Problem with Collinite 845 Leaving "Residue"

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bigdawgfoxx

New member
So a year and a half ago I did a claybar/polish/wax with a porter cable and it seemed to leave cloudiness in the paint. I haven't waxed since then, and my paint has NOTHING left on it. No smoothness at all. I drive a 2005 Black Cadillac CTS btw.



So I decided to wash and wax it yesterday. Paint was completely cool and I did the wax in the garage. I waxed it by hand this time and buffed the wax off. In the shade it looks AMAZING.



When I get in the sunlight though, its like the wax isn't off? I can take my shirt and smear the wax around still, no matter how much I buff it. And there are also little spots all over, like water spots almost. I've used turtle wax before and never had this problem...



Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.
 
bigdawgfoxx- Sounds like your paint is (very) overdue for a good cleaning and almost certainly a thorough polishing as well. After 18 months it could very well be oxidized and/or, at the very least, quite contaminated. Also, you might have a lot of excess wax on it, and that will combine with compromised paint to behave like what you described.
 
Well 18 months ago when I did the claybar/polish/wax, it had the same residue. I feel like people normally just wax there cars once a year and it turns out pretty good. Mine has wax on it still and is cloudy with gray spots everywhere and looks pretty terrible, when looking at it in the correct light. And the excess wax thing, idk how I could have used less really...i just rubbed it in until i needed more, i didn't put a whole lot on.



I don't have the porter cable anymore, as it was my roommate's. Maybe my best bet is to take it to a professional detailer and have him fix my "mess", even though all I did was wax it. I feel like if I just used regular turtle wax it would have worked fine.
 
If you'd like to try a quick fix, may I suggest that you apply a coat of Meguiar's ColorX (available at local auto store). This should clean up your paint pretty well. You can then top it with a thin coat of Colly 845. An alternative to ColorX would be Duragloss 501.
 
Collinite 845 is a great product but has a slight learning curve.



  1. I hate the container it comes in. It comes with a regular screw cap which makes it a pain to use.
  2. In temperatures 65 degrees or cooler the product becomes clumpy and I find it flows better when warmed
  3. Must be put on in extremely thin coats
  4. Should only be applied with a DA polisher



Any daily driver in my opinion should be clayed and fully detailed twice annually. Between this; wash, detail spray, and I always like to use something like Optimum Spray Wax.



My 12 year old truck.



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bigdawgfoxx said:
I can take my shirt and smear the wax around still, no matter how much I buff it. And there are also little spots all over, like water spots almost. I've used turtle wax before and never had this problem...
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Yeah, the Collinite can be alittle fussier if you lay down too much product. As mentioned above, I'd apply this stuff with the machine to maintain a very thin coating. I typically let it cure for about 1/2 hr before wiping off. I can suggest washing the car, that may help remove what you are seeing. Also, the Collinite product can cause "holograms" which tend to linger for some time.



Remember: thin coat of #845 is critical.
 
GS4_Fiend said:
i just got some 476. how easy is it compared to 845?
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It's the basic paste-vs.-liquid difference. The big potential issues with 476S are a) trying to layer it and b) using it on extremely compromised paint (especially if you put it on too thick).
 
bigdawgfoxx said:
Well 18 months ago when I did the claybar/polish/wax, it had the same residue. I feel like people normally just wax there cars once a year and it turns out pretty good...
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I'd rethink that last part ;) I can get away with that on my seldom-driven garage queens, but on anything that sees remotely "normal use" you'll need to do a pretty thorough job of things every year or so. Issues that are literally microscopic can cause seriously macroscopic problems like what you're dealing with now. Gotta clean the paint thoroughly (as in, cleaning the pores and microfissures that you can't even see) and level the paint at least a little bit (that's where abrasive polishing comes in). THEN you'll be ready to apply your wax without any problems.



Mine has wax on it still and is cloudy with gray spots everywhere and looks pretty terrible, when looking at it in the correct light.
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It can be hard to tell the diff between "wax issues" and mild oxidation in cases like this. IIRC the clear on those cars is pretty soft as GM clear goes, and that doesn't make things any easier! First step- get down to clean paint.

And the excess wax thing, idk how I could have used less really...i just rubbed it in until i needed more, i didn't put a whole lot on.
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Most normal people can't imagine how little it takes. When I say that I can do a Suburban with less than an ounce of LSP, folks think I'm joking.



I don't have the porter cable anymore, as it was my roommate's. Maybe my best bet is to take it to a professional detailer and have him fix my "mess", even though all I did was wax it. I feel like if I just used regular turtle wax it would have worked fine.
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Nah, I'm pretty sure that you'd be *more* unhappy if you'd used the TW. Take Akimel's advice and get some kind of *good* cleaner-wax type product and work on a small area. Pick some spot that really looks crappy and see if you can get it looking OK.



I'd worry that you'll fall into the clutches of a hack who'll mess your car up. Right now you probably just have some superficial (if irritating) issues, but a lousy detailer could leave things a lot worse than that.
 
I feel like there is a lot of excess wax left on my car. And apparently the ColorX is a polish/wax combination. So I'm not really sure how this product would remove all of the excess wax from my car...
 
ColorX is an AIO cleaner wax. Believe me, it will clean up your paint and remove excess wax, as well as oxidation and contaminants. It's easy to use. Just follow directions. Give it a try. If it doesn't work for you, then take it back to the store and get your money back (just be sure to keep the receipt). Meguiar's has a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
 
I guess I will give it a try, i just wish I still had my roommates porter cable! And then afterward, I'm supposed to put on a thin coat of collinite, but I'm scared it will leave the same cloudy/spotty effect...



And should I wash it again after the ColorX and before the wax(if I even do one)?
 
big dawg think of it this way--with your mf applicator..you don't want to see a thick coat..as long as you see some kind of streak, then that's enough anymore than that and you're asking for trouble imo... as for washing it depends on you...alot of AIO's have fillers to cover up any minor swirls and things of that nature--normally I like to correct (and also try to perfect those corrections) so i always IPA to get rid of all those oils and fillers
 
....I had this happen for the first time as well on my new Challenger back in May. I knew it would be a couple of weeks before I had time to do a full detail so I applied a quick (or what I thought would be a quick) coat of #845 on after a wash. Everything was going well until about 20 minutes after pulling the car out into the sunlight. I'm guessing with the heat the residue began to appear and would not wipe away. I had to rewash the car (adding a little CG CWC to the solution) just to get rid of the residue.



I was really suprised since 845 has never done this to me before. It's been great as a "get me by" wax that has layered over my other existing waxes/products without issue. Although the car was new, I simply chalked it up to something similar to what Accum talked about. In my case, it very well could have been product and/or contaminantion residue. The paint had baked in water spots that were nearly invisible but quite apparent while you were washing. When I finally had the chance to detail the car, I washed it with CG CWC (wish I had Valuguard ABC for this) and then went over each panel with CG WSR (water spot remover). ....rewashed with CG CWC and the problem was 99% solved.



I believe something was definitely on the paint that reacted with the 845. I tested a spot later and had no issues.
 
Regarding the ColorX: Apply it with a foam applicator pad, allow it to dry to a haze and then buff off. Inspect the paint. Did it clean it up as you had hoped? If yes, then you can either leave it as it is (though the ColorX won't be nearly as durable as the 845), or you can immediately apply a thin coat of 845. Allow it to dry to a haze and then buff off. You might even try a test spot of 845 first. See if you can get it looking right in a small space before waxing the entire vehicle. Don't get discouraged. Every product has a learning curve.
 
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