Do you NEED to prep before waxing?

[vaced]

Lets say you detail a car to your satisfaction and you have put some wax on it. Then you park the car indoors until the wax goes away (I'm assuming it eventually would, but correct me if I'm wrong).

Now you want to reapply the wax. Do you need to prep the surface?

I imagine claying might be a good idea, since maybe some particles in the air have bonded to the surface. But nothing has actually touched the paint since the last time you have polished (unless you clayed, but lets assume you did not mar the paint at all with claying). Would the wax work okay without polishing the car?

What if instead of never driving the car, you drove it once to a car show and when it is time to reapply the wax you are happy with how the surface looks. Would you prep the surface? (or more specifically would you polish the surface?)

I ask because I am trying to get an idea of how people maintain show/museum cars (or near-show cars). These cars have value in keeping the original paint, and these cars are around for many years (20,30,40,etc). If you abrade the surface every time you reapply wax (or a sealant) the original paint would eventually get thin.

(Side note: with coatings nowadays I guess you could prep the surface once and then not need to do much maintenance for a long time. So I guess that is one way to keep original show car paint for a long time. Let's assume you want to wax or use a sealant though).

[acuRAS82]

I dont own show cars, but if I did, I would have no issue re-waxing without prep. You may get slightly better results prepping, particularly after an extended period of tone. But if the car isn’t dealing with road grime and heavy contaminants, you could go a long time without prepping, just remember-waxing as needed, with the car still looking great.

Heck, you can re-wax on top of a daily driver and it won’t hurt anything except possibly longevity. Eventually the paint will gain enough embedded crud and contaminants though that us geeks would decide its time to clay/polish just to start fresh again.

But I think there are plenty of show car owners, in the forums and your average Joe outside who only reapply wax for years on end.

[acuRAS82]

(Side note: with coatings nowadays I guess you could prep the surface once and then not need to do much maintenance for a long time. So I guess that is one way to keep original show car paint for a long time. Let's assume you want to wax or use a sealant though).

And regarding this statement, depending on how you wash the car (are you instilling swirls or not?), there may be less difference than you’d think between:

- keeping a show car coated, therefore not needing to polish during that time

versus

- keeping a show car waxed (reapplying as often as needed) for the same amount of time.

The car is being protected for the same period of time before the next polish.

In either case the paint sees no severe conditions besides time and garage dust and occasional outdoor dust. The wax example here may even aid in reducing embedded dirt by way of the wax solvents cleaning the surface a little bit each time you re-wax.

[mc2hill]

I am lucky enough to help maintain a 1912 race car (built from period parts over 14 years - so it is more like a pre-war hot rod). The car is BC/CC, and I have only corrected it 2 times in the 6 years it has been completed - before it's unveiling at a local Concours, and after the owner got is stuck in the mud trying to get it in his driveway.
Otherwise I do a rinseless wash using the 'bucket of towels' method, wipe it down with Eraser or a paint cleaner, and apply glaze & paste wax. I apply the LSP to everything - the body, seat frames, spare tire holder, wooden platform over the frame, the wooden dashboard, the gloss black powdercoated frame, and the 24" tall wooden wheels. Every except the brass radiator, the copper gas tank, and the stainless steel floor - the owner does all the metal polishing.

[Mike Phillips]

Great question.


Me?

I would get the car clean, however you do it. Normal wash, rinseless wash, waterless wash, spray detailer etc.

Then standard protocols.


1: Inspect paint visually - use good light.

2: Inspect paint tactically - feel the paint.




If they meet your expectations - move forward with re-waxing. You could use a one-step cleaner/wax which is actually a great way to take care of garage queens, museum cars, etc.

Just pick a great one-step product.

[Mike Phillips]

I ask because I am trying to get an idea of how people maintain show/museum cars (or near-show cars).

I would say "not enough people" maintain show and museum cars. Just because someone owns a Special Interest Vehicle or SIV that does not mean they know how to properly maintain it. Same for museum cars. Most of the cars I've seen in museums look like crud.

These cars have value in keeping the original paint, and these cars are around for many years (20,30,40,etc).

And thus the reason I wrote my original article on how to work on antique and original single stage paint. From 2010 and as I type - this article has over 303 replies and over 6 hundred thousand views. That's a lot of views considering 99.9% of the driving population owns a car with a CLEARCOAT finish.

The Secret to Removing Oxidation and Restoring a Show Car Finish to Antique Single Stage Paints

If you abrade the surface every time you reapply wax (or a sealant) the original paint would eventually get thin.

There's two types of waxes and sealants, and now ceramic based products.

1. Cleaning
2. Non-cleaning

Theoretically if you're re-waxing paint that does not need any prep work as in no compounding or polishing - and if you used a non-cleaning wax, then you would not be removing any paint.

If you use a quality one-step AIO or cleaner/wax or cleaner/sealant or ceramic AIO - you would still only be removing faint amounts if you're using good technique. If the paint on said cars is already thin and you see primer showing through - then "yes" a cleaner/wax could expose more primer.

(Side note: with coatings nowadays I guess you could prep the surface once and then not need to do much maintenance for a long time. So I guess that is one way to keep original show car paint for a long time.

Getting deep here. Part of installing most ceramic coatings is CHEMICALLY STRIPPING THE PAINT TO REMOVE OILS - on an old single stage paint, the act of chemically stripping the paint can DULL it down. It's more complicated than it seems when dealing with antique and/or original single stage lacquers and enamels.

But - if the paint is in great shape and already has a HARD SHINE - as in no oxidation, (like you would hope for a show car or a museum car), then "yes" you could install a ceramic coating and not dull the paint. It's a car-by-car situation.

Let's assume you want to wax or use a sealant though).

A real simple approach for this type of thing is a really nice one-step cleaner/wax used or applied intelligently.

Here's an example and this was for NEGLECTED paint. You could easily use this product, (Pinnacle Jeweling Wax), on paint in good and/or excellent condition very safely.

Original Paint Restoration - 1970 Bronze Metallic Corvette - Pinnacle Jeweling Wax- Porter Cable

[vaced]

I dont own show cars, but if I did, I would have no issue re-waxing without prep. You may get slightly better results prepping, particularly after an extended period of tone. But if the car isn’t dealing with road grime and heavy contaminants, you could go a long time without prepping, just remember-waxing as needed, with the car still looking great.

Heck, you can re-wax on top of a daily driver and it won’t hurt anything except possibly longevity. Eventually the paint will gain enough embedded crud and contaminants though that us geeks would decide its time to clay/polish just to start fresh again.

But I think there are plenty of show car owners, in the forums and your average Joe outside who only reapply wax for years on end.

Great question.


Me?

I would get the car clean, however you do it. Normal wash, rinseless wash, waterless wash, spray detailer etc.

Then standard protocols.


1: Inspect paint visually - use good light.

2: Inspect paint tactically - feel the paint.




If they meet your expectations - move forward with re-waxing. You could use a one-step cleaner/wax which is actually a great way to take care of garage queens, museum cars, etc.

Just pick a great one-step product.

Thanks, both of you. This is exactly the information I was looking for.

I am lucky enough to help maintain a 1912 race car (built from period parts over 14 years - so it is more like a pre-war hot rod). The car is BC/CC, and I have only corrected it 2 times in the 6 years it has been completed - before it's unveiling at a local Concours, and after the owner got is stuck in the mud trying to get it in his driveway.
Otherwise I do a rinseless wash using the 'bucket of towels' method, wipe it down with Eraser or a paint cleaner, and apply glaze & paste wax. I apply the LSP to everything - the body, seat frames, spare tire holder, wooden platform over the frame, the wooden dashboard, the gloss black powdercoated frame, and the 24" tall wooden wheels. Every except the brass radiator, the copper gas tank, and the stainless steel floor - the owner does all the metal polishing.

That sounds like a blast!

Also, applying the LSP to everything seems like a great call. As things age I feel like the elements are able to get to such places (seat frames, dashboards, etc).

And thus the reason I wrote my original article on how to work on antique and original single stage paint. From 2010 and as I type - this article has over 303 replies and over 6 hundred thousand views. That's a lot of views considering 99.9% of the driving population owns a car with a CLEARCOAT finish.

The Secret to Removing Oxidation and Restoring a Show Car Finish to Antique Single Stage Paints

I should have known you would have an article!