Wax on Clearcoat

[00Beast]

Alright, a buddy of mine is now saying that wax cracks the paint, and ruins it a lot faster than just leaving it. I say this is total BS. He says he was taught this in auto body class, he has been through 2 semesters and thinks he knows more than the guys who have been doing this for 20+ years. What do i tell him to convince him otherwise, or do i just let him ruin his cars?

[Grimm]

Someone needs to show this know-it-all the difference in how a 10+ year old car looks that has been regularly waxed versus one that hasn't. If wax really ruins paint, then how is it that I sold my 11 year old Cutlass last year to the first guy that looked at it after he mentioned several times how it was in such good shape?

[chopper442]

6 restored g-bodies and now the bonnie...all with wax (except now LG, only for ease) your buddie is full of crap! It`s amazing how a little knowledge and you`re an expert! That`s a dangerous thing! Let him ruin his car...due to his own ignorance!

[dissmn8]

"Alright, a buddy of mine is now saying that wax cracks the paint, and ruins it a lot faster than just leaving it."

That is preciesly what I was informed of by a body man I know which is what started this thread. I use to work restoring old paint at a dealership in a former life. In my experience, wax does wounderful things for paint.

Has anyone on this site taken these auto body classes that can provide insight into why this would be a commonly taught theory?

[Grimm]

It makes perfect sense if you think about it. They teach a misnomer about wax so that people don't wax their cars. Then the paint looks like crap after ten years and so they go to the body shop to have it repainted. It's a win-win for the body shop industry.

[dissmn8]

Do I detect a conspiracy??

[*B2*]

My dad's '68 Mustang was just repainted about 3 years ago. This was its first repaint and it looked better than just acceptable. He waxed the car non-stop when he was younger(his dad was the original owner and he got the car when he was 16). When you can drive a car for 37 years on the original paint, I would say that the wax definitely did its job of protecting, not harming the paint.

[00Beast]

I told him that he can go right ahead not waxing his cars, but that i can say "i told you so" when his paint is ruined in 5 years.

[*B2*]

I told him that he can go right ahead not waxing his cars, but that i can say "i told you so" when his paint is ruined in 5 years.

lol, nice. When I detail a car, it is so obvious which cars have and haven't been waxed. The oxidation sets in quickly on non-waxed cars making the buffing process a real pain. Waxed cars have little to no oxidation.

[00Beast]

My car was obviously not waxed very often, bumper and hood need repaint, also trunklid has little "Triangles" where there are 3 lines coming out of a central point, not good, looks like $%*%

[Grimm]

I think you are referring to failed clear coat where there are actually cracks in it. A perfect testimony to unprotected paint.

[00Beast]

No, the cracks go all the way to the primer

[Baby is her name]

I use the Maguire's Polish on my car.
This is how I treat my car and the clear coat is still good and shines like it should.
1 I rinse off Baby with just a hose and sponge.
2 I use the Maguires spotless wash.
3 I let her air dry.
4 I use the Maguire's wax system (red bottles at autozone) Do all 3 stages.
5 I do Maguire's deep finish wax
6 Last for the wax I do the Maguire's Gold Class to finish up the wax on her.
I also use the Maguire's tire shine for the tires plus the one for rubber and vinyl on the tires. On the inside I use the Maguire's for vinyl for the dash and trim pieces and the leather seats and steering wheel only after I use the Leather cleaner and conditioner. And I do this every Saturday. By the time I finish she is Shining from one end to the other And this stuff really works.
If you treat your tires too they will not crack but use both treatments. I do and did for the 3 years that my bonnie sat up and the tires still look new no cracks.

But always use the good stuff and take your time do the job right and you will have a car that even all these years later still shines like a champ.

Even when I didn't own my bonnie I did the detail on her for my husbands uncle. And this is what I did for the car even when she wasn't mine.

[Baby is her name]

I do have pictures of what happens to a car when you don't wax it. Now it isn't on my bonnie but it is on a 1983 280zx and I even tried to wax it as I do with Baby and it still did no good and this isn't the worst of what can happen when you don't wax your car. got to www.myspace.com/liquid_candycane and go to my pictures and in the album with the gray 280 on it click I got some good shots of not waxing cars.

[Grimm]

That is a little bit different though. I'm sure being an '83 that car didn't have a clear coat. Those single stage paints will deteriorate a lot quicker and worse than a newer clear coat paint.