No, there’s no valid reason to wax your car too much. Waxing your car once in 3-4 months is enough. Excessive waxing will cause build-up and clouding. If you use a paste wax too often on your brand-new car, it can damage the clear coat.
So, it’s better to keep things balanced and wax your car at the right interval. The interval varies according to which type of wax is used, climatic conditions, and environmental factors of your area.
Read on to know everything about ‘Can you wax your car too often?’ We’ll also share the right way to wax your car, how you can make the wax last longer, and some useful tips and tricks regarding the application of wax.
How Does Car Waxing Work?
Car waxing is a part of the maintenance and it’s directly applied to the topcoat of a car. Waxing is done to protect the car body paint. It helps to maintain the color and shine of your car and avoid dullness.
The wax hardens to a solid but thin layer on top of the car’s clear coat.
After the wax hardens, it will stay there as long as it doesn’t naturally wear away. Waxing is done to protect the car body paint. It helps to maintain the color and shine of your car and avoid dullness.
Over time, dirt, sunlight, and other contaminants scrape away the layers of wax. Eventually, the wax completely wears away and the topcoat of your car gets exposed.
For this, you need to reapply wax whenever needed. So, how do you know when your car needs waxing? Pin it for later, we’ll discuss it in another section.
Can You Wax Your Car Too Much?
Although you can wax your car too much, it’s completely unnecessary. You’re just wasting time, money, and effort of you by doing so. Also, excessive waxing can hurt the paint or clear coat of your car so, it’s best not to do it too much.
There are some other reasons why it’s highly discouraged to wax your car too much.
Waste Of Money
The first drawback of wax is the waste of money, and waxing is not an affordable option that we can choose. Waxing 3 times is equal to waxing for a single time.
If you assume that waxing several times will provide your car’s coat with extra protection, it doesn’t make any sense. It is nothing but a waste of your money. Moreover, the harmful elements can irritate the coat due to several applications.
Time-Consuming
Waxing a car is a time-consuming process. It is a set of tasks that needs to be done. However, there are some alternatives to car waxing, like ceramic coating and spray sealant. So, if you are still thinking about waxing your car, it is similar to warming up yourself by walking rather than running.
Yet, it is optimum if you wax your can once in a couple of months. One holiday can be enough to do this job.
Seasonal Factor
At what time of the year you’re waxing the car can change a lot of things. It’s best to wax your car in Summer and Fall (we’ll discuss the details later). Not maintaining the time and waxing your car too randomly can make things worse.
So, try to maintain the seasonal factor as much as possible. Otherwise, you’ll just weaken the protectiveness of the wax.
How Often Should You Wax Your Car?
In general, you can wax your car every 3-4 months. But it highly depends on which type of wax you’re using. While natural Carnauba wax lasts only around 1 month, synthetic waxes last as long as up to 1 year.
If we become more specific, spray waxes last a few weeks to a month. And, if you use liquid and paste waxes, you can expect them to last around 3-4 months.
So, you need to be aware of the type of wax you’re using to determine how often it should be applied. Apart from the type of wax, there are a few more factors that determine how often to wax your car.
Season
The season matters because it’s best to wax your car at the beginning of Summer and Fall. It will ensure that the wax is durable.
Because waxing at the beginning of Summer provides the maximum protection from the intense sunlight. Without waxing (the protective coat), the UV rays from intense sunlight can fade your car’s paint throughout the summer.
Applying another coat of wax at the start of Fall will protect the clear coat of your car against harsh winter conditions.
This simple rule will help your car retain its shine and you can then wax every four months.
But if you wax the car in winter, chances are you’ll be needing to wax once a month or two. Because the harsh weather will damage the thin protective layer when your car is exposed to snow, ice, or other environmental elements.
Age of the car
Brand-new cars do not need wax for quite a long time. But if the car gets old, you’ll notice that the paintwork will be dull. There can be lots of scratches on the car as well.
For this, old cars need waxing more often to restore their color.
Environment
The air quality of where you live matters when it comes to wax application. If the air in your area is highly polluted, the wax will wear more quickly.
If you live in a cold region or near an industrial area; in both cases, you may need to wax your car more often. Also, if you park the car near the coast, chances are your car will come in contact with salt.
These are some examples of how your paint car can get damaged more quickly. In such cases, you may need to wax the car more often.
Formulation of the wax
There are many options when it comes to the chemical formula of car wax. The most commonly used ones are carnauba wax, silicon dioxide, montan wax, beeswax, and PTFE.
As we said before, natural waxes like carnauba or beeswax last less long than synthetic components such as silicon dioxide or PTFE.
It’s because synthetic waxes are more chemically resistant to withstand frequent car washes and extreme weather conditions than natural waxes.
Moreover, it’s better to use high-quality wax even if it costs more. Inexpensive waxes tend to wear out faster and you may need to reapply them too often which will eventually cause you to spend more.
Wax application
Whether you’re applying the wax in the correct way or not will affect the longevity of the wax. You must follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully because different waxes need different methods of application.
Moreover, you must give the wax adequate time to cure properly.
Remember that cold temperatures affect the curing process of waxes as well. If the temperature is below 41 degrees Fahrenheit, the wax will have difficulty in curing.
Applying wax on super hot days also reduces the longevity of the wax.
How often you drive
Daily drivers surely will need to wax their cars more often compared to garaged weekend cars. It doesn’t mean you should drive your car less often. You just need to be careful about the maintenance of the wax.
Maintenance
It’s a must to maintain the wax properly. Wash your car every 1-2 weeks so the wax doesn’t clog up on your car. But don’t wash it too often because it can cause the wax to degrade prematurely; just keep things balanced.
Moreover, find solutions like pH-neutral pre-wash/snow foam and shampoos to wash your car that help prevent the wax from degrading. But still, if the car is too messy or dirty, you’ll need to use a stronger alkaline pre-wash to wash the car.
Tip: You can use a top-up quick detailer spray after every time you wash the car. It will help extend the longevity of the wax.
How to Tell That Your Car Needs Waxing
As promised, here’s how you can test whether you need to apply a new wax layer to your car.
Water Beading
Wax makes your car hydrophobic, which means that water will not stay on the hood. Instead, the water will roll away or bead up if the wax is fine. So, you can mist your car with water and check whether the water shows a beading effect.
If the wax on your car is too old and needs a new application asap, you’ll notice two things:
- The beads will look flatter and be less pronounced
- The beading ability will be zero and the water will be evenly coating the paint.
The first point indicates that you need to top up the wax using a spray wax or a proper coating. The second point indicates that the wax is very old and there’s no protection on the surface, meaning it’s a must to apply a wax in no time.
Water Sheeting
Water beading may not work for some waxes that are designed differently. In such cases, you can test the water sheeting process.
Rinse your car using a light-pressure hose. If you see the water push off the surface very quickly, the wax is still there and it’s strong. However, if the water tends to linger on the paint, you may need to reapply the wax.
Touch-Test
Another process of checking is just a touch test. You need to run your finger along the car’s body and feel the wax. Your finger will smoothly glide across the waxed surface if the wax is present and it’s healthy.
How To Wax Properly?
No matter how light the work is, we must always do it correctly. And, waxing is not trivial at all. Wax enriches the glossiness of your car, but if you do it wrong, it will decrease its beauty of it. So, follow the steps properly to apply wax and furnish it with a top coat.
- Start by washing your car. Use clean water and soap to wash your car because it’s always best not to wash it with harsh chemicals. Wax will not set properly on dirty or wet surfaces, so, make sure the car is dry after you wash it.
- In this step, polish your car as it’s important to deal with the worn-out look of your car and its scratches and faded paint. Once you polish the car, it will remove a thin layer of clear coat and expose another coat that’s smoother and has more color.
- Find a suitable location where you’ll wax your car. Make sure the area isn’t too hot as the wax will dry excessively faster here. Also, too cold a temperature will make the wax application difficult too. For this, wax your car somewhere at 55-65 degrees Fahrenheit temperature. Waxing in the morning or late night would be better than the other times of the day.
- If it’s a paste wax, apply the wax using a foam applicator or simply with a damp wax. And, things will be even easier with spray wax.
- Don’t forget to read the instructions you’ll find on the wax’s label before you apply the wax.
- Now, apply a thin layer of wax because a thick layer will not make the surface shinier. A thick layer will be even harder to remove as well. Also, don’t put too much force on the surface when applying the wax. Instead, apply the wax in an even and circular motion on one panel at a time.
- After that, you need to wait until the wax is dry to a light haze. The time can vary according to different waxes. It’s better to take see the recommended duration on the wax label.
- Once the wait is over, take a clean microfiber cloth to wipe off the wax. Remove the wax in circular motions. Keep two microfiber cloths around you so you can change them when needed.
Tips to Make Car Wax Last Longer
Although no wax will last a lifetime, below are some tips that will extend the shelf-life of your car wax.
- Make sure you apply the wax at temperatures between 45-68℉. And, avoid applying the wax in direct sunlight.
- Choose a high-quality and more durable option such as a synthetic paste wax rather than using a natural wax.
- Prepare your car for waxing properly. It’s a must to decontaminate and remove old wax layers before you wax the car. Apply the wax to the bare paint.
- Do not park the car under trees where there’s a high risk of bird poop.
- Wash your car regularly using pH-neutral pre-wash shampoo.
- Avoid waxing on a very hot or cold day to make sure that the application is properly done.
Frequently Asked Question
1. Can you wax a car too many times?
Answer: No, it is not an ideal task to do. Applying too much wax does not enhance the beauty of your car. No matter how many layers you polish with wax, the result is always the same.
Too much application of wax may harm your car’s paint. The optimum use of wax is once in two months.
2. Can I wax my car every week?
Answer: No, you can’t use wax every week. Too much application may damage the paint of your car. Wax contains many elements like polymers, resins, and other types of wax. The optimum use of wax is once in two months.
Moreover, you can’t find any difference between using it once a week and once every two months. Both provide the same protection.
Conclusion
Undoubtedly, wax is essential, but we must not apply it too much. The ideal waxing period is once in 70 to 90 days. So, can you wax your car too much? Now you know whether you can or not. You can use wax once a month, but you must use the traditional waxing elements, which cost higher than the average ones.
