There used to be a rule of thumb regarding how long one should wait before applying wax to a new vehicle (I thought 60 days). Is that still the case with today's paints with clearcoats?

It's almost time...

 

I don't think so.. you should be able to wax any time you want.

 

on that note, how do you apply wax and avoid the swirl marks? i've seen cars in the sunlight that look like crap because they are all swirly.

 

go to Meguiars . They have a bunch of good products. I think the trick is to completely detail the truck... use the clay bar, wax, finishing, etc. There's an area in the site that will "prescribe" wax and the procedure based on your vehicle and info you put in.

 

F.W.I.W...........I just did my black truck with Meguires Gold Class and an orbital buffer and it looks fantastic! Absolutely NO swirl marks at all and the finish is incredible. Everyone I talked to prior said that you can, and should, wax it right away.

 

The reason you get swirl marks is because people use a non-orbital (meaning it just spins) buffer with a dirty pad and bad technique. And dirty pads can cause problems and bad scratching on any machine buffer, orbital or not. The best way to get a high machine gloss is to use foam pads and a product designed to work with machine buffers. Products designed for machines do not dry out as fast so you work them longer on the surface. Also replace the pad if it starts to feel dry from age, or becomes to tattered or loaded up with products.

Typically I never use a machine to apply wax to the paint. I only do that by hand. I leave the machine work for when I am buffing out a color or clear coat sanding of the paint. This makes for a lot of work for me but I can control it and my paint doesn't look like s..t with a bunch of swirl marks.
Even by hand you can scratch the paint if you do not use a fresh part of the rag continously.
So, do it by hand for less possible swirl marks or if you insist on a machine, use an orbital buffer with a foam pad and polish designed for machine use. And keep the machine moving in a criss-cross pattern otherwise you can burn the paint or scratch it with weird swirls.

Brian
PS: For color sanding I use 3M's finishing Compound followed by Meguiars cleaner (because it has mild cutting capabilities) Meguiars Polish and then a hand coat of Meguiars wax. Absolutely fabulous!