A few decades ago, everyone waxed their cars on weekends. It was the thing to do to make your car’s paint not only shine but last a long time. Today you rarely see anyone waxing their cars. The question is: should you? Here’s the story:

It started with horse-drawn carriages. The coatings on the carriages of yesteryear were oil-based. Oils, such as tung oil, linseed oil, were applied to both painted and unpainted surfaces. After drying over several days, they were hand-buffed to a high gloss. These oils not only looked good, they sealed the wooden surfaces.

The early automobiles also had wood frames and had similar paints and coatings and these methods carried over. In addition to oils, however, waxes began to be used to protect finished surfaces. The oils offered ease of application while waxes, which required some effort to apply, offered longevity. They didn’t have to be applied so often. Of the natural waxes, the detailing guys at www.amesford.com explained to us that Carnauba Wax was one of the hardest and most popular.

As the car industry shifted to lacquer-based paints and enamels, protectant technology changed and waxes really came into vogue. These new paints were more rugged than previous types but tended to fade over time. The automotive detailing industry then developed waxes containing light abrasives that allowed a detailer to remove a very thin top layer of the paint. This “polishing” process exposed the paints original showroom color and shine, and the waxes offered protection and gloss.

However, the auto industry switched to the new basecoat/clearcoat paint technology in the late 1980s and this changed things again. Traditional waxes/polishes weren’t mandatory anymore. In fact, they can be damaging to the surface of the clearcoated paints because extensive polishing can remove the top clearcoat. Today, most car manufacturers recommend against applying waxes/polishes containing abrasives on clearcoat finishes.

That being said, there are certain waxes and protectants that can polish and recondition clearcoat paint. For paint that is in good condition, non-abrasive products such as Optimum Car Wax will offer protection without damaging the paint.

For further advice, your local dealer or automotive parts store should be able to help you out.

Article Source: Ames Ford