Waxing Before Winter: Should I or Shouldn’t I?

Summer’s over, and sadly the Eurythmics had it all figured out in 1983. Here comes the rain, and with that your freshly detailed car won’t be freshly detailed for long, right? Well, we might have some good news for you…

Back in the 1800’s when the first car polish was invented, professionals went to work maintaining the shine on brand new horse carriages. For nearly 100 years wax didn’t do much other than add shine to the lacquer on vehicles. Eventually companies like Turtle Wax and Meguiar’s began producing waxes that protected the paint from fading. And every year since, major advancements have been made in the auto detailing industry.

Gone are the days of having to wax your car after every wash, and with the advancement of clear coat, gone are the days of paint resembling a chalkboard after a few months in the sun. The waxes of today can last several months, but are they the best option? I’ll get to that later, right now you probably just want to know if you should be waxing your car before winter.

The answer is yes, every season has it’s own set of conditions that can wreak havoc on your vehicle’s finish. The UV rays of summer can break down the UV inhibitors in your clear coat and eventually cause oxidation and paint failure. And with the winter comes dirt, salt, water, and decomposing leaves… All of which break down the finish on your vehicle. Wax acts as a buffer between your car’s paint and the elements.

And there’s an added bonus, that salt and road grime will be much easier to remove. Especially with the desire to go longer between washes when it’s 40 degrees out, it’s important to have something protecting the paint. When you detail your vehicle before winter, you’re setting yourself up for several months of easy maintenance, avoiding that detail before winter can cost much more in the long run.

“Now is wax really the best option?” you ask. Well, with the recent advancements in the car care industry I can with 100% confidence tell you that wax is no longer the best way to protect your vehicle. Ceramic coatings are quickly making wax a thing of the past. A single application of Opti-Coat Pro can last a lifetime.

No, really… Opti-Coat is a permanent coating we apply to your vehicle that will outlast any wax on the market, and with proper coating maintenance, it’ll outlast your engine. How does it work? We go through a multi-step preparation process that deep cleans the pores of the paint and removes every scratch and swirl leaving a flawless surface. We then apply Opti-Coat Pro and it crosslinks with the paint creating a permanent bond. In fact, the only way to remove Opti-Coat is using abrasion, meaning you’ll need to sand or use an abrasive compound.

Opti-Coat Pro will make cleaning your car this winter a breeze, and you won’t be rushing to see us as soon as the sun comes back out, because it’ll still look freshly waxed. In between washes the rain will carry away most of the dirt leaving you with a cleaner looking vehicle all the time.

We are your local authorized Opti-Coat installer. Please call 503-767-3007 or stop by our shop for more info.