Getting rid of wax haze

[Beelzebot]

On a 2002 Accord with Satin Silver paint.
After I washed the car, I clayed it with a Megs clay bar.
I followed with Megs Ultimate Polish on an orbital at low speed.
When done, I laid down 2 coats of Megs Gold.
After it got cool from a rain, I could make out some polisher trails on the sides of the doors, but nowhere else like hood or trunk.
Then a few months later, I repeated the process. I even tried a soft cloth with mineral spirits on the affected areas to remove the swirls.
It looks like they`re gone, but after the car gets wet or cool during the night, I can see them again. They appear almost chalky.
It`s not clear coat failure.
What`s going on, and how do I get rid of them, and prevent them from returning?
It`s hard to see in the pic provided.

 

[Angus]

What kind of "orbital" are you using? And with what pad?

 

[Bunky]

My guess:

I have seen it if you over apply the wax and the wipe off does not remove it uneven application. You need to apply the product as thin as possible and rely on multiple passes to get even coverage. I would suggest rewaxing the area by hand to see if it disappears.

 

[Mic575]

I had the same problem on that vintage Honda. I believe Bunky is correct that it may be too much product and perhaps a product that has solvent action and is creating pseudo holograms. You may want to add what product you are using.

 

[Gustavo M]

Try wiping it down with a damp MF towel followed with a dry one.

 

[Accumulator]

Yeah, what Bunky and Mic575 said.

Beelzebot- I bet this is very frustrating! I bet the awkward location is factoring in a little.

See if the following is of any help..

Can`t help but wonder how thick/thin the LSP is being applied...and whether or not the TSOs in the UP are factoring in.

I wouldn`t be using the Ultimate Polish that frequently (eh, *I* wouldn`t use it at all..). Wonder if it`s really cutting through/removing any old wax for one thing. I`m *assuming* the UP is being buffed off completely before it flashes/dries....right? I wouldn`t be using Mineral Spirits for the pre-wax prep though I do think you need to do something about the Trade Secret Oils in the UP.

I wouldn`t do two back-to-back applications of a LSP unless I had specific reasons to do so and knew for a fact that it`d turn out OK. Are you applying it thickly enough that it`s clearly visible on the paint after it dries, like from ten feet away? If so, that`s a potential problem. IMO most people use a zillion times more LSP than the need to/should. Don`t have so much wax on the pad that you can do huge areas, and work slowly using somewhat firm pressure and overlapping circles that aren`t too big. It might seem like forcing yourself to take your time...IMO that`d probably be good. On that paint (I have lots of silver cars), the wax should be a faintly visible residue that`s not obviously visible either during application or right before you buff it off. I do it so thinly that I have to work by feel as it`s not all that visible.

If getting it wet causes the issue to manifest itself, I`d try to do that as part of the process. Wonder if fogging it with your breath during the buff-off would do it (another reason to do that ).

I would:

-Clean affected area down to "truly bare paint", and I mean like surgically clean
-Attempt to get issue to manifest itself
-If issue does appear, I`d bet that the paint is not yet clean, so repeat (preferably with a better process) until problem is gone (maybe post back so we can offer some different suggestions)
-If issue does *NOT* show up, apply one, very thin and utterly uniform coat of the LSP. Let dry completely. Buff off while fogging surface with your breath.
-Attempt to get issue to manifest itself

And then proceed from there.

 

[jrock645]

From my experience, that gold class pste wax is very difficult to work with. I could bever spread it very thin and it was a bear to remove. I always had wax dust- looked like pollen- after removal. I threw it out after a couple times. Just wasnt worth the headache.

 

[Beelzebot]

I was using a Chicago orbital on low speed and a terrycloth pad.
When the paint is clean, the polish is nearly the same color under outdoor lighting. The car`s silver paint looks almost white under some lights.
So, I missed a few spots when removing the polish before adding wax, which sealed the polish residue. Oopsie.
To remove it, I washed a few times with dish detergent and Simple Green using a terrycloth pad.
That got all of it off.
Now, the paint is smooth as glass with no residue.

 

[Mary B]

I was using a Chicago orbital on low speed and a terrycloth pad.
When the paint is clean, the polish is nearly the same color under outdoor lighting. The car`s silver paint looks almost white under some lights.
So, I missed a few spots when removing the polish before adding wax, which sealed the polish residue. Oopsie.
To remove it, I washed a few times with dish detergent and Simple Green using a terrycloth pad.
That got all of it off.
Now, the paint is smooth as glass with no residue.

Sorry but... now you have detergent residue, unseen, that may create some bonding issues with a wax.

 

[Accumulator]

.. I washed a few times with dish detergent and Simple Green using a terrycloth pad.
That got all of it off.
Now, the paint is smooth as glass with no residue.

Ah, glad you got it sorted out!

Sometime you might consider a different LSP, then you wouldn`t have to do such stuff as often..and it might even be easier to use.