Waxing a car preserves the protective clear coat that covers the paint beneath. This transparent coat layer protects the paint from all kinds of corrosive elements such as UV light, rainwater, snow, grit, salt, tree sap, and bird droppings. It also keeps your car looking nice and shiny. To maintain the clear coat for as long as possible, let’s look at how often drivers in Silver Spring, MD, and the rest of the state should wax their cars.
How Often Should Drivers in Silver Spring, MD Wax Their Cars?
1. At Least Twice a Year
How regularly you wax your vehicle depends on a variety of factors. But a good rule of thumb, to begin with, is never to let more than six months go by without waxing. As a rule, many drivers wax once a season or every three months. If you choose to wax this often, you’re almost always keeping your car’s coat shiny and well-protected.
2. When Your Wax Wears Thin
The ideal time to wax is when your previous layer is wearing thin and losing its protective qualities. Each time you wash your car, a little of the wax comes off. Rain and UV light also have an oxidizing effect which slowly breaks wax down. This is fine, as the wax is supposed to be a sacrificial layer, only serving to protect the clear coat underneath. But when your wax has worn too thin, the clear coat might begin to suffer.
You can tell how thick or thin your wax layer is by observing how water beads on its surface. Water beads clearly on a thick layer of wax and stops beading when the wax is almost gone. You can also run your fingers gently over the surface. A layer of wax will offer less friction and feel much smoother than an unwaxed surface.
3. Less Traffic, Less Waxing
Heavy traffic means plenty of dust and oxidizing chemicals in the air, which can wear down wax faster. If you frequently find yourself commuting during the Baltimore rush hour, you’ll probably need to wax more often: perhaps every three months or even once a month during winter. Silver Spring and other towns have far less traffic, so your wax probably won’t be facing this particular challenge.
4. Waxing a Car in Winter
Winter brings harsher weather, with increased rain and snow. There’s also sand, grit, and salt on the road, thrown up onto your wax, wearing it down faster. Because of this, you’re likely to need to wax more often when the cold months come around.
5. Garages Offer Protection
If you keep your car in a garage, your wax layer is more protected from the elements and will last longer. And so, you’ll need to refresh it less often.
6. More Often for Older Cars
Waxing is an excellent way to preserve your vehicle’s appearance and keep it looking youthful. With age, car paint naturally begins to fade and chip. But more frequent waxing can slow this process of deterioration. So if your car’s getting a bit older, it’s best to err on the side of caution and wax more often.
Once you’ve given your car its next shiny new coating of wax, pay a visit to DARCARS Volkswagen. We’re a local dealership dedicated to providing the region’s VW drivers with exceptional vehicles and service, whatever your requirements may be.
Connect with us
