New Guy Problem

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thenewguy

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Hey everyone,

I'm brand new to hand cleaning my car. I recently purchased a shiny new Subaru BRZ and read online that you really shouldn't be taking it through the car wash due to damage it can cause to the paint.

A few weeks ago I tried my first Optimum No Rinse 2-Bucket wash. I watched a bunch of youtube videos, read some articles and felt comfortable doing it. It seemed to go well enough and I didn't notice any problems. Spurred on by that, I decided to add Optimum Wax this time after cleaning it. Here's where it went south...

I had the car outside initially, but it was 80 degrees out, no clouds with the sun hammering down. By the time I was done with the wash I just couldn't stand to be out there anymore, so I took it into the garage to apply the wax. It was only after I had taken the car back out again that I realized I left streaks like the one attached in a bunch of places on the car.

Two questions. One, does anyone know if there's a good way to fix those streaks, or do I simply have to wait for the wax to wear off? Second, can someone give me pointers as to what I did wrong to cause them and how to avoid them in the future?

Thanks for helping the new guy!
 
Re: FNG Problem

I'm not really seeing what you are talking about--do you mean the little streaks on the black window trim?
 
Re: FNG Problem

Well, it's right in the middle of the frame actually. The image quality made it difficult to catch, but easy to see with the eye. It basically looks like water smears that just don't evaporate.
 
Re: FNG Problem

You have to work on paint that's cool to the touch, it was probably really hot after baking in the sun.
 
Re: FNG Problem

gotcha. that could explain it. is there any way to easily take it off and reapply, or somehow remove those streaks?
 
Re: FNG Problem

I get good results with claying the car to remove such stuff from the paint, that is if the wash doesn't do the trick.
 
Re: FNG Problem

And apply thin! follow the instructions on the wax, but in general thin is in!
 
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I'm going to go against the grain here and say to reapply more product to even out the appearance.

I still can't see what you're talking about in the picture, but IME OCW streaking looks like wetter or oily spots, or are you saying they are whitish spots from the product drying out in the sun?
 
Re: FNG Problem

Setec Astronomy said:
I'm going to go against the grain here and say to reapply more product to even out the appearance.

I still can't see what you're talking about in the picture, but IME OCW streaking looks like wetter or oily spots, or are you saying they are whitish spots from the product drying out in the sun?
Click to expand...

I think I can see the spots he's talking about. I agree in theory, but would differ in my approach.

I'd actually start with a QD or spray wax first to see if that does the trick. I little product on a MF towels might even things out.

My garage has some of the worst lighting possible for doing detail work. I frequently find smears or other small flaws in daylight which didn't show in the garage. A walk around outside with a spray product (most often QD) is a must for me when finishing a job. 90% of the time it clears the issue right up.
 
I can see them :D , plus I'm on my phone too lol

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I would just try a quick detailer to see if they wipe off that way. Just make sure the paint is cool to the touch.

It could have just been the rinseless product left behind and you didn't catch it till the end. Or left over rinseless that you didn't completely dry off that finally just streaked.

It doesn't necessarily look like the spray wax was the culprit. (Could be wrong, plus not having been there. I am just guessing) However, it looks more like undried water. Or rinseless in your case.

I wouldn't just let it sit there till it wears off though. It could somehow, someway stain. Then that'll be a bigger paint in the buttocks to deal with.
 
As said above your car was not cool enough, try ONR @ QD dilution or even more OCW as Setec said.. If that didn't work, try OPC @ 1:3 dilution
 
Re: FNG Problem

Optimum Spray Wax has to be applied onto the car when the car is "fairly" cool. When you had you car out in the sun and then brought it back to the garage....my guess your car was still too "hot". OSW is an excellent product. I use it on my Black GT. I usually make sure the car is not too hot.

To fix the problem...just re-spray OSW onto your car when it is cool or out of the sun. My suggestion is at dusk or dawn.

Once you figure out how to use OSW you will find out it is an awesome product!

There are some QD that can be used to clean up OSW if you want to use that 1st and then OSW...I would look into Blackfire Wet Diamond Polymer Spray or Duraglos Aquawax. However, my suggestion get used to OSW 1st. Save some time and money by re-spraying OSW when your car is cool and in the shade
 
Re: FNG Problem

thanks for all the feedback!

yeah, it looks basically like wet spots that aren't wet. i also do recall the top of the car being REALLY hot after spraying the wax and wiping it, but didn't know that it had to be cooled.

i have a bottle of instant detailer, i'll give that a shot to see if it evens out the streaks.
 
Re: FNG Problem

thenewguy said:
yeah, it looks basically like wet spots that aren't wet. i also do recall the top of the car being REALLY hot after spraying the wax and wiping it, but didn't know that it had to be cooled.

i have a bottle of instant detailer, i'll give that a shot to see if it evens out the streaks.
Click to expand...

That's what I was getting at--some waxes have a darkening effect--it sounds like you need more "wax" to even it out, I think you need to darken/"wet" the surrounding area, not try to remove the darkened spot.

Also make sure you shake the OCW well before/during use.
 
So i just gave both the ideas a shot. Both (adding more Optimum Wax and using the Optimum instant detailer) made the smear looking stuff worse. I ended up re washing it with ONR, having to hit the affected areas multiple times before they started coming out, but was able to get most of them off.

After I cleaned the test area free of smudge stuff, i tried adding ONR wax again so a small area. Low and behold, the smear looking things came right back, and i had to go back and re-ONR that section a few times to get them out.

I was going to take a picture, however the rain was coming so I had to move quick. Has anyone gotten this to work on a Blue BRZ? Perhaps the base color creates this effect? In any case, i'll have to have a cleaning solution ready if i try to wax it again apparently.
 
just checked the bottle that i have. it looks like i actually have "wash and wax" which is apparently different than "wash and rinse". my guess is that's why it's smearing strangely.

anyone know if it looks better with "wash and wax" vs "wash and rinse" then "optimum car wax"?
 
If they are showing up even after another wash in the same spots, try clay on your car you may have some deposits on the paint showing through the product.
 
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