hawkeye62

OK, I know there are two other threads with a lot of advice and how to about washing and waxing. BUT, I still have a question. I opted for a professional paint sealer application. (The car looks great!) Now I want to try a carnauba wax on top mostly as prep for trips where I will most likely pick up a few bugs. And maybe just to see if the carnauba does give that extra shine. So what do I do next time I want to renew the paint sealer? Do I remove the carnauba, do I remove all wax on the paint? What would you guys suggest. (I really don't like the idea of polish to remove non-existent swirls and scratches.) I want the paint to last a LONG time.

So, what would you experts do to basically start with a fresh base coat of wax?

Thanks, Jim

Domm

I've heard that using dish soap can strip off your existing layer of wax. Most car wash soaps aren't as tough on the paint, making them safe for wax layers.

TampaJack

I've chosen to use the sealant approach on my new RDX. A week ago I applied a product named RejeX, which is especially known for being resistant to love bugs here in Florida as well as brake dust. RejeX gets great reviews (it's used on boats, planes and autos), and I've decided to use it from day 1. The results were so spectacular on my RDX that then applied it to my black '08 Miata MX5 as well. Wow!

(Disclaimer: I am not associated with RejeX in any way. I simply chose that product after a ton of online research and it's the horse I've chosen to ride.)

You don't mention what type of sealant was applied on your car, but it likely won't last longer than 5 or 6 months without needing to be reapplied. No sealant will reliably last a year.

The whole idea of a sealant is that it's NOT a wax and needn't/shouldn't be mixed with wax. Wax degrades far faster and it prevents a sealant from bonding properly to the paint. So it makes little sense to mix wax and sealant.

Before applying Rejex, I used their Extreme Clean product to remove all previous wax. Some say dish soap works, too, but I went with what was designed to work best with Rejex. Next I applied Rejex, and I will never have to use Extreme Clean again. I'll just use a mild carwash solution (I chose ProWash which is made by the same company) on my car. I'll reapply RejeX once every 5 or 6 months... forever. [Note: some people recommend that after your very first application, you do a follow-up application a couple weeks later, which I plan to do. After that, it's just twice a year.]

It's very easy to apply (a lot easier than wax, in my opinion).

Perhaps you can find out what kind of sealant was used on your car and buy more so that you can reapply it yourself as needed. Or switch to Rejex after using Extreme Clean.

If you never plan to reapply a sealant again, then switching to wax would be the way to go. But I suggest staying consistent with whatever you do. Putting sealant on top of wax is a bad idea... wax degrades much faster and you'll lose your sealant. Putting wax on top of sealant isn't the best thing either since it won't stick to the sealant for long anyway.

So, in a nutshell, my advice is: now that you've got a sealant on your car, stick with that approach. Or, wait until your current sealant loses its luster, wash the car with something strong, and then switch to a wax program. But don't mix the two.

Good luck!

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^Tampa is on the correct path, and is almost there.

A sealant is man made, while a carnuaba wax is natural.
Tampa is correct when he said that the wax will fade or wear faster than the sealant.
Hence, why you cant apply a sealant over a wax.
BUTT, you can totally do the opposite.

you can seal the car, and then add a layer of wax on top!!!
this gives the paint MORE DEPTH.
and also lasting protection, as sealants last about 5-6 months depending on weather conditions.

I wouldnt wash it with Dawn soap. it is true that it strips off the old layer of sealant/wax but there are other products designed to that task.
Leave the dish soap for the Dishes.


ALso, there is a wash and wax subforum here.
https://acurazine.com/forums/wash-wax-23/

There are a couple of HIGH END detailers on this board.
I've read their write-ups and what I explained above is how they do it.

Sculldog3

Stay the sealer route in my opinion, never used the Rejex, but most manufacturers now carry sealers, with Zaino my preferred product. But places like Griot's that truly have some nice products, and use to be all about carnuba wax, now also have a sealer good for about 6 months. Think Maguir's does as well. Technology is pretty advanced, and most seem to agree that for long term protection, ease of use, and looks, that sealers are the way to go. Arguably if you had a show car with a really high end paint job, then one of the over the top waxes from Zymol or others would probably look better....but only on the day of the show...and only with a ton of work.

I've sung the praises of Zaino (Z2-Pro and ZFX) elsewhere in the forum, but I do find it layers up nicely, and provides a tremendous shine. Like TampaJack, I cleaned with their recommended product for the first use (Dawn), then clay bar'd, and then 2 coats of their sealer. Will never need to use the Dawn again, and claybar is maybe an annual exercise going forward. After the first session that takes several hours, subsequent layers are easy -- wash and dry the vehicle, can apply and remove a coat in under an hour. Hope to apply two more coats this weekend and will then post some photos. It's Basque Red, and it really pops.

Pick a good sealer from one of the big vendors, you'll never go back. My previous car, decade plus old, stored outdoors, no garage, looks better than some cars that are 2-3 years old. And I started the Zaino on this mid-may through it's life. Starting on day 1 with the RDX, and going a little crazy on the layers the first few months, this paint will still look awesome in 15 years....or at least that is the plan!

The other good benefit of the sealers, that TampaJack also alluded to, is that you can use the sealers on rims -- so brake dust is much easier to deal with.

TampaJack

True, you can apply wax on top of sealant. But I still don't recommend it for two reasons. First is that putting wax on top of a sealant won't last long (wax wears off very easily because the sealant is very difficult to bond to --- that's the whole purpose of a sealant).

The other reason is that you'll have to remove the wax before putting on your next coat of sealant. And removing wax requires a high-strength detergent -- which is not ideal for a car nor for the undercoat of sealant. Why mess with it?

As far as depth of shine goes... Just take a look at your car after the sealant is applied and then decide if it's good enough. My shine is plenty good enough for my tastes!

One good piece of advice: Sealants are supposed to be applied lightly, with two coats the first time (with appropriate curing time between coats). A light coat is the way to go. More is not better. (I learned this lesson.)

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

well thank you for clarifying. I learned a lot.

weather

waxing strategy.....OK, let me begin. First I apply the hot wax all over my body...then with a quick swoop... Oups!! That was not the same waxing...my bad *lol*

All kidding aside, people have already contributed very informative posts here

GRDX

Waxing is also when the amount of illuminated surface of the Moon as seen from Earth is increasing. If you are removing all your wax does that mean you are waning?

TampaJack

Weather, I think you may be on to something. A sealant applied beforehand might reduce pain from waxing. Anyone willing to give it a try and report back to the board? I'm not!

hawkeye62

Thanks for the advice guys. (Not you weather). I thought Carnauba on the front would help with bug removal. But, maybe the sealer is already slick enough to make bug removal easier.

Thanks, Jim

Mikey Dallas

Geesssh! I think I will just wash it good, and put a light coat of Colonite 845 on it once every few months...

TampaJack

Jim, what I'm planning to do is to keep my sealant fresh a couple times a year and supplement with a fresh thin application on the front parts of the car immediately prior to a lengthy road trip. But no matter what the approach, the key is to wipe off the bugs as soon as you can, preferably not letting them sit on the car overnight and definitely not for days. The nice thing (reportedly) about sealants is that the bugs wipe off pretty easily.

weather

That stuff is amazing isn't it!?! I just washed and waxed my TL today.....what a great feeling. The RDX will be done in the next week or two as another application....

RDXAWD

Wax is pretty useless really, bugs and bird crap can go right through it etching your paint.
I only wax my car after I clay it

hawkeye62

I like your strategy. I think I will stay with sealant. The reason I went with the professional sealant was because of the relatively long life and because my Silver Moon probably won't benefit from carnauba anyway. The car looks great with the sealer, so why mess with success? And some fresh sealant prior to a trip makes sense,

Thanks, Jim

TampaJack

Jim, I have the Silver Moon, too, and I'm just hoping that I'm using the right strategy from Day 1. The Silver Moon looks fantastic with the sealant. Today I'm putting on the second coat.

By the way, if I had it to do over again, I'd apply the second coat after only 24 hours rather than waiting a couple weeks. That way I wouldn't have had to wash it again. The important thing is to let it cure for at least 12 hours.

I'm excited about this. I'd never, with any of my cars, used a consistent strategy for paint care. It will be years before I'll know how the sealant approach works, but from the reports I've seen from others, I'm very optimistic!

hawkeye62

Does ProWash remove the old wax? It seems that after a few years, the old wax should be removed before a new wax application?

hanks, Jim

Mikey Dallas

Same type question. I have been putting Mothers pure carnauba on every three weeks. I want to go to the Colonite 845. Is it nessasary to remove whatever is left of the Mothers first?

weather

Mikey Dallas.....Where I never applied the Mother's Carnauba wax (Step 3), maybe using the Step 1 first to try and remove the Step 3 wax would help....but as I was saying to Jim in another thread, I have been using exclusively Step 2/Collinite combo without ever stripping anything out and its never been an issue whatsoever and apply it on every 3 months or so. If my car was more exposed to the element, maybe I'd apply it a bit more often but so far, every 3 months is fine and even overkill in my situation.

weather

I forgot to add that you shouldn't use the Collinite on its own...I think the Step2/Collinite combo is better. Collinite is more for the beading/repelling feature wile the Step 2 will revitalize the clear and really bring back the color.

TampaJack

Collinite is a wax, isn't it? If so, I don't see why you'd have to strip old wax before applying it.

A sealant such as RejeX, however, should not be put on top of wax because the wax degrades far faster than a sealant and the sealant will just come off as the wax degrades, thereby losing the advantages of a sealant.

Before applying a sealant, you'll want to get rid of prior wax with a product like Extreme Clean (by the makers of RejeX) or some recommend a dishwashing soap such as Dawn.

I just did this on all three of my cars in the past two weeks. They look fantastic. For the next six months, I'll wash them with something mild (Pro Wash in my case) and apply a new coat of sealant in December.

Domm

Klasse All In One strips off your old wax/sealant and any dirt. It's nonabrasive so it uses chemicals to clean your paint.

In my opinion, I think collinite itself is fine because its really hard to tell differences in shine with silver paint.

weather

^^^ That is a valid point...and the same could be said about a white vehicle. The only reason I like to use Mother's step2 is that it brings back the "soft" feel of the clear. Running a clean cloth on the vehicle after its done, the rag just slides off while without the Mothers, the clear feels "stickier" for lack of a better word. My apologies for the poor choice of words but English is not my mother tongue....

BlackDogRDX

Has anyone used Simoniz Double Bond Teflon by Dupont? My car wash offers it and it's basically a spray on product. It does seem to have the equivalent of a RainX effect where the rain beads off even more easily. It's about a $10 up charge at the car wash.

Sculldog3

Not quite waxing, but what are folks using for their tires? I've tried tons of different products over the years, never found one that truly lasts. Hoping to avoid having to reapply every couple weeks. Currently using "Sanctiond Tire Glaze Gel", which like the others looks good for a week or so, then fades noticeably.

mbm0420

Has anyone ever used Liquid Glass Auto polish? I have been doing some research and the reviews seem to be impressive.

QN52

Check out Griot's Garage products - I use them and they are fantastic.

Bbmura

Will have to take mine somewhere to have it waxed or sealed. New owner of a 2013 RDX - Metallic Gray, beige interior (with added wood trim inside.)

I purchased a protection package they said included a 5-year outside coating with a guarantee against lovebug damage.

Does anyone here know what they use or if I should still have the RDX waxed (sealed) twice a year.