I will try to describe my situation as briefly as I can. I have a black SRT6. When I have applied wax in the past, it seems to take forever to get a shine. With every pass, I get smear marks and have to go over them again and again. This occurs in between wash and waxing as well. For example, if I want to remove some fingerprints or smear marks off the door or trunck, I will spary with water and wipe off with a micro fiber towel. When I wipe, the smear marks appear again and I have to keep rubbing until it clears.

Can anyone figure out what may be going on? Could there be too much wax or the wrong wax on the car? Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Glenn

 

first - be certain never wash or dry a black car in the direct sun. i would also recommend a quick detailer/lubricant for wipe downs or after washings - but it sounds as if your car may need a polish before waxing - a quality meguiars carnuba paste wax should do the job - always use a microfiber towel to remove wax and any quick detailer product - wax a panel at a time and immediately remove the damp wax with the microfiber towel - this should do the trick.

 

What wax are you using, Glenn? How heavy did you apply it and how long did you let it dry? Have you ever used clay or a paint cleaner on the finish?

There are no shortcuts to getting a really great finish. I would recommend you wash and dry the car, give a good clay bar treatment to remove bonded surface contaminants (all the crud that sticks to the paint over time, making it feel a little rough to the touch) then go over it with even a mild paint cleaner - something like Meguiar's Deep Crystal Step 1 Paint Cleaner or SwirlX. Either of these will deeply clean the paint, remove any trace of wax, and properly prep the surface to accept wax. Either should be worked against the paint in small areas at a time and then wiped off before they dry. Always use a soft foam wax applicator pad when applying these types of products and a microfiber to remove them. Avoid terry cloth for the application process - terry cloth has some "bite" to it and you will be applying these with some elbow grease. That "bite" from the terry cloth has a tendency to haze the paint so stick with the foam wax applicator pad.

After that process you can apply your wax of choice. With all due respect to Andrew's suggestion to wax just a panel at a time and remove the damp wax immediately, that can get you into trouble with some wax products, especially on a black car. I would suggest you pick up some Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0 and apply it in a very, very thin layer to all the painted surfaces of the car and then let it dry for an hour or more. Yes, an hour. This product contains some polishing oils and they need to fully set up before you remove it. If you try to take it off too soon, especially on a black car, you could end up with some temporary streaking. Just put it on crazy thin - thinner than you might think you can - and let it dry for a good long time. It will still wipe off very easily and the shine is fantastic.

 

Glenn - just curious what kind of wax you are using?

 

Thanks Guys! Great advice. I used a turtle wax product but don't recall the specific type. I will go out this weekend, weather permitting and purchase and apply the products you recommended. This is a great forum!

Thanks again,

Glenn

 

I also use turtle wax and weeks after randomly (often after rain or wash) I get these blueish white scratches show up. They show up right next to each other. I just wipe them off but it scares me everytime I walk up to the car and see a massive load of scratches that arn't really scratches each time. usually they form in concentrated groups. Sometimes more than once in the same spot.