I just bought my brand new vortex blue base fit AT and I'm trying to keep the paint looking amazing as long as possible. I've read a ton of forums on different kinds of wax and its all pretty confusing... I've put two coats of super hard shell turtle wax on it a few days apart and it shines like glass! The only problem is I'm worried how long this wax is going to last. I intend to wax often but my schedule gets pretty hectic and I would like to have some lasting protection on my Fit. I've heard great things about HD POXY and ordered some to try out. my questions are:
1. Does anyone know how well POXY holds up?
2. can I put the POXY on top of the turtlewax or do i have to strip the old stuff off first?

More info:
I live in Southern California and the main beating the wax needs to withstand is the heat and the dust.

My Current wax job:

 

wow that thing really shines, great job

 

yeah just trying to figure out how to get it to last...

 

I'm probably the wrong guy to ask (took an hour and a half to pry most of the bugs off the Fit after the last trip) but I think a good hard wax should last until fall when you might want to redo it for winter. Usually you get out of a wax job what you put into it.

Cheers.

 

As far as finding a product that will last, you'll just have to do your research by seeking out reviews of certain products. In my own research, I found that a carnauba wax was the way to go if I were looking for a lasting wax job as many of the newer synthetic waxes offer more of a high gloss show car shine for about two weeks versus a carnauba job that will last you 1-3 months. I prefer to use Meguiar's Gold Class Carnauba Liquid Wax. I went with Meg's because of their absolutely amazing online forum and customer service. Their forums have members who identify as DIYers, Professionals, CEOs, Regional managers, average Joes, etc. There are DIY guides for every single product in addition to endless discussion of product use and strategies involving individuals of a diverse detailing skill level.

I'd like to point out that wax is simply a protectant for your car's paint finish. The shine comes from polishing and the overall condition of the paint. Polish acts as a mild abrasive to eliminate the minor imperfections in the paint. If your paint has swirls and/or scratches, the color will not pop and the paint will appear dull. If your paint is free of scratches, color will pop and the car will shine. Many of today's car waxes double as a polishing wax so that the actual process of applying the wax eliminates those tiny scratches.

So, if you want your wax job to last and your paint job to pop and shine you will need to prepare the paint for the wax in the best way possible. First, you will want to wash the car. This involves rinsing, washing, rinsing, and drying. Every time you apply wax to your car you will want to wash your car with a car-specific shampoo, NOT dish soap. Waxing an unwashed car runs the risk of marring up the paint job during the application process should you pick up any debris with your applicator. Waxing an unwashed car will also trap dirt/pollen/debris in the wax coat which will make the finish appear dull and will also run the risk of those particles becoming bonded with the paint finish.

After washing/drying I want to assess the finish on my car. Even if I'm swirl-free I may have what are known as bonded-contaminants on my paint. This is that pollen, dust, dirt, bird funk that might have stayed on my car a bit too long and has bonded with the paint. I may not be able to see these contaminants but they will affect the final result making the finish appear dull and not allowing the wax to "hold" to the finish. There is a trick known as the "plastic bag test" where you put your hand in a plastic bag and feel the surface of the car. The bag will amplify your sense of touch and if you feel any bumps on your freshly washed and dried car, you will know your paint has bonded contaminants. To rid your finish of these contaminants you will want to use a clay bar. For purposes of length, I will not go into detail about the process of using the clay bar. After clay bar, I may want to polish the car if I see swirls or dullness in the paint.

Once you know your car is clean and you've done all the steps leading up to waxing it seems you've got the process of waxing down. Multiple coats will last longer. Apply a coat, wait a bit, apply another, wait a bit, apply another. One coat is enough and a good wax should last you about a month, two or three coats about two or three months. Avoid waxing your car in the sun. Letting the wax dry without the proper application will leave a hazy finish and an ineffective wax. If you need to wax in the sun, work in small patches. Allow your wax job to cure. After the initial waxing, keep your paint out of the elements for as close to 12 hours as you can. You do not have to wax your car every time you wash it. If dust is an issue where you live and you want a lasting finish just wash and dry the car and if you notice any trouble spots you can spot wax with a nice quick spray wax until next time you want to give your paint some good love.

A simple timeline for maintaining your paint:
Wash 3-4 times a month. Avoid automatic brush car washes to avoid swirl marks.
Polish as you see necessary.* **
Clay bar 1-2 times a year as necessary.**
Wax every 1-3 months depending on how many coats and as you see necessary. **

*Polishing is essentially the act of removing microns of your clear coat to bring the clear coat down to the layer of the swirl. Try not to over do the polish. Use the least intense method first, especially as you learn. Find a nice mild polish.

**Do not Polish, Clay Bar, or Wax without first washing the car.

Sorry this post is long and probably all over the place. I took a break for dinner and realized I wasn't really answering your question. I plan to post a detailed honda fit detailing diy guide in the future showing how I, a consumer level diy detailer, detail my car.

 

Congrats on the new Fit and yeah, waxing can be confusing to some of those out there and being a detailer on the side I can cut through the red tape for you and offer up my advice for you.

Keeping the car washed on a regular basis is the first thing to consider when wanting to keep it up. After every wash you could spray some quick detailer of your choice on it to keep the wax job fresh and also do this inbetween waxes, whenever you want infact.

Now, about twice a year your going to want to clay bar the car but if you live in a dusty area, you might wanna do it more. Clay barring is VERY EASY and fun to do. After you wash your car run your fingers over the paint, you'll more than likely feel little particles in the paint, its time to clay. Think of it like this, do you really wanna apply a coat of wax over that surface, a surface that has THAT on it, rubbing wax all over that, no way!

Now, after you clay you wanna atleast wax it to protect what you just did. Hand waxing is fine for this but after some time, your going to develop swirl marks and the best way to remove those is using a random orbital. I used to be afraid to use one but after being a customer of Griots Garage, I took the plunge and haven't looked back. Its COMPLETELY SAFE, no way to hurt the paint with this machine, it even comes with a fun and easy DVD. But, if you don't wanna do this, you should apply some type of swirl remover by hand after a claying session, then follow up with your choice of wax.

Speaking of wax, IMO, the best over the counter product out there is Mequiars NXT 2.0. The color and clarity of this product is amazing and its very easy to use and because its so easy to use, waxing once a month isn't a problem IMO. You can wax the entire car and then, take it off. They even say to let it sit for 15 minutes but I've done the entire car and took it off without a problem, something to think about.

In closing you asked about using a product that lasts longer, well, IMO the Klasse sealant glaze has been the best that I've used before. Its an acrylic product that has a side kick, Klasse All in One, another easy to use product that you can use as a stand alone product but to achieve the best results you'll wanna clay, then Klasse AIO and finish with Klasse SG. The SG needs to be applied lightly as its highly concentrated but that being said, you wet a microfiber pad, spray about 4-5 squirts onto it, wipe it on and wipe it off right away, no need to wait around. You'll need to pour the SG into a little spray bottle to apply it. Keep the pad damp and you'll be good to go. I've been using Klasse for about 6 years now and love it to death. Acrylic products last longer and produce more "pop" or clarity but if you want more depth, caranuba is the only way to go and for that, I live Griots and Pinnacle Sourvern, the later is pretty expensive but not too bad, especially in liquid form.

I hope I didn't confuse you but feel free to drop me a PM for questions, I'm always willing to help someone keep their car looking its best

 

If your serious, then you need to take it to a good paint shop and have them spray a few extra coats of Clearcoating. About 6 coats will do it. This will provide the actual protection you desire.
Waxes do not really protect from abrasives such as gravel..etc that WILL inevitably make more and more scratches in your paint.

Some waxes can protect fading from UV and bug acids, that is about it. mostly they just bring out the shine and make water bead, maybe make fine scratches less noticable.
Another option is vinyl paint protection kits...get them professionally installed though.
A car bra will help too.
Other than that, waxes and other such "miracles in a can" products are more marketing than anything else. Time and environment will always win in a paint job war, especially if you drive it daily.

 

My new black Fit has many swirls that are very noticeable in the sun. What should I do to get rid of them? I'd like to do it myself, or, make the dealer pay for a detail!

 

If they aren't that bad then you can try Meguiars Scratch X or Swirl X but I haven't had any luck with them as I have the same situation as you a black Fit with swirls galore in the sun. You need to get a polisher like a Porter Cable they have some kits at auto geek for less than $170 that will have everything you need. It is IMPOSSIBLE to not get swirls if you hand wash/hand dry but you want to minimize it as much as possible. I plan on getting a foam gun when I wash my car to help loosen up the dirt and rinse it away before I use my wash mitt on it and maybe a leaf blower to dry that will help as well.

 

i use Griot's PaintSealant (i use the lazyarse one-step sealant) and follow up with Prima Hydro (spray polymer - wax as you dry) after every wash in the winter time.

in the summer months i wash the car once a week usually and just use Prima Hydro, or just do a full quick detailer session using Griot's SpeedShine if the car was not rained on.

the best way to take care of your car is to find a solution that is easy to use and quick. if you make too much work for yourself, you will not last too long. my typical detail takes more than 12hrs ...usually 16hrs. but i dont do that every time.

 

I have seen this idea suggested several times on the forum. After checking it out further online and emailing a body/paint shop, it seems this is not a recommended course of action.