j_one

how many times do you guys wash your 8 and wax your 8? how do you put multiple coats of wax? i see people in this forum have 60+ coats in there 8s. i just want to know how they do this. i heard that if you wash and wax you car too much it will dull your paint. when do you guys wash and wax your 8s? thanx. dumb questions i know

Vertigo-1

iTrader: (3)

I'm curious about the same thing...I never have enough time or right arm strength to do more than a single coat of wax in one day, and I fear that washing the car would just strip the wax off. So once the car gets out onto the road, I feel like I gotta do it all over again eventually.

Blue87Sport

Short answer: The proper car shampoo will not strip the wax off. A good wax can last several months with regular washings.

Long answer: Go to http://autopia.org/ and research what they say about washing, polishing and waxing your car. All your questions and concerns can be answered there.

Flawless

Blue87Sport is very true. Most good car wash soaps will not remove wax. Any dish soap or crappy car wash soap (like Blue Coral) WILL remove some if not all of the wax on your car.

It's best to do a full wash using a dish soap to remove any wax. Then re-wash using a car wash soap. Then wax the car. Some waxes last 1 week some last 1 month, it all depends on the type of wax and what you are willing to spend.

As for the multiple coats, some waxes don't show a difference with multiple coats, some do. I personally usually do 2 coats using Meguiars NXT wax or P21S Carnauba. For more info, visit autopia.org; the car detailing forum. Or if you have any questions, pm me.

SayNoToPistons

iTrader: (8)

ok heres what i do on parents MPV and QX4 (since i dont have my own car yet):

wash - 1-2 times a week with megs nxt or gold class wash, eurow sheep skin mitt, 2 buckets

clay - whenever needed, usually 2-3 times a year

polish - whenever needed, usually 3-4 times on qx4 and 4-5 times a year on dark green mpv. i use a Porter Cable 7427 with LC orange pad, menzerna Intense polish or Poorboys SSR 2.5

wax- 1-2 times a month. Klasse All-in-one every 1-2months (usually after polish), four star ultimate paint protectant (damn its the best on light cars!! woo!) on QX4, NXT on MPV, both topped with megs #16, or poorboys natty's, sometimes i try S100.

i see some people herethat wash with bathroom towels, kitchen towels, sponges, tiny 2 gallon bucket, dry with kitchen towels bathroom towels. man those can cause major swirls!! got a sheep skin wash mitt (the wool ones, ya know) and some microfiber towels (cheapo costco mf are great noobie towels!) and use those instead. youll never go back! oh yeah and the 2 bucket formula! one for soapy clena water and one for rinse after going through each panel with mitt. well, just go to www.autopia.com as said before!

edit: i dont think washing and waxing the proper way could do any damage to your paint in anyway. just take a sunday and do a detail to your car every week. its well worth the time (only takes ~ 1 hours or less washing and another hour or 2 for waxing. use PC 7427 for polishing ofcourse. i wax by hand)

rAte

^^^ What he said!
Ah, to be young with free time and no wife, kid, pets, yard, bills...should I go on?

Seriously, I WISH is had the time to be that thorough. Now days it is wash 2x/month + wax as you dry ...detail every 3-4 months with Pinnacle paint cleanse and Pinnacle or Meguires Gold Wax.