Car Wax: Natural or Artificial?
Car wax makes your car’s finish glow and makes the shine last longer, but only if you use the right wax. Some car waxes will cover your car’s plastic parts with residue; others will actually make your car’s finish less smooth as the wax scratches the finish or forms a haze over it. Here are a few questions you need to ask as you pore over the vast selection of car waxes available at your local auto store.
Do you want shine, or depth of color? Natural car waxes, such as Carnauba wax, give a car’s finish depth, but slightly less shine. Artificial waxes, like most liquid and spray on waxes, give a high shine but less depth of color, and can highlight fine scratches. Dark colors in particular suffer with artificial waxes. For the best possible color on darker cars, experts suggest waxing them only with natural waxes. Lighter cars can take either kind of wax, depending on whether you value color or gleam more highly.
Is there much plastic on your car? Porous, matte plastic, especially dark plastic, reacts badly with some car waxes and acquires a conspicuous residue that may take special cleaners to remove. If your car has a lot of visible plastic, make sure the wax you choose is compatible with plastic.
How durable do you want the car wax to be, and how long are you willing to spend in applying it? In a Consumer Reports comparison test, liquid waxes lasted the longest and cleaned the best. They also took the most time and effort to apply well, largely because spreading them evenly and rubbing out the streaks took considerable extra buffing. Spray on waxes were the fastest to apply, but they lasted the least amount of time and were the least effective at cleaning. Consumer Reports recommended them mainly for new cars whose finishes were in excellent condition, for owners who were willing to wax frequently, and for stopgap treatments in between treatments with liquid or paste wax. Paste waxes took about as long to apply as liquid waxes, and were about as durable. Consumer Reports noted that while paste waxes used to be difficult to apply, they now come with applicators that make them even easier to apply than liquid waxes.
Consider whether color or shine is more important to you, whether you will need a wax that works well with plastic, how much time you can spend on waxing, and how often you plan to reapply wax. Be frank with yourself about your goals, and do not feel that you should opt for a high effort, high upkeep wax just because the experts recommend it. Unless the experts are going to come and maintain your car for you, pick the car wax that is right for you and your car.