We are experiencing some relatively mild (40's) temps for December and I have the urge to slap on some wax/polish. Is there a minimum temp under which it is not a good idea to apply wax/polish?

 

ideal temps for the car's surface (can differ from outside temps) is prob say 60 to 80 for waxing.

outside of this range waxes are harder to work with.
(at low temps they dont cure well and at high temps they evaporate too quickly)

if you drive the car a bit to get the engine warm and then put it in the garage it will warm the garage a bit. let the car cool down some while the heat transfers. not gonna get a lot of temp change by doing this, but it can help. a space heater that is made for garages is another choice- be sure that it has a timer or some way of turning off in case you forget to turn it off, and keep it away from the cars-

 

I have applied wax relatively close to freezing (somewhere between 33

 

guardiase- my recollection is that the nxt generation paste wax does not contain carnuba... if you still have yours, check the contents and let us know-
i think that you might have the answer that i missed...
synthetics can handle a bit larger temp range than carnubas-

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from the meguiars site:

"Meguiar's products will work easily within a much broader temperature range, such as, 50

 

Hey wanabe. On my tin of NXT paste wax it does not say anywhere about it containing carnauba, but it boasts about its "Engineered Synthetic Polymers" so I believe it's a full synthetic wax. In these colder months the wax will only last about 3 weeks on the front side of the car, but man, I can't get enough of the smell!

 

Great advice ... thanks for the quick response.

Sounds like if I stay away from the carnubas and freezing temps I should be ok. I preped the car pretty good before the cold weather and just wanted to add a coat of protection while I had the opportunity.

 

I will not wax unless it is above 70. It makes the wax go on and come off the paint sooooo much easier.

Having a heated garage can help make waxing more possible during the winter months around here, but I am personally waiting until spring....then I will bust out the clay bar kit too....