There are many ways to protect your car’s paintwork, including sealants and clear coats, but car wax is one of the most popular ways of doing so.
Finishing your car off with a wax takes a bit of time, but the effort pays off! Applying car wax regularly can make your vehicle look as great as the day you bought it.
Wax, particularly high-quality brands, doesn’t just coat your car with a great shine, it can help protect against elements that may damage the paintwork.
Despite its many uses, many people don’t know how often car wax lasts, as well as how often the wax needs to be applied.
We’ll cover these issues in this article, including whether it’s possible to apply too much wax, as well as the things that affect how long the wax lasts. Keep reading to learn more about car wax!
How Often Should You Apply Car Wax?
The answer to how often you’ll need to apply car wax depends on a few things.
In most cases, car wax can last for a few weeks, but some particular wax brands might last as little as two weeks, or as many as ten.
It’s hard to foresee how long car wax will last, but here are a few ways to see if the wax needs reapplying.
Use Your Senses
Understanding when you need to apply a new wax coating doesn’t require any special tools.
You can use your basic senses of touch and sight to see if your car needs a touch-up.
The first sign that your vehicle requires a new wax coating is if your car has lost its shine.
This doesn’t mean that your car has completely lost all of its wax, but it may mean that there’s only a light layer remaining.
Other than less shine, this also means the car has limited protection left from the leftover residue.
You can also touch the car to see if it needs a touch-up, as its surface will feel rougher.
Waxed vehicles will feel smoother when you run your fingers across the car’s body. Unwaxed cars will deliver more friction and resistance.
Water Beads
There’s a common belief that water beading displays the level of protection that wax delivers.
Water beads do display that your car wax is operating well, but if you don’t see any, this doesn’t mean that the wax isn’t functioning at all!
Every type of car wax will deliver water beading as a side effect, as waxes are full of ingredients with hydrophobic properties.
Water beading will not tell you if your car wax is protective or not. If you don’t notice any water beading, your car wax may still be working and defending your car against damage.
Some wax varieties might make water glide off of the car’s body. A rule of thumb to be aware of is the faster the water glides off the surface, the fresher the car wax on the vehicle.
Long Time Since Last Application
If your car has gone a long time without a wax reapplication, say six months, you can be certain that there is no wax residue left on the body.
Several factors can affect the longevity of your car wax, which we’ll cover later on.
Even if you keep your vehicle in pristine condition, there’s not much chance of wax remaining on a car’s body after six months.
You don’t need to wait six months to apply your car wax, but follow the tips below to avoid waxing your car too much.
Is It Possible To Wax A Vehicle Too Often?
Is it bad to keep waxing a vehicle, even if there is leftover wax residue on the body?
It’s best to remove the old wax from your vehicle before you apply another round. If you skip this, the wax won’t deliver its best results.
Older wax will prevent the new wax from looking shiny, unless it’s taken off beforehand. Applying many wax coatings can look worse than just one, light wax layer.
Several layers of wax won’t harm the car’s paint job, but they can catch dirt, pollutants, and oxidative substances which can damage the body. This issue can be solved by polishing the car’s body.
A lot of people use car wax and polish in place of each other, but these products are different.
Polish and wax are opposites, as polish contains abrasives designed to remove layers, like wax or a clear coat.
If you have accidentally applied too much wax, but have forgotten to take off the former layers, you can use polish to remove all of the wax coats. You’ll end up with an even shinier car!
Despite its advantages, bear in mind that as polish contains abrasive substances, using too much of the product can harm your vehicle’s paint.
Factors That Affect How Long Car Wax Lasts For
As mentioned above, several things can affect how long car wax lasts.
These include the type of product, how you drive your vehicle, environmental elements, and cleaning customs.
These are the main factors that affect car wax longevity, but keep in mind that this isn’t an exhaustive list.
Type Of Product
This is one of the most important elements that affect how often your car wax will last for.
Car wax comes in various formulas that are all different, depending on the brand and manufacturer.
For instance, it’s hard to find car wax products that are completely made out of carnauba wax.
If these products were available, they wouldn’t last for a long time, as well as being particularly high in price.
Manufacturers aim to make their waxes as effective as they can, while still delivering an impressive shine.
This is why most car waxes use a mix of artificial and natural substances.
Other than different formulas, car wax is also available in other forms, like sprays, pastes, and liquids.
In most cases, artificial ingredients will make car waxes last longer. Liquids and pastes tend to last longer than sprays too.
Every form of car wax will have its pros and cons. For instance, it’s easier to apply car wax sprays, but these don’t last very long. Sprays also deliver less protection compared to pastes and liquids.
Artificial car waxes are usually more durable, but these deliver less shine compared to natural waxes.
To see which car wax works best, try a few different brands and forms of wax on your vehicle.
How You Drive
Car wax longevity also depends on how you drive your car.
If you only drive on the weekend for occasional drives, your car wax might have a longer lifespan.
However, if you use your car more often, or for activities like off-roading, your car wax might have a shorter lifespan.
Your driving habits are another important factor as to how long your car wax will last.
Driving more miles, across unpaved roads, and whether you keep your car outside or in a garage are all examples of things that can play a role.
Environmental Elements
Environmental elements can also affect the longevity of your car wax. This point is linked to the previous one.
The rougher the environment that you drive your vehicle in, the quicker your car wax will wear off.
Driving your car in snow, hot climates, rain, and polluted areas are all examples of environmental elements that can affect your wax’s longevity.
No matter where you are across the globe, it’s hard to avoid environmental issues that can influence your wax’s lifespan.
Despite this, there are things you can do that can prevent this from occurring.
If you have, or have access to a garage, always park your vehicle in there. If you don’t have one, try to park your car in a shady area as much as possible.
Try to avoid parking and driving around beaches, construction areas, and industrial sites.
These places can have stones, gravel, and dirt that can influence your car’s paintwork.
It can be difficult to completely avoid driving around these places but try to drive through a different route whenever possible.
Cleaning Customs
Lastly, how often, as well as how you clean your car can make a big difference in how the paintwork looks.
A well-done washing routine can make older cars look as good as brand-new ones. By the same token, not washing your car enough can make newer models look obsolete.
Automatic car washes might be convenient, but they are one of the fastest ways to remove your car wax.
The brushes are too rough, so they won’t just wear down your wax, but they can also scratch your car’s body.
Make sure that you always clean your car before you apply car wax.
If you don’t dirt and other particles can get trapped underneath the coating, making your car look less shiny as a result.
Final Thoughts
Car waxes usually last a few weeks, but their lifespan depends on a few factors, as outlined above.
Natural waxes don’t last as long as synthetic ones, but they tend to look better overall.
Rough driving customs and poor cleaning habits can also wear down your car wax faster than you would like.
You can assess whether your car needs a wax touch-up by running your finger over its body.
Any friction or resistance indicates that it’s time to reapply the wax.
Always remember to clean your car before applying wax, and if you do apply too much, car polish can help you remove any thick layers.
