Is Waxing a Vehicle Necessary? What Benefits Does It Offer?

Waxing your car is considered a must – no car lover would ever think of skipping out on waxing days. But it can be a rather tedious task, and it can take a while to do it properly as well.

Is it really necessary, though? Can you afford not to wax your car?

Unfortunately for those of us who don’t like to spend a lot of time mimicking Karate Kid’s “wax on, wax off” activity, yes, it’s necessary. There are many benefits to waxing your car, though, so it’s totally worth it.

Need some motivation to wax your car? Here you go!

1. Protects Against Dirt

One of the most obvious reasons to wax your car is that it can protect the body against dirt. When your car is properly waxed, the wax will prevent daily dirt from sticking to it. That’s because the wax creates a nice and smooth, uniform surface that makes it difficult for the dirt to stick.

It’s not only dirt from dusty roads that won’t be sticking to your car either. Other things like bird poop and tree sap will also be less likely to stick. 

You may not know this, but dirt can get embedded in your car’s paint, which cannot be removed with normal cleaning. With a layer of wax applied, that won’t be something for you to worry about.

2. Scratch Protection

As a car owner, you probably know that it’s impossible to avoid small scratches and imperfections. Heck, it’s even difficult to avoid larger scratches because you can’t be with your car constantly, making sure no one walks too close or gets nasty with their keys.

Even automatic car washes and improper washing can lead to scratches!

But if your car has been waxed, you can rest a little easier, knowing that it’s protected against those accidents that result in those small scratches.

Although wax doesn’t completely protect against scratches, it goes a long way towards minimizing them, at the very least.

3. Maintains Your Car’s Paint

Car paint jobs are not cheap, so it’s always a good idea to do whatever you can to make yours last as long as possible. It’s one of the first things people notice about your car, so if you’re proud of your vehicle, you probably want to do whatever you can to protect its paint.

Paint fades and gets scratched up over time if you don’t maintain it properly. Waxing your car is one way to protect the paint and keep it looking great for much longer.

(Also, if you’re ever going to sell your car, its paint job will affect how much you get for it)

4. Easier Cleaning

A really good reason to wax your car is how easy it makes cleaning. Because, as we’ve mentioned earlier, dirt doesn’t stick to your vehicle as easily when it’s been waxed, cleaning will be a lot less of a hassle.

You’ll find it easier to wash off all the bird poop, dirt, mud splashes, tree sap, and everything else that seems to be attracted to cars if you’ve waxed it well.

When your car has been waxed, it will stay cleaner for longer as well. Now that’s a fantastic benefit and enough reason to get waxing, wouldn’t you say?

5. Acts as Water Repellent

A benefit to waxing your car that won’t immediately come to mind is the protection against water that it offers. Instead of staying on your car and seeping into places where it doesn’t belong, water will bead up on the paint if there’s a layer of wax applied.

And yes, this means that when it rains, your car won’t get those ugly marks that betray us and show it hasn’t been cleaned in a while. We all know those darn marks.

You could even consider getting spray wax that can be applied to your car’s windows to protect them as well. In addition to the water protection, your windows will also be clearer when you’re driving in rainy weather, making your driving experience much safer.

6. Sun Damage Protection

The sun can be really harsh on your car, especially if you have to park out in sunny areas for long periods. Sun damage can lead to random faded paint spots that look really unattractive.

The ultraviolet rays from the sun can damage the paint of your car over time, which leads to this horrible fading. If you wax your car regularly, this won’t be a problem.

The wax forms a protective layer and prevents the rays from reaching the paint and affecting it.

This is a long-term benefit that is great motivation when you really don’t feel like spending energy on waxing your car, isn’t it?

7. Enhances Your Car’s Appearance

Every proud car owner takes pleasure in how good their car looks. If you don’t, then it’s a pity because good-looking cars are always nice to see, even when you don’t know much about cars.

A benefit of car wax is that it helps to enhance how your car looks, even if it’s really old. The benefits mentioned above, such as protection from scratches and sun damage, is why wax helps to make your car look a lot better.

A shiny car that looks good on the outside creates the impression of meticulous maintenance, which is probably what all car owners want.

8. Can Mask Imperfections

It’s possible that your car is aged, and has many little imperfections like small bumps and scratches. Removing these can be quite costly, so you need an alternative that will help your car look good but won’t cost an arm and a leg. 

Enter car wax!

Small imperfections on your car’s body can be masked with a good layer of wax until you’re able to fix the scratches and bumps.

It’s not a permanent solution and won’t hide the bigger imperfections, but will give you time to save up and get the work done that your car needs.

How Often Should You Wax Your Car?

Right, so now that it’s clear why you should be waxing your car, the question is, how often must you do this?

Fortunately, car waxing doesn’t have to take place every weekend, or even every month. You can get away with waxing your car every other month or so.

At the very least, though, your car should be waxed twice a year so that you can enjoy all the benefits mentioned here.

Get Waxing!

Now that you know why it’s important to wax your car, it’s time to get started. If you really don’t have the time or energy to do the waxing yourself, consider roping in the help of a car care company or car cleaners. They’ll do it for you, at a price, of course!