Many new car owners or people who are ready to buy a car are concerned about car waxing. No doubt, their curiosity is valid because, after all, it’s about the looks of the vehicle you are about to buy. However, the focal point of their concern is: do dealerships wax new cars or not?
No! The car dealerships do not wax new cars. If you simply put it, there’s no gain in it for them. They are not going to drive that car. Also, they already got their money by selling a car to you. So now it doesn’t make sense that the dealerships wax your car before handing it over to you unless someone is kind enough to do that out of courtesy.
Therefore, this post will guide you about car waxing and the best time to wax a new car after buying.
Applying Wax to New Car
Your car is beloved to you more than anything else, especially if you have invested your hard-earned money. So it’s logical to get emotionally attached to your car.

Now, being so attached means, you will surely take the best care of your car from day one.
Since your car has been under a single roof for a long time, it didn’t get exposed to the sun’s rays. Therefore, if you live in an area where the sun emits scorching heat, your car’s paint is highly vulnerable.
No doubt, there is little to no harm to car paint by the sun rays. However, sudden changes in temperature and the harshness of the weather can damage your car’s aesthetics.
Besides, it’s important to keep checking the car’s clear coat.
It’s a transparent top-most layer that protects the car paint from dust particles, UV rays, and harmful solutions.
When you apply wax to a new car, it gets a protective layer which saves the clear coat from getting damaged quickly.
Moreover, you have to keep waxing your car over time so that the clear coat can last long. As a result, the car paint will run longer than you expected.
What Happens When You Wax a Car?
First, it protects the car paint from poor weather conditions. It’s like you are applying sunscreen on your body while going out in the sun. The sunscreen keeps the harmful sun rays from affecting your skin and moisturizes it.
Similarly, the wax on the car saves the car paint from the impurities in the atmosphere.
Second, it enhances the car’s outlook by making it shinier. How?
The car wax uses the following ingredients and combinations:
- Beeswax
- Carnauba Wax
- Turpentine
- Pine Oil
The above ingredients are not limited as you can use several other oil combinations by DIY car wax preparation.
Difference Between Car Waxing and Polishing
Although car wax and polish might look similar, their applications are different.
Car Waxing
You already know that car waxing protects the outermost layer (clear coat) of car paint. Car wax doesn’t have any abrasives, and therefore, you can apply it after the car wash or polish is done.
Have a look at Meguiar’s Cleaner Wax.
Car Polishing
On the other hand, car polish uses abrasives, and thus it’s more aggressive than car wax. Besides, car polish can damage the car paint’s clear coat if you don’t follow safety guidelines.

Check out the SHINE ARMOR Quick Coat Car Wash Polish Spray.
Car Wax | Car Polish |
Improves the car’s exterior looks. | Eliminates scratches from car’s paint. |
Withstands UV rays and extreme weather conditions. | Removes a very thin layer of paint. |
Gives a glossy outer layer. | Uses abrasives in varying degrees. |
Protects and smooths the car’s outer surface. | Damage the car paint if used without proper guidance. |
When to Wax a Car?
Always wax your car at the end when you are done with washing and other treatments like polishing. Why?
It’s because wax puts a seal on the hard work you did by washing and polishing. Besides, beware not to apply wax before polishing as it will easily remove the wax from the car.
If you wonder how many times a year you should wax your car, the answer can vary. Several factors determine the frequency of car waxing:
- Weather conditions of the area you live in.
- Distance you cover daily in your car.
- Environmental pollution.
- Car wash routine.
In fact, it’s recommended to wax your car three times a year under normal conditions.
How to Apply Wax on Your Car?
There is no rocket science behind applying wax to your car. The process is simple without arranging any particular accessories.
However, you might have to get a microfibre cloth to buff off the wax.
First of all, you have to buy high-quality wax from any automobile shop. The more you spend on a quality product, the more astonishing results you will get.
Before applying the wax, it’s better if you wash your car so that all the dirt and grime go away. Also, once you wash your car, you can easily identify dry spots and scratches.
Therefore, apply polish on those spots after washing.
Since car waxing is the final step, you can wait till your car is completely dry. The effect of wax gets reduced when mixed with water.
Also, the wax spray will have instructions on how to apply it to your car. The general method is the same, but some manufacturers prefer using their own method.
- Start applying wax in a small circular motion.
- Take out a small amount because cleaning a large amount of wax can create a mess.
- After applying wax, wait till it leaves some chalky spots. This shows the wax has completely dried off.
- Take any soft cloth (microfibre cloth is preferred) and start cleaning the wax. Follow the same circular motion you used while waxing.
After cleaning the wax, your car will become glossy and more attractive than it was before buying.
Final Words
You should always remember that dealerships or previous owners don’t wax your car during the selling process. Therefore, you have to apply wax on your car as soon as you take it home to protect the car paint. Moreover, park your car under a shade to apply wax for the best results.
Once you wax your car, you will feel proud of having a glossy vehicle ready to serve you.
Hello Automotive Gear Lovers!
Sourav Biswas is here! I write for the VehicleOnly Automotive Blog and am passionate about automotive tools. I am also a publisher on Amazon & Medium.
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