Car Waxing Benefits and Drawbacks
If you don’t know yet if you need to wax a car or why you need to wax a car, let me show you the benefits of waxing a car and the drawbacks.
For those who don’t have experience in car waxing find our guides to make car waxing by hand.
Benefits of Waxing Car
- Paint protection improvements:
- Wax coating is hydrophobic and repels water and dirt, which helps your paint to stay clean for a longer time.
- Protection from UV lights – means your car paint is not losing its color and paint varnish is not drying and becoming yellow.
- As well, wax can protect you from minor scratches, but the main here is that only from very minor ones.
- Waxed car paint is more protected from being ruined by water spots and bird poo.
- Better car look:
- Old swirls and scratches will be filled and covered by car wax. Of course, only minor scratches. When it’s a deep scratch after a car accident, the wax won’t help.
- Better shine. The wax gives your car paint a so-called wet look. That is for sure what you will notice after you just applied your wax.
Drawbacks of Waxing Car
- Wax is a dust magnet. Here you can find more info about waxes and dust.
- Since you applied wax, you need to pay attention and look only for pH-neutral car shampoos. Acid shampoos and Alkaline shampoos will remove all your wax after the first wash. Usually, every car wash you will find will tell you that they are using acid shampoos.
- More time and money wasted. It doesn’t matter if you apply wax by yourself or you will pay somebody else to make it, you will spend more time and money compared to regular car washing.
FAQ about car waxing
Does wax remove scratches?
No, wax is a protective coat, so it is not developed to remove scratches. The effect of scratch removal you see after applying wax happens because the wax is filling the scratches and they become invisible. However, there are waxes with abrasives that can polish car paint and remove minor swirls, but they are not so helpful in removing scratches as well.
Can wax replace a clear coat?
No, a clear coat is a hard coat that protects your base paint coat from destruction. Wax is a soft coat that helps clear coat last longer and protects from UV light, water spots, bird droppings, and other harmful contaminants. If a clear coat on your car started peeling off, or there is no clear coat at all, you can use wax as a temporary solution to give to base paint coat at least some protection and prevent further destruction but you cannot use instead clear coat for a long time.
How long does car wax last?
On average car wax last 2-3 months, but it depends on the wax you are using, and how you care about your car wax. If you use high-quality car waxes, some of them can last up to 1 year, and if you will use pH-neutral shampoos, and boost them with for example ceramic spray waxes they can last even longer.
Is it better to wax or polish a car?
It is better to polish than to wax. Waxing and polishing a car are two different things! Waxing is about protecting car paint, polishing is about restoring car paint. In general, for old paint, or car paint with swirl marks, scratches, or fading is better to polish car paint first, and then protect it by applying wax coating.
Conclusion
It’s your car, and it’s you to decide whether to spend more time on a car and to make it look better or you will prefer doing something else. Check out our list of the best car wax to pick the best one for your car.
In my opinion, as a car enthusiast, car waxes are an important part of detailing. The cons that I gave you are not so dramatic. Even without waxing, dust will still land on your car. Prices on waxes are not so high. pH-neutral shampoos are easy to buy from every car care brand.
For those who need car paint protection that is superior to car waxing, check our post about ceramic coating by clicking on the highlighted text.
If you want your car to look amazing and you are ready to spend several hours and some money, waxing is 100% recommended.
