I've always kind of wondered about that. Is it that it's just a very thin film over the paint that separates it from the elements? Or does it actually absorb into the paint to protect it?

How's the proper way to apply it? Do you rub it in vigorously? Or just a light application and it's the fact that you let it dry on the paint that helps? If so is it a case of the longer you wait the better? Or should I really use the elbow grease to apply it and it's the working it in the paint that does the trick?

Sorry for the rambling, thanks for your help.

 

The amount of pressure applied and time between applying and removing is often different for each brand of wax. Not to mention the diffeent kinds of wax that are available on the shelves today. Take a look at this link. It gives a very detailed, thorough analysis of how to apply wax, waht kinds are good to use and so on. Maybe you will find your answers there.



https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...tail+crossfire

 

My understanding is you are building layers of reflectivity, the wax/polish are not absorbed. You should build up thin layers. When you clay bar the surface ( the first thing you should do) it removes contaminates that sit on the surface of the paint which end up making the paint look dull. So that is the basis from which you should start. Most all of the wax product sites have "how to" sections, Mothers, Meguiars, Zaino and Adams will all tell you the proper way to apply their products. All make great wax products, you have to decide what you are comfortable using. If you are the kind of person who uses a carwash you might as well let the car wash add the wax to your wash. That is NOT the way to go. A nice finish takes time and work on a regular basis. A drive thru car wash will ultimately ruin your finish. I use a Porter Cable buffer. Its idiot proof and I'm an idiot so its perfect for me, again their web site will tell you all you need. You might also try Auto Geeks for detailing tips. There's also a bunch of really nice people here, Mike from Orange, Acrispy, Golfdude, Andrew if you can find him, all of them know far more than I about detailing, I consider them pro's. There are some pics of my efforts in my gallery, the shots with the new wheels were done in April. Good luck.
Pat
p.s. The only time I would ever use dish soap to wash the car is before the first coat of wax and I used Dawn. Its supposed to remove all the old wax so you can start from scratch. After that I use Meguiars Gold Car wash Shampoo. I've tried a number of things and that is the best for my needs.
First time - Dawn wash then Claybar, then a wax/cleaner then a polish product and then a final detail spray. After that I polish once a month, wash once a week followed by a detail spray and clay bar in the fall and spring. My car will never go through a car wash.

 

Waxes and sealants (basically "sealant" is just a fancy term for synthetic wax) are designed to bond to paint, not the dirt that gets embedded on/in the paint. That's why your prep steps are so important - claying and deep cleaning.

Pure waxes - i.e. non-cleaner waxes - don't need to be worked vigorously against the paint since all they are going to do is offer a bit of protection. Cleaner waxes, because of their cleaning abilty, do need some elbow grease in the application process if you expect them to accomplish any level of cleaning. Both should be ultimately be allowed to dry to haze before removal, and both should always be applied in as thin a coat as possible.

Basically these products tend to fill the fine voids in the paint to some degree - whether that be simply the natural pores in the paint or even very fine swirls, etc - and bond to the paint surface. If you want to consider that filling of the small voids "absorption" then so be it. Pure polishes will actually do that and help do deepen the shine, adding gloss and richness of color. This effect is most noticeable on older single stage paints, particularly darker colors.

Keep in mind though that the layer of protection offered by any wax, regardless of how many coats you lay down (if you buy into the whole layering aspect, but that's perhaps another discussion) is fairly minimal. People somehow thing a wax will make their paint impervious to bird droppings, acid rain, heavy water spots, etc. All of these things can actually etch paint, and nothing currently available that you can pour out of a bottle and wipe on/off your paint is stronger than the paint itself. If something can eat through paint, it'll eat through a wax/sealant.

What a wax is really designed to protect is all the prep work you've done to bring up the shine. Yep, the majority of your shine doesn't come from wax, it comes from all the prep. If you leave all those bonded contaminants on (you don't clay) and you leave all the fine swirls and scratches in (you don't deep clean the paint) then what are you applying wax to? A bunch of dirt and swirls. You want shiny dirt and swirls? I didn't think so. If you properly prep the surface you get an amazing shine before you ever apply wax. The wax is then applied to protect the high gloss finish you've just acheived. Yes, it will increase the gloss to some degree, but it's certainly the primary source of gloss. And, sure, there are usually UV blockers in waxes and sealants that will help prevent the paint from fading, but modern clear coats do a decent job of that portion on their own. Older single stage paints do not have the benefit of a clear coat finish to help with UV protection.