Ive had my CX-5 for almost a year now and Im wanting to put a fresh coat of wax on, wanted to hear tips, tricks, etc for how you guys wax your cars. That includes recommendations for types/brands of wax as well. Ive compounded and waxed my previous cars (2006 Accord and 1992 GTI) but I did both of those by hand and was looking into possibly buying some sort of buffer or other power tool to make it easier. Also considering just paying someone to do it but Id prefer to do it myself.
Tips for waxing (your car)?
- Thread starter rhojos14
- Start date
Always been happy with Zaino products: https://www.zainostore.com/
Oh boy, where to start! There are a ton of really good products out there for protecting you vehicle. The simplest and easiest is going to be waxing the vehicle. Now, I have to talk about what a wax is a little bit. Gone are they days where the only thing available was a can of turtle wax at the parts store or similar product. Technology has really taken off with regards to protection for vehicles. There's waxes, sealants, polymers, polymer-wax hybrids, coatings, SiO2 coatings, the list goes on and on. I'll try to narrow it down for you a bit. Technically speaking a wax is something that is a natural product, most commonly a carnauba wax. They leave a fantastic shine and finish on the car that is deep and rich looking but they don't last very long and are probably the hardest to apply and remove, though they have gotten better with this. The other problem with most waxes is that they are very difficult to remove if you get any on the black trim that the CX-5 has a lot of. That leads to Synthetic Polymers or sealants. Sometimes they are marketed as waxes for the sake of the consumer since most won't know what a synthetic polymer sealant is when going to the store to buy "wax" for their car. A very good one that falls in this category is Meguiars Ultimate Liquid wax. It actually has no natural waxes in it and is purely a synthetic polymer sealant. But it is very easy to put on and take off and lasts much longer then a natural wax, usually up to 12 months depending on conditions. In Wisconsin I see about 6-8 months out of these due to the snow and salt. Others like this are the Ziano products, Collonite 845 and 476s. I recommend any of them as most are trim friendly. I use both Ultimate liquid wax and Collonite 845 on customers cars and put the product right on the trim as well with out ill effects.
There's also coatings, usually SiO2 ceramic coatings from the like of Gyeon, Gtechniq, CarPro, Optimum, McKee's Etc. They can last up to 5 years and make cleaning the car very easy as dirt almost just rinses off of them. They are labor intensive to put on as the car as to be 100% cleaned polished free of defect before applying.
Also, there is a growing number of spray on products that work quite well. Things like Gyeon wet coat, Meguiars Utimate fast finish, and CarPro Reload or hydro2 lite. Some of those, you just wet the car down, spray the product on and then use a strong steam of water to rinse off and the car is protected!
As for putting these products on, I highly recommend you get yourself a Dual Action Polisher. there are many option out there so you need to figure out what your goal is for the machine. If it's just putting waxes or sealants on then an inexpensive one, like the Harbor freight DA will work just fine. That machine can also do some decent paint correction with the proper pads and polish. If you are really wanting to polish and compound the paint to perfection it's worth it to spend a bit more on a more powerfull larger machine. A 21mm or 15mm long throw DA will correct much faster and they are very safe to use unlike a rotary polisher which can leave holograms and burn thru the paint if not used correctly.
I have both a 21mm long throw machine I use for correction work and a Harbor freight DA with 3" backing plate that I use for applying my last step products (LSP's). The nice thing with the 3" backing plate and 3.5" pads is that they fit in most of the "cans" of products like Collonite 476s so they are very easy to use. Thin is in so If you go this route a little bit of product goes along way. 2 thin coats are better then one heavy coat. When I use Megs, Ultimate liquid wax I do 2 thin coats and can apply the product to the entire vehicle before removing that coat, then I go do it all again. Use the glass test method to see if you need more product on your pad. If you press the foam pad against the galss and it leaves residue behind, you still have enough product. if it's barely visiable, it's time for more product. Usually 2-3 pea sized drops is all you need to do a hood or doors sized area. For applying the product use a pad with no cutting ability like the Lake Country black pads. If the product you use has any cleaning ability you can use a white LC pad as it has very very light cutting.
If you have more questions on a particular product or want more specifics just let me know, Happy to help you make some selections.
There's also coatings, usually SiO2 ceramic coatings from the like of Gyeon, Gtechniq, CarPro, Optimum, McKee's Etc. They can last up to 5 years and make cleaning the car very easy as dirt almost just rinses off of them. They are labor intensive to put on as the car as to be 100% cleaned polished free of defect before applying.
Also, there is a growing number of spray on products that work quite well. Things like Gyeon wet coat, Meguiars Utimate fast finish, and CarPro Reload or hydro2 lite. Some of those, you just wet the car down, spray the product on and then use a strong steam of water to rinse off and the car is protected!
As for putting these products on, I highly recommend you get yourself a Dual Action Polisher. there are many option out there so you need to figure out what your goal is for the machine. If it's just putting waxes or sealants on then an inexpensive one, like the Harbor freight DA will work just fine. That machine can also do some decent paint correction with the proper pads and polish. If you are really wanting to polish and compound the paint to perfection it's worth it to spend a bit more on a more powerfull larger machine. A 21mm or 15mm long throw DA will correct much faster and they are very safe to use unlike a rotary polisher which can leave holograms and burn thru the paint if not used correctly.
I have both a 21mm long throw machine I use for correction work and a Harbor freight DA with 3" backing plate that I use for applying my last step products (LSP's). The nice thing with the 3" backing plate and 3.5" pads is that they fit in most of the "cans" of products like Collonite 476s so they are very easy to use. Thin is in so If you go this route a little bit of product goes along way. 2 thin coats are better then one heavy coat. When I use Megs, Ultimate liquid wax I do 2 thin coats and can apply the product to the entire vehicle before removing that coat, then I go do it all again. Use the glass test method to see if you need more product on your pad. If you press the foam pad against the galss and it leaves residue behind, you still have enough product. if it's barely visiable, it's time for more product. Usually 2-3 pea sized drops is all you need to do a hood or doors sized area. For applying the product use a pad with no cutting ability like the Lake Country black pads. If the product you use has any cleaning ability you can use a white LC pad as it has very very light cutting.
If you have more questions on a particular product or want more specifics just let me know, Happy to help you make some selections.
Oh I should also add that before you put any product on your car it would be a good idea to decontaminate and clay the vehicle. The decontamination is to remove iron deposits in the paint from things like rail dust and what not, CarPro Iron-x is great for this and then clay the car to remove any other bonded contaminates from the paint. Your paint will thank you and your car will be must smoother and cleaner.
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- 2014 CX-5 Touring White
I attached my timeline of my last detail on the CX-5. This was my first time to use a coating, but from this point forward I will only use coatings. Once it is done the paint is so much easier to keep clean. The Gtechniq CSL was pretty easy to use, but I have to admit the prep was very tiring. I have my wife's car to do next and I am not looking forward to it. At least her car has been kept with sealant since we got it and it has been easy to wash.
I've been asked by coworkers to do their cars and no way. I took a day off work just to get a jump start on doing mine. I was pretty sore after it was finished.
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- 2014 CX-5 Touring White
.....and to others I would listen to Ride92. His advice seems to be very solid on detailing and I would take the iron removal for decontaminating as a serious option. It is amazing how much comes out even on a new car.
- :
- Denver, CO
Why the liquid and not the paste?
I use Meguiar's Ultimate Paste Wax, I like it a lot.
I do miss the shine and covering up imperfections of say the Gold Class carnauba, but it certainly did not last long enough, and like you say was more difficult to remove.
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- 2018 CX-5 GT FWD Premium
Thanks for the info Ride92. I've used Meguiars Gold Class Carnauba+Plus Liquid Wax for years. I like how it goes on and comes off and the protection seems pretty good. I didn't know about the Ultimate and want to try it from what you've said about it. So between the two are you saying that the Ultimate will protect better, go on and off easier and is safe for black trim? Does it just come off of the black trim or does it put a shine on it too?
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- 2008.5 MS3
This is what I have been using for many years
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Meguiar-s-Nxt-Generation-Tech-Wax-2-0/16550249
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Meguiar-s-Nxt-Generation-Tech-Wax-2-0/16550249
So on my previous cars I compounded before waxing, I think it was something like this (https://tinyurl.com/ybla4rom) but it's been 5 or 6 years so I don't remember exactly. Is that similar to doing what you talk about here? Not that I would do it again for my new car since it was such a pain, just trying to understand the reasons for using different products.
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- 2017 CX-5 GT AWD
Rubbing compound is an abrasive for removing fine scratches. In order of operation you would wet sand, compound, polish then wax. All but wax are abrasive. There are many grades of sandpaper, compound and polish. Compound and polish can fall into the same bucket,and there are special producs for removing finer marks (3M finesse-it and perfect-it)
Wax is the only thing listed above that is a non-abrasive top coat.
There is no reason to compound or polish on a regular basis. Maybe clay bar to remove surface contaminants,but not compound. Abrasives always remove some thickness of paint or clear coat.
Gotcha, thanks!
One more question...sorry if these are all dumb questions, I just don’t deal with this stuff that often but I’d like to learn. My CX-5 has the snowflake mica (or whatever it’s called) paint, will a clay bar or any of those other “decon” products affect the pearlescent-ness of something like that?
One more question...sorry if these are all dumb questions, I just don’t deal with this stuff that often but I’d like to learn. My CX-5 has the snowflake mica (or whatever it’s called) paint, will a clay bar or any of those other “decon” products affect the pearlescent-ness of something like that?
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- 2014 CX-5 Touring White
I have the pearl white paint and to be honest it is probably the most forgiving of a DIY and black probably the least forgiving. Meaning if one is not careful removing dirt or using contaminated mitts or towels there is a chance one could create swirl marks that would need paint correction. If you go through the steps of cleaning as best possible in the initial part with care to remove as much dirt possible before getting to the clay/nanomit you will be okay. In fact you will be amazed on how it looks and feels after the decontamination part. I don't have great pictures after this last detail because in sunlight the white pearl just looks white, whereas, detailed black looks pretty awesome.
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- 2014 CX-5 Touring White
The one thing that impressed me with the pro detailers in cleaning is the use of MF towels. They often wipe once with one side of a folded towel, wipe once with the other side and then cast it aside and get a new towel. I think I have about 40 MF towels now, several wash mitts and when I am finished I put everything through the washing machine to be ready for the next time. That is how careful or concerned they are about rubbing dirt around on the paint and potentially scratching the clear coat. I used a nanomit for claying because I can wash the surface of the mit so that it is clean. With clay you have to throw it away if you drop it and you have to continually kneed it to move the contaminates away.
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- 2014 CX-5 Touring White
I wish I could get a better picture, but with white it is very difficult. This one was under garage lighting after applying the CSL coating. This is a 2014 bought in 2013 and has 65K miles and not garage kept.
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- 2017 CX-5 GT AWD
As mentioned, white is more forgiving then black. Lighter colors hide scratches better. Also, your paint has a clear coat on top of color coat. But even if it didnt, clay bar and other decon products pull things out of the paint, they don’t remove paint.
But also as mentioned, they can scratch (anything can) if you start rubbing dirt around the surface.
And clear coat covered paint is a mixed blessing. If you go throug the clear doing a sand and buff, you have to spray new clear - you can see where clear coat was sanded through. With single stage paint (no clear) , there is no way to go through the clear coat. But clear coats offer easier repair options sometimes.
Unless you are wet sanding, this should not be an issue, but you mentioned the mica in the paint, and you will never be newr the color coat.
I have not used the Ultimate Paste wax but when I bought the liquid I researched and the guys over at the meguiars forum said that the paste wax was more likely going to stain or leave residue on the black trim. That's the reason I went with the liquid version. Meguairs claims that same durability from both products, it's just something with what makes the paste a paste that isn't trim friendly.
Yes, the ultimate liquid wax will protect better then the Gold Class Carnauba. The reason is that the ULW is a synthetic polymer that cross links as it dries creating a stronger bond with the paint. You'll get a few more months out of the ULW. As for the trim, yes it does add a bit of shine to the trim and it's very easy to remove. I have yet to use any sort of trim restoring product on my car and it looks just as good as the day I bought it.
A compound will remove the bonded surface contaminates but the problem is that they are then stuck in what ever medium you are using to compound, most likely a foam or wool pad on a machine. The pad will pick up those contaminates and you'll be running them all over the surface of the car, add to that the clear coat that you are removing and your pad will gum up pretty quickly and you run a much higher risk of swirls, holograms and micro marring on the paint. It's best to remove those contaminates with clay and Iron-X or similar products so they never have the chance of getting into you polishing/compounding pad to begin with.
None of the products I listed will effect the pearlescent of you paint in any way. The actual color is underneath the clear coat, and that clear coat is what all the bonded contaminates are stuck to and stuck in. With a white or light colored car doing an iron removing step like Iron-X is quite fun as it's easy to see. The chemicals react with the iron stuck in the clear coat and turn a purplish color, it will look like your car is bleeding as you do it! I'd follow up the Iron-X with clay to get the non iron things off the paint.
