Which products need to dry – The Car Wax Mentality

[Mike.Phillips@Autogeek]

Which products need to dry – The Car Wax Mentality


When someone is new to detailing, there’s so much to know that it can easily become overwhelming, there’s different machines, different pads, different types of microfiber towels, a plethora of different waxes and paint sealants, different compounds and different polishes just to name a few of the various items a person is introduced to.


Over the years, teaching detailing classes and answering questions on detailing discussion forums, I made an observation that a lot of people new to detailing have what I call…

The Car Wax Mentality


Vague directions and limited real-estate
Here’s what I mean and this isn’t meant to be taken in any negative way, it’s simply an observation on my part about the confusion in the market place over paint care products. Keep in mind that for the largest portion of human history, we didn’t have the Internet and Discussion Forums to disseminate information to the masses.

Therefore until the Internet evolved there was no way to share with a wide range of people around the world, an article that explains which products need to dry and which products don’t need to dry. Thanks to the Internet… now we do have a way to share information instantly around the world.

Because there are so many players in the car wax industry, and thus hundreds of paint care products, most with only vague directions on how to use each product in part because of the limited amount of real-estate on product labels, people have what I call The Car Wax Mentality.


How The Car Wax Mentality works
Most people of car driving age, know the basics and the basics are,

• Wash and dry car
• Wax car, after wax has dried, wipe wax off

That’s about as basic as you can get. Without more specific information or clear directions, a lot of people assume the way you use a car wax is the same way you use all paint care products. That is, after using a compound, you let it dry and then wipe it off. After using a polish, you let it to dry and then wipe it off. This isn’t accurate as it applies to most pre-wax products.


The benefit is created when you work the product
The benefit to a compound, swirl mark remover, abrasive polish, abrasive cleaner/polish or abrasive paint cleaner is created when the product is physically worked against the surface of paint. When you apply these types of products with some type of buffing pad or applicator pad and apply pressure, you force the abrasives to engage the top coat of the paint and abrade it, or in simpler words… take little bites out of it, usually to remove defects, which are below the surface.


Apply, work and remove
Once you are finished removing the defects you can and should remove the product. The benefit from using these types of correction and polishing products is created when these products are worked against the finish. Once you're finished with removing defects on a panel, you're finished with the product... wipe it off...


No benefit just increased risk
Allowing compounds and polishes, paint cleaners, etc., to dry adds no further benefit and in most cases will make the product more difficult to remove. In some cases, some products will be so hard to remove that you will inflict toweling marks into the paint trying to fight the residue off.


Innocent mistakes and usually harmless
People treat non-wax products like wax innocently because they just don’t know any better so their approach comes from the car wax mentality. In most cases you won’t hurt anything by allowing a compound or swirl mark remover dry, you’ll just waste time and make wipe-off more difficult.


Like dissolves like…
If by chance you ever find you’re self in a position where you or someone you know has let a non-drying product dry and the residue is now like trying to remove dried concrete of your car’s paint, you can usually remove the dried residue using an old technique, based upon the idea that like dissolves like, that is if you have let a compound dry on the paint and now you find it difficult to remove, re-apply the compound using it heavy or wet and the wetness of the product, because it’s compatible with the dried residue will often times re-wet it enough to make wipe-off easier.


A good rule of thumb
Generally speaking the above is correct, that is compounds, polishes, cleaner/polishes, swirl mark removers, paint cleaners, and pre-wax cleaners don’t normally need to dry.


Exceptions to the rule
The directions for products formulated for the retail or consumer/enthusiast market can be all over the board, so always read the directions first to see how the product is supposed to be removed. You will either remove the residue after applying and working it over the paint while it's still wet or you will allow it to dry to haze and then wipe it off dry. So be sure to always read the manufactures directions before using any product and if in doubt… contact the manufacture.


Waxes that don’t need to dry
In recent years, modern waxes have been introduced that don’t have to dry before removing, these are called WOWO products because you simply Wipe On, then Wipe Off the residue, there’s no need to let the product dry.


Drying Waxes
Historically, most car wax directions direct you to let the wax dry before removing because it’s through the drying process that the protection ingredients bond or adhere to the paint. Then, after they have dried, you wipe off the excess residue.


Do not disturb
Regardless of which type of wax or paint sealant you use, after removing the excess product and giving the paint a final wipe, a good “Best Practice” is to STOP wiping the paint and thus stop disturbing the protection ingredients and give the protection ingredients time to fully set-up.

Think about it... microfiber towels are famous for their performance when it comes to wiping-off waxes and paint sealants... if you wipe too much before the protection ingredients have fully set-up, you're disrupting these substances and with a microfiber towel.. you're wiping them off the surface you just applied them to.

So STOP after the final wipe and back away from the car.


Here's a few examples but by no means exhaustive of the product inventory offered by Autogeek.net


These products do not have to dry...


These products are supposed to dry...


These products do not have to dry...