Advice on Waxing

[z28camaro2471]

Originally Posted by Dragoneye

Thanks guys...First thing that came to mind was how everyone always goes on about Zaino...but I think I'm going to leave that for my future Camaro . It's good to know that it lasts a while. But I'll be picking up some Mequire's for now, all I wanted for the Cobalt is an average wax-job, anyways. Now for two somewhat silly questions.

1) I can still wash the car after I put the wax on, without having to re-wax it right afterwards, right?

2) My Dad's got a '79 Camaro...However, I think it's safe to say that this poor thing has never been waxed all its life. The clearcoat is all but gone (if there ever was any to begin with ) so the car doesn't 'shine'...in fact, it's pretty dull. Can I wax it without harming anything?

(It might be important to note that there is one pinhead's worth of rust in one of the seams btw. body panels.)

Thanks again, all!

1. Yeah, you'll be fine. Just make sure you wash it with car wash soap, not dish wash soap, the detergents will strip the wax and even potentially damage the clear coat. If you use a quality wax, 2 times a year for a daily driver should be more than enough.

2. It's gonna need more than wax. I think a wetsand and buff are in order. You can wax it if you want, but this may be better left to a professional. May cost a couple hundred or so, but I think you'll be pleased. Have the rust taken care of while you're at it, it's only gonna get worse.

[Silverado]

Absolutely you can wash the Cobalt after waxing without rewaxing....as mentioned, use a Car Wash not a dish detergent...you will strip off the wax and possibly harm the clearcoat.

As for the '79....waxing it would be better than nothing....but, when you wax it, you will notice the color coming off on the rag/wax applicator/buffer/etc. You can get it professionally done, and if you are taking care of the rust and the paint, then you might as well finish it off and have them give it a coat or two of clear. That will help to not have to keep going through this process every time.

While we're on the topic, has anyone used the Mother's Powerball line of products (the one for wheels and plastics, and the new one for paint)? If you've used them, how did they work out? I know they make a decent line of waxes and such, but how well do the powerball things work? I've been thinking about getting a couple of them out of the lineup, but haven't really decided yet.