Ultimate Quik Wax streaked exterior glass

[spencers94]

Hey all,

Yesterday I washed my car and decided to try the Ultimate Quik Wax on my exterior windows to give it a Rain-X-like effect. I'm tired of using Rain-X because of the haze you have rub off and having be cautious around the paint/rubber with it. So I wanted to try this because it's much easier/faster to use. The problem I ran into with this is that it ended up leaving some streaks/oily haze on the glass.

I cleaned the glass really well with glass cleaner and then applied this with separate towels. Could I have applied too much, making it streak? Bad towels? Maybe something on the glass I didn't clean off all the way? At first it looked perfect, but then I noticed the haze afterwards. It's raining now, so I can't take any pics of it, but I'm trying to figure out what may have caused this. Thanks!

[The Guz]

Re: Ultimate Quik Wax streaked exterior glass

Sounds like you used too much product.

[jfelbab]

Re: Ultimate Quik Wax streaked exterior glass

Just give it another wipe with a dry MF and the problem should be gone.

[davey g-force]

Re: Ultimate Quik Wax streaked exterior glass

How hot was it at the time?

I occassionally get UQW streaking on very warm days.

[Eldorado2k]

Re: Ultimate Quik Wax streaked exterior glass

Did you spray directly on the glass or spray you towel? I only spray my towel, and I only use a bit of it not alot. Buff off with a separate dry microfiber and the results are great. Sometimes there are minor streaks that are detectable in certain conditions, such as early morning fog and such. But otherwise it looks good.

[spencers94]

Re: Ultimate Quik Wax streaked exterior glass

I applied the Quik Wax in my garage after the glass was allowed to cool. I cleaned it with glass cleaner prior to applying it. I may have just used too much product because I sprayed another squirt for each window on the towel. I think it just ended up clogging the towel with product.

[JET_Fusion]

Remember the key is A Little Goes A Long Way.

Side note: a couple of things I found out about RainX. First, if you want it to last a really long time, a full month plus you have to do a couple of things: clean glass well, apply indoors out of the wind with temp above 40 oF, apply first coat and let sit for at least an hour, without wiping the glass apply second coat, let sit over night, wipe the next morning. Also, switch to RainX washer fluid. In the rainy state of WA this method will bead water on the glass for 2 months before I need to reapply.

Second, I've tried many different water beading products on glass. In my opinion RainX works the best because of the dirt haze left on the glass as the water dries with RainX is the thinnest most transparent. Waxes trend to leave a much heavier dirty haze. Not a problem if one can wash the car between periods of rain, less so if those periods are only 20 minutes throughout the day.

[spencers94]

Re: Ultimate Quik Wax streaked exterior glass

Wow, that's a long time to leave Rain-X on the glass JET_Fusion! Was it hard to wipe off after letting it stay on overnight? I usually just did a couple windows at a time with two coats back to back and let haze for a few minutes. Then i wiped it off and moved on to the next couple windows. I ended up washing my car again just this morning and followed the same method as before, used the glass cleaner after the wash and then I did a super light coat of Ultimate Quik Wax but didn't spray the towel for every window. I just used the trace amounts that were left in the towel and it came out crystal clear.

[mcleod52]

Re: Ultimate Quik Wax streaked exterior glass

Did you spray directly on the glass or spray you towel? I only spray my towel, and I only use a bit of it not alot. Buff off with a separate dry microfiber and the results are great. Sometimes there are minor streaks that are detectable in certain conditions, such as early morning fog and such. But otherwise it looks good.

This is how I do it and don't seem to experience any issues.

[JET_Fusion]

It is a long time, but in a similar fashion to cross-linking, the chemical reacting bond in the RainX needs to attach to the glass. Other's experience may not be the same. This method lets me reapply every couple of months. With my car in the garage, I usually clean the glass and apply the first coat of RainX after dinner. Then apply another coat just before going to sleep. Then remove the haze the next morning before I leave for work. Takes about 5 minutes for the front window.

To clean the window I use the scrubby side of the window squeegee (one of those cheap squeegees from Walmart) and a liberal amount of glass cleaner. The first squeegee movements are inline with the handle, as normal, to keep the glass cleaner from running off the glass. Then, I spend a lot of time moving the scrubby in the other direction plane, so each pass is only 2 inches wide but long. This always foams the glass cleaner. Once I've covered the glass I use the squeegee to remove the glass cleaner, with a cloth wipe between passes.

I tear a paper towel into 1/4 of a full sheet (roughly 5x5) in a single layer. Then apply RainX directly to the glass. The first few passes of a small section of glass I swirl, then alternate passes at right angles. Once all of the window is covered I start at one side and create the haze with a small pattern.

Seems like a lot of work, but I can complete all of the windows on the car in 15 minutes. Then, not have to reapply for a coupe of months.

[DasBurninator]

Re: Ultimate Quik Wax streaked exterior glass

Remember the key is A Little Goes A Long Way.

Side note: a couple of things I found out about RainX. First, if you want it to last a really long time, a full month plus you have to do a couple of things: clean glass well, apply indoors out of the wind with temp above 40 oF, apply first coat and let sit for at least an hour, without wiping the glass apply second coat, let sit over night, wipe the next morning. Also, switch to RainX washer fluid. In the rainy state of WA this method will bead water on the glass for 2 months before I need to reapply.

Second, I've tried many different water beading products on glass. In my opinion RainX works the best because of the dirt haze left on the glass as the water dries with RainX is the thinnest most transparent. Waxes trend to leave a much heavier dirty haze. Not a problem if one can wash the car between periods of rain, less so if those periods are only 20 minutes throughout the day.

I've never had any film left over from using D156 on windows after the car getting rained on. Sounds like too much product.

Rain-X is junk IMO. There are other products that last MUCH longer and allow water to roll off at lower speeds.

The biggest key with adding anything to windows is to make sure they are surgically clean first. Claying is a must on windows. Anything left on the window can cause streaking issues as well.

[spencers94]

Re: Ultimate Quik Wax streaked exterior glass

I've never had any film left over from using D156 on windows after the car getting rained on. Sounds like too much product.

Rain-X is junk IMO. There are other products that last MUCH longer and allow water to roll off at lower speeds.

The biggest key with adding anything to windows is to make sure they are surgically clean first. Claying is a must on windows. Anything left on the window can cause streaking issues as well.

I clayed my windows last year with great results. I couldn't believe how much gunk there was left behind, even after cleaning the glass with glass cleaner 3 times! It makes the glass nice and slick, stays cleaner, longer, and noticed slightly increased visibility. This time I used chrome polish on my glass instead of the clay bar and it removed all the buildup from the past year of driving. Shined up the glass too with a little bit of protection.

[Nick Winn]

Re: Ultimate Quik Wax streaked exterior glass

We just wanted to mention to keep in mind that Meguiar's Ultimate Quik Wax was not designed for glass. Although it can be used on glass, and often times with good water beading results, it was never intended or designed for exterior glass. It should also be noted we typically do not recommend applying wax to the windshield. Wax can streak or smear on glass and can cause a glare, which is a safety concern.

[DasBurninator]

Re: Ultimate Quik Wax streaked exterior glass

I'm a bit surprised Meg's doesn't have a dedicated glass protection product.

[Blueline]

Re: Ultimate Quik Wax streaked exterior glass

They DO!. UPW. I found Rain X to be absolutely horrible. Greasy, wiper chatter, glass rainbows, etc. (Yes I followed the directions) I threw the almost full bottle out. Now my windows get a coat of Ultimate Paste Wax. Beautiful stuff. Most of the the time I don't need to turn the wipers on at highway speed. The water just blows off the windshield, side and rear windows. Super stuff, Meguiar's.