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The people who think it's OK to use "spray-on waxes" without thoroughly washing the car first are just rubbing the dirt into their paint and creating scratches too.
Additionally many of the "spray-on waxes" are made to enhance an actual wax job. Kind of an in between wax kind of thing.
They started "clear-coating" cars in the late 70s/early 80s. It's basically a coat of hard, clear "paint." No need to wax or polish-- in fact, polish could damage it and wax would just cover it up.
Before clear coat, you'd put on polish and then wipe it off, removing a microscopic layer of oxidized (dull)paint in the process, leaving a fresh surface of un- oxidized (shiney) paint....You could polish a cheapo Earl Scheib paint job about 4 times and you'd be down to primer.
The beauty of wax is that it’s a sacrificial surface. It fills in micro cracks on the surface and keeps the clear coat from blistering. It’s also easier to clean. The bug guts and pollen are stuck on the wax and not the paint. It’s like spraying cooking oil on a pan.
It makes removing bug guts a little easier, too. The county where I used to live once spilled big puddles of road striping paint in the road. People tried to avoid them, but there were so many pools of it that that was difficult. Some blobs ended up on my waxed rocker panels as well as on the mud flaps, which I do not wax.
The hardened blobs on the sheet metal eventually could be picked off, but the stuff on the mud flaps persisted for something like 8 years. I wonder if some people sued the road department.
I wax mine once a year. Used to do it 2 to 4 times a year, but I drove more miles then. I don’t care if wax shows on the edge of the black plastic parts. If I really want to remove it, a bit of 303 on a cloth and some careful rubbing does the trick.
I use spray on wax. I figure it is better than waiting until I have the time and energy to do paste. Forgiving around trim and windows, and beeding lasts.
They started "clear-coating" cars in the late 70s/early 80s. It's basically a coat of hard, clear "paint." No need to wax or polish-- in fact, polish could damage it and wax would just cover it up.
Before clear coat, you'd put on polish and then wipe it off, removing a microscopic layer of oxidized (dull)paint in the process, leaving a fresh surface of un- oxidized (shiney) paint....You could polish a cheapo Earl Scheib paint job about 4 times and you'd be down to primer.
You might want to research that a little. The clear coat is just another layer of paint that is clear (no pigment). It is designed to provide some protection to the paint layer underneath with color, but considering it is just another layer of paint, it will take a beating. The clear coat will oxidize, it will wear off, it will chip, and it will fade just like regular paint. I would highly recommend you wax your vehicle. Think of waxing to protect your clear coat.
I had the day off today and just finished waxing my car for the winter with Collinite 845. This wax is very durable and water usually beads for 6 months even through a harsh winter and lots of trips through automatic car washes. With all the salt and chemicals that gets on the car during the snowy months here, I definitely want some paint protection on my car. I'll wax it again in the spring after the last snow with a cleaner wax, so it gets off the residual gunk from the nasty winter roads.
I'm not sure why some of you think cars don't need to be waxed anymore. Even in states without snow, don't you want some extra protection from UV rays and bird droppings and lovebugs? As was said above, clearcoat is just paint, so it will oxidize and get etched from the bird droppings and bugs. Wax your cars!
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