Exterior Maintenance Wash Schedule

etm001 · 06-30-2011, 02:22 PM

Hello,

I'm developing a schedule for maintenance washes. I found an old post that recommended this schedule:

Full exterior detailing every 6 months (2x/year)
Maintenance wash every other week (2x/month)
1st: Wash, Dry, Spray Wax
15th: Wash, Dry, Wax
Apply sealant every 6 months (2x/year, in between the full exterior detailing).

This seems like a reasonable schedule. That said, I had some questions:

Is waxing the car every 2 weeks overkill?
Should you use a cleaner that strips the wax before re-application?

From my searches of the forum, my initial answers to these questions are:

Applying wax 2x/month could be too much, but it depends on the wax being used.
You do not necessarily need to use a cleaner to strip the previous wax.

I have an Alpine White '07 335i. Here are the cleaning products I intended to use:

Wash: Mother's California Gold
Sealant: Blackfire Wet Diamond w/ Polycharger
Wax: Dodo Juice Light Fantastic Soft Wax
Spray Wax: Einszett 1Z Spray Wax

Some questions about these products:

Wash: I read the Detailing 101 sticky in this forum, and this wash was recommended; I already bought it. I don't see many people recommending this wash, though.
Wax: another choice is Dodo Juice Diamond White Hard Wax. I don't know the real difference between "hard" and "soft" wax, and assumed that a soft wax would work better if waxing 2x/month.

Thanks!

etm001 · 06-30-2011, 02:59 PM

Just to answer one of my own questions, re: what is the difference between hard and soft wax? Here's an answer straight from Dodo Juice:

http://www.dodojuice.net/protect/cor...x-or-soft-wax/

You use whichever you prefer! There’s no strict rule with hard and soft waxes, it’s just personal preference. Whilst there are slight differences in how the waxes perform, both will finish your car’s paint to perfection.

Soft waxes are typically the easiest to apply, with it spreadable straight from the pot. Some customers prefer to apply it by hand and thankfully the soft wax lends itself perfectly for this with it’s lovely texture. The downside is that if you use an applicator pad, you can easily get carried away and overload it and cake the car in too much wax.

Hard waxes last longer on the paintwork so are well suited for the winter months when you might not be working on the car as much. They are also easier to layer thinly thanks to the harder wax recipe.

That’s all there is to it really – both hard and soft Dodo Juice waxes are easy to apply and weather well but each are slightly better in their own specialty.

06-30-2011, 02:22 PM	#1
etm001 Enlisted Member 8 Rep 38 Posts Drives: TBD Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: USA iTrader: (0)	Exterior Maintenance Wash Schedule Hello, I'm developing a schedule for maintenance washes. I found an old post that recommended this schedule: Full exterior detailing every 6 months (2x/year) Maintenance wash every other week (2x/month) 1st: Wash, Dry, Spray Wax 15th: Wash, Dry, Wax Apply sealant every 6 months (2x/year, in between the full exterior detailing). This seems like a reasonable schedule. That said, I had some questions: Is waxing the car every 2 weeks overkill? Should you use a cleaner that strips the wax before re-application? From my searches of the forum, my initial answers to these questions are: Applying wax 2x/month could be too much, but it depends on the wax being used. You do not necessarily need to use a cleaner to strip the previous wax. I have an Alpine White '07 335i. Here are the cleaning products I intended to use: Wash: Mother's California Gold Sealant: Blackfire Wet Diamond w/ Polycharger Wax: Dodo Juice Light Fantastic Soft Wax Spray Wax: Einszett 1Z Spray Wax Some questions about these products: Wash: I read the Detailing 101 sticky in this forum, and this wash was recommended; I already bought it. I don't see many people recommending this wash, though. Wax: another choice is Dodo Juice Diamond White Hard Wax. I don't know the real difference between "hard" and "soft" wax, and assumed that a soft wax would work better if waxing 2x/month. Thanks!
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06-30-2011, 02:59 PM	#2
etm001 Enlisted Member 8 Rep 38 Posts Drives: TBD Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: USA iTrader: (0)	Hard vs. Soft Wax Just to answer one of my own questions, re: what is the difference between hard and soft wax? Here's an answer straight from Dodo Juice: http://www.dodojuice.net/protect/cor...x-or-soft-wax/ You use whichever you prefer! There’s no strict rule with hard and soft waxes, it’s just personal preference. Whilst there are slight differences in how the waxes perform, both will finish your car’s paint to perfection. Soft waxes are typically the easiest to apply, with it spreadable straight from the pot. Some customers prefer to apply it by hand and thankfully the soft wax lends itself perfectly for this with it’s lovely texture. The downside is that if you use an applicator pad, you can easily get carried away and overload it and cake the car in too much wax. Hard waxes last longer on the paintwork so are well suited for the winter months when you might not be working on the car as much. They are also easier to layer thinly thanks to the harder wax recipe. That’s all there is to it really – both hard and soft Dodo Juice waxes are easy to apply and weather well but each are slightly better in their own specialty.
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