When can I wax my new Prius?

You can safely wax the car the day you bring it home.

Using a clay bar will definitely require a re-wax after use. the clay bar is a mild abrasive that will remove any coating that is on the car. If you think that the dealer waxed it before delivery, I have bad news for you though: I've not heard of that ever happening!

 

wax your new Prius anytime

You want to do the clay bar before anything else. It will remove all surface grit and give you a perfect surface to apply wax or sealant. I suggest you do a Google search for

Code:

polish site:priuschat.com

and read what people here have to say. Lots of discussion on wax v. sealant v. polish. Many here like Zaino, another good search term.

Welcome to PriusChat!

 

After reading dozens of pages of stuff on detailing (there is a sticky to one at the top of this forum, or go to the Autopia, Mequiar's or Mother's sites), my take is that you do not need to do claybar on a new paint job. The test is to run your hand over the paint surface. If it is smooth as glass you do not need to claybar. You wash and go straight to a 1-step cleaning wax like Klass All In One or Mother's Cleaning Wax.

If you feel some roughness in the paint, then claybar, polish, and wax. Persons with OCD welcome.

 

You don't need to claybar a new Prius. Look at the surface at a low reflection angle: it's like polished glass. You might as well use steel wool on it.

 

Dealers like to use that "Quck Detailer" spray and tell the customer that the car was recently waxed. My suggestion is to put a nice protective coat of wax as soon as can.

 

Clay bar

May I remind the naysayers that properly going over your Prius' paint surface with a clay bar will in no way damage it, Richard's assertion not withstanding. To get to Tucson AZ, the OP's location, from the port of entry in LA or Portland, required transportation, probably by rail. That long ride gives ample opportunity for rail dust, grit, and airborne contaminants to embed themselves in the paint surface.

Do you need to clay bar? Probably not.

Will you get a better finish if you do clay bar? Probably yes.

And, of course, you want to put on a coating after you clay bar.

 

new Prius waxed

Congratulations, mikem13! Clay baring your car is tedious.

So where are the pictures???

 

Sorry, but you clearly don't know what you're talking about. The embedded contaminants that claying removes are too small to be seen. A surface that appears to be flawless may or may not need claying. You have to do the baggie test to determine whether claying is needed. New cars often need claying.

 

Wrong.

I've clayed dozens of cars that had sealant on them and their finishes still sheeted water after claying, proving that the sealant remained after claying.

Wax is not nearly as durable as sealant, and if you use a strong detergent in your clay lubricant, you will strip wax off of a finish, but sealant easily stands up to the fine clays that most people use. Maybe something like Clay Magic red clay could remove a lot of it, but I bet that a sufficiently fresh coat of most sealants would stand up to claying with even an aggressive clay like Clay Magic red.

 

What is the baggie test?

 

Mike the finish looks great. Personally, I never wash or wax my cars because the dirt and grime form a protective layer against UV rays.