Safe to wax after washing?

slickooz

slickooz

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I just ONR my car today and just applied Fuzion onto my car. Is it safe to wax the car when it wasn't prepped right? I'm sure the car needed to be clayed but I didn't have enough time. So I just ONR and applied wax. I noticed that when applying Fuzion with foam pad, it made noise when applying. The paint had some contaminant on it. The car was clayed about two months ago and isn't real dirty. Should I have clayed before applying Fuzion?

For people who charges for wash and wax, do apply wax after wash? Even though the car paint feels gritty.
 
slickooz said:
I just ONR my car today and just applied Fuzion onto my car. Is it safe to wax the car when it wasn't prepped right? I'm sure the car needed to be clayed but I didn't have enough time. So I just ONR and applied wax. I noticed that when applying Fuzion with foam pad, it made noise when applying. The paint had some contaminant on it. The car was clayed about two months ago and isn't real dirty. Should I have clayed before applying Fuzion?

For people who charges for wash and wax, do apply wax after wash? Even though the car paint feels gritty.
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Its always a good idea to clay before waxing, otherwise you're putting down wax on top of contaminants. If you did a thorough job washing it probably won't hurt anything, but you're definitely not doing yourself any favors when it comes to durability.

If the paint feels gritty to the touch it definitely needed to be clayed. I've clayed my cars for the heck of it even though the paint felt fine and repeatedly surprised myself with how much contaminant came off the paint.
 
Shawnw said:
Its always a good idea to clay before waxing, otherwise you're putting down wax on top of contaminants. If you did a thorough job washing it probably won't hurt anything, but you're definitely not doing yourself any favors when it comes to durability.

If the paint feels gritty to the touch it definitely needed to be clayed. I've clayed my cars for the heck of it even though the paint felt fine and repeatedly surprised myself with how much contaminant came off the paint.
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...what he said


plus you shouldn't be hearing noise on the bad, you should be priming the pad with product before you tackle the job.
 
Gary,

It is of course always good practice to clay before doing anything more to the paint, wax/seal, polish, etc.

I dont think that you did much harm to the paint, unless of course the contaminants were really bad and broke loose and you rubbed them around on the paint.

Knowing how well you have taken care of the Acura, I'm sure it is fine. As mentioned, the Fuzion wont be as durable if anything.
 
You can look at this a few different ways.

You should have properly prepped the surface to get the most out of the wax.

OR


Adding some protection is better than doing nothing. (I'll vote for this one because sometimes we just can't find the time as long as you don't do it every time IMO)



To answer your question: If someone is paying me to wax their vehicle, claying and a paint cleanser is my absolute basic package and I refuse to just "wash and wax" I want to put out quality work, not quantity( there are other places for the quantity work.)
 
Most people don't even wax their cars.... so you're still doing better than the majority.
 
You did not do what many people already do.

I think a paint cleaner (also called a pre-wax cleaner, non abrasive paint cleaner) would be more important than claying. You will really see how dirty your paint is as you use it.

One key aspect in working is pay attention to your applicators and towels. They should be clean when you start and clean/damp except for the product you are using when you finish.

If you are working on "dirty paint", it will show up in the applicator so look at it regularly. Everyone has a different level of level of work standard (personal choice), but if you do see it picking up debris, get a new one. The same applies to towels.

If you are going to use an expensive product like Fusion, you should clay and use a paint cleaner as a minimal to get maximum shine and durability.
 
Gary,

I just clayed my car in preparation for some swirl removal. I watched Mike Phillips "how to clay" video. In it he mentions usually its the horizontal surfaces that get the most

contaminents. I use the "Polishing Pal" with the clay backing and that really makes quick work of it. I'm no expert ,I'm just saying this might be a happy medium for you when

waxing.
 
Let's say my paint is in good condition and I give it a thorough wash. Afterwards, I still feel some bits of grit when I do the plastic bag test. That's what I'm experiencing now. And when I say "some bits of grit" that means I could probably count them up if I wanted to.

Is it ok to just clay before applying wax or should I use some type of a cleaner wax and then a finishing wax? I'm new to this and right now I guess it's hard for me to judge the condition of paint and what's required to clean it before waxing. Would I clay and then test the paint again and go from there?

I'm going to detail my father's 2005 Volvo S40 and I know that will require quite a bit of work as he lives in near the oceanfront. The car gets hit with a lot of sand. I plan to post my progress with pictures as I detail his car and will probably have quite a few questions as I go.

Thanks,

Barry
 
slickooz said:
I just ONR my car today and just applied Fuzion onto my car. Is it safe to wax the car when it wasn't prepped right? I'm sure the car needed to be clayed but I didn't have enough time. So I just ONR and applied wax. I noticed that when applying Fuzion with foam pad, it made noise when applying. The paint had some contaminant on it. The car was clayed about two months ago and isn't real dirty. Should I have clayed before applying Fuzion?

For people who charges for wash and wax, do apply wax after wash? Even though the car paint feels gritty.
Click to expand...

Even though the finish was clayed recently the condition of the paint has more to do with the environment. Airborne pollutants most likely have embedded themselves into the finish once again and need to be removed.

Personally I would at least clay before waxing but using a paint cleaner after claying would be time well spent before adding a layer of expensive wax. :props:
 
WaltJabsco said:
Let's say my paint is in good condition and I give it a thorough wash. Afterwards, I still feel some bits of grit when I do the plastic bag test. That's what I'm experiencing now. And when I say "some bits of grit" that means I could probably count them up if I wanted to.

Is it ok to just clay before applying wax or should I use some type of a cleaner wax and then a finishing wax? I'm new to this and right now I guess it's hard for me to judge the condition of paint and what's required to clean it before waxing. Would I clay and then test the paint again and go from there?

I'm going to detail my father's 2005 Volvo S40 and I know that will require quite a bit of work as he lives in near the oceanfront. The car gets hit with a lot of sand. I plan to post my progress with pictures as I detail his car and will probably have quite a few questions as I go.

Thanks,

Barry
Click to expand...

if you feel grit that means that area is particular heavy with contaminants, but you could not possibly "count them up" since you will be shocked how much contaminants you will pull from a panel that does not feel gritty. You will be fine claying and then waxing, but if you want to get the best results (and depending on the condition of the cars paint), I would at the minimum use an all in one paint cleaner (I prefer Optimum Poli seal). I would go this route as if you are going to spend time claying, you might as well do a thorough job, which a product like poli seal will provide light paint correction, and has sealant in it to provide a base layer of protection. :xyxthumbs: for your dads Volvo, I have a 2005 Volvo S60 2.5t awd.
 
Thanks, I'll give Optimum a try. I already use the ONR and I like it a lot.
 
I don't clay unless I'm going to polish which is only once per year. Claying will mar soft paint. So I just wax to keep protecting the paint on those non polishing details.
 
Worse you can do is swirl the paint. Otherwise you are just sealing the contaminates for the life of the lsp.

"Safe" is subjective as to what your long-term or over all objectives with the finish is.
 
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