Cleaning

I'm planning on waxing my soon to be delivered black Volvo about once a month with a "pure" wax from Zymol. They also recommend waxing monthly. They go on to recommend using a cleaner every 5 to 6 months. This confuses me. I thought the wax bonds better after using a cleaner, rather than directly going from washing to waxing. So how often do I use the cleaner? Monthly,as a pre-wax? Every 6 months? Or do I say heck with it and use their cleaner/wax product.
Want to get off on the right foot.

Steve, the zymol is a poor choice, but that is my opinion. Too expensive and not worth the extra $$$. After reading many many posts from the professionals on this board, and it is YOUR car, and brand new I would suggest using a sealer. The sealer works better when you have NOTHING else on the finish. You have the option of continuing using it once every month or so, or you can also top it with wax for a better shine. You still want to use a cleaner of some sort even if its brand new, just transporting the car it picks up grime and dirt.

zymol makes a good product,no doubt about that,but like turboman said it is expensive. if the zymol line is still pretty much the same as it was a few years ago, the cleaning product you are referring to is the hd cleanse and i think they still reccomend that this is applied before the wax..i do know that they offer a "special formulation" for volvo's. i would stick with sealant for the ultimate in protection unless you want to experiment and get a feel for what the different products offer. some popular products that pop up from time to time on this board are (sealants) klasse all-in-one and sealant gloss(sg),zaino,meguiars # 20,finish first and liquid glass. the waxes are usually meguiars #26,gold class,zymol,mothers,p21s,3-m and a bunch of others. pre-cleaners and glazes are usually 3-m and meguiars and they are easy to find. all of these products(in my opinion) are good. one detailer might hate a product, while another loves it. climate should have alot to do with your decision(snow and salt or acid rain).if these are serious concerns,try the sealant.it holds up much better under these conditions.

Even on a brand new, "30 seconds ago it was in the showroom" car, I would still highly recommend that a pure polish be used to 'clean' the paint. I have seen showroom cars cleaned with Pledge etc. and God knows what else. Not to mention the generic "speed glaze" the dealer applies right before you take delivery, so the car shines like a new car is "supposed" to.

I agree with Turbo dude that a sealant works best if there is nothing on the paint surface that will hinder the sealant from properly bonding with the paint.

A proper buffing with a pure polish (such as Meguairs #7) will ensure that the paint is smooth, clean and ready for the sealant.



Don M
'02 Cavalier LSSC
2200 DOHC

OK......"sealent" it is. Thanks guys. My new car and retirement occur at about the same time. Plenty of time for auto maintenance (and good exercise to boot).