How to remove all traces of previous product

[billster50]

I goofed up. I washed, clay bricked, and thought that all of the previous product on the car had been removed. I was using Collinite #845 for the first time. What I noticed is that 1 of 2 or both things happened, the surface was not completely clean of old product and I put too much product on. The result was a haze in some areas with smudging etc, in certain lighting I could see the smudging on the trunk and hood real bad (black car) so today I'm going to try and correct the problem with a wash and dry followed by ??????? I want to know if a product like rubbing alcohol and a microfiber towel will get me back to square one where I can re apply my protectant of choice. Was also thinking of using prep solvent but that would mean a trip to the store and may not be necessary. Was initially thinking of using dish wash soap but I'll stick to my car wash soap. Also for some reason the quik detailer I was using as a lube for the clay and my car paint/color don't play well together which I think is where/why the smudging is evident. Daily driver/black/was buffed a year ago/not in bad shape/may buff at the end of drive season.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: How to remove all traces of previous product

Was the smudging from the clay itself rather than the wax you applied? Mere traces of another product on the paint should not cause that sort of smudging from Collinite or any other wax/sealant. But we do see, from time to time, where some paint surface conditions can cause some clays to stick a bit and smudge. This is especially true if not enough clay lube was used, but we've seen it happen with plenty of lube as well. Still, that clay smudge usually comes off pretty easily.

Can you tell us what clay you used, what lube you used, and how long since the last time the car was waxed? Honestly, if it hadn't been waxed in several months there probably wasn't much of anything left on the surface anyway. Of course, by your own admission it seems you may have applied the product a bit thick and, while we can't speak directly for Collinite (since we don't make it, obviously) we don't know of a single wax or sealant that truly likes being applied heavy.

As for a rubbing alcohol wipe down, that's pretty common practice and is generally referred to as an IPA (isopropyl alcohol) wipe down. This is usually done with a 50/50 mix of isopropyl alcohol and water; many people will even go as low as 10% alcohol solution. Going the route of a prep solvent just seems like complete overkill to just to apply a wax.

[billster50]

Re: How to remove all traces of previous product

There was some smudging from the meguires clay I used in conjunction with the quik detailer I used as a lube, there was plenty of lube but for some reason I was still getting some "grabbing" of the clay as I worked it. Had been using the show car glaze #7 followed by gold class liquid wax. Quik detailer and my paint don't mix for some reason, smears all the time if I try to use it, so I don't, except to use as a lube for clay. Anyway decided to try Collinite #845 as a wax this time around. As far as time, I can't really pin point, I am thinking it was within the last six weeks, could have been longer, did nothing with the car for 3 weeks after a repair to the front end was done (raccoon strike, $1600 damage).

Really I'm not really looking for a why answer, once I wash today I'll see where I am and then decide if I need to wipe down and try again or if it is worse than what I thought then break out the compound and see what that does.

[billster50]

Re: How to remove all traces of previous product

Washed and dried and there is definitely a haze on the surface under the wax. So a wipe down on areas where I see haze will be done to see what the hell is going on.

[billster50]

Re: How to remove all traces of previous product

Yes there is a haze, kind of a streaking haze, spiderwebbing that the wax hid very well and some minor scratches. Ultimate compound? Will have to work it by hand, don't own DA yet.

[billster50]

Re: How to remove all traces of previous product

I think the hazing is just plain 'ole oxidation. The ultimate compound has removed about 95% of the imperfections I see which I think are mainly top side surface stuff. I definitely need a DA buffer, I might have that surface near perfect with one vs rubbing it out by hand, it is in the future.