is waxing worth it?

I'll be the first person to tell you that I love a clean and shiny car. However, I did my first 3 step process on my black full size truck about 2 months ago. (cleaner, polish, pure wax) I did everything by hand and it took me about 7 hours. The truck looked great!!!!! However, is all this work really worth the effort/time? I mean I can already see a loss in beading and it's only been 2 months. I don't think I will ever do a 3 step process again. In my opinion it's just not worth it for the time it took me.

Also, about a month ago I waxed another vehicle of mine and it took me about 3-4 hours. I didn't do a 3 step process on it, just a one step. Even with this process I can already see the loss in beading. So, is 3-4 hours worth the time when it only lasts about a month?

Get yourself an orbital buffer - cut your time in 1/2

On my own daily driver I use paint sealant instead of wax which only last for 1-3months.

or you can just pay a detail shop to detail the whole car, even the inside for about 125 bucks, after doing all the work 125$ doesnt sound so bad to pay for the next time heh

i also do the 3 steps. the first time. then the second time i wax it after 2 months i only do the last step because the first and second are more cleaners and stuff. but there is also this stuff that you use instead of wax that i haven't tried yet, but it is just a detailin finish that you use when there is a small amount of dust and dirt but not enough to have to do the whole thing. it's like $10 a bottle.

The first 2 steps are to maximize the shine in your paint. You can basically just use a non-abrasive wax on your car after that. Longevity of the wax or sealent depends on where you live. Industrial polution, acid rain, climate, etc will greatly affect how long the wax will protect. There are highly rated waxes, like P21S or S100, that are very easy to use, not time consuming, and doesn't stain your trim. Just apply a thin coat onto a section and immediately buff it off. Can't get any easier than that. Black cars do require more frequent maintenence, but the look is worth it to many.

I hear ya on the "black cars needing so much maintenance" but it's worth it when they're clean. There isn't a big need to do the 3 steps every time you wash. I only do those about once every 3-5 months. Ya it's time consuming but I'd rather spend half a day doing it myself then letting someone else do it. Trust me, after you put that effort in and then you see people looking at your car (truck :iceslolan ) and they stare and after a while you realize that the car drew them in but now they're looking at themselves in the paint and when you walk up they say, "wow. Is this yours? It looks amazing." it's all worth it.

-Jeff

I'm like you in that I love the results but man, it's alot of work! When I first started playing with detailing, I only tried the low to medium quality products (ie, Turtle Wax, Meguiars, etc). I liked many things about these products, except for the longevity and the lack of depth. Now I use only the high quality products because they last much longer (and with most you don't use much so they actually don't cost more per use).

There are several options I can think of that would work well with your black paint. My favorite brands are:

P21S
carnauba wax
by far has the deepest shine and decent longevity but not as much longevity as the others I'll mention
prep using either einszett polish or P21S Paintwork Cleanser (non-abrasive)

Klasse
synthetic acrylic wax- not much depth but tons of shine (not my favoriate for black though)
prep using an einszett polish
this stuff lasts forever

einszett (1Z)
non-acrylic synthetic
a deep shine which I particularly like on black and good longevity
this one is my happy-medium between the other two- non-acrylic means it doesn't seal your paint and yet it looks great on black (good depth like the P21S) and it's much cheaper than both of the others

Using quality products means they've 1) used higher quality ingredients and higher concentrations of them and 2) they've put in the time/money into researching what works and what doesn't

Of course, there are other great products out there too but these are my favorites (I've personally tests literally dozens!). Does anyone have some other favorites? I love trying new ones...

I can understand I have a dark SUV I use to do 3 step process every two months now I do every 6 months but I do a fast was job every couple of months depending on the weather. Found a cool wax goes on and off with no rotor cuff damn to the shoulder...Its made by Pinnacle called Liquid Souveran. Try it out, takes me about 30 mins on a Expedition (plus washing time). And yes you will thank your self for waxing it when you friends cars look like crap when they are only three years old and your is still Rockin'

I would love to see 1 person wax an Expedition in 30 mins!

Although I haven't tried it on an Expedition, I've waxed similarly sized vehicles with the 1Z (einszett) Glanz Wax in about 30 minutes. Ok, so maybe it was closer to 35 or 40 minutes. Still, that's the fastest high-quality wax on the market, from my experience. The only tricky part is applying it thin (it works best when applied thin) and yet not missing spots as you go. It has a thin consistency and thus is hard to see when it cures. But, it cures in just 30-45 seconds. If you leave it on for more than a minute or so, it's a pain to get off and doesn't yield any better results anyway.

For a non-show wax, it's become my favorite by far. I don't know what StellerShine was using in the past, but if it was 1Z Glanz Wax then I believe him that it took only 30 minutes!

Found polishing and waxing is best done with a buddy and a 6 pack of beer. Seems to go faster when two people are working on the same car. Male bonding at it's prime. If your married, doing the wife's car will keep the wife off you and your beer drinkin buddies back(s) ;)

I have a 2002 Oldsmobile Alero with 30K miles on it. It's silver (a.k.a. the "Silver Bullet") and I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want this car for at least 200K miles. So, needless to say I want to take care of the paint. Which wax is the best to use? What should I do to prep before the wax? The directions are kinda' vauge on the wax bottles...how much exactly should I use and when do I wipe the wax off? How do I prevent those stupid swirl marks?

Sorry for the barrage of questions. I'm 17 so I really haven't had TOO much experience with this detailing stuff. On my previous car, a Malibu, I used to use Eagle One Wax as You Dry. I've used it once on my car, but that alone won't be enough to save the silver paint on this bad boy for the long run. Help me out. I was thinking of using the Eagle One Carnuaba Wax, but am really affraid of doing it wrong and making my paint look like some jackass waxed it. I would like to get one of those orbital waxers, which sell for only about twenty bucks at Auto Zone.

Anyway, any pointers on this whole wax thing would be great. Thanks!

Jeremy

A three step process is only neccessary 1X a year, after that occassional touchups with a QD spray and every 6-8 wks reapply your sealant or wax. A synthetic sealant will last longer but has a more clear shine whereas a carnuaba gives that deep wet look. If you want both clarity and depth use a combo product (sealant w/ carnuaba) or use a sealant and top it with a carnuaba ...SOOOOO, is it worth it, check the pics / This is the first time I detailed this one
BEFORE / see the swirls
http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/160490porschebefore.jpg
AFTER
http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/160490porscheafter-med.jpg
LAST ONE
http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/160490corner.jpg


Eric

Also depending on the condition of your paint, you may not need the buffer / Those cheapy buffers with a OK product will work no better than doing it by hand with a High quality product. Most problems / damage occur in the washing-drying stage and with proper maintenace you should only have to Polish 1x a year and wax often. If you are really looking into going all out and doing it right (show car style) than email me and I will attempt to answer your questions as best as possible.

Eric