The Car Wash Conundrum – Should I Get the Wax Treatment or Not?

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If you love your car, it’s only natural that you want to give it the best. But sometimes this means a pricey treatment and you might not always be able to justify it. Adding a wax treatment to a car wash is a perfect example.

Despite how lauded a good wax job is for your auto body paint, it’s important to understand they’re not all the same. So when you’re considering getting the extra treatment, be sure you know what it will entail. You could easily wind up paying an exorbitant price for a wax that will wear off before you know it and provide few benefits in the meantime.

So although wax is one of the most popular auto body supplies in the world, that doesn’t mean it’s automatically worth the higher price.

The greatest predictor for whether a wax will truly benefit your car paint is whether it is Carnauba wax. You may have also heard of this variety referred to as Palm or Brazil wax. This wax comes from the palm of the Copernicia prunifera tree which is native to north-eastern Brazil. It benefits the tree by preventing water loss and protecting it from detrimental factors in the environment.

This natural design is one of Carnauba wax’s greatest advantages. People even use it for floors—which take on far more abuse than your car’s paintjob.

But the shine is nothing to sneeze at, either. In fact, you’ll get more bang for your buck with Carnauba wax because thin coats are all it takes to get an amazing look. Yet if you search body shop supplies, you’ll find this wax is already one of the cheapest there is.

So is it worth paying extra for wax at the car wash? At Rondex, we wouldn’t recommend it unless they’re offering Carnauba. Otherwise, take the wash and apply the affordable wax yourself.