My first car (and waxing tips).

[denny33142]

Just got my very first car after 2 years of saving (2013 Hyundai Elantra Coupe).

I live in Miami where there is constant sun pretty much year round, I do not have a garage and no tress to park the car under so it will be in direct sunlight all the time.

Since this is my first car (i have had it for 2 months already) i have no idea about how to wax or which are the best products to use, so here are my questions:

Which wax brands are the best? I am looking for something that is long lasting and cannot be "overused".

Also what should i use to apply the wax? are there any good tutorials that explain the procedure?


Finally i know this is not the correct forum to ask this but perhaps you can still give me some tips: It looks like someone grazed the back of my car as i now have a pretty long line of chipped paint on the back, it looks like it was grazed just enough that the paint scraped off, Do you guys have any tips on how to get this repaired or at least covered so that it is not that noticeable?


Thank in advance, hopefully i can keep this car looking like new for years to come.


also here is a pic of the damage:

http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad6/Denny33142/IMAG0141_zps1243a3cf.jpg

[Bill1234]

Since you want long lasting and no overuse, Collinite 845 will be your best bet. The wax spreads out as you apply, and it will easily last 6 months

[mwoolfso]

Just got my very first car after 2 years of saving (2013 Hyundai Elantra Coupe). CONGRATULATIONS!!!

I live in Miami where there is constant sun pretty much year round, I do not have a garage and no tress to park the car under so it will be in direct sunlight all the time. CONGRATULATIONS!!! (considering I live in NY)

Since this is my first car (i have had it for 2 months already) i have no idea about how to wax or which are the best products to use, so here are my questions:

Which wax brands are the best? I am looking for something that is long lasting and cannot be "overused". The "best" is subjective. Everyone has a different "eye" and preferences move a little to the left or right as you ramp-up your inventory. So here is my suggestion, start slow and low cost. This way if you change direction and get more products you will maximize the effectiveness of your spending. There are many, many, many people here who like Collinite 845 and with a light-colored car I am sure you will too. Also, 845 costs less than $20 and you will have this one bottle for years.

Also what should i use to apply the wax? are there any good tutorials that explain the procedure? The Definitive Guide to Collinite 845 will cover most of what you need for 845. Some people like applying wax by hand and some by machine. I prefer by hand 90% of the time.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/40243-collinite-845-definitive-how-guide-legendary-wax.html

Mike has a whole bunch of articles here that you can review over time.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/23722-articles-mike-phillips.html

Finally i know this is not the correct forum to ask this but perhaps you can still give me some tips: It looks like someone grazed the back of my car as i now have a pretty long line of chipped paint on the back, it looks like it was grazed just enough that the paint scraped off, Do you guys have any tips on how to get this repaired or at least covered so that it is not that noticeable?

There is a very good article written by someone who detailed how he handled a long hairline scratch across a door panel. While your defects are not the same, the concepts he uses would apply. Essentially, you layer as many "thin/thin/thin" coats of touch-up paint necessary and create a high-point on each defect such that the paint on the defects are higher than the original paint. Then, you wetsand to level the defects down to the same level of OEM paint, compound, polish, seal/wax, etc... Assuming this is a daily driver and you don't want to repaint the entire affected panel; your primary goal is to make the defects less noticeable.

Thank in advance, hopefully i can keep this car looking like new for years to come.



Best of luck!

[rwright]

Great response mwoolfso! The only thing I want to add, since you're looking for something sun friendly take a look at Duragloss products or Poorboy's World. Both are formulated to work in the sun.

[dorkiedoode]

Agreed on Collinite 845 wax. Cheap and long lasting. Should look into sealant too but that might cost a bit more.

[Klasse Act]

Congrats on your 1st new car, those coupe's are really nice! I live in apartment now and have for the past yrs and its outside 24/7 and I use various products and layer a lot but you don't have to. I'd find a good sealant, I suggest DuraGloss and apply once every other week or atleast once a month. Living in apartment I can say that ONR has been a Godsend, so you'll wanna get a gallon of that too, again I suggest DuraGloss there too. Maintain with DG Aqua Wax inbetween and your new ride will look brand new for yrs, my car is over a year and half old w/35k on the clock and it looks brand new still!

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[AeroCleanse]

If you want to wax then I suggest you get some Dodo Juice Lime Prime and one of the cheaper Dodo Juice Waxes. After washing and claying, apply the Lime Prime then wax.

[denny33142]

Thank you all for the fantastic information, I have already ordered Collinite 845.

Also what are your opinions on Cleaner Wax? I am asking because i found a can of Meguiar's Cleaner Wax in my house (I think it belongs to my dad but he doesn't have a car anymore), I am wondering if i should finish using this one so that it doesn't go to waste or if i should just toss it and wait for Collinite to arrive? I have read that Cleaner Wax are meant more for older cars.

[Bill1234]

Keep the cleaner wax, but use collinite and if you run out, then use the cleaner.

[mwoolfso]

Agreed on Collinite 845 wax. Cheap and long lasting. Should look into sealant too but that might cost a bit more.

Notwithstanding looking into a sealant but Collinite 845 has such good durability that some people do not use a sealant layer. Rather, they layer 845. It's an option nonetheless.

[mwoolfso]

Thank you all for the fantastic information, I have already ordered Collinite 845.

Also what are your opinions on Cleaner Wax? I am asking because i found a can of Meguiar's Cleaner Wax in my house (I think it belongs to my dad but he doesn't have a car anymore), I am wondering if i should finish using this one so that it doesn't go to waste or if i should just toss it and wait for Collinite to arrive? I have read that Cleaner Wax are meant more for older cars.

Now aside from your question a cleaner/wax to me is what I call a "maintenance detail". You are not correcting since you wouldn't use a compount/polish before a cleaner/wax. You could, it just wouldn't make a ton of sense. A cleaner wax has it's place in your inventory; for times when you simply do not have the time to perform a full detail.

Collinite 845 doesn't have any cleaners in it so in theory you can do a cleaner wax step and then follow-up with 845 as your LSP.

[Klasse Act]

Notwithstanding looking into a sealant but Collinite 845 has such good durability that some people do not use a sealant layer. Rather, they layer 845. It's an option nonetheless.

I'm a fan of layering and as long as you keep the car clean, its all good! I mean you should still clay twice a year but as long as its kept clean, no problem.

As far as the cleaner wax goes, well, its going to be harder to remove as its an old product and I don't mean the actual age of the product either. I'd try it out after claying and then apply the Collinite #845. If you want an easy product to use that cleans and protects look into DuraGloss #501, many use it as a stand alone product even but I know it cleans paint very well!

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