Your car's exterior is greatly dependent on how often you wash and wax your car. The elements can eat away at the wax, which protects the paint. Both the wax and the paint are barriers between the elements and the metal of your car. Moisture absorbs into the metal causing irreparable rust damage. It is much simpler to take care of the wax and paint of your car than to deal with rust damage.
How often you wash and wax your car is determined by where your vehicle is located and how often you drive. The hot sun will eat away at the waxy exterior much sooner than a car kept in a garage. Also, the salty air of the coastline will eat away at the undercarriage much faster than is normal. As a rule of thumb, wash your car once a week, and wax your car twice a year.
For more general maintenance information about your vehicle, we can help you here at Volkswagen of Salem in Salem, OR.