rewaxing after sealant wears out

Yup, I just wash and reapply the same sealant again, no special preparation needed.. For me the key is to do it before the sealant has worn off to the point where it’s begun to allow contaminants to bond to the paint, so in my situation it’s 3-4 months, not 4-6 months.

Evaluate the surface and do whats necessary, 4 to 6 months is quite some time and a lot depends on your local environment and how well it has been maintained.

I totally agree with Eldorado2k, don't wait until the sealant is worn off. In my opinion, the vast majority of the sealant is gone by the 4-month mark. Less, depending on conditions and maintenance.

If the car is a daily driver, and has only light defects, consider applying a high-quality AIO (all-in-one) product. There are many selections right here at Autogeek that offer good polishing qualities as well as sealant.
Griot's Garage BOSS Finishing Sealant, or HD Speed come to mind. Then maintain it with a nice quick detailer.

If you find the surface to be satisfactory, re-apply your favorite sealant and enjoy!

I would wash the car and examine the result. If the sealant hasn't worn off and the surface isn't contaminated with stuff that the wash did not removed, then reapply sealant. As everyone already mentioned, it's best to reapply before the sealant failed. Stripping the and claying too often will probably be harsh to the paint.

This brings up another point. Some people try to use spray wax in between to extend their current wax/sealant. Would these product actually prevent the sealant from sticking when you reapply? I imagine it's ok to reapply the same sealant over the previous sealant, but what if you had spray quick wax over it.

Paul

it depends. time isn't as good of an indicator as exposure. miles driven, conditions, garaged or not. how well was it washed and cared for between? Then just a general baggie test and eyeball inspection for scratches. I still like an annual polish too. At some point the paint will begin to dull and a light polish helps it come back to life.

Belo,
Assuming the surface has been cleaned, is there a risk that a polish to make things worse? Isn't annual polishing wearing away the clear coat? Can the polishing be done by hand or will a rotary tool be needed?

Polishing should be done with a DA for better results. Its real easy to do, just watch some Youtube vids. Anyway if you dont have one get a Harbor Freight one. Works great for about 50 bucks.

markoz28 said:

Polishing should be done with a DA for better results. Its real easy to do, just watch some Youtube vids. Anyway if you dont have one get a Harbor Freight one. Works great for about 50 bucks.

Click to expand...

Final polishing with a rotary at lower speeds using a foam pad actually produces better results than a DA polisher.
The concept of jeweling is done with a rotary polisher.