Rep Power: 188

I had an old blue bottle of Rain Dance (probably from the 90s) that I used after washing the '99 Civic a few days ago, except I just used it on all the exterior metal, not the bumpers. Should have I done the bumpers too? The bumper are painted so I guess it's important to do them too. Main idea of waxing metal is to keep paint up to snuff there so rust doesn't occur.

Also, I only wash the car once or twice a year, how long does Carnauba based wax last. Not sure if what I used had it or not. Has some sort of hydrocarbons in it (said on the can). I'll get a Carnauba based wax next time, mothers or turtle wax type, or maybe a higher end 'paint sealant'.

Thanks

EDIT:
http://www.autogeek.net/qude101.html

Turns out that Carnauba based waxes typically last about 2 months on a car but paint sealant lasts more like 6-12 months!
I'll be using sealant, can't skimp out since I don't want to wash the car that often. It's a sexy machine but not a $50,000 car

 
Rep Power: 204

Hmm, sort of. The idea of waxes/waxing is to seal the paint so moisture can't get in....helping to slow the rust process. I do my bumpers every time too.

I'd like to know if anyone has used paint sealant because I'd like to do that as well. I've been waxing mine every 3 months for the past 2 years and I'm already sick of it. It would be nice to only have to do it once a year.

good info!

 
Rep Power: 188

From what I've researched so far, the sealants are really expensive. I'm kind of down to Black magic liquid car wax and nu finish, or maybe a combo of both with nu finish as the base. Black magic is/was most highly rated on Consumer reports Most people say that both last quite a while and they are inexpensive. Black magic takes some work to apply, takes a while to dry I think.
Nu finish is super easy to apply but it can whiten black trim. I have black trim but someone said you can clean it up with a toothbrush and natural peanut butter or mineral spirits. It's also highly rated but it's still a cheaper product versus "professional" products raived on forums. Cheaper is fine for a nice beater. It's supposed to last 6 months or more and people say it does last.


2 other Carnauba waxes that are good; Collinite and Duragloss and also Turtle wax isn't a bad brand.

I'll probably use nu-finish next time around and see how I can avoid damage to the trim. Might just use it under the hood, trunk, inner door metal just for kicks.

In the mean time I'll see how long the antique formulation of rain dance lasts before rain stops beading.

EDIT: Do 6th gens come with a clear coat? I ordered black magic wet shine wax, nu-finish isn't friendly with black trim so I just got wax. We'll see in 6 months or so if black magic works well.

 
Rep Power: 0

Hmm good write up.... I think waxing after washing the car gives you more good results because after washing don't need to use any clay bar. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I got some good things from your posts which I don't know before.

 
Rep Power: 188

Your welcome. Coincidentally I just washed my car and now waxed it with Black Magic car wax tonight and it spread on easy and buffed out eay. I let it dry for about 30 minutes before I buffed it out.
I'll see tomorrow in the day light how it looks. Main idea for me is to make the paint job last as long as possible with little work and if it makes the car look awesome, that's cool.

Looked like the old formulation Rain Dance was starting to wear out in parts but I'm not sure.