I'm looking for advice. I clayed, polished, and waxed my truck on July 4. The truck has hardely been driven since then. On July 22 I washed my truck with Armor All car wash. The truck looked good after, but did not feel glassy smooth as it did on my first detail. Does the car wash remove the wax (I used NXT). How often should wax and/or clay be used? Does clay remove the wax as well?

 

It depends what kind of wax you use for how good it's durability is and how often you have to rewax.

With a synthetic you'll feel that glass smoothness partially from the wax as well as the oils in the synthetic. They do evaporate off the surface but the synthetic protection is still there. Now, I 've never used NXT nor do I know much about it. My main experience with that type of performance in a wax is from PRO's Profection. I'm sure it holds true with a lot of waxes though.

The hot summer heat doesn't help either as wax evaporates off the surface. Mainly true with the carnauba waxes.

 

Intel pretty much it it on the head. If I may paraphrase... wax as often as it's needed. To determine when it's needed, feel your paint, pay attention to how water is beeding and how it's not, etc. When in doubt, apply a new coat. Environmental conditions will also oplay a roll.

As for car wash removing wax, it can. Any abrasion across your paint will, in a sense, lessen the protection. This isn't to say that the car wash will remove all of your wax but, certainly a little. The key here is to be sure to mix your shampoo to the proper dilution rates (ie: not globbing a blob in the bottom of the bucket and hitting it with the hose). The dilution rates are there for a reason; mix it too light and you're not going to have much lubrication across your paint. Mix it too heavy and you're creating a caustic mix that will strip more wax as it's more chemically aggressive.

Again, it boils down to what I've said here in this forum oodles of times; use a lot of good common sense and you'll be fine. Common sense things include reading the labels of your products, following the directions, not using items that have been sitting on the ground (ie: mitts, towels, applicators), storing items/chemicals correctly...etc...etc...etc...etc...

RP

 

I can only echo the advice that RP and Intel have given you... and they have given you some fine information.

To answer you remaining questions... Yes, clay will remove at least some of the wax/sealant (sometimes all of it depending on the wax/sealant). Clay should not be used as frequently as wax. When the paint surface feels "rough" to the touch, there are probably contaminates on the paint surface. That's where the clay comes in.

 

You've heard from the best, now it's my turn to add one little qualifier. Many of the "touchless" style car washes use a very aggressive detergent. If you think about it, this makes sense. How else would you remove all of that crud without touching the finish? Some of those things even remove imbedded road kill.

I mentioned this to a friend of mine who had (just the day before) used NXT on his black car and marveled at the results. As I spoke to him, he'd just come home from a touchless wash. He couldn't believe how different (and worse) his paint felt. Yup, it was all gone - but the car was clean. So, how long a given wax / polish / sealant lasts is also affected by where and how you wash too. Hope that helps!

 

EXCELLENT point 2stroked!!

 

Thanks for the advice! Looks like I'll be waxing again soon.

 

I wax my white truck about every three months, with maguires and it rocks. I need some info on how and where to get this clay that I keep hearing here.

 

Tennessee:

Virtually any decent auto parts store will have a brand or two of clay in their detailing section. Some common brands are Clay Magic, Mothers, and Mequiars. Search these forums for umpteen threads on how to properly use the product -- or simply follow the directions on the box!

Good luck!