Supercharged Corvette Wash & Carnauba Wax Application

Hi there and welcome to another car cleaning guru video. Today you join me alongside my canine car cleaning companion Smudge as I give this thunderous 800bhp supercharged Corvette in preparation for a local meet taking place the following day. The metallic silver paintwork was already fairly clean but with winter weather approaching as well as wanting to help it stand out from the other motors at the meet I decided to wash and wax it regardless, hopefully illustrating the manner in which I apply a professional grade paste wax in the process. First up of course was a thorough pre-clean to help remove as much loose dirt as possible prior to contact washing. The car was blanketed from top to bottom in a thick layer of snow foam which was then left to dwell for a number of minutes before being thoroughly rinsed off at pressure. Once rinsed and with the body still wet I then went on to give the two-piece forged aluminium bbs wheels a detailed clean. First I applied a strong yet non-acidic cleaner to both the wheel face and barrel via a foaming trigger spray and worked it into all areas with an assortment of soft bristle detailing brushes before thoroughly rinsing off to ensure all product residue was removed prior to washing. With polishing not on the agenda I treated the paintwork to a two bucket wash in an attempt to prevent any more unsightly swells and scratches being inflicted prior to the carnauba wax application. Working from top to bottom which here included the convertible top I gently washed the car using a soft synthetic mitt to remove what remaining dirt was left on it following the pre-clean. Then once again fully rinsed it off before the low-lying autumnal sun had a chance to dry the suds. The Corvette was then dried using a plush towel alongside a detailing spray to prepare the surface for wax and help prevent water spotting occurring in the direct light. After spending some time soaking up the rinse water the tyres were then dressed with a durable exterior protectant to finish off each corner prior to the waxing of the paintwork. My LSP of choice for the Corvette was the German R222 carnauba paste wax formerly known as P21S it's a product that has repeatedly delivered for me over the years providing an affordable yet concourse quality shine with an incredibly easy on easy off application. With no roof to wax here I began with the bonnet and its accompanying power bulge first dabbing the supplied applicator sponge over a section to prevent caking then evenly spreading it in an overlapping manner following the contours of the car before buffing off the lightly hazed residue with a super plush microfiber towel and moving on to the next section of the panel. Here you can see the wax curing in the sun nicely illustrating the manner in which it was applied which ensures full and even coverage. As there's no abrasive properties in a paste wax there's no need to use unnecessary pressure when applying it instead you should just gently glide the applicator pad over the surface applying just enough pressure to keep it moving under your fingertips. I then moved on to the large rear deck lid waxing it in the same manner as the bonnet. If you're unsure of which way to wax then think of which direction air or water would bead up or flow over the panel and roughly follow that course as this will help to give the most natural looking fluid reflective finish. With the upper panels protected I progressed to waxing the sides of the Corvette beginning with its front wings then working methodically down the top half of its doors including the exposed wing mirrors finishing up with the large rear quarter panels reserving the lower areas for last as you would with any other part of the detailing process. The front end was then thoroughly coated to help protect it from kamikaze creepy crawlies and winter road salt. I like to try and wax in and around badges and decals if possible and although this can cause unsightly residue issues with polishes and synthetic sealants natural paste waxes are actually quite forgiving in this respect and so as long as you thoroughly buff off the area after application there's no reason why you shouldn't adequately work the wax into these focal points to ensure they're as equally glossy and protected as the surrounding paintwork. Second to last was the large rear end of the Corvette which at some point had been sprayed black meaning a different quality of finish was obviously going to be seen here nonetheless I gave the panel a thorough waxing including the imprinted Corvette text ensuring these recessed areas were adequately buffed out afterwards. Lastly was to work the soft corner up a wax into the lower doors and sills of the vehicle which featured both front and rear grilles to direct airflow as well as draw the eye and so it was important these parts were not overlooked. Also situated in this spot were some vinyls which too were waxed over again polishing synthetic sealants could serve to cause residue build-up here but with the natural wax being extremely easy to remove I had no issues myself with working over the stickers. Once the lower panels were complete I then spent a good 10 minutes rebuffing the entire car with a fresh towel alongside a spritz of detail spray to ensure all areas of the Corvette were completely smear and residue free which is crucial to do on a silver coloured car like this as overlooked areas can be very difficult to spot especially in low-lying direct sunlight. With the buffing beaten I then retired to grab some afters of the Corvette in the late afternoon sun. As anyone who's worked on a silver car before will know it's probably one of the hardest colours to achieve a deep and dazzling finish on especially when the paintwork hasn't been polished in advance however the relatively basic wash and wax still did a decent job at lifting the overall look of the car for the Sunday meet which was the priority as well of course as providing some quality protection for the impending winter weather. As always thanks for watching don't forget to like share and subscribe for more like this and I'll aim to be back before the cold weather kicks in with some fresh car cleaning guru content.