jim_RENAMED

When do you recommend giving The new TSX its first waxing?

darth62

You can wax it whenever you want. You don't have to worry about problems with the finish. By the time you car gets to you, it has been quite sometime since it was painted.

I waxed mine after about two weeks of ownership. I gave it two coats, and the improvement in shine was dramatic. Also, I found that polishing took a lot of crud off that had accumulated in transit.

Santacruz

Within the first week I removed the "old" wax with Dawn and then washed it with Zaino car wash. Then I followed that up with an application of Zaino's car wax. The next week I applied another coat and I couldn't be happier.

93Kewl

Cruz,

I just did my baby this weekend with the dawn wash and Z2 with the new ZFX additive. I put two coats of the stuff on. Really beautiful!

My question to you is, did you wash the car again before applying another coat?

Champ

What??
You actually polished a brand new car

You NEVER polish a new car. Only wax it. Polish is too abrasive and you have already thinned out your clear coat now because of it.

Next time try waxing first before moving up to a polish or else you will have no clear coat left in no time flat

Santacruz

yep! i used the zaino car wash, because it won't remove the wax that's already on the car, and then i applied the next coat of wax. i would have passed on the second wash but i had driven the car around for a week and murdered a few bugs with the grill

Brad

Do you have a list of abrasive polishes?

I've never read that resin-based polishes are abrasive.

darth62

Well, thanks for the warning but I didn't use polish.

I was a little inexact there. I didn't polish in the sense of using an abrasive cleaner. I just went over the car with a soft sponge and some cleaning wax, and removed some dirt that I couldn't get off with the wash.


I applied a coat of Meguir's cleaning wax and then applied a second coat of Meguir's "gold formula." I've been using that stuff for like 20 years, and never had anything but good results. It is pretty mild and doesn't really have much of cleaning action, but it was enough to get the gunk off of it from the trees in the neighborhood, and whatever dirt it picked up in trasit.

adam fiooz

I would never use a cleaning wax on a new car.

moda_way

If you drive your car out of the garage for 2 minutes, I would wash it. Zaino does have a Z-6 product that you can spray on if you car is still clean, but may have some traces of dirt, but my opinion is to use Z-6 only if you cover your car up (FYI my father has used Z-6 after a drive and has had NO problems on the Boxster S paint; its just my suggestion to wash).

Just don't wash with Dawn again, use the Zaino car wash.

RogerPodacter

Zaino is a polish, right? I applied my first coats of zaino after having the car a few weeks. I have never heard not to polish a new car. Actually its better for the paint to put polish on there ASAP. The longer your paint is exposed to the elements, the worse it will be.

I think it is impossible to "thin" the clearcoat as it is more than dry by the time it reaches the States from Japan. Am I wrong on this?

Brad

Have you tried a clay bar? That stuff--when used correctly with a lubricant--picks up stuff that no soap, detergent, polish, or wax will ever likely pick up.

A couple months ago I tried it after having thought I had thoroughly washed the car, and the crud that the clay bar picks up is amazing! It's impressive to feel the surface difference between a clay'd and a non-clay'd section.

I'm trying to decide if I should run the clay bar on my week-old TSX to see what crud it picks up. (It takes a couple hours to clay-bar a car.) And then you wash it again and dry, and then you apply and buff the wax/polish/nose grease/whatnot.

Have a look at: Ultimate Car Care FAQ

LeeLee

Any type of a cleaner wax or polish, no matter what it says about containing abrassives, will put swirl marks on the clear coat and thin it out over time.

It doesn't matter who makes it.

It doesn't matter what it says on the lable.

Do not use abrassives on a new car, wait a couple of years. In the mean time, use a good car wash liquid, applied with foam or 100% cotton towels, dry with chamois, 100% cotton towels, and then apply a pure wax, either natural (carnauba), synthetic, or a blend thereof.

moda_way

I'm not sure what your fear is, but I used to work at a body shop and what you are saying is true, but only for repaints. Your suggestion of natural, synthetic or blend is contradictory to your use of non abrassives. Carnauba wax is at best 30% carnuba and additionally, if you don't use a product with UV protectant, you might as well by the cheapest stuff you can get.

Zaino is at its core a product with large amounts of UV protectant and polymers that are 99% optically clear meaning where ever you put the stuff, it fills and stacks coats that allow more light to reflect off the paint making the car brighter than any other polish.

Do not get waxes, polishes, and buffing agents confused. You are correct in that all polishes and waxes do contain abrassives, but you fear of removing layers is absolutely incorrect I know with Zaino. The point of Zaino is to build layers of optically clear polymers and UV protectants. The adds a physical layer against environmental, chemical and optical containments.

LeeLee

The fear is doing something, such as abrassive cleaning, to a new car's paint job that doesn't need it and putting swirl marks on the paint in the process.

I remember seeing a new black Forester still with its 30-day tags on that had nausea-inducing swirl marks all over, obviously the result of an owner who just couldn't wait to baby his new car with a fresh coat of what ever junk cleaner wax he had and a nifty new circular buffer.

It's true that even "100% pure Carnauba" wax is only in part Carnauba, but I said this only to indicate that there are such "pure" natural waxes, in addition to "pure" synthetic waxes, and blends. The point here is to get a wax, and wax only, not a cleaner wax, not a polisher, but a wax *AND* polisher, just wax and wax only as its claimed function.

When the car's paint is new, the primary goal is to keep it clean and protect it.

moda_way

Remember, someone using an old towel or dirty sponge is more likely to create swirls than even a polish.

I 100% agree with the "machine" polishing and also with you technical definitions, but realize something, a quality polish and yes, even a wax, do have micro-abbrassives. The only way you truly won't scratch paint is to use something with lower abrassive characteristics than the clear coat. Good luck using any but a polymer on your car to achieve that.

darth62

I understand what you are saying. I just don't think that the typical "cleaner" wax does a whole lot of cleaning. If you use Meguire's (I think that is how you spell the brand name) Cleaner Wax vs. their "Gold Class" non-cleaning wax, you get the same results. The car is not much cleaner. Meguire's cleaning wax just doesn't do much to remove dirt. Its not a whole lot more effective then soap and water, IMO and no more effective than "non cleaning" wax. I personally think that the real benifit from that kind of wax is just your own effort at going over the car carefully with a soft sponge, looking for dirt.

So, I doubt there is any real abrasive quality. I'm willing to be that is true of most of the typical brands - the "cleaner" added is not very effective. If you really want to remove built up dirt, you going to have to use a clay bar or a more abrasive polish. Typical cleaner waxes just don't accomplish much.

fdefulvio

I don't think that most swirl marks are caused by polishing/waxing, but are more often the result of improper washing. Washing a car with dirty water or a dirty rag is like using sandpaper. No wax or polish contains particles anywhere near the size of dirt particles. Take your car to most auto dealers for service where they give you a complimentry wash, and don't be surprised if it's covered with swirl marks when they are done with it.

I've been using Zaino on my two year old dark red SUV from day one, and have hardly any swirl marks. I just finished claying and applying Zaino swirl remover, and the surface is swirl free. The clay bar actually helped remove water spots on a section that got hit with the sprinker system well water. The well water apparently contains salts which will eventually etch into the clearcoat if not removed.

Even new cars benifit from claying since they are likely to pick up contaminents during transit. "Raildust" is typically mentioned as a common problem on new cars. I think my SUV had a rougher surface when new than it did after two years.

darth62

I was just looking at Consumer Report's ratings for waxes and then gave Meguier's cleaning wax a lower than average rating for hazing/scratching. That seems to support the concerns raised above about using such waxes on your car. So, I'm going to toss that stuff out and not use it again.

fdl

Can't polish a new car? When you get the paint protection from the dealer isnt it a polish and wax?

I used the Meguirs 3 step, cleaner, polish, wax after having the car about 2 months. Was that bad??

darth62

After I read the above comments, I checked CONSUMER REPORT's website on the issue. They noted that Meguir's cleaning wax had a worse than average rating with regard to hazing (leaving fine scratches and swirls). They did say this was not likely to noticed on light color cars, but I think it could be an issue over time.

I think the risks with the three-step process are even greater, because the polish in the cleaner wax is not very abrasive, although I could be wrong.

I'm probably going to drop the use of the cleaner wax altogether at this point, and just stick with the wax that has not cleaner components.

Soze75

I'm polishing tomorrow night with Meg's Gold after I give my biyatch a good wash and interior detailing. It's been about five weeks since its seen soap and water:'(

I've owned it for 3 months now and its time to get polishing!

Unfortunately, as a birthday present, I will also have to labour over my father's CRV, top to bottom. Its going to be a long night.

teombe

I would definitely recommend claying your entire TSX. I did my wife's 1yr old car the week before doing mine. I clayed her car, then followed up with 2 coats of Zaino. The finish is spectacular.

When I did my TSX the next week over, I only clayed the front/rear bumpers and the area behind the wheel wells. There is a very noticable difference in the feel of the paint between my wife's car and mine. In 6 months or so, I'm going to do it again.. right.

Brad

I found that ordinary car wash soap works well as a lubricant. Some of these "kits" include a spray bottle of detailing juice that you could use as a lubricant, but car wash soap worked just as well for me. (I dilute the car wash soap the same way I use it to wash the car.)

fdl

Hmm...well the 3 step bottles all say "clear coat safe" ...so maybe they arent so bad. I have a silver car anyways...and to me it looks alot beter after the 3 step than before the 3 step.

darth62

Ultimately, that is what counts. You're happy with the outcome. So, who cares what CR says? I kind of feel the same way. I like the way my car looks after I used Meguirs