“Car wax” is a chemical compound or formula that is used to make a car appear shiny and to protect the paint. However, waxes do not provide any effective protection for the paint. This is because:

1. The painted surface is never cleaned properly before wax is applied.

2. Waxes are not intended to last long periods of time. Waxes vary widely in their longevity due to a large number of variables. A car that is washed daily with automobile soap and water can lose all the wax protection in less than two weeks. The generally accepted industry standard of longevity is 2 months under normal condition.

3. All petroleum products such as Nafta, Gas, Gasoline or degreasers, dishwashing detergent and/or stronger-than-car-shampoos cleaning agents dissolve the wax immediately.

Using wax will only encapsulate the dirt and other contaminants on the paint. Almost all waxes contain oil and grease and while they provide a water repelling surface, they attract dust and dirt instead of repelling these contaminants. Using wax will therefore accelerate the deterioration process and offers only more damage and short lasting gloss.

The above graph shows the deterioration effect on a new vehicle after 2 years.
Waxes are actually paint sealants. However, we choose to place them in a separate category due to their short longevity.

Other paint protection sealants are either Teflon or silicon based.

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