How long will brand x car wax or paint sealant last? New Sensationalism! 
How long will brand x car wax or paint sealant last?
The above question is probably one of the most asked questions by people when it comes to choosing a wax or paint sealant. There is no definitive answer to this question because there are so many factors that have an influence or affect the length of time a protective coating will last that most of us have no control over, things like how a car is washed or the environment and climate our vehicles are exposed to.
Simply put...
"Anything chemically corrosive enough or abrasive enough to physically damage a modern, factory clear coat finish is also strong enough or abrasive enough to damage the micron, or sub-micron layer of protection you apply as a paste, liquid or spray-on wax" What can you do to protect your auto investment?
The most important thing you can do is try to park your car
under some kind of cover when not in use, like a garage or carport. The next most important thing you can do is keep the car clean so dirt, road grime and other contaminants cannot build-up on the surface, mix with moisture and attack the finish. Besides these two things, then next best thing you can do is to maintain a layer of protection on all the painted surfaces.
I've seen first hand the Uric Acid in a bird dropping etch paint in less than 10 minutes after the paint had been compounded, polished and sealed with two coats of wax.
A
car wax, or a
paint sealant is a
Sacrificial Barrier Coating. That is it's a coating you and I can easily apply that will slow down the harmful effects of corrosive elements that land on the paint and/or anything else harmful that comes into contact with the paint. Key words being
slow down, not 100% stop or prevent.
The idea being that as your car's finish sees
wear-and-tear and the wax or paint sealant wears off or in other words,
sacrifices itself so your paint doesn't have to sacrifice itself, that you and I can then wash the car to remove any loose dirt, clay the paint if needed to remove any
above surface bonded contaminants, and then
re-apply our choice of wax or paint sealant whether it's a liquid, paste or spray-on product.
The key is to,
"Find something you like and use it often"
If you find something you like then obviously you like,
- How it applies
- How it dries or doesn't dry in the case of a non-drying wax
- How it wipes off
- how it looks
- How you perceive it to last
- How you perceive it to protect
That's pretty much the majority of reasons we all wax our cars.
Then... if you do this often... your car's finish will always look new. It's only when you and I neglect our car's finish and the car is used as a daily driver and thus exposed to the elements and wear-and-tear, that finish goes down hill without intervention.
How often is often?If you park your car in a garage and only drive it on sunny Sundays then you won't have to re-apply any company's wax or paint sealant very often in order to maintain that show room new look.
If you drive your car everyday, and for a portion of each day it's parked outside, for example when you're at work, and/or when you're home if you don't have a garage or covered parking at your place of residence to shelter the paint, then you will have to re-apply any company's wax or paint sealant more often in order to maintain that show room new look.
Pretty simple really...
The good news...
Modern clear coats are actually pretty tough compared to automotive paints commonly used before clear coat paint technology was introduced starting in the 1980's. For most people, the best defense is a good offense, so find a premium quality car wash that offers safe cleaning ability with good lubricating characteristics and maintain a layer of protection using your favorite wax or paint sealant.
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