So on my new black honda, I first applied Meguiars M21 sealant and followed it up with Collinite 845 wax. My question is, what should my maintenance be for keeping my car looking new? When should I reapply sealant and wax? When should I start thinking about claying and polishing? Also, is there a better combo out there that I should be using?
sealant/wax maintenance
- Thread starter Sushi5679
- Start date
Eldorado2k
Well-known member
- Nov 9, 2015
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The important question is how often will you be washing the vehicle? If you were to bucket wash it every 7 days my advice would be to re apply 1 of the 2 [personally I’d apply just 1, not both] after the 8th wash [every 2-3 months]
If you maintain your vehicle clean [washing once per week is sufficient] and re apply a fresh coat on that schedule then you shouldn’t really get to the point where your paint needs claying because your layer of protection is consistently strong enough to prevent contaminants from bonding to the paint. [as long as the protection you’re applying is any good to begin with]
Do the baggie test after a the 4th wash, then again after the 8th wash/2 months and if it’s still smooth @2 months consider yourself doing a good job and re apply and test it again 1-2 months later. Continue that method if it works [and it should] and there shouldn’t be a need to clay your paint for as long as it still passes the baggie test after a wash.
If you maintain your vehicle clean [washing once per week is sufficient] and re apply a fresh coat on that schedule then you shouldn’t really get to the point where your paint needs claying because your layer of protection is consistently strong enough to prevent contaminants from bonding to the paint. [as long as the protection you’re applying is any good to begin with]
Do the baggie test after a the 4th wash, then again after the 8th wash/2 months and if it’s still smooth @2 months consider yourself doing a good job and re apply and test it again 1-2 months later. Continue that method if it works [and it should] and there shouldn’t be a need to clay your paint for as long as it still passes the baggie test after a wash.
FUNX650
New member
- Dec 1, 2010
- 21,057
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•I would have been thinking about claying and
polishing before applying M21/#845 (LSPs).
•I use RWs/WWs for maintenance washes.
•I re-apply LSPs, like Waxes and Sealants,
whenever the vehicles look (to me) like they
need to be “freshly waxed”.
Bob
acuRAS82
New member
- May 30, 2017
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And maybe OP did clay and polish before his lsp’s. If so, I try to re-do yearly (at least for a full two step and clay; with some AOIs inbetween) depending on my maintenance upkeep (could probably go longer since I constantly upkeep with washes and new lsp’s year round). As far as his lsp, M21 will probably fail first since Collinite lasts long. Putting a more durable base sealant could be more optimal, but overall not a bad choice. I agree for the maintenance it all depends how often he wants to touch his car. Weekly wash and spray or detail should do the trick.
briarpatch
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- Sep 9, 2015
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good advice right there ^^^^^
Route246
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- Mar 4, 2017
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If you use a spray wax as a drying agent (take your pick from many, I use OCW+McKeesFastWax/50:50) on a regular basis after washing (once a week for our vehicles) the paint should maintain as better than new for a long time, perhaps forever as long as you keep up this routine. I use a paste wax twice a year (spring and fall) and clay once a year (spring).