Can't remove the haze / blotchiness after applying Gold Class

[Nezil]

OK, so as promised, I've now applied a fresh coat of GCCP to the hood and trunk, and I also did a fender as well because I accidentally sprayed some IPA onto that panel. I divided both the hood and trunk in two down the middle, and IPA'd one side before applying the GCCP. The other side was basically untouched, smeary and blotchy.

One thing is for sure... the IPA wipe definitely removed the smears and blotchiness, leaving some very shiny paintwork. What was interesting is that it also removed the 'darkening' effect that was present on the other areas. I guess that's to be expected, but didn't expect it to be as dramatic.

Just need to wait and see how it comes off in an hour or so.

[Nezil]

I have just now removed the wax after leaving it on the car for 1 hour and 40 minutes.

The most frustrating thing here is that the blotchiness was present on both sides; my IPA wipe had no influence on the effect at all, which basically rules out Ultimate Polish' influence on things.

1 hour 40 minutes should have been long enough cure time, so we can rule out that aspect as well.

I really don't know what to make of this now... does Gold Class always leave this effect and it's just not noticeable to most people?

I did notice one thing when I was wiping off the wax just now. The panels either side of the trunk, which were still blotchy from last night's application, became noticeably lighter in colour as I wiped off the trunk and the microfiber touched those areas. I decided to try wiping these areas some more, and sure enough, the panels slowly became lighter in patches, and therefore more blotchy!

I'm actually starting to wonder if my microfiber towels are either removing too much wax, or too little. The blotchiness is clearly different thicknesses of wax being left behind on the panel; the darker the blotch, the thicker the layer of wax. If I rub hard enough, I am actually able to lighten the darker blotches, but not consistently enough to make a uniform finish.

I'm now lost for what to do... Should I just give up on GCCP? Should I try the paste version?

[CHzo6]

I have had this happen to me with several types of liquid wax and switching to the paste version cured it for me. That being said, I have used those same many types of liquid wax with 100% satisfaction as well.

[Nezil]

I have tried to take some photos to illustrate the problem. I should point out that there is no issue with gloss or reflectivity, only in difference of colour. Although it's fairly obvious when looking at the paint by eye, it was extremely difficult to photograph the issue. Because of this, and the small size of images after upload, I have adjusted some level in Photoshop to make the effect easier to see. I include both the original un-touched photo, and the Photoshop adjusted one to more highlight the problem. To be honest, with you eyes looks more like the Photoshop images!

The first section I took a photo of is the right side of the trunk lid. In this section I drew a star with the Microfiber; I did not have to press that hard, but more than I would if simply wiping off after letting the wax cure. Original image first:

Then the Photoshoped version:

After this, I wiped an 'N' (my initial) in the left side of the trunk. Again, originals first, then Photoshop'd images:

The images speak for themselves, and the marks and patches are visible even in the non-photoshop'd files, they're just a little harder to see. Overall the finish is pretty awful, and I can't seem to improve on it.

CHz06, It's nice to hear that I'm not alone in seeing this. I'd be tempted to go and buy some paste wax, but I'm concerned that I'd be throwing good money after bad... Can anyone else confirm that they've seen this problem, and that the paste version does not have these issues?

[ffboy]

Paste some waxes while a bit more difficult to apply thinly, can be better in giving more even finish/gloss. It does make the user apply waxes slower and more methodically since it dort of drags a bit more than the liquid. Sometimes I have certain blotches or unevenness to our car's paint after applying NXT 2.0 Liquid to the paint. The first NXT 2.0 i ever used was the paste version. FOr a polymer product, it doesn't apply as easily as I felt it should, then a relative gave me the liquid NXT 2.0.

The paste version was better for me even though I wasn't too happy about the application, removal was ok; not as effortless as the liquid but I didn't have any real issues with smearing. The liquid was a more effortless experience in application and removal, but it had more streaks. Also had similar experience with non-megs products, like Collinite insulator wax and 476s. 476s does require a bit more effort, but does not streak like insulator wax does on some occassions.

I personally recommend using the paste version, but before you buy one try what megs recommend for any issues with ultimate wax (liquid). Take a microfiber, dampen it by misting it with water (alternatively, you can also mist the panel, like you would with a quick detailer) just a little bit and just wipe it across the panel to even out the coat of wax. It may just be the solution for your problems. Same intructions can be found on 3M Performance Finish Wax.

[wifpd4]

Just another clarification question, did you clay before starting with Ultimate Compound?

I had some difficulty a bit ago with Gold Class liquid on the hood of a black car. I usually apply wax with a buffer and get it thin, however I used a applicator by hand and got it too thick. It took quite awhile to dry and more work than usual to remove. When taken out into the sun, the owner and I found a few areas needing to be wiped again.

Folding a towel into quarters and placing another towel folded into quarters on top of the first, has helped in some cases.

[ffboy]

Try using more than 1 microfiber towel for wax removal. Gold Class is a polish-wax, so maybe some of the ingredients in the gold class has built up in you microfiber so instead of your the wax being removed completely, maybe some of the polishing oils, etc may be unconciously being spread on the panel instead of being picked up or absorbed by your towel.

Sometimes those little things really affect the overall effectiveness/results of the product used. Even if a product is applied real thin and instructions on removal are followed, towels that aren't that clean will cause problems.

[Nezil]

ffboy / David / CHzo6,

Thank you all of your tips. I'll try to answer your questions but I think I've got to the bottom of the problem actually.

David - Yes, I clayed the car before Ultimate Compound.
David & ffboy - I'm not sure that it was a problem of not wiping enough, and I tried using some brand new microfiber towels, so it couldn't be that they were clogged I don't think.

After this afternoon's bad results, I decided to try the paste version of Gold Class Carnauba Plus Wax. There is a Pepboys just down the road from me, so I popped in there quickly and picked some up. This is the first ever paste wax that I've used, so I was slightly apprehensive, but was excited to give it a try.

I started with the same two panels that I'd tried this afternoon - the hood and the trunk. I applied the wax by hand, using the included applicator, and it went on quite easily. My arm was slightly aching by the end of those two panels though, so I guess it must require more effort than the liquid. I also found it quite difficult to get a thin coating of the wax when applying by hand. I don't think I applied too much, but it just wasn't as thin a coat as I was able to get with the liquid form.

Anyhow... this time the swipe test was far far more conclusive, after only 15 minutes the wax was ready to wipe off, though I left it some more just to be sure. The liquid wax never really seemed to cure, even after 2 hours, but the paste was far faster.

Wiping off was actually easier than the liquid wax, and everything came off cleanly to leave a really dark, super glossy finish... way way better than the liquid wax. I've now done the whole car using a DA and a 4" pad.

Of course it's night time now, and there is only artificial light, but first results seem much better, and the problem appears solved.

So my initial conclusion was that the paste wax must just be much better than the liquid....



The thing is, this forum has so many users, you'd think others would have noticed this weakness in the liquid form more than they appear to have done. Maybe it's just me... maybe there is still something I'm doing wrong.

As I was applying the paste wax, it occurred to me that it's obviously much thicker than the liquid, and then I remembered how I'd thought that the liquid wax was so thin and watery that I found it difficult to use, kind of the consistency of salad dressing rather than mayonnaise.

Maybe the liquid wax was not mixed properly... maybe I hadn't shaken it enough before use?

Could the problem be this simple?

Could I have been this stupid?

[ffboy]

Shaking the product is absolutely necessary, but it can be more complex than that. Even with the NXT 2.0, streaking CAN still occur, even if shaken. To say to yourself that you're stupid due to this experience is being a bit too harsh... The paste may require a bit more work than the liquid, but at least it seems you got more even results on your paint. I'm a bit surprised you found wipe off easier with the paste compared to the liquid.

With paste, it is also easy to get too much product. All that's needed is a very slight swipe of the applicator over the wax, just enough to liquify the paste and allow it to migrate into the applicator, apply thinly and evenly. But yes, similar experince with NXT 2.0 paste. Quite difficult to apply thinly, but it does dry faster than the liquid. But removal for me was a bit harder too, but leaves a more even, non-blothchy finish.

[CHzo6]

This has been an issue since the original NXT Tech wax, and who knows if even before then. Liquid waxes have been causing "streakiness" and cloudy, blotchy spots for a lot of people, including myself. It's not just the Meguiar's waxes, but NXT, Gold class and even Ultimate wax, in liquid form, have given me and many others problems. I bet if you do a search on here you will find a lot of threads on it. I'm not bashing any of them, I've got many bottles of each, and subsequently, many "tins" of them as well.