I heard a new one today.
I was riding with a guy that told me that a body shop guy (at a dealership) had told him that you should never wax a car because the clear coat is all you need.
Has anyone heard this before? I told him the guy probably want's him to get a new paint job (or car) a few years down the road.
Is there an reason to not wax your car?
Both of my Lexus' (Lexae?) are black.

 

You BETTER wax it before it starts fading, chipping, and wearing out. Especially BLACK. GL!

 

Clearcoat is paint. Paint is put on a car to prevent rust and make it look nice. Paint will keep your car from rusting for a long time without wax. It will not look all that nice after a while. It will look much better and last even longer with regular washing and waxing. Ever seen a car with clearcoat failure? Unprotected paint will not last as long or look as good as protected paint.

Your friends bodyshop guy is not well informed to put it politely.

 

wax! Your clearcoat will thank you later

 

I would recommend you use a wax or a sealant to protect the paint. They help protect the paint, enhance the shine and prevent the addition of swirls, etc. while washing and drying. If you need any product recommendations please let us know.

Greg @ Detailed Image

 

J-as much as I agree with you, the bolded statement is untrue, except in climates devoid of salty winters. Yesterday, I saw a 2007 or 2008 Cavdillac XLR (i think, it was the wagon), and it had rust on BOTH rear wheel wells. the paint was bubbling and everything. I also drove a 2006 Maxima 3.5SE in red, that had the cancer on the hood. Without wax, your car will rust within the first or if you are lucky, the second, salty winter. Too many people think that the wax at an automatic car wash is more than enough, even more think the rain does a fine job of washing their car.

Again J, not calling you out, you know your stuff, just trying to clarify, in case you didnt catch it.

 

Make note of this person and never let him touch your car or give you advice again. The guy has no clue what he is talking about and sadly many in their fields/jobs don't know what the hell they are talking about. I wish I had pictures of all the cars I have seen that were not that old where the owners never waxed and how poor of condition their paint is so I can show that guy. These cars will need a bunch of money spent on repaints because the owner never bothered to wax/wash their cars.

I remember my grandfathers neighbor owned a couple of the same model riding lawnmowers all bought at the same time and the one he used all the time he would apply wax/sealant to it routinely but only hosed down and never waxed the others. I remember looking at them and the difference in the one he waxed and the ones he did not wax was huge as the other ones paint was fading and rust developing in several spots where the one he waxed looked almost new with no fade or rust spots.

My grandmother had a silver late 80's Pontiac Bonneville that was never waxed and after awhile the crappy GM paint was fading, flaking, and peeling off really bad on the hood/roof/trunk. A neighbor had the same model Bonneville yet waxed his car pretty religiously and the fading was barely noticeable and nothing was peeling or flaking off. Sealant/Wax protects your paint finish, bottom line, and you absolutely need it on the car if the vehicle is exposed often to harsh weather, constant sunlight, road salt, sea salt, tree sap, bird droppings, etc unless you want to deal with a expensive repaint sooner then you expect.

 

wax protects your paint + Clear coat from LOTS of Shizzit..

i guess if you think about it.. Wax is like a buffer between the outside world and your clear coat..

you only have so much walls and gates (clearcoat) before the bad guys (UV rays, contaminants etc) invade and destroy the fort (paint). Wax is the force field that protects your gate and fort =p.. n it can be replenished!

 

The information here is all heresay. You heard one guy saying what some other guy said.

It could have been some special circumstance, which your buddy or you may have misheard.


For example, if you're leasing a car for 3years, no need to wax it, because you're just going to turn it in after 3years. Save your money and time.

Or someone had just put on a really complex zaino or other polymer "clearcoat". Perhaps your friend is completely a n00b in the ways of auto detailing. So to make it simple for him, they are treating him like a child and stold him don't wax it, so he doesn't go out and immediately mess up their job by globbing on some cheapo cleaner wax.

I'm not saying these were the circumstances of the statment, just that the original statement is completely unknown.

It's as good as the invisible "It's been said that...." or "People say that you.." (e.g. Some people say that obama is not black enough ) that they use in gotcha interviews. The argument is completely unattributable! No one really has said the statement except for the interviewer themselves trying to make an invisible controversy.

 

wait.... hehehe.... have you been sniffing paint?