{"id":1592,"date":"2010-04-30T07:29:01","date_gmt":"2010-04-30T11:29:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/?p=1592"},"modified":"2018-01-26T08:25:16","modified_gmt":"2018-01-26T13:25:16","slug":"how-to-wax-your-car-like-a-pro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/how-to-wax-your-car-like-a-pro\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Wax your Car like a Pro"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chances are if you spent your childhood practicing perfecting your Karate moves with the help of Mr. Miyagi, you might have also developed some equally bad waxing techniques.\u00a0 In the movie, The Karate Kid, Mr. Miyagi teaches his student, \u201cDaniel-san,\u201d to wax a car in circular motions with your right hand.\u00a0 He makes no mention of how much wax to us, but he does remind him to \u201cbreathe\u201d.\u00a0 He then instructs him to remove wax in the same circular motion with his left hand\u2026again, not forgetting to breathe (see the clip here<\/a>).\u00a0 While breathing is a good idea, there is no basis for (waxing or removing wax) in a circular motion.\u00a0 In fact, it may create new blemishes to your freshly prepped paint.\u00a0 To properly wax your vehicle, employ the following tools and techniques, and you will ensure a slick finish that is properly protected and shines streak free.<\/p>\n

The first thing you need to do is properly prep the paint you will be waxing.\u00a0 This includes washing the paint thoroughly, claying the paint to remove embedded debris (read Todd\u2019s article here<\/a>), and drying the surface well with either forced air and\/or appropriate microfiber towels.\u00a0 Having paint that has been carefully prepped will ensure the wax fills in the \u201cpores\u201d of the paint and bonds with it completely.\u00a0 It will also guarantee that you get the most out of your wax of choice in terms of looks and durability.\u00a0 Waxing a surface that has not been properly prepped may leave a slick finish at first, but it will degrade quickly because the wax hasn\u2019t truly bonded with the paint. Using a good lube like Optimum No Rinse<\/a> and a quality clay can ensure you don’t trap any particles under the wax.<\/p>\n

Here I am spraying my clay lube<\/p>\n

\"Spraying<\/p>\n

And here’s what I was able to remove from the paint<\/p>\n

\"Contamination<\/p>\n

\"Dirty<\/p>\n

Next come the tools.\u00a0 I like waxing with a Polishing Pal<\/a> and a 4- inch Finishing Pad<\/a>.\u00a0 The reason I choose these tools is that I like how they provide even pressure to the surface I am working with.\u00a0 If you are using a thin applicator or a microfiber to apply wax, your fingers create an uneven surface and uneven pressure during application.\u00a0 The resulting effect is a surface that will have uneven waxing.\u00a0 You will end up with areas where the wax will be hard to remove, streaks, and possible shading left behind from oils.\u00a0 The Polishing Pal<\/a> and a 4- inch Finishing Pad<\/a> paired with the right application technique will provide an application that is even, complete, and comes off with ease.<\/p>\n

Another consideration is your wax<\/a>.\u00a0 While not a tool, it is the highlighted product of the whole process.\u00a0 Which wax you ultimately choose is up to you, but how much is pretty much the same across the board.\u00a0 If you watch Daniel-san, he dunks the towel into the wax tub and lathers the paint with way too much wax.\u00a0 While not everyone uses this much wax, many users apply more than necessary.\u00a0 A thin, almost invisible layer is all you need.\u00a0 To ensure full coverage, you can use multiple layers, but to the classic \u201cgood thick coat of wax\u201d again has no basis.\u00a0 You end up wiping off all but an extremely thin layer that has filled in the paint pores and bonded with the paint.\u00a0 When your spending all that money and all that time waxing your car, the last thing you want to be doing is wiping away excessive amounts that could have been used for another waxing, or spending time removing caked on wax.\u00a0 Most modern waxes are in fact designed to be removed with ease, as long as you apply it properly.\u00a0 Note: In the pictures for this article, I used lots of wax for illustrative purposes.\u00a0 Normally, I would use much less wax and it would be difficult for the camera to show what I was talking about.<\/em><\/p>\n

So why not use circular motions like Mr. Miyagi taught us? For one, circular motions have no real basis as far as coverage.\u00a0 It probably is supposed to mimic the action of an orbital machine, but all it ends up doing is causing halo effects that can be hard to remove and introducing potential marring in a circular motion (the type you just spent hours polishing away).\u00a0 The best technique is to use one of the following:\u00a0 The Linear<\/strong> or The \u00a0ZW<\/strong>.\u00a0 In both cases the wax the motion of application is from front to back (following air flow).\u00a0 What differs is the motion <\/em>of the applicator.<\/p>\n

The Linear <\/strong>method uses a linear<\/em>, front to back motion creating long, straight lines of wax on the paint.\u00a0 Work in a 2\u2019x2\u2019 section at a time going back a forth within the section several times (maybe 3-5 section passes).\u00a0 Always work from front to back only.\u00a0 By working the section for some time, you ensure proper coverage.\u00a0 If you do introduce micro-marring from any dust trapped between the pad and the paint, they will follow a straight line and be difficult to see.<\/p>\n

Here are a couple of pictures of the Linear<\/strong> technique with increasing amounts of wax so you can see what it should look like.<\/p>\n

\"Hand<\/p>\n

\"Linear<\/p>\n

\"Car<\/p>\n

\"Car<\/p>\n

\"Car<\/p>\n

The ZW <\/strong>method still works a 2\u2019x 2\u2019 section at a time, still following the airflow path.\u00a0 The difference with this technique is that you will be moving the applicator to make Z\u2019s and W\u2019s<\/em>.\u00a0 I like to make Z\u2019s as I work 1 pass and then W\u2019s for the next pass.\u00a0 This is my favorite application style.\u00a0 It seems like I can get the paint pores from all angles with this style and with the strokes being shorter, any micro-marring that may get introduced, is introduced in short strokes making them even more difficult to see.<\/p>\n

Here is a photo of what it would look like (again, lot’s of wax used to allow the camera to show you the look)<\/p>\n

\"ZW<\/p>\n

Here is a picture of Linear <\/strong>and ZW <\/strong>side by side<\/p>\n

\"Linear<\/p>\n

Finally, after the wax has cured as per instructions, it\u2019s time to remove it and see the shine!\u00a0 For this step I like selecting a towel like The Great White<\/a>.\u00a0 White towels show dirt easily, and if you\u2019re getting a dirty towel at this point, stop and fix the area before proceeding with removal.\u00a0 The first step to the removal process is to \u201cbreak through\u201d the wax. This is done to make removal easier and safer on the paint.\u00a0 To do this, fold the towel into fourths, and place on a section of the panel you want to begin removing.\u00a0 Apply pressure and twist the towel left and right underneath your palm.<\/p>\n

\"Microfiber<\/p>\n

When you lift the towel you should see an area that is haze free and beautiful.<\/p>\n

\"Results<\/p>\n

You will continue removing the wax using this section as the \u201cepicenter\u201d and working out from it.\u00a0 In short, slow, almost chipping movements, move the towel perpendicular to the way you applied the wax.\u00a0 This will ensure you end up without streaks.<\/p>\n

\"Paint<\/p>\n

Continue in this manner over the entire car, re-breaking the wax on each panel.\u00a0 Again, think \u201cW\u2019s\u201d and never doing the \u201cwild-arm\u201d\u2026always in control to keep from messing up all of your hard work.\u00a0 When finished with removal, it is a good idea to follow up with a second wipe down with a clean towel or even a quick detailer like Red Mist<\/a> to ensure there are no streaks.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s left? Nothing!\u00a0 At this point you may not have cool Karate moves, but you have effectively waxed you paint to perfection and there\u2019s nothing left to do but enjoy it.\u00a0 So grab a chair or the keys and show off that shine!<\/p>\n

\"Results<\/p>\n

Buy Products From This Article<\/h2>\n

Purchase the products used in this article individually or in one convenient package here<\/a>!
\n<\/p>\n

View Products Now <\/i><\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Learn the proper way to apply wax to your car, including why you should apply a thin coat and why you shouldn’t use circular motions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":21421,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,1930,41],"tags":[84,240,368,1474,552,72,621,228,282,89,178,78,487,509,344],"class_list":{"0":"post-1592","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-clay-bar","8":"category-videos","9":"category-waxes","10":"tag-best-of","11":"tag-black-finishing-pad","12":"tag-carnauba-wax","13":"tag-clay-bar","14":"tag-clay-lube","15":"tag-dodo-juice","16":"tag-dodo-juice-red-mist","17":"tag-fine-grade-clay","18":"tag-great-white-towel","19":"tag-how-to","20":"tag-optimum","21":"tag-optimum-no-rinse","22":"tag-polishing-pal","23":"tag-product-use","24":"tag-wax"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/4517645883_bb65b572d0.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1kPO7-pG","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1592"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1592\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23877,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1592\/revisions\/23877"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.detailedimage.com\/Ask-a-Pro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}