Waxing - Where?

[Jameze]

I'm after a bit of advice from some seasoned detailers if you don't mind.

I (finally) did my first big wash this weekend. On top of the usual snowfoam and wash, I also scrubbed the tyres, polished the car, waxed the car, treated all the windows with Gtechniq (amazing stuff). It took me 6 hours in total and that was rushing things because I was going out for my birthday that evening (I didn't finish until it was pitch black - I found a few areas of wax I'd forgotten to buff off the following morning. Oops!)

My question really... other than the bodywork (painted surfaces), what else can I wax?

I was a little unsure as to whether I could wax other parts of the car or whether it would cause problems (not buff off etc). The bits I avoided were...

Grille / fog grilles?
Roof bars (black)?
Door pillar trim?
Headlights, tail lights and fog lights?
The windscreen trim (plastic / rubber running down either side)?

I taped all these parts off plus the badges prior to polishing as I know they should be best avoided for that, but wasn't sure about the wax so just kept them covered when waxing and avoided them.

It's the first time I've actually waxed my car - never found the time before. I was determined this time though and it was SO worth it. Beading is my new obsession, here's a cheeky snap of the roof from this morning...

(it was quite windy today though so the beads were never there long before being blown around / off the car!).

Also - driving with Gtechniq's stuff on the windows is so much fun. Who needs wipers?? It's so mesmerising watching the beads of water run up and off the windscreen.

Oh, and for those who saw my last thread on here, I braved claying and gave it another go. I just did the bonet but I just found the lubricant run off the bodywork and go all over the car (dripping down the grille and lights and generally just making a mess!). I finished the bonet off but decided not to do the rest, just seemed to make a mess. Is this normal or did I go OTT with the lubricant spray? I was determined to not use too little in case that's what caused the damage last time, but have I used too much this time?? Another thing is that the lubricant didn't seem to wipe off as easy as I thought it would - it just sort of smeared and took a good few folds / wipes of the microfibre to get it off. Is this normal again or just another case of too much lubricant?? I'm determined to get this clay business right! If it makes any difference, I used Meguiar's Quik Detailing Spray.

Thanks

 

[Turbo jay]

I use plenty of lubricant mate but always give it another wash after claying, to make sure you get the excess off before applying your wax/sealant, it's normal too have excess lubricant after claying.

 

[_G_]

I always use the right stuff on the trims like swiss vax seal feed or autoglym rubber care... I found that waxing the rubber seals leads to wax marks... white residue to that is tough to remove... the same goes for any black plastic like under the mirrors.

With the fog light grill I use aerospace 303...

For the headlights... I do clay them but then I use detailing spray or showroom shine to keep them clean. I used to use glass cutter but that was too strong and led to blurring the headlights... may be you could get away with using that once in a while... and use a decent glass spray instead.

Roof box... could try a metal polish on that but do a test patch first as some are quite abrasive... would not know which one to recommend so would just say something like autoglym showroom shine would do it... or 303.

 

[Jameze]

I use plenty of lubricant mate but always give it another wash after claying, to make sure you get the excess off before applying your wax/sealant, it's normal too have excess lubricant after claying.

That makes sense, looks like I'll have to add another washing stage to the list next time I clay. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Jameze]

I always use the right stuff on the trims like swiss vax seal feed or autoglym rubber care... I found that waxing the rubber seals leads to wax marks... white residue to that is tough to remove... the same goes for any black plastic like under the mirrors.

With the fog light grill I use aerospace 303...

For the headlights... I do clay them but then I use detailing spray or showroom shine to keep them clean. I used to use glass cutter but that was too strong and led to blurring the headlights... may be you could get away with using that once in a while... and use a decent glass spray instead.

Roof box... could try a metal polish on that but do a test patch first as some are quite abrasive... would not know which one to recommend so would just say something like autoglym showroom shine would do it... or 303.

Thanks for that, I'll have to look into these products. I know what you mean about the white residue on the plastic - I forgot to tape off the bottom of my windscreen and I've now got lovely white marks on the plastic due to polishing. Would AG Vinyl & Rubber Care get this off? Or would it just come off during my next wash? Not attempted to remove it yet as it was pitch black by the time I'd finished the car.

Do you think waxing the lights would be an issue or would that be fine?

 

[the_cueball]

you can really wax everywhere, except the rubber bits and *some* plastics as you have already found out, it can leave hard to shift white marks.....

Lights etc are no problem to wax...

As for the removal of the white residue, try either a normal pencil rubber, ground nut oil, or peanut butter...

 

[Jameze]

you can really wax everywhere, except the rubber bits and *some* plastics as you have already found out, it can leave hard to shift white marks.....

Lights etc are no problem to wax...

As for the removal of the white residue, try either a normal pencil rubber, ground nut oil, or peanut butter...

Tricks of the trade, ey. Excellent advice, thanks.

I'll give a small section of the grille a go next time and see if it comes off without any fuss. It seems like it would, it's not a textured plastic.

 

[the_cueball]

Just be warned... if you go down the peanut butter route, you will look mental... and eh.... have a bit BEFORE using it on the car... doesn't taste right afterwards....

lol

 

[_G_]

you can really wax everywhere, except the rubber bits and *some* plastics as you have already found out, it can leave hard to shift white marks.....

Lights etc are no problem to wax...

As for the removal of the white residue, try either a normal pencil rubber, ground nut oil, or peanut butter...

+1

yeh you can wax the headlights and tail lights if you want but be sure to use a sealant after as it will last longer.

 

[the_cueball]

+1

yeh you can wax the headlights and tail lights if you want but be sure to use a sealant after as it will last longer.

you don't need to use both, but if you do, it's always sealant first then wax on top...

 

[T3nnant]

When your claying the car< you only need to spray a very thin layer of lube and then reapply to the areas as you go over them, afterwards have a damp microfibre cloth and wipe the bodywork to remove all the excess lube and dirt.

Can claybar your windows and lights too, and waxing them is common practise to me.

It sounds silly to say but choosing the right wax for the car makes a huge difference, Juicy detailing are the people to talk to when wanting to give your car the best of the best, Jen is a top notch detailer!
But i have a purple haze wax which leaves no white marks and brings the best out in my cars colour!

its all about experimenting with your car, one way i have found about removing white wax marks is shoe polish. This worked on my last car really well and also gave a deeper black finish to the strips.. Win win.

 

[Jameze]

So much stuff to learn still!

I'm slowly getting there...

Cheers for all the advice guys. Will apply some wax to the areas I missed last time, try and remove the polish marks from the plastic trim and see how I get on.

 

[lukey baby]

That beading looks so good! I've also heard that autoglym fast glass is good for removing white marks.

 

[Ronald23]

That beading looks so good! I've also heard that autoglym fast glass is good for removing white marks.

Yeah lukey baby.. your right in fact autoglym can also gives long lasting protection for paint works and glass in your car aside from removing water marks. I am also using this product and its really good

 

[_G_]

you don't need to use both, but if you do, it's always sealant first then wax on top...

my bad... yeh its the other way around.

 

[mazzaman]

Hi guys i use autoglym super resin polish and would like to know what else i can use i seem to be polishing it every 2 weeks thought polish suppose to last, got few scratches that need get off. Or do i need to put a wax on top of that? Does anyone know the g3 stages to follow please let me know cheers

 

[sidibear]

Mazza, you don't need to ask the same question in three separate threads, I have deleted the other two.

And yes, you need to apply a coat of wax over the polish layer to make it last.

 

[Steve220]

You need to wax to prevent the paint oxidising over time, polish essentially isn't protective, it's abrasive.

 

[mazzaman]

ok i put it in 2 more to see what different answer i get ok so you had no right deleting my threads

 

[mazzaman]

stevo220 so you recommend do the 3 stages to get maximum results and can i polish off dodo juice soft wax by hand cheers

 

[sidibear]

ok i put it in 2 more to see what different answer i get ok so you had no right deleting my threads

I had every right to delete the identical posts in the same forum, where you would get the same answer. And its also considered bad manners to hijack someone else's thread with an unrelated question of your own. My best advice is to start your own thread or use the search button at the top.
Yes, you can buff off DDJ by hand but don't let it cure too long as it gets more difficult to remove.

 

[Steve220]

stevo220 so you recommend do the 3 stages to get maximum results and can i polish off dodo juice soft wax by hand cheers

I don't use wax personally, i use sealant.