[Lenaxia]

I am just finishing up getting everything I need for detailing but this step continues to confuse me.

Assuming I do the standard wash, clay, polish, seal, carnuba, in 3 weeks after the carnuba starts to wear off how do I reapply the wax without having to strip the sealant and do it all over again?

Can I just reapply the new wax over the old wax? Wouldn't that potentially cause hazing, not to mention trap lots of dirt between the layers? As far as I understand things, claying sealant is silly.

Even if I wash my car well, doing a front/back motion while applying wax even with clean MFs can still introduce marring, no?

[MuttGrunt]

Lots of questions; that's a good thing. It shows you've thought about things and care about your vehicle.

Go ahead and apply another layer of wax or sealant over whatever you have. Wax doesn't "bond" - that's just not how it works, so there shouldn't be any problems. Hazing is an issue you'll only run into if you try to apply more than 1 layer at once. More than 2 layers at a time and you're guaranteed to experienced problems.
To avoid waxing over dirt, wash your car thoroughly and properly first. After drying, wax / seal. Can the motion of putting wax on potentially cause damage? Sure can - just like any other time your vehicle is touched. That's why detailing stuff is all about reducing risk .
I'd only recommend claying when you're going to do some type of polish afterwards. Claying has a much higher chance of damaging your finish than waxing.

[drvai]

Ideally you would need to strip the old wax, at least if it has been there for weeks.
With that said, if you do a really good car wash, it should be Ok.
It's definitely not going to damage the pain.

[MuttGrunt]

There is absolutely no reason you'd need to strip the paint once again.

[drvai]

Originally Posted by MuttGrunt

There is absolutely no reason you'd need to strip the paint once again.

Well, if you have waxed a couple of months ago and the paint is full of dirt that only the clay will remove (rail or brake dust, tree sap, etc), it's better to start from scratch and remove the old wax, clay and then wax.

[m34SPD]

^ Not true.

[DetailAddict]

+1!

Originally Posted by MuttGrunt

Lots of questions; that's a good thing. It shows you've thought about things and care about your vehicle.

Go ahead and apply another layer of wax or sealant over whatever you have. Wax doesn't "bond" - that's just not how it works, so there shouldn't be any problems. Hazing is an issue you'll only run into if you try to apply more than 1 layer at once. More than 2 layers at a time and you're guaranteed to experienced problems.
To avoid waxing over dirt, wash your car thoroughly and properly first. After drying, wax / seal. Can the motion of putting wax on potentially cause damage? Sure can - just like any other time your vehicle is touched. That's why detailing stuff is all about reducing risk .
I'd only recommend claying when you're going to do some type of polish afterwards. Claying has a much higher chance of damaging your finish than waxing.

[dday]

Originally Posted by drvai

Well, if you have waxed a couple of months ago and the paint is full of dirt that only the clay will remove (rail or brake dust, tree sap, etc), it's better to start from scratch and remove the old wax, clay and then wax.

There shouldn't be any need to clay every 2 months. I clay 2 times per year. the amount embedded in your paint at 2 months is tiny. You can def reapply wax or sealant without claying.

[ksoze]

But wax will need to be applied over any sealant and if sealant is applied, it will nned to be on a wax stripped car to bond. Correct?

[dday]

Originally Posted by ksoze

But wax will need to be applied over any sealant and if sealant is applied, it will nned to be on a wax stripped car to bond. Correct?

Yes, wax after sealant. Your sealant should last a while though so I generally seal, then wax, then a couple months later wax again. 4 months in if you want to strip the car you could, but even then you still might not really need to clay. It all depends on conditions and use.

I only clay if I'm going to polish.

[Bobble]

What Matt and DDay said. You can reapply your wax anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks after depending on conditions, how much sun and water exposure primarily. Try to always do the thinest application layers possible, you might think it's too thin but it really is not and wax just sits on top of the finish. Sealant should last 4 to 6 months easy with wax applications like you mentioned. I would only strip and clay when you polish and seal no need other than that time. My cars have a single layer of sealant and two very thin coats of wax applied about a week apart and I reapply a thin coat of wax about every two months as an example. Thin is key to prevent hazing.

[MuttGrunt]

Originally Posted by ksoze

But wax will need to be applied over any sealant and if sealant is applied, it will nned to be on a wax stripped car to bond. Correct?

To get maximum durability, you'd want to apply sealant directly to the paint and not over anything else.

That being said... how strong do you think the product will "bond" to the surface? Applying over what you might already have might take away some durability, but how much do you think? Three days? A week? A Month?
You're taking very good care of your car and you're not trying to get maximum durability - you reapply before the product is completely gone which is the right thing to do. If you choose, you can just apply directly over what you already have and I can promise you won't be driving your car a month from now and see some huge chunk of sealant peeling off your car because you didn't apply it directly to the paint.


To achieve the highest results possible, there's a certain way to use products. That being said, I only clay and polish my Summer car once a year. I maintain her after washes with Red Mist Tropical and wax her every 30-45 days with Souveran (my favorite wax on red).

[kmoto]

^^ How about favorite wax on jb?

[MuttGrunt]

Originally Posted by kmoto335i

^^ How about favorite wax on jb?

Haha - oddly enough I HATE Souveran on Black. Only like it on Red. Black needs something more crisp. Supernatural looks outstanding on it, but is a bit pricey for me to go around recommending to everyone without feeling like a jerk. For a similar result for a fraction of the price, I'd recommend looking into Dodo Juice's White Diamond which is based off the early Supernatural recipe. I also have liked Purple Haze on black cars.

Keep in mind that when it comes to black, nothing will look as good as the paint polished and well maintained.

[Undies]

Hello,

i used menzerna power lock sealant waited 24 hours and applied autoglym HD wax. love the results.

my question is, its been 3 months since i've done this. can i put the sealant on again, and wait 24 hours to apply the wax on top? or just applying wax again should be sufficient?

i understand the sealant lasts 8-12 months, but if i could apply it again, i would....thoughts?

[MuttGrunt]

Originally Posted by Undies

Hello,

i used menzerna power lock sealant waited 24 hours and applied autoglym HD wax. love the results.

my question is, its been 3 months since i've done this. can i put the sealant on again, and wait 24 hours to apply the wax on top? or just applying wax again should be sufficient?

i understand the sealant lasts 8-12 months, but if i could apply it again, i would....thoughts?

Ahhhh you must have the ultra-rare edition of PowerLock made from Unicorn dust that gives 8-12 months of durability. I'll still try to answer your questions as if you had the "normal" formula that will give you 5-6 months of durability however.

Just because a sealant has a wax over it doesn't mean it doesn't degrade. UV rays will penetrate all layers of protection. You can add another layer of sealant over top, add another layer of sealant followed by another layer of wax, add another layer of wax, or strip it all and do anything else you'd like to do. Just keep in mind your total protection is all one barrier - not a bunch of individual barriers when it comes down to how long it will last.

[Joonsup]

i need some of that unicorn dust for my jb

[Bobble]

Is unicorn dust like poly charging a product??
Ah better living thru chemistry as we said quite frequently in the 70's and some how lived thru it.

I vote PB Natty's blue on JB, nice price point and looks pretty wet to me.

[Envious Eric]

natty's blue looks good, wolfgang fuzion looks good, collinite 845, meguiars nxt, p21s 100% carnuba looks really good.

marc, send me a sample of the unicorn dust when you get some! I'd like to try it out!

Guys, sealants last about 5-6 months, waxes about 5-6 weeks. when you put on 3 layers of sealant, you dont get 15 months of protection. you are still in the 5-6 months range. Just like if you have 10 layers of your favorite carnuba wax, you dont get a full year of protection, you just get a sore arm!

[drvai]

Originally Posted by jattditutti

^ Not true.

Why not?
Using fresh was will alsways be better. No need to clay again.

[Lenaxia]

Thanks for the great replies everyone, its cleared up pretty much everything, except for the last thing matt said!

Originally Posted by MuttGrunt

Ahhhh you must have the ultra-rare edition of PowerLock made from Unicorn dust that gives 8-12 months of durability. I'll still try to answer your questions as if you had the "normal" formula that will give you 5-6 months of durability however.

Just because a sealant has a wax over it doesn't mean it doesn't degrade. UV rays will penetrate all layers of protection. You can add another layer of sealant over top, add another layer of sealant followed by another layer of wax, add another layer of wax, or strip it all and do anything else you'd like to do. Just keep in mind your total protection is all one barrier - not a bunch of individual barriers when it comes down to how long it will last.

If I'm reading right, you're saying that Undies can apply sealant directly over his old wax and sealant without stripping it, but previously you had said:

To get maximum durability, you'd want to apply sealant directly to the paint and not over anything else.

Unless you're saying he "can" do it, it just won't give him ideal results.