I have washed (with Blue Coral soap if I remember correctly) my car several times since I received it new a month ago. I simply wash with a soft non-silicone sponge and wipe dry with a chamois. The shine and texture still feel like a well-waxed car. I have read a few posts elsewhere that say waxing the new cars is not always recommended because the clear coat is enough, and wax seals the paint and prevents it from "breathing", dulling it over time.

Any thoughts or consensus on this issue? Should I bother waxing? Should I just stick with polymer shines like Hydro? Should I continue to just wash and chamois? Sorry if this has been addressed before - I just haven't found a specific post asking this question.

 

Simple answer.... Yes, wax. Hydro is better than nothing but you will fully utilize it if you are going over a compatible product like Epic.

 

That idea that the paint can't breathe aka gas out, really only applies to paint that is done at a body shop i.e. paint repari after an accident and not factory painting. In the case of factory paint, the car is painted and baked so by the time it gets to you at the dealership, there is no reason to wait to wax.

When a car is re-painted at a body shop, they can't run it through the same process to cure the paint and therefore you have to wait 30~60 days or so to wax.

 

Nj mini has your answer! I work at a mini dealer in detail and am going to school for collision repair. Body shops will tell you to wait X amount of days, our shops say 90 to wax your car and we do bake them. But ours is 90 because it takes longer for waterborn paint to completly cure as opposed to solvent based paint. When you get them from factory they have already cured to the point that wax will not effect them. We wax all of your deliveries anyways so chances are your dealer did the same! Good luck!

 

You should also use a microfiber towel instead of the chamois.

A chamois will drag any left over dirt particles across the paint, scratching the surface.

 

+1
But not just any microfiber cloth. Use only a towel designed for the purpose. Two reliable sources are:
http://www.showcarsupplies.com/
http://www.griotsgarage.com/home.do

 

There is silcone, teflon, carnauba etc that the car can be protected with. Some even clay bar the car to get grit out of the pores. One will satisfy you and get the results that you want.........yes "wax" the car and feel good about it.