How to Pick Out the Right Car Wax for Your Car
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by: rickashman
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Word Count: 513
Car wax adds longevity and shine to your cars finish, but only if you choose the right wax. 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. Here are a few questions you need to ask as you pore over the vast selection of car waxes available at your local auto store.
Do you want shine, or depth of color? A natural car wax like Carnauba wax will shine slightly less brightly than artificial waxes, but will give the color depth. 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 especially prone to flatten dark colors. For the best possible color on darker cars, experts suggest waxing them only with natural waxes. For lighter cars, either natural or artificial waxes are good, depending on whether you want your cars finish to be shinier or to have more richness of color.
Does the exterior of your car include much plastic? 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 durable do you want the car wax to be, and how long are you willing to spend in applying it? Consumer Reports performed a comparison test and found that liquid waxes were the most durable and the best at cleaning. 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 suggested that spray on waxes were best for owners who were willing to reapply them frequently, for interim treatments between full treatments with more durable waxes, or for new cars whose factory fresh finishes required little attention. Paste waxes were about as durable as liquid waxes, and their application time was comparable. Although paste waxes used to be notoriously time consuming to apply, Consumer Reports noted that now they are packaged with applicators that have cut their application time significantly, even and made them slightly easier to apply than liquid waxes.
Consider whether color or shine is more important to you, whether you will need a wax that works well with plastic, how much time you can spend on waxing, and how often you plan to reapply wax. Be honest with yourself, and do not feel pressured to buy a wax that takes a lot of effort and upkeep simply because the experts say you should. 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.
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