How to Wax Your Car Like a Pro

Although waxing your car might feel time-consuming the protection it offers to your paintwork and the improvement it makes to the way your car looks are often overlooked by drivers and actually, with the new way of waxing it requires a bit less elbow-grease than it used to be. While most waxes come in tub form, meaning a lot of hard work and elbow grease, you can now also get car waxed in a spray form, making it much easier to use and far less hard work than it might initially have seemed.

For this post we asked our friends from BigMotoringWorld.co.uk to give tips on how to wax your car like a pro. Here are some of the insights they gave us.

The best way to start is to wash your car so that is clean and free of any debris or dirt. You need to then dry all of the bodywork before you can start applying the wax, so it’s a good job to do on a sunny weekend.

Make sure you buy a good quality car wax and don’t use anything other than products which have been designed specifically for cars; otherwise you might end up damaging your car’s paintwork instead of protecting it.

It’s important to read the instructions carefully from the wax manufacturer and to follow what they say as some brands work differently to others, so make sure you check and read all the labels first.

Once you have your tub or spray to hand, make sure they are ready to use. Remove any seals and lids from the tub or make sure the spray is set to on, and then you are ready to start waxing your car.

Decide which area of your car you will wax first and then begin to apply the wax to the bodywork. If you are using a tub you will need a pad to apply it and you will need to apply it using a circular action.

With a spray you will need to simply point and spray at the car. The aim with both types is to coat the car in a thin layer of wax all over – you want to make sure the whole of the car is covered.

It’s important that you only apply the wax to the painted bodywork – you should not use the wax on any plastic areas, the headlights, tail lights or the mirrors and windows of the car. Make sure you only apply it according to the instructions.

Once the car has been waxed you will see it start to dry – this can be spotted as the car will look matte and if you touch the surface it will feel almost chalk-like. Don’t leave the wax on too long or it will be harder to get off your car.

You can then take a soft cloth of any kind and wipe the wax away from your car and give it a good polish. The spray wax is generally also easier to wipe off than the dried on wax so it’s worth bearing that in mind when you are deciding which to buy.

Once you have removed all of the wax from the car it should be clean, shiny and glossy and ready to go. With the new spray and wipe waxes it is now much quicker and easier to wax your car than it used to be.

However, some research has shown that the spray on wax effects might not last as long as using the wax from a tub – however, with the spray on being so much quicker to do, having to wax more frequently might still be more appealing than having to spend a whole Saturday afternoon doing it with a tub.

What’s not in doubt is that whichever way you choose to wax your car, it will help to protect your car and keep it looking great for longer. Wax can protect your paint from the effects of the sun, rain and snow.

It also forms a protective barrier against abrasive dirt and grit which could otherwise scratch and damage your car so whether you spend a whole Saturday with the traditional wax on, wax off method, or you opt for an easier spray on, wipe off approach, your car will still thank you.

If you can’t bear the thought of giving up any time on a precious Saturday then why not book your car in for a professional clean and valet at a service centre and have someone else do it for you instead?

This time of year is the perfect choice to wax your car, to make sure the paintwork is ready to cope with the glaring sunshine of the summer months and it should also be one of the steps you take in autumn, to prepare your car’s bodywork for the intense challenges which winter brings to all vehicles travelling on the gritty, snowy roads.