too much washing/waxing?

[gw84]

I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts about whether or not it's possible to wash/wax a vehicle too much? I am very anal when it comes to detailing my vehicles. I wax my car every week and often more than that just to preserve the shine (and to remove bird doo)! However, after a few years of this, I've noticed that there are several fine scratches on my finish. Is this caused by too much washing/waxing? I've got a newer vehicle with a nice paint job and I don't want to destroy the paint by washing or waxing too much. I avoid public car washes at all cost! I think of them as a last resort! Those brushes look like scratches waiting to happen! I use a standard sponge for washing and microfiber towels for drying. Could either of these be to hard on the painted surface?? I always make sure to keep any foreign objects (dirt, grass, whatever) out of the sponge/towels for fear of scratches. Does anyone have any advice?

[Jim D.]

A little more detail on your routine might be insightful (especially the waxing part -- what product(s) exactly are you using and how).

Certainly I'd trade the sponge for a plush sheepskin wash mitt.

Have a separate mitt (or use the sponge) on the lower panels and the wheels, and do those eithe first (with a separate bucket of suds) or last.

Two buckets can be helpful -- one for suds and one to rinse the mitt before sudsing again.

[gw84]

I have a chenille (spelling??) wash mit, but I didn't like it because it didn't make as many suds as the sponge does. However, if you think it would be less harsh on the finish, I would certainly use it!
I use Meguiars or Armor All car wash (Meguiars is my fav). I wash vehicle from top to bottom, careful to not get any foreign particles in sponge. I wash the lower (more soiled) panels of the vehicle last, followed by wheels/tires. Then I do a thorogh rinse.
Next I use an Absorber to remove most of the water (again, careful to not get any foreign objects in it).
Then I'm ready to detail. My first steps are to polish wheels and tires. Then I begin the wax. I use Zymol Cleaner Wax. I love this product although it costs nearly $13 a bottle. I use a mircrofiber applicator and evenly apply wax to the vehicle (1 section at a time). I let the wax set for a minute or so, then buff the majority of it off with a microfiber towel. Then I follow up with another microfiber towel to remove any leftover wax.
If I feel up to it, I then do the windows. After I'm finished, I go around looking for any streaks/blemishes that I can go over again. That's about it!
I don't think the wax I'm using would be causing the fine scratches. I've had better success with this product (on my new car). I used other towels on my first car which has lots of the fine scratches. Thanks for the reply!

[Jim D.]

Thanks for the added info...

You shouldn't have to wax every week with a liquid cleaner wax, and I'm no expert, but that seems a bit excessive. Instead try a spray wax after washing if you feel you must.

I'd get a sheepskin wash mitt. Don't get too obsessed about suds, think more about what's coming in contact with your paint and lifting debris away from it.

Stick with a quality car wash... you usually get what you pay for.

Get a waffle-weave microfiber towel or a large plush drying towel (Absorbers and chamois and water blades have a following, but are quite controversial)

Have you clayed lately? It's a good idea at least twice a year or when necessary.

Spiderwebbing can be difficult to remove by hand, but a 3-step wax system like Mothers -- Pre-Wax Cleaner, Sealer & Glaze and Pure Carnauba Wax, can help hide those defects. You can use the Pure Carnauba every week (it's got no cleaners) and use the Sealer & Glaze before it if you start seeing spiderwebbing again. I think you'll like these better than what you're using. Like claying, you likely only need all 3 steps a couple times a year.

[PlayStation3]

i know what he is referring too. you are talking about the micro clearcoat scrathes (SP) it's time to upgrade to the big boy toys.

that

http://www.meguiars.com/?pro-car-det...ction-Polisher

with this

http://www.meguiars.com/estore/product_list.cfm?&sectionname=Professional%20(Mirr or%20Glaze%20Brand)>Auto%20Paint%20Care>Paint%20Cl eaners/Compounds&sectionID=31301

[Jim D.]

Originally Posted by PlayStation3

i know what he is referring too. you are talking about the micro clearcoat scrathes (SP) it's time to upgrade to the big boy toys.

that

http://www.meguiars.com/?pro-car-det...ction-Polisher

with this

http://www.meguiars.com/estore/product_list.cfm?&sectionname=Professional%20(Mirr or%20Glaze%20Brand)>Auto%20Paint%20Care>Paint%20Cl eaners/Compounds&sectionID=31301

Right... basically, a Porter-Cable 7224/7336 series with a good assortment of cutting, polishing and finishing pads and a good polish.

I've got a 7336SP and love it with an orange or yellow Lake Country pad and Mothers PowerPolish and PowerWax...

There's a lot of quality products out there, but without a substantial investment, hiding those with a glaze is an affordable alternative.

One problem is... without some improvements in the washing/drying regimen, those spiderwebs will just keep coming back.

[gw84]

Awesome! thanks both of you for the great responses. I do use a spray wax in between washings to preserve the shine. Like I said, I'm having great results from Zymol, but I'd like to step up to something better. I live in the boonie's on a gravel road so dust/dirt is a major issue for me. I will certainly take those links into consideration.

[gw84]

What do you guys think about the public carwashes?? Like I said...last resort!

[PlayStation3]

right now i take mine to a self serve presurre wasg one becuase i ran out of all my detailing stuff and i had like 300 bucks worth of stuff.

[Cyric_Mage]

Realize that scratches can occur from driving your vehicle on the road, not just washing and waxing.

Your best bet for getting some of those scratches out would be to clay bar the vehicle to get the paint smooth again and pull out any overspray/bugs/acid rain residue/etc, use a rotary buffer and first buff the scratches with a heavy cut compound (Like Meguair's Diamond Cut Compound 2.0 if you have access to their Mirror Glaze products although that's a dealer-level product) with a 100% wool pad. Wipe off the dust and residue with a microfibre, then take an MSR compound (Meguair's Swirl-Free compound) with a black foam finishing pad to remove the swirls from the wool pad, then use a fine cut cleaner if you want ontop of that, then wax.

[Paul79UF]

Have you ever tried Zaino...I love that stuff.

Do you do much highway driving especially behind 18 wheelers? I've gotten more than a few chips and small scratches from SUVs tossing up rocks on the highway.

[gw84]

I'm on the highway every day, but not extended distances. Actually I'm so anal that I keep WAY back behind or pass semis or larger vehicles. If one is coming towards me I get as far over to the right as possible. This is probably good practice for any kind of driving as well as me being anal....lol. I'm sure everyone gets their fair share of damage from driving, but I was basically talking about minor scratches in the clearcoat...like from washing/waxing too much. I dust the car off nearly every night with a miicrofiber towel. I also use detail wax at least once a week to keep the shine up between 'real' waxings.

[ahoier]

I take my vehicle to the car wash about once a month, maybe twice.

But yea, I know what you mean, I'm starting to notice "swirls" in my hood, I guess perhaps the pressure on their washer is too high for my car? Only thing I can think of. Other than that, the car wash does great. the one I take it to is one of the few in the area that uses filtered/treated water....I remember I took my mom's SUV to some car wash near a river, got it out of the carwash, and there was like some speckle stuff on it....I was like wtf, rubbed it and it smelled almost like salt water....like maybe they were grabbing water from the lagoon or something for their car wash....lol. who knows.



I've got other scratches too though, it's hard to say, Semis will throw up pebbles, put so will those crazy SUV drivers who don't have adequate mud flaps on. Going too fast, or tail gating will also cause debris to be shot up (including your fuel usage...when you have to brake at the last minute).

[Oswalds]

Ya i had also heard that too much washing & waxing is not good. If any one is thinking to repaint his or her car then i would like to suggest you a website, Its Spray paint. It has a variety of shades available for all kinds of cars. I am sure even u would love the shades here.

['97ventureowner]

This thread was started over 2 years ago. Please check the date of the last post and avoid replying if that date is more than 3 months from the current date. Start a new thread to add new info or to continue the discussion,( you may also link to the old thread for continuity.)
Closed.