When To Wax New Car
 

Just picked up my WRB BRZ yesterday. It was special order and only sat on the dealer floor for a few days before we picked it up. It'll be my husband's daily driver (I drive electric for the carpool lane :P). He is not as OCD as I am and will not check for bugs, bird droppings, etc, and the only time I'll see the car and be able to check is on the weekends as he gets home after I'm in bed. Ok done with backstory.

I want to wax the car to give it some protection for the ~1 week that poop/guts could be eating at the clear coat. Can I wax it now or do I need to wait? Been reading differing views, would love your thoughts.

FYI my process will be regular wash/dry, Klasse AIO, Collinite 845.

Are you worried about the paint fully curing? Personally, I don't think that's an issue. I've always given my cars a good detail first thing after I get it, but they're usually cars that have been sitting on the lot for a while.

If clear bra isn't an option, I'd just go ahead and wash/dry/klasse/wax. Have you tries the Klasse show glaze? it's some pretty nice stuff!

Factory paint is cured long before the car gets to you. Detail it immediately, won't make any difference.

You mean HSG? I layer 845 on top of HSG during the winter. The two together last for ages lol.

Multiple layers of hsg works wonders, especially if you give it a while to cure before buffing of the residue. =D

Sonax Polymer Net Shield

spray on, wipe off, enjoy


http://www.autogeek.net/sonax-polymer-net-shield.html

I find that spray on stuff is great if you can wash your car often. In my experience, they don't last as long, but work great if you reapply every week

Have a detail shop apply Optimum Opticoat Pro. It'll help protect the paint. Best $395.00 I spent on my car. Ideal to do it when car is brand new because not much paint correction is needed. Bird poop easy to wipe off, water beads and sheets off car and is a breeze when washing car.

http://www.optimumcarcare.com/

from what I have read, paint is cured by the time it makes it to the dealer. I waxed my BRZ as soon as I got it. Well, actually did Opti-coat myself and have been doing Zanio (Z2) every time I wash it.


By the way..hats off to you for wanting to take care of your husbands car!

wax isn't going to protect from bird droppings

Better than no wax... Not like bird droppings will harm the paint that much in such a short time anyways. Besides, it'll be much easier to clean. Just keep some qd and microfiber in the garage.

Cheap, simple, easy, fast, effective. I don't fux with any other wax again.

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/autogeek_2269_36649343

I use this as well, I highly recommend it :thumbsup:

I use Optimum Instant Detailer every two weeks. It compliments the Opti Coat Pro and Opti Seal on my car. Provides nice slick and shine which brings out the metallic flakes on my car. I just ordered the concentrated form of Optimum Instant Detailer which will be mixed with distilled water. :)

What's HSG? I use 845 once a month...and if there is another product out there that goes well with it, I'd like to know. I tried doing an Amazon search for HSG but no car related products showed up.

Personally I've used Klasse for years and it's great stuff. Layers on over time. Since I've recently learned how to detail polish with a machine i definitely recommend you protect that paint right away! When I got my frs I used opticoat 2.0. Its expensive but worth it for a few months. I wasn't too thrilled about longevity on it but its worth a try. Wash and polish before putting it on. My fave combo after a polish is klasse all in one, chemical guys sealant, then meg nx nano wax.

Klasse High Sealant Glaze.

applied it once in november right before the first snow storm
just washed my car for the first time the other day, water beads right off

Did you opticoat your car first and use this as an enhancer? Or just this alone?

negative, no opti coat,

2 light coats of Sonax Net Shield


and all i did to wash the car, was a Uber Foam Cannon With Adams Car Sampoo, let that dwell for about 5 minutes, pressure washed the car off, dried with an Uber Drying towell, Done

Nice. Wish my apt complex had a car wash spot...

Use the Garry Dean Wash Method. Great for apartments.

that guy is awesome! love his Youtube Videos

My monthly car wash method/steps:

http://www.detailedimage.com/product..._2_lw_3353.jpg

http://www.advancestar.ru/assets/com...cacaf85120.jpg (only every 6 months - 1 year)

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/autogeek_2269_36649343

ONR: I used to pre-rinse when I first started using ONR. But, after a while, I saw it was so good at encapsulating the dirt/dust and not scratching, that I don't even prerinse anymore and just straight up wash with just the 2 buckets with no/zero hose usage (hoses are a hassle to whip out and put back anyways..not to mention getting your feet/shoes and clothes wet).

Nanoskin: The Nanoskin is really good. Washable and reusable, unlike traditional clay. Very very good tactile feel (pretty much the same as traditional clay) and also very good at cutting through grit. So good, it removed 10 years worth of caked on contaminants off my old 24/7-outdoors Tacoma. I also read it can even remove overspray (from people that work at bodyshops).

OCW: Can't praise this enough for ease of use and durability. It lasts 3-5 months; way longer than that monthly wash. So, if you apply it after every monthly wash (which is super easy/quick), then there really isn't any need to use those expensive and hard to apply "coatings" (ie: opti coat, ceramics, etc.).

Thank you sir. How long do you wait after the HSG to put on the 845?

+1 for the polymer net shield. It's so easy to apply compared to other protectants.

A comment on wax:

The primary purpose of wax is to make the car look glossy, shiny, bright, etc. -- where something like polymer net shield is designed to protect.

Wax provides some layer of protection as in it's a physical layer of stuff between the elements and the paint. However, that's not its primary intended use.

Personally I use PNS and wax over top.

Usually just a couple hours.