How to wax a car

A car wax forms thin transparent layer over the paint
and covers minor scratches

Waxing gives your car natural shine and helps to protect the paint. When applied, the car wax forms a thin transparent layer over the car paint surface. The car wax covers minor scratches, stone chips and other damages, making them less visible. The wax also "seals" the paint, preventing water from contacting the bare metal exposed in deep scuffs, chips and scratches, slowing down the corrosion process.
For best results, a car wax needs to be reapplied regularly. From my observations, a good-quality car wax stays on the car for about three-four months.

If your car hasn't been waxed in a very long time, it might be a good idea to take it to a local detailing shop, or you can visit your dealer (e.g. for an oil change) and ask for one of those detailing packages they offer. What they do, they buff the car with an electrical buffer using a special polishing compound with mild abrasive to remove light scratches, hard stains and other impurities of the paint finish. Then they wax the whole car. After your car has been detailed, you can simply re-apply wax every three months or so to keep it shiny.

To wax your car you will need some good quality wax (e.g. Carnauba wax), a small soft sponge and a clean soft cotton towel. Your car must be very clean and dry. I usually wax my car right after washing it at a coin car wash; the whole process of washing, drying and waxing takes about an hour.
Make sure to choose the right product - you need the wax with no abrasives. Read the product label and test it on some small area first.
Park your car somewhere in a shadow - usually it works better when the car surface is cool to the touch. Work on one section at the time, for example, on one fender or door.

	If you use liquid wax, shake the bottle well before use. Apply small amount of wax to the sponge and spread it evenly on one section of the car. It's good idea to start from the top and do the bottom panels last because there is always some dirt left at the bottom.
	You want to make a thin, even layer of wax. Try not to touch unpainted plastic and rubber surfaces (e.g. weatherstrips) with wax - it will leave white stains on them.
	Allow the wax to haze (takes about a minute or two). Then buff it to a perfect shine with a clean soft towel, rotating it frequently - clean part of the towel works best.
	After the whole car is done, clean the wax from unpainted plastic and rubber surfaces. A window spray cleaner will work well for this purpose.
	I recommend to wax your car regularly - once in every three-four months. I tried many products and non of them stays permanently. Any car wax needs to be re-applied regularly.

How to use color wax

	A color wax has a dye in it and comes in different colors. This car on the photo has a lot of highway miles, so the whole front end of this car is covered with small stone chips. The car is dark and the stone chips appear as grey dots. This is when the color wax can be helpful, because it would take forever to repair all the stone chips with a touch up paint.
	Again, shake the bottle well and apply small amount of the color wax on the sponge.
	Spread the color wax evenly, making sure all the stone chips are filled up with wax.
	Allow the wax to haze, then buff it to a perfect shine with clean soft cloth.
	In the end, stone chips are still there, but they are a lot less visible, covered with the color wax  http://www.wikihow.com .