Expert: William Forster - 11/3/2007

Question
I have a 1994 Nissan and the car is in great mechanical shape; however, I recently waxed the finish with Turtle Wax carnauba car wax and now after 6 months large white spots are appearing on the front and rear hood and the top. I have read the directions on the mfg Turtle Wax and they don't warn against applying over a plastic coat. The plastic coat is Nissans original coating.

Answer
Lynn, the problem isn't the wax, it's the car itself. Being 14 years old, the car's finish is doing what is called chalking. Simply put, the paint is slowly oxidizing and turning to dust. No wax can cause this problem, only vehicle age and the beating down of the sun. It's time for a paint job, I'm afraid. I don't follow you as far as plastic coat, the car is painted with traditional automotive paint with clear coat. Even if the pieces are plastic, which the hood, roof, and deck lid are not, they are still painted - if they are the body color of the car, that is. There are some odd notions about what a car is made of and painted with these days, and sometimes folks think they have all these exotic materials, plastics, and finishes- generally, they are wrong. Cars, especially from the early 90's, are generally a steel body, plastic bumper covers, and all is painted with regular old base/clear coat paint. Take my word as the rule of thumb. Bill