3.0 Dolphin

I've noticed that after I've put on a fresh coat of wax, after the first rainfall the wax gets hit with, the beads are very small and the water slides right off the car. But the next day if it rains again, the beads are no longer small, they progressively get bigger and bigger...does this mean my wax is going away? Thanks for any comments.

Troy H

I've always heard nickel-sized or smaller, but this might've just been pulled out off some guys a$$. I tend to go on ease of cleaning and also how easily detailing spray wipes off. I guess I just have a good sense of when the car needs wax, since I've been detailing cars (1st dad's, now mine) for the better part of 15 years.

HDClown

A coat of wax should last AT LEAST 2 months. What your seeing is a side product of the freshly waxed car loosing it's silky smoothness which you only get for a few days after waxing, assuming the car hasn't been rained on or gotten all dirty.

Next time you wax, feel the paint, really really really smooth. Come back a few days later, won't be nearly as smooth, but the coat of wax is largely the same.

Singletrack

Mist it with the hose, when thye get bigger than dimes, it's time to wax. The time in between waxing varies greatly depending on which wax you're using.

-st

motorwaffen

Without outside influences, surface tension will form water into a sphere. By contrast, a dirty or oxidized car has an irregular paint surface that works against the water's proclivity to form a sphere. Waxing a car creates a surface allowing hydrostatic tension to be greater than hydrophilic dynamics. In addition to surface dynamics, I hear bead size is affected by water ph, temperature, chemical compounds present, and gravity (but not much of a variable on earth)

AlanL

as the days pass between your car washes. The changes in beading are telling you more about the crud on your car than the state of your wax. The bead observations are only valid right after you wash it.

Ted K

first wax the car, and it should be mirror smooth. As the wax wears off, you should notice it get more difficult. That's when you know to rewax.

RKA

Agreed!