How often should you polish and wax your car? If you did it too much would it hurt your paint?

 

I wax mine everytime I wash it which is usually every week or two and polish every month or so right before the wax. I don't really think it's as bad for the surface as it is maybe a little unnecessary, depending on where you live. Personally, I'd rather wax it too often and waste a little wax than not to wax it often enough. The only time I think it would be harmful to the clearcoat is if you didn't prep the surface properly before waxing and all of the contaminants mixed in with your buffer pad cause scratches and swirls.

 

so the steps you take everyweek are

1. wash
2. clean - prep paint
3. polish
4. wax

???

 

i think the correct answer is "as needed." rewax as needed to maintain your shine, and polish as needed. It's a difficult question to give an absolute answer because different regions with different weather and different waxes will last different amounts of time.

 

I'll do a complete polish and wax usually twice a year, once before winter, and once after. I'll apply wax in areas as needed, but some parts of the car can go nearly 6 months without needing it, other might only last 2 months at most.

 

I wax about every 3 weeks, and wash the car about twice a week. I do the whole process of wash/clay/polish/paint cleaner/sealant/wax about every 3-4 months.

Polishing CAN be harmful to your paint if you do it too often, because you are slowly diminishing the thickness of the clearcoat each time you use an abrasive polish. The change in thickness each time is minimal, but still there.
Waxing too much is not possible, unless you're using an abrasive one-step product like NuFinish.

 

In general, waxing frequently won't negatively affect your paint. Polish, however, contains (mild) abrasives so keep that in mind. Whenever you rub down your car you have the possibility of scratching it, so be careful. A good wax will last for two months or more!
I like to polish and wax once in April (when the weather gets warm), again in June, and a third time in August or September (when things cool down). If you wash gently in between, you'll be in good shape.
I wish I could polish and wax again in December, but the New England winters are just too damn cold.

 

Thanks for the advice!! I am going to wash, dry, clay, clean, polish and wax this weekend.

 

i do a full on detail clay, polish,wax.. every six months..
but in between i use quick detail wax

 

No, I wash and wax every week or two. About every 4-6 weeks I add a good polishing session after the wash but before the wax for extra shine. My car is not even a year old and the surface is as smooth as glass so I haven't had to clay it yet.

I was speaking in general when I said "you" could harm the clearcoat, as in someone who didn't evaluate the surface properly before getting started. It's not necessary or wise to do all of that every weekend.


You have an '05 and you need to clay it already?

 

It's a good practice to clay a new car. They can pick up alot of crap on the way. They often travel by train (rail dust) and always on the highway (brake dust) and of course by virtue of car manufacturing being an industrial process they start their trip in industrial city (ie Detroit--lots of pollutants).

It really depends what you mean by polish...you can use class AIO as much as you want, but it would probably be wise to limit serious polishing (megs #83) to twice a year as it removes clearcoat everytime it's used.

It also depends what you mean by wax. Most of the waxes you'll find locally should be applied monthly (or more often if you wish...no harm will be done). You can also get sealants that will last 6 months (maybe a bit less). Watch for water beading when it rains or you wash to see how often you need to wax. Things like exposure to the elements or high temperatures can limit LSP (last stage product) longevity.

 

Good point.

 

New cars definitely need to be clayed too.