A lot of us have been waxing our cars for years. Mainly because we as car enthusiasts care about the way our cars look and want to keep them looking good. So we grab a can or bottle of our favorite wax after washing our car, put some on our applicator pad and spend the afternoon swirling it on every panel and wiping it off. Waxes and coatings have come a long, long way since those days though and while those old methods still work fine, you can protect your vehicle with a lot less steps these days in most cases and achieve the same results, or better.
This article is going to break down most of the main types of waxes, paint sealants, and synthetic polymer coatings available currently, along with their advantages. It can help you decide what type of product is best for you and your vehicles. Now keep in mind that the results you achieve with these products are purely based on the condition of your vehicle’s paint and how it is prepped beforehand. A clean, contaminant-free, swirl-free surface will always yield better results than applying directly to a paint surface that hasn’t been prepped at all.
So, I bet you’re asking yourself after this information overload, “Which product is right for me?” Well that is something you have to decide for yourself, but as you can see there are a lot of advantages to using different products. I personally recommend a paint sealant to most people, just because it gives you a lot of protection with very little maintenance in between application. If you mainly park your vehicle in the garage though and it’s just driven on occasion then maybe you need nothing more than a carnauba wax. Although you can achieve similar results from some of these other products with much less effort, so unless you really just like waxing your vehicle, then why waste the effort?
Another method, if you want the deep shine of carnauba but the protection of a paint sealant is that you can layer certain products. A very popular combination is Jescar PowerLock Plus topped with Collinite 845 Insulator Wax. Jescar PowerLock Plus is applied to the vehicle, then must cure for 3 hours, then you can apply the Collinite 845 on top of that. This combination gives an unbelievably deep shine and gloss, but also can protect the vehicle for 6-9 months! So while it takes a little more effort, you can achieve some amazing results with the combination.
Also, don’t forget to check out our articles on Ceramic Coating vs Wax and The Pros and Cons of Ceramic Coating. If you are looking for the ultimate gloss and protection for your vehicle, Ceramic Coatings can be a great option. While they are expensive to apply up front, you can get years of protection from a single application and proper care.
Chris Longino
Forum Username: Kompresshun
Instagram: @kompresshun
Twitter: @kompresshun
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