Car wash waxes...

[BenzOnline]

I have a question about these car wash waxes or clear coat conditioners that you can get with a wash. I always get them but do they do anything at all? I see a bit more shine on the paint and its a touch smoother but besides that does it still protect? I do my handwaxing every 6 months anyways but always want that extra protection especially now in the winter when this is my only choice for cleaning.

The one at the place I go to is from Blue Coral and is called AutoFom with FomblinA.

This was the 126 as it got the conditioner...

[BenzOnline]

funny though, I tend to "wear off" my hand wax job more by hand washing the paint than my auto car wash. Everytime I am done a hand wash the paint is "sticky" in a way and not smooth to the touch like the auto wash.

[dieseldude]

I've wondered about these too BenzOnline. Having recently returned from a trip to Eastern Washington (read: sandy, snowy, roads including a snowboarding trip) we returned with my Mom's CRV (which she was then trying to sell) absolutely filthy.

Not being up to washing the beast, I took it through one of these 'no-touch' carwashes and got the 'platinum' treatment including the 'wax-and-clear-coat-sealer' or whatever they called it.

They have a guy come out with long handled brushes who, after rinsing the car, proceeding to wash it with the brushes they dipped in huge 50 gall drum of sudsy water (which was black from previously washed cars) before they sent me in to get the foamy treament.

Afterwards, water did seem to bead a bit more than previously, and the car was much shinier (but this might have been exagerrated considering it was sooo dirty before). Overall not a bad arrangement if one needs a clean clean car and no time for a good hand wash. Would I take my benz through it? Not on your life considering the dirty-black wash-water, and the attendant's reckless scrubbing with those brushes (nylon? poly? who knows what the bristles are made of and how gentle they aren't).

Anyway, if you wanted some quick protection, don't see why you couldn't hand wash yourself and take the car through for the 'wax'. It probably wouldn't last much more than a week or so, and considering the $7 it costs - I'm sticking with the time-honored tradition of hand-washing/waxing my own cars


Regards,
- Ryan

[Kyle Blackmore]

If you use dish soap to wash your car it'll take the wax off in just a few washes. I like to use turtlewashnwax or whatever it's called,so I only have to wax twice a year.But then again we don't get winters like you guys,when I lived in Calgary 20 years ago I can remember pulling inside a diy car wash (at -20C)washing my car,drying and then pulling out of there and getting stuck inside my car because the door froze to the weatherstripping .

[leathermang]

Kyle, The closest I can get to your story is sticking a Dreamsicle to my tongue because the ice cream truck used Dry Ice to keep the stuff cold... had to run to the faucet and turn water into my mouth... I was about 10 ... good lesson....