How often should I “wax” my vehicle?

Posted October 11, 2021 by Josh Hart, Onsite Detail

Vehicle protection is super important. One way to protect your vehicle’s exterior is car wax.

What Car Wax to Use for Your Car - Onsite Detail, St. George, Utah

If you’re wondering what “wax” for vehicles is, it is a synthetic or a carnauba product that provides a thin layer of protection over your vehicle’s paint. This thin layer of protection will help protect your vehicle from harmful contaminants. Here are a few examples of what it would protect vehicles from.

  • UV Rays 
  • Rain
  • Dirt
  • Hard Water
  • Iron Composites

I’m sure there are more to be listed. Wax can also help enhance your vehicle’s paint! Now that we have studied up a little on what a car “wax” is, let’s switch to the question: how often should you wax your vehicle?

 

How Often Should I Wax My Car? - Onsite Detail, Salt Lake City, Utah

How often should I “wax” my vehicle? This is a question we get often and the true answer is, “it depends on you, your vehicle and the conditions (wear and tear) your vehicle sees.” 

When wanting to apply wax on your vehicle, it has been said that applying wax twice a year would be recommended as a minimum before summer and before winter. Apply this layer of wax in spring time to help with harmful UV rays from the sun and once right before winter hits to protect from road salt and snow. However, some people like to wax their car up to four times in a year.

Apply a car wax right before each season. It is said that most waxes will wear off after 2 weeks to 6 months from application date. This all depends on if your vehicle is a daily driver, driving in the rain for a consecutive amount of day, how often you wash your car, etc. This also varies on what kind of wax is applied. Synthetic waxes chemically bond to the clear coat which in return typically provides a longer lasting coating. Synthetic waxes will most commonly last from 3 to 6 months. Carnauba waxes will commonly last from 2 weeks to 4 months. Carnauba waxes are best for the ultimate shine look and synthetic waxes are best for protection for a longer amount of time without enhancing the vehicle’s paint. 

Is it possible to wax your car too much? Yes and no. This will vary greatly on the type of wax and method and process of application. After applying wax to your vehicle over the recommended amount could damage the factory clear coat by causing build up and clouding. However, a synthetic coating would take much longer for damages to appear. Make sure you follow the wax manufacturer’s recommendations and proper application techniques to avoid damage.

Most professional detailers have moved away from 100% natural waxes and use more synthetic waxes and paint sealants. Many others, including Onsite Detail have also been able to offer ceramic coatings as the ultimate protection for your vehicles.

Check out our blog on different types of vehicle protection and get some more answers to some of your questions regarding vehicle protection.

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