Well, I'm not a car professional, but I do have some...technical training...let's put it that way.

I keep reading posts on car care forums about how waxing a car is necessary. Necessary. Necessary. New car, old car, whatever. Necessary. My training leads me to disagree.

I know that crystalline waxes like Carnauba are basically abrasives. Forget everything they say about protecting against oxidation, dust, dirt, chemicals, blah blah blah.

When you apply a Carnauba wax to your car's clearcoat, and you rub it with anything - your fingers, sponge, pads, ANYTHING, it is basically REMOVING your clearcoat a little bit at a time. This is how scratches are removed by waxing.

So the basic problem is that clearcoat finishes are basically ruined by carnauba waxes!! Ever wonder where swirl marks come from?

My conclusion is that Carnauba Wax polishes were made for lacquer paint finishes, but will absolutely ruin clearcoat. Does anyone here have some evidence to the contrary? I believe that what is necessary is some kind of fine polish, such as a clear-plastic polish, the kind one would use on headlights to remove scratches.

 

I don't think you are looking at the big picture here. Cars don't last forever so how would you expect the paint to?? If you truly don't want your clearcoat to be removed don't drive your car, keep it covered up in a garage and you'll never have to wax it again.

Have you seen a car that hasn't been waxed regularly? They look like $hit. Compare a car that is waxed regularly to one that hasn't. It'll stand out like a sore thumb.

I don't have swirl marks on my black car and I wax mine regularly. It is all on how you take care of your washing mits, towels and anything else that touches your paint.

 

You think carnauba waxes are too abrasive for clear coat and would rather use a polish designed to remove scratches from plastic? Sorry, that makes no sense.

A good quality wax, whether a carnauba based product or a full synthetic, is so mild as to be inconsequential with regard to removing clear coat. I've see plenty of tests using paint thickness gauges where the paint was polished using a fairly abrasive polishing compound with a high speed rotary buffer. Even then, in experienced hands of course, the amount of clear removed is minimal.

Your swirl marks don't come from the carnauba, but from the application method and materials. For example, terry cloth has quite a bite to it and can mar the paint quite easily. You should never use terry cloth as a wax applicator, only a soft foam applicator pad. Removing the hazed wax should be done with a clean microfiber towel, a good one, with only enough pressure to pull the hazed wax off the surface. There is no benefit to repeatedly "buffing" the area in an attempt to bring up more shine.

Further, I've been involved in plenty of polish product testing on black body panels. Even after wet sanding and compounding with a wool pad and a very aggresive cutting compound, then following up with a less aggressive polish on a soft foam pad using a DA polisher, there is no marring to be seen even under extreme lighting conditions. A wipe down with a 50/50 water/alchohol mix proves that the scratches are gone, not just filled in. A further hand application of a liquid polymer sealant only serves to protect this perfect finish.

Honestly, on a modern clear coat finish, provided you use the proper tools and wax/sealant you could wax the car every week and not run out of clear coat for decades. Heck, you could polish with a DA polisher every year (with proper maintenance you shouldn't have to do it more often than that) and still never worry about eating up all the clear.

 

When you apply a Carnauba wax to your car's clearcoat, and you rub it with anything - your fingers, sponge, pads, ANYTHING, it is basically REMOVING your clearcoat a little bit at a time. This is how scratches are removed by waxing.
I once owned a '79 Corvette with a swooped up 350 L82 engine. (I sold it and bought a Hyundai when i got married...Ouch).
I had a built in spoiler and custom paint. The shop applied 7 coats of clear-coat giving the paint depth and resiliency. No amount of polish deterred that mirror finish...
I'd have to agree that waxes contain abrassives however what is the alternative?
I can assure you I'd never again spend the money on a custom paint job.
I think the only alternative is to Wax sparingly with a high quality wax - Twice/year tops.
If you don't wax I fear the elements, dirt and grime would exact a far greater toll on the paint than the mild abrasive wear caused by waxing. That smooth surface repells dust, which BTW is also an abrassive.

My black Altima still has a great Non swirl finish after 4 years...I don't let anyone wash her aside from touchless, but me.