sealant to bond to. I need to write something to really clarify what the difference between waxes and sealants are. I've got a bit of that in my full detailing guide on OCDetails.com, but I need to seperate it out I think. Anyway, a pre cleaner is definitely suggested. If you can get a sealant kit then you will normally get the pre cleaner and the sealant along with some good applicators and microfiber towels. I love it when I can get a product kit. I designed the OCDpharmacy.com store and I made sure to put together some kits. I think Dwayne has them on premiumautocare.com too. Those will give you an idea of what you should have to start with.

 

I wish I was nearby too. I love to talk shop though. Feel free to bug me or Tom anytime you want. I'm sure he loves to help as much as I do.

OCD is correct - Zaino is not wax, I used the term as a generic shine and paint protector descriptor.

Never-the-less, my experience with this polish (Zaino's term) resulted in better shine and lasting protection than wax products I've used.

Where do you get Wolfgang?

I absolutely agree. Zaino is one of the more durable sealants that I have ever used. I don't really care that much about durabilty since I strip down the products every now and then anyway. It could last for a year and I wouldn't know because I never leave one product on that long. Its definitely good stuff though.

 

Wolfgang can be purchased from several online stores. Wolfgang Car Care.com is their official site. I buy it from PremiumAutoCare.com along with the rest of the stuff I have to fill up on every now and then. Dwayne is a good friend and I like doing business with friends.

I will check your site . do you sell the the Wolfgang there? Can sealants be applied by hand? Thanks a;ot for your help guys

OCD, YOU were one of the people who helped me the most when I was starting out with this stuff! I'll always remember the friendly encouragement you gave me when I started posting and asking questions in detailing forums.

 

Of course I'll always help. I lean towards some different products, but that's just a preference. Wise words passed through many people now find their way here: "Find something you like and use it often."

 

 

Tom

I'm glad I helped.

 

OCDetails.com is just an information site. If you want to purchase from a good seller then I would buy from Dwayne at www.premiumautocare.com. Its where I order most of my stuff from and I know he is someone who can be trusted. He really takes good care of his customers. Feel free to hang out on OCDetails.com and let me know if you have any good ideas for future articles. I'm always looking for ideas.

OCD, while shine is important, particularly since it's the only satisfying feedback you get from a few hours of hard labor - pragmatically it's the protection I'm ultimately looking for.

Car finish is under stress due winter's continuous bath of salt, sand (read grit) and other harmful polutants.

What do you recommend for paint protector products?

For Utah winters I use 5 layers of Klasse Sealant Glaze and then I top it periodicly with S100 paste carnauba wax. That gives me the look and protection that I like durring the winter between about October and April. For the rest of the year I do something else. Last year was my first year with Wolfgang and it is my product of choice this year too. I still like Four Star Ultimate on my wife's Accord, so I guess I'll be keeping that around. On black, red or blue it doesn't get better than Wolfgang for my money. On lighter cars I still favor Four Star Ultimate with a carnauba topper.