How to Choose Car Wax
Written by: rickashman
Total views: 66 |
Word Count: 483 |
Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2008 |
0 comments
Car wax makes your cars "new car" shine last longer and restores shine to older cars, but only if you pick the right wax for your car. Some car waxes can scratch and haze your cars finish; others can make your finish gleam, but coat the plastic parts in a visible residue. When you go to choose from the shelves upon shelves of car waxes at your local auto store, here are a few questions to keep in mind.
Do you want shine, or depth of color? Natural car waxes, such as Carnauba wax, give a cars finish depth, but slightly less shine. Artificial waxes, like most liquid and spray on waxes, give a high shine but less depth of color, and can highlight fine scratches. Artificial waxes are particularly bad with dark colors. Experts suggest that dark cars be waxed only with natural waxes. Lighter cars can take either kind of wax, depending on whether you value color or gleam more highly.
Is there much plastic on your car? Some car waxes react poorly to matte plastic, especially the porous, dark kind so popular on recent models, and deposit a residue that may need extra attention with a special cleaner to remove. If your car has a lot of visible plastic, make sure the wax you choose is compatible with plastic.
How long do you want each application of car wax to last, and how much time are you willing to invest in waxing? Liquid waxes performed the best in durability and cleaning tests during a Consumer Reports comparison test of waxes. However, because they took extra time to spread evenly and without streaking, they took the longest to apply. Spray on waxes were the least durable and did the worst job at cleaning, but they were also the quickest and easiest to apply. Consumer Reports recommended them mainly for new cars whose finishes were in excellent condition, for owners who were willing to wax frequently, and for stopgap treatments in between treatments with liquid or paste wax. Paste waxes took about as long to apply as liquid waxes, and were about as durable. Consumer Reports noted that while paste waxes used to be difficult to apply, they now come with applicators that make them even easier to apply than liquid waxes.
Consider what quality you want the finish to have, whether the car wax will be compatible with the types of plastic on your car, how much time you want to spend applying wax, and how frequently you are willing to reapply the wax. Be frank with yourself about your goals, and do not feel that you should opt for a high effort, high upkeep wax just because the experts recommend it. Unless the experts are going to come and maintain your car for you, pick the car wax that is right for you and your car.
About the Author
For more about car wax, click to waterlesscarwashing.dad47.com.
Rating: Not yet rated