What about that wax at the car wash?

[hunter01]

I just used one of those coin operated splash and dash car wash vending machines. It has a pressure washer wand that squirts hot soapy water, It also has a brush for soapy foam. After the wash and rinse you have the option of applying a wax solution through the sprayer. What kind of wax is this, and does it offer any real protection from the elements? Is it worth it, or is it a waste of time and money?
PS. I just got this truck recently and it has a nice finish. I've applied several coats of paste wax by hand but I don't think the weather is going to give me a chance to hand wax it anymore untill the spring.

[mospeed1]

i use that spray car wash sometimes also
and the spray wax seems to work fine for me
but i like to do a wax by hand every month and a polish every couple of months...if your in an area where ther might be alot of snow and road salt spray some of that wax on the undercarage and wheel wells to prevent rust

[Anthony Orosco]

Originally Posted by hunter01

I just used one of those coin operated splash and dash car wash vending machines. It has a pressure washer wand that squirts hot soapy water, It also has a brush for soapy foam. After the wash and rinse you have the option of applying a wax solution through the sprayer. What kind of wax is this, and does it offer any real protection from the elements? Is it worth it, or is it a waste of time and money?
PS. I just got this truck recently and it has a nice finish. I've applied several coats of paste wax by hand but I don't think the weather is going to give me a chance to hand wax it anymore untill the spring.

Well it's not that great but it's better than nothing at all. It is designed to give your car more shine and gloss than protection. It also aides in water removal.

A sour note though is that those hand wax applications are all for not because the soap and high pressure soap used at the coin op or tunnel car washs will strip your truck clean of the wax you applied by hand.

If you like to keep your hand wax applications then just use the high pressure rinse (without soap) and then use the spotless rinse. You can go at odd hours and bucket wash your truck but make sure you use a wash that won't strip wax.

Anthony

[hunter01]

I would have thought the soap they use would be the kind that doesn't strip the wax, live and learn. When I hand wash it I use zip wax car soap. I'll have to hand wax it at least one more time before the winter. Thanks for the info.

[Anthony Orosco]

Originally Posted by hunter01

I would have thought the soap they use would be the kind that doesn't strip the wax, live and learn. When I hand wash it I use zip wax car soap. I'll have to hand wax it at least one more time before the winter. Thanks for the info.

Very welcome

As for the car wash soap at the coin op.....just think about all the types of cars and trucks coming in there to get clean? The soaps need to be fairly strong at emulsifying dirt because they get everything from the family minivan to Joe's construction truck. Now it may be possible that there are some soaps that don't remove wax but from what I have been told the "hi-pressure soap" uses hot water with wax and grease stripping cleaners..........truthfully many times I am way too tired to wash my work truck so I run into a coin op every so often myself.....but don't tell know one

Anthony

[DTails]

I have never seen a difference from using wax at the car wash I did notice that the water emulsifies better when you rinse off the wax. I dont know if its just me but I cannot clean a car for the life of me with just a pressure washer and soap. They usually look like Zebra stripes after or a thin film of crud still left behind and I wouldnt want to chamoise the film that would make me more work. I simply rinse a car and then hand wash with a mitt and rinse the hell out of it. Most of the time I let the exterior air dry and wipe the door jams with a chamoise. Can I really get a car cleaned so effortless that all I have to do is spray? What would I use?

[Anthony Orosco]

The issue at hand is car soap and not the car wax at automated car washes or coin-ops.

The car soap will most likely strip wax off a car so if a person spends $300 getting their car detailed and then a week later goes through a coin-op car wash the soap they use, coupled with the hot water, will strip their finish or seriously degrade it. The reason for this is because they want people to get their cars clean so they use heavy duty soaps. The owners of these car washes don't care about protecting YOUR waxed car because they sell a wax themselves.

Now as for the wax at these coin-ops....well they are at best second rate and may last a week.

Anthony

[DTails]

I think I will stick to hand washing the car's.

[barretire]

Originally Posted by hunter01

I just used one of those coin operated splash and dash car wash vending machines. It has a pressure washer wand that squirts hot soapy water, It also has a brush for soapy foam. After the wash and rinse you have the option of applying a wax solution through the sprayer. What kind of wax is this, and does it offer any real protection from the elements? Is it worth it, or is it a waste of time and money?
PS. I just got this truck recently and it has a nice finish. I've applied several coats of paste wax by hand but I don't think the weather is going to give me a chance to hand wax it anymore untill the spring.

Doesn't help your car just beads up water

[saturnsc2]

when you wax your car with paste wax & use a rag to buff it off, you are removing surface contaminents & cleaning the paint. the spray on wax really is just an in between touch-up wax. it doesn't take the place of a regular waxing/clay bar treatment...