WAX question
filed in 1985 supra
Question: I’m looking for a good wax for my vehicles. I have a ‘86 Cavalier and the paint is looking rather faded. I have waxed with paste wax and buffed with my buffer but it still looks faded and dull. Are the new waxes that have color mixed in with them any good? I’ve seen them advertised but I’ve been a bit hesitant to try them.
My other vehicles is a ‘91 Ford F150 pickup truck which I treat like a baby. It is dark blue and when I wax using a paste (Rain Dance, I think), the wax just doesn’t come off very easy. I always wax it in the shade of my garage so, being in the sun while waxing isn’t the issue here. Any suggestions on a better wax to use?
I had a 1985 Cavalier and used the Colorcote 2000 *as seen on t.v.* It worked just fine. I now use in on our Plymouth Van and it looks showroom new. Both were using the dark blue.
I have tried Color Match (Turtles) and I don’t think it performs as well but the color was light tan on my Sable wagon. I don’t know if the darker colors work better or the brand name. But next time I will use the Colorcote 2000 in light tan.
Sometime ago I read a Consumers Report article in which they rated “NuFinish” as the best wax. I use it all the time on my 86′ Pontiac (metallic silver) and the car positively sparkles. If you are having bad luck with all waxes, I would suspect the method is the problem. You need to start with a very clean vehicle, and then apply a small amount of wax and spread it thinly. If this is difficult, and if the wax is carnauba based, you can add a little water to the bottle to thin it out and make the spreading-it-thin job easier. If you apply too much wax for an area and allow it to dry there, it will be too thick to buff up easily. This is the same thing that happens when a vehicle is hot, but then it is not an user controlled issue. I usually do the entire vehicle first with applying the wax, let it dry, and then go over it again with a new dry cloth to lightly buff it to a shine. This takes off the excess wax and causes some dry grey wax residue to build up in the cloth.
If you are really keen on getting a thick wax base, you’ll have to do it one layer at a time. Apply, dry, buff up, and then repeat again. Resist the urge to put the whole bottle on the car or truck. Even though you want to protect your vehicle, applying too much wax will set you back on the buffing task.
The method of waxing and buffing is basically the same as it is for floor waxes of the buffing type. Having worked for some time in the janitorial field and specializing the floor care, I found that the methods and concepts translate well to waxing vehicles.
I’ve been using Turtle Wax, but I’m sure there are lots of waxes as good or better.
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