You guys mostly wax by hand or do you use those handheld orbitor things?

Also, how do you apply and remove the wax? Circles or side to side?

 

By hand, no circles

 

Most polys contain no wax so how they are removed is unimportant. What you must have is uniform, complete coverage. If you use a natural wax product like carnauba or others and orbital polisher will always give better results.

 

what is the best way to apply wax by hand?

 

By hand only. I've never tried the orbital so no comment here. I also waxed my wife's minivan last week and the orbital wax remover would have worked out pretty good and probably even saved bunch of time.

 

back and forth then? - flipping the towel regularly.? Do you apply it in circular motion or just left to right etc?

 

i go from front to back, basically in the direction of airflow.

 

both for applying and removing the wax?

 

yes i am a little anal about it so it will go from front to back for both applying and removing. when the wax cures if should be ok to remove with any type of motion. most synthetic waxes come off easily so there isn't a lot of rubbing involved. i use NXT and all it takes is gentle wipes to remove the excess wax.

 

same here with the NXT. I like it a lot. Tho I found some wax the other day that I missed taking off - find that hard to believe as I went over the car completely...but maybe it was late. OK, I will try it that way - front to back. Been doing circles on my '02 TL, so I will try something different on the '04.
Thanks.

 

just curious but does the car already have some kind of wax on it coming from the factory? are you guys putting another layer of wax on top of that?

 

It all depends on how anal you are about the finish and durability. You want more shine and longer lasting, more coats are usually needed. There`s plenty of threads around to come up to speed on how you want to tackle it

 

I apply by hand, buff with orbital polisher using terry bonnet.

 

depends on your dealer, there is no set rule with them. some of them send the cars to detailers who in turn will wax the car. some of them do quick in house detail and most likely not have any wax. my preference is that they don't wax the car. usually they do such a poor job it does more harm then good. if it was up to me i would have them leave the white plastic on the car and i would remove it myself. i have some swirl marks from the dealer removing this film. only the hood and trunk have these swirls.

 

WOW WOW WOW...that means if i spend that long time applying the wax...when it gets dirty i have to remove it? how? and the clean the car and apply a new layer of wax?

hehe im just lazy as hell...

edit: how long do would it last in south florida?

 

when i picked up my car from the dealer they say they will have it "detailed" for me. unfortunately their version of detailing is a simple car wash and tire dressing.

so as i understand it, there is no wax on the car underneath the protective white sticker when the dealer gets it from the factory?

 

a question, i cleaned a part of my car, dryed it and applyed the wax with the sponge...a section or circles and another back and forth and none of the two sections cleared out, i can still see the layer ontop....help me please?!

 

back and forth, direction of airflow. When I use Blitz Wax carnuba paste, I use my bare hand. I take my four finger, "scoop" some wax out of the tin and apply it to the car. Using my bare hand does a few things: 1) it warms the carnuba, easier to apply 2) allows me to feel for any imperfections 3) ensures i won't scratch the surface with any kind of cloth or applicator. Wax is only a coating, not a cleaner, it doesnt need to be ground in to the paint

 

if all they did was wash the car then there is no wax on the car. the factory does not do any detailing work on the car. the dealer is the one that suppose to prep the car.

etxxz: what type of wax did you use? i've recently used NXT and it goes on an off really easily.

 

I apply all coats by hand. then I use a buffer for the first and I hand buff the second coat. Third coat of polish done by hand. I usually dedacate on sat afternoon a month to a total detail of my car. It usally takes me 5 to 6 hours to detail. Everything from a wash and wax to a carpet shampoo and leather treatment.


Hint: those of you with dark color TL's when applying wax by hand. Dont apply in a circular moition, go left to right. keep lots of clean cotton towles on hand. Using dirty towles just takes more time and energy.

 

They waxed mine - I was surprised because my last few car purchases weren't waxed. My Zaino kit is sitting in the cellar so I'll have to get too it one of these days but since ther was wax on - there is no rush.

 

I used MEguiar's (paste-> gold class clear coat) wax...its something my friend gave me. I've never waxed a car. It says in directions, apply thin even layer and let dry.

I tried that but i could still see the wax on the piece i applied it to about 20minutes later.

peace.

 

1. Wash the car with Blue Dawn first to remove any existing wax and road grease before you wax over it.

2. Back when I was using wax (ONLY Zaino now), I found that an orbital buffer gave the best results - more even coverage, less missed spots, no swirls and a lot of less arm and shoulder wear.

 

Don't you use the orbital to apply the wax and not to take it off? Or do I have it backwards? Or do you use it for both?

 

OK, I'm impressed. A thread titled "Waxing - by hand?" made it to post #24 without a single juvenile comment about the obvious double meaning? Well, I'm just the juvenile asshole to snap that streak (actually, bolt should have been here by now) so I will just say that waxing by hand should only be done in cases of last resort, when a more suitable device is unavailable (or angry at you) and that when you're finished waxing by hand, a final buffing cloth is generally recommended.

 

Carnaubas generally arent considered "layerable", and polymers really nead about 24 hrs to cure before applying additional coats (layers)......Also, always wash/dry, apply and remove products in the direction the wind travels.....The reason for this being, normal driving and dust will produce scratches in this direction anyway, you might as well not add any 90 degree scratches, so go with the wind !

 

This is what one dealer does to your new Acura: Drives it through his car wash with the plastic still on it to cool it down. Then, he peels the plastic off it believing that the cooling water leaves less adhesive residue on the car.

Then, depending how long your car has been in the lot in the sun, might have to use mineral spirits or "Goo Gone" to remove the line of adhesive residue where the edge of the plastic was.

Then, he uses a strong "acid bath" solvent solution to get most of the rail dust off. Rail dust is microscopic jagged pieces of iron oxide kicked up by the steel wheels riding on the steel railroad tracks that your car is shipped on.

Then, if there is still some brown rail dust on the car (but not where the plastic was), he will clay bar it if he has to. This is the fastest clay bar you've ever seen. He gets paid by the piece.

Then, he will wash the car usiing a bucket of soapy water and long-handled brush that resembles a push-broom.

Then, he will use a liquid paint sealer that comes in gallon containers. If you have a difficult color like black, he may resort to his stash of "Black Magic" depending on his mood/hangover.

He will remove the shipping stuff from the interior and do a quick vacuum which isn't really needed unless they have gotten dirt in it.

He will clean the windows and dress the tires from another gallon container.

Voila! Your new car!
__________________________________________________ _________

I brought mine home without being polished. I took them a lamb's wool mit and said "Hand wash it with this. If you even go NEAR the car wash, I will NOT accept the car." (The first one, they did, and I rejected it. They had to order another car for me and then realize I was serious.)

I brought it home, washed it with Dawn to remove all protective coatings, clay barred it with Zaino kit to get the rail dust, re-washed with Zaino Z7, sealed it with 2 coats of Zaino Z-2, and finished with spritz of spray Zaino Z6 final detail.

Accordingly, the paint is flawless and looks like black chrome. No swirls; no scrathes. (See link to my pictures below. You have to register to get access to the photos but it's free and they don't bother you)

In all of these processes, whether washing, applying sealant or buffing, I followed this rule: On horizontal surfaces like hood, roof, trunk lid, I used straight front to back stokes NOT CIRCULAR. On the vertical surfaces (doors, fenders, bumpers), I used up and down strokes NOT CIRCULAR.

Here's why: The surface will eventually get fine scratches. If they are circular, that means parts of them will be visible from any angle because they are 360 degrees. If they are straight, you have to get just the right angle to see them so they are much less visible.

Yes, I'm anal. You gotta problem with that?

Yes, I'm a Virgo and we Virgos don't believe in that Astrology crap.

Rather my sister in a whorehouse than your greasy fingers on my TL, Mr. Dealer Man! :thefinger

Xtreme XP

 

That cracks me up....

Why does everyone still use Dawn?! This makes no sense to me, anymore....With all the products one uses when they prep for sealing i.e. clay, cleaners, polishes, there little chance of any previous protection remaing.....To me its not worth drying out plastic or rubber trim items.....Prep away, but leave Dawn in the kitchen where it belongs :banghead: .....

 

Because the pH and other charateristics of Blue Dawn allow it to work exceptionally well at removing old wax and road grime. Since it is used ONLY as a pre-wax prep, not as a car wash, there is no drying out of rubber, etc. That's why.

 

In general, I agree.

I wouldn't use Dawn except as a strong stripper to get all other waxes, oils, and grease off and then I wash again with Zaino Car Wash to remove all traces of the Dawn. I wouldn't do that more than once or twice a year if the car gets really filthy or gets poluted with oil, tree sap, grease, etc.

Thank you for bringing that up. Dawn is not to be used indiscriminately as a regular car wash. It's too strong and, over time, can attack the rubber and plastic parts of your car. If and when you do use Dawn, you should treat the rubber and plastic parts that you cleaned with 303 Aerospace Protectant (or similar). That will stabilize them and replace any good chemicals that might have leached out.

That said, there are occasions when Dawn is called for. Few and far between, as you point out correctly.

 

Holy shit!