Got a new Malibu about a month ago. I was just wondering if the dealer puts a coat of wax on the car for you. They told me they were detailing the car. I guess that means putting on a glaze and power buffing it to give it that new car shine. I thought they put a coat of wax on, but after it rained, it lead me to believe they didn't. There were quite a bit of water spots after the water dried. I was able to wax half the car this past weekend. It looked like it was going to rain, so I couldn't finish. In any case, the hood had no water spots after it rained, so I have to believe the dealer didn't wax the car.

It's supposed to be really nice this weekend. I'm going to put a nice coat of wax on her. I have the Rain Dance liquid car wax. Is that a good wax?

When I worked in the service department at a Ford dealer detailing the car did not mean waxing it. What they did was clean the entire inside using chemicals available to professionals only. Makes quick work and looks good for the eye pop. Smells good, too. But on the exterior all they did was run it through a car wash that used RO water. (Reverse Osmosis) When we washed even black cars on sunny days the RO water, being pure, did not leave any spots. Each dealership is privately owned and operated, so what they do is up to them. But being in business to make money (not friends!) they won't likely wax a car by paying their people to do that kind of labor unless you purchased some kind of exterior finish package. And even then, it's usually a spray and wipe, not a high quality product.

Caveat emptor: Buyer beware! Wax it yourself, then you know it's done and done well. YMMV

Rarely anymore. They use a liquid quick wax if your lucky.

do it yourself surf city garage, Meguires NXT 2.0, or Zaino. pick one and you'll be happy!!
and Ditto with what DrivenDaily said

Richard,

If you like to wax the car more often and are not in a winter climate, use the NXT 2.0 like he said above, or I'd recommend the Mothers FX Synwax as those are easy to use but do a great job.

If you're looking for something longer term, but would require a bit more elbow grease, buy a can of Collinite Super Doublecoat. Second to none IMO for the harsh winters for my location, it seems to last about 6-9 months which is silly to think about but those are my results on about five applications on 3 different cars so far. (put it on four but rarely see this car in the rain.)