exterior care?

Just bought a Honda Civic and I am surprised not to find any
information in the owner's manual about caring for the exterior.

I know that any good quality wash and wax will do the job (well, I
assume so, anyway). But my question is:

I recall with previous new cars (Nissan) that they said NOT to wax it
for x amount of time. Not sure why, and maybe my memory is failing me,
maybe they didn't say that. But does anyone know?

Is it good to wax your new Honda right away, or should you wait x
amount of time, or ?

Also any suggestions as to type of wash and wax - maybe from previous
owner's manuals? - would be welcome. Thanks.

p.s. No, I did not pay extra for the clear coat or whatever sealant
paint protection.

 

Did you get a second booklet, titled "Honda Care - Warranty and
Maintenance Guide"? Have a look in there, some basic info on wash and
wax.

Regarding waxing a brand new car, if the date of manufacture is very
recent, I'd hang off waxing for at least 3 months. I think the idea is
to let the paint cure. You can usually figure out manufacture date
from date stamps on components.

I try to wax our cars spring and fall, sometimes I miss one. I use old
fashioned Turtle Hard Shell liqud. Also, when washing I'll sometimes
just run a wax damped cloth around the rear rims, which seem a rust-
prone area. For washing I'm currently using Maguiars Nxt Gen Car Wash
fwiw. Smells good.

I also did not get any extra sealant or undercoat with our recent
purchase, do not think they are worthwhile. Sealant is just a
glorified wax job, oh and were'nt we just talking about not waxing a
brand new car. And the undercoat is worse than useless. Proper wax
sealant may have some benefit, but iffy I think.

IMHO, one of the best things you can do is pry off the fender liners,
mud flaps and similar everyonce in a while, and thoroougly hose out
all the crap that *will* have accumulated. Check very carefully for
rust specks. You can use any old anti-rust paint in there, say inside
back fenders. Look at older cars of the same make: where are they
rusting? Inside back wheel wells is one trouble spot.

The dealer really turn the pressure on, tho, LOL.

 

Thanks. Maybe I did. I stuck some other paperwork in the trunk that I
thought was superfluous. It might be in there!

Thanks again. That's what I was thinking, that there was a period when
you shouldn't wax it, in the beginning.

 

dont worry about waxing too soon. Paint will be fine after 72 hours from
manufacture.
I use no soap to wash just constant flow of water while washing over mitt to
remove particulate that can scratch.
Suggest 2 mitts as the lower you go (including wheels) will pick up more
junk than you want rubbing across your hood.
My Honda CRV seems to have very little paint (clear) on the damn thing to
begin with so watch out for waxes that say clean and polish etc. as they
will tend to be a little more aggressive but hard to find one that does not.

wash away
Tom