Questions about cleaning and waxing the Prius Prime

There are 3 basic categories of finishes for car paint:
Wax. Real wax. Great look, short life.
Polymer sealant. Very good look, fairly long life. Examples: https://procarreviews.com/best-car-sealant/
Semi-permanent clear coat, also called ceramic or nano finish. Example: Q² Innovative Ceramic Coatings Collection - Gyeon Quartz

I've got the Gyeon Q2 MOHS product on my cars, and it's great. It's a 1 to 2 year finish, hard and very shiny/slick.

Spray "wax" gives a short lived shiny finish. Polish smooths the surface, doesn't protect it. All-in-one products have an abrasive polish and chemical "wax" that is OK if the car needs the abrasive polish.

Any slick, shiny finish is great for shedding dirt, especially winter slop.

 

OK, this is probably waaaay too much detail on the subject of detailing a car for my brain. So, are wax and sealant the same thing or different things? Seems like spray wax is for a temporary shine not intended for a long protection. That means, spray wax is to be used in between twice a year wax or in the case of ceramic finish in between two years? Now, in that in-between period, am I suppose to wash the car with soap or is it not a good idea to wash with soap? Oh, and for the wax, sealant, or ceramic whatever the finish used, do they all need to be buffed with a rotary tool?

Oh, well, I think I am just going to wash it with my new power washer and spray the wax I just picked up and call it done. I know some of you might object, but even if my car gets mirror polished by a professional detailer, I know my Magnetic Gray PRIME will be golden yellow by next day from the pollen anyway.

 

Regarding the difference, I'm a bit of a cynic and would be willing to posit that very little is different and that it is about marketing more than anything else. Most publish safety data sheets like this: https://www.griotsgarage.com/text/safetydatasheet/Spray-On%20Wax%20SDS%206%20Oct%2016.pdf

Some patent filings are available. OK, you asked. There are many citations via hyperlink in these patents. My favorite ones are from David (Vahid) Ghodoussi, CEO of Optimum Polymer Technologies. Here is one of his patents: US6685765B1 - Water based protectant containing UV absorbers - Google Patents

There are hundreds of car wax and UV absorber patents. Most of these products are formulated the same with the only variance being dyes, fragrances and amount of chemicals. Think Coca Cola vs all other colas. It is a recipe based industry. The best ones offer durability AND ease of use. Shine and gloss are really over-rated. For me, I only ask if it beads after n weeks.

There are a lot of terms used with detailing products, especially coatings and waxes. Ceramic basically means inorganic (non-carbon based) while carnauba waxes are organic and extracted from the wax of a palm tree grown in Brazil. You might see SiO/SiO2 (Silicon dioxide) which is basicall sand or glass but I doubt wax would sell if it touted sand or glass so they said ceramic or SiO. Marketing is what it is.

The philosophy on autogeek.net is to find products you like and use them. Pretty simple idea. I have so many products that I've tried it fills up shelves in my garage. The common theme for most of mine is durability and ease of use. If I have to expend too much elbow grease then I move on and find something better. Every detailer has his or her own kit they like to work from. BTW, I don't do ceramic coatings on paint because there is no way to fix them without stripping and starting over. Waxes and sealants can be reapplied and you're good to go. With an expensive ceramic coating you're out of luck if you get swirls or flaws mid-cycle. No way to really repair those swirls with stripping the coating.

Again, Youtube is your friend. There is no shortage of people touting all kinds of detailing products.

 

I've been mostly using this:

Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0

Last time couldn't find it, got their Gold something, seemed similar.

 

Oh well, like I said, in our climate, I only have 6 months out of year I can actually work on my car. If I have to be picky about days that is cloudy (no direct sun) but comfortable enough to work outside with water, time becomes even shorter like 2-3 months out of year. If I have to find one favorite out of literally hundreds of car finish products out there, I would be spending most of my waking hours on the "Wax on, Wax off" routine! Hey, Mr. Miyagi, I am no Karate Kid!

 

If the car is in a garage every night, waxing once a year should be ok, if it is not garaged, wax it two or three times a year.

 

Yeah, last year, I picked up microfiber mitt and a Grit Guard grate for a bucket for rinsing dart off for two buckets washing from Chemical Guys recommended by @The Critic. Still, our climate allows washing on my driveway only between mid-May to mid-Nov, if I stretch it. But the comfortable temperature for the outside hand wash is really only from Jun to Sep. I stopped going to automatic car wash during winter after so many reporting filtered and recirculated salty water used at a car wash would do more harm than good for getting rid of road salt. Thus, my car, unfortunately, stays unwashed for a good part of the year from Oct to May while parked outside every day.

 

If you're in New England then you need to over-prep for rough winters. It is brutal on your paint. If I lived there I would rely on Collinite 476s paste wax before the winter hits. In the winter the most important part of the car are the vertical surfaces. It is just the opposite in the summer where you want to protect your paint from UV. If you get the sides, front and back protected with 476s you pretty much can't do any better than that. If you do have a mid-winter respite you can do a quick wash and spray wax touch-up but that's about it.

 

This? Super Doublecoat Last Step Paste Car Wax | Collinite Since 1936

OK, I will try to pick it up before the winter change over time, usually mid-Nov. Our mid-winter respite means a day temperature gets to 32F. Any use of water outside if not completely dried before sunset, which is around 4 pm in Dec, it will be frozen overnight.

 

I think the manual for my 2020LE specifically says not to use Windex on the inside of the rear window.

 

One problem I've always had with my cars is that I get too many paint dings or slight scratches. I know everyone got them (and my service plan that I was suckered into buying supposedly will help with some of that).

But I think part of it is that I'm just too lazy to wax the car. And I can't get my teenager to wax it for me .

So I'm thinking of signing up for a monthly wash club at Home | Mysite near me. Or even if I don't, i'll occasionally run my car through.
But I did see someone on here not recommend these types of automatic wax jobs.
Do others agree that it isn't good, or do you all think it's ok?
(I gave the link in case it says something important...it says it uses carnauba wax)

I just got my Prime, so I want to keep it nice and free of scratches!
Thanks

 

476s is good stuff. It is what I use. Durability, easy-on, easy-off in full sun is among the best out there.

 

I've had my PRIME for almost 5 mo now at 1581miles, but I have not washed my car yet. I decided to use Optimum Opti-Seal first before waxing... but have not had chance to do it.

 

That's going to get sun-baked dog nose snuffle marks off the glass? I don't think so. Spray-Way glass cleaner is my favorite product. As always, be careful of the heater wires.