Waxing a car is a major cause of rust?

Question

I bought a used car a few years back It had a nice looking body but the paint was a little faded so I decided put a wax job on it.
A old mechanic named " Bud who used to work on cars when he was younger, told me not to do it.
He said wax would make the car rust. I laughed at him and he got serious and said "go on wax it fool".
I did and it looked great, for about a year. Thats when I notices rust stains around the moldings of the car.
I kept the car for three more years. By then It had obvious cancer spots all around it.
I thought wax was suppose to protect the car from rust? I know the car did not have rust on it before because, I bought it from a family member who bought it new.
How can wax make a car rust?

Answer 1

It can happen, depending on the type of wax you use. A thin water base wax should not be a problem.
Some thicker wax like carnauba forms a really hard surface over the paint,
The problem is not the wax itself, true wax does not react with paint. the problem is that you wash the car before you wax it.
Water gets trapped in small crevices all through the car and body trim.
Normally the water will either drain out or evaporate. Wax is a sealer
It seals water in just like it seals it out.
A build up of wax can create pockets where water can stand. The fasteners that hold the molding and trim in place are in contact with bare metal. The water collects around these fasteners and rust is formed.
Works quicker on older cars because the paint has had a chance to wear and chip.

Answer 2

There have been problems with the paint on some cars making them prone to rust. It had nothing to do with your waxing it. I think Old Bud' had sniffed a few too many paint fumes or something.

Answer 3

what if the car rusted from the underside... you know where there is only primer from the factory and no paint ..
my truck rusted from under the paint from inside the fender well...wax will protect the paint but not the metal on the back side

Answer 4

Maybe he saw that the paint on that used car was poorly applied and that it was going to rust out no matter what you did. Then when you waxed it and his prediction came true you thought the wax was the problem.

Answer 5

He's probably the same guy that puts moth balls in his gas tank,
and magnets on his fuel lines.

I've owned and waxed a WHOLE lot of cars, starting with a '49 Chevy and have never seen this. I think you live near the ocean or some other damp environment.

Answer 6

Apply 2 thin coats of RustSeal made by kbs coatings ... a moisture-cured urethane. It'll prevent rust on metal surfaces by seeping into the pores of the metal and sucking out moisture as it cures. It comes in plenty of colors including red & green.

Answer 7

waxing a car wont make it rust,that's totally impossible,it works the opposite,it helps to fight against rust,what happened to your car was it probably was already starting to rust,never in my life have i heard this one,i wax mine once a month and no rust yet,wax wont make it rust,good luck.

Answer 8

I have no idea what happened to your car. All my friends have waxed their cars for years and nothing happened. You should go ask that guy what he used to put on the car.

Answer 9

that old man is on dope!, waxing will protect your car from rust, never heard of such a crazy thing in all my life!

Answer 10

duh you have to wash your car every week and wax it once a month and that guy bud should be smacked with a rubber dildo if you have faded paint the you use rubbig and polishing compound first to bring up the shine then use wax