  How to Apply Car Wax & Paint Sealants
Once you’ve chosen a car wax or paint sealant, you’ve got a couple of application options. You can apply it by hand or with a polisher. Even paste car waxes can be applied with a polisher. Here are some tips to give you the best results from your paint protection.
Hand Application
- Apply car wax or paint sealant in the shade. If the product dries too quickly or sits on the vehicle too long, it may be difficult to buff off.
- Always apply car wax or paint sealant to a dry vehicle. Droplets of water on the paint will cause the product to streak and it will be unnecessarily tough to buff off.
- Thin, thin, thin! Apply the thinnest coat you can. If you want more shine and depth, you’re not going to accomplish it in one thick coat. It just makes the wax or sealant difficult to remove and streaky. Buff one coat off before applying a second extremely thin coat. Check the label to see how long one coat has to cure before applying another (usually 12-18 hours).
- Poly foam wax applicators are the best for achieving a thin, even coat. They’re absorbent, durable, washable, and reusable. They’re also inexpensive, so don’t be afraid to throw them away when they get really soiled.
 Buff the haze away with microfiber. A quality microfiber towel, like the
Cobra Indigo Polishing Cloth, will buff your paint to a stunning shine as you remove the wax residue. The static-charged, woven fibers grab wax residue so there is less dusting, if any. Microfiber does not shed lint and the tiny, manmade fibers polish the paint while you buff. Rotate your towel frequently to reveal a clean side. Keep an extra Miracle Towel lying around in case the first one becomes caked with wax.
- If you do get streaks or an uneven shine, it’s easily corrected with a quick detail spray. Mist the surface with
Wolfgang Instant Detail Spritz or
Pinnacle Crystal Mist Detail Spray and buff away the problem.
Machine Application
- Select a foam finishing pad to apply wax.
This pad is soft and absorbent, but firm enough to withstand the pressure
of the machine. It’s perfect for any type of wax, even paste wax. A Lake
Country gray finishing pad is shown to the right.
- If you are using a paste wax, spread it onto the
pad like you’re buttering a piece of bread. You can turn the jar of wax
upside down and slide the wax out into a plastic sandwich bag to rub it
onto the pad, or you can use a clean putty knife. If you’re using a liquid
wax or sealant, dispense three 3” lines of wax around the edge of the pad.
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- If you’re using a liquid wax or sealant, press the
polisher to the paint and spread the wax over a panel before turning the
machine on. This will lessen the likelihood of splatter.
- Set your dual action polisher to a maximum speed of
3. Check the label of your particular wax for specific directions, but
generally this is the fastest speed you need to apply wax. Spread the wax
over the panel until it is evenly covered. Turn off your machine before
lifting it off the paint.
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- Buff with microfiber. Again, the Miracle Towel is
your best friend. Some products allow you to apply wax to the entire
vehicle before buffing, but many do not. If your wax does not, buffing by
hand may be most efficient. If your wax can be applied to the entire
vehicle before buffing, you might prefer to buff by machine using a
microfiber or terry cloth bonnet
over a
lambswool pad for cushioning. Microfiber
doesn’t shed lint like terry cloth can, but the choice is up to you.
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- Some people like to give their vehicle a final hand
buffing to remove any remaining wax that the polisher may have missed. Use
a
quick detail spray to buff out patchy
areas.
- If you want to add another coat of wax, give the
first coat time to cure. Also, make sure the wax you are using does not
contain cleaners. If it does, subsequent coats will only remove the
previous coat. It’s a lot of extra work for nothing.
Pinnacle Souverän and
P21S Concours Carnauba Wax do not
contain cleaners and can therefore be layered as many times as you want.
Paint Sealants, such as
Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0, can
also be layered, but allow it to cure 12 hours between coats.
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Concours Tip
If you really want to amplify the shine, apply a layer of carnauba over a layer of sealant. The sealant will create a glossy, hard coating while the carnauba wax will enhance the depth and dimension of the paint. A popular combination in the forums is
Klasse All-In-One under
Souverän.
 Glossary of Terms
1. Wax – a protective coating usually made from natural carnauba wax and polymers that provides a deep, reflective shine.
2. Sealant – a completely synthetic blend of polymers that provides long-lasting paint protection and shine.
3. Bonnet – made from terry cloth or microfiber, it fits over a lambswool pad on a dual action polisher for buffing purposes.
4. Dual action polisher – the head moves in two ways; it spins like an orbital and it oscillates. The motion is often described as jiggling. A DA polisher, like the Porter Cable 7424, will greatly improve the appearance of paint imperfections with minimal risk of burning the paint.
AutoGeek is a trusted name for carrying quality products. They also
carry a wide selection of products, so the choices are many. I appreciated
the car care articles on their website, which helped me to decide on the
right products for my cars. I received my shipment on time, and the items
were packed with care.
C. McAfee, Lake Forest, CA
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