Need help

[Juniorss]

Guys, I have an 06 Cyclone Grey GTO (a metallic, bluish/grayish color). Whenever I wash the car I get some type of "smearing" marks all over the car when its in direct sunlight. I dont know the exact term for it but as i walk past the car the smearing moves with me. If I wax the car or use instant detailer it disappears for the most part until the next wash and appears back again. Even when I use 3m swirl remover with the PC, it disappears but comes back after washing the car. I use mothers soap, a turtle wax mit and a absorber to dry the car. I also once and a while use Wax as you dry while drying the car. What can be causing this? It annoys me everytime I wash the car and makes me want to trade it in and by something white like the rest of my family.

[Accumulator]

IMO the problem is stuff being left on the car after the wash/dry. Could be dirt that didn`t get washed off (not too likely), or shampoo residue that didn`t get rinsed off completely (much more likely), or a film from the water (also likely, I never got 100% of the water off with an absorber and I`ve tried numerous such things), or a combination of the preceding. Some shampoos don`t work well with some water. Or it could be marring that is only temporarily hidden by your SMR and wax..it appears to come back after a wash because you wash off the stuff that hides it.



I`d suggest you:



-Get a good, long-lasting, great-beading wax on it. Something like Collinite, that`ll help. Apply it after you use the SMR

-Get a waffle-weave MF drying towel

-Try a different shampoo (e.g. Meg`s Gold Class)

-I`d also tend to think you can do better than the TW mitt. I`d bet it would *not* pass the CD-test ;)

[rkf76]

Guys, I have an 06 Cyclone Grey GTO (a metallic, bluish/grayish color). Whenever I wash the car I get some type of "smearing" marks all over the car when its in direct sunlight. I dont know the exact term for it but as i walk past the car the smearing moves with me. If I wax the car or use instant detailer it disappears for the most part until the next wash and appears back again. Even when I use 3m swirl remover with the PC, it disappears but comes back after washing the car. I use mothers soap, a turtle wax mit and a absorber to dry the car. I also once and a while use Wax as you dry while drying the car. What can be causing this? It annoys me everytime I wash the car and makes me want to trade it in and by something white like the rest of my family.White is nice for camoflaging paint imperfections, but that`s about it.



I don`t know what the smearing is, but this is what I would do.



Get a good microfiber or chenile wash mitt and either wash the absorber you have or get a nice waffle weave microfiber towel to dry off the car with. Wash the car. If the smearing is no longer visible, mission accomplished. In that case, I`d think it was a contaminated absorber that cause the smearing.



If the smearing is actually marring, very likely caused by your wash/dry procedure.



In any case, I`d do as stated above, hit the car with the PC and the SMR then follow up with a final polish, XMT 360 is a good choice, then wax it. I`d imagine your problem would be solved if you did this along with my recommendation of getting a new wash mitt and washing the absorber or getting a WW MCF.

[Juniorss]

IMO the problem is stuff being left on the car after the wash/dry. Could be dirt that didn`t get washed off (not too likely), or shampoo residue that didn`t get rinsed off completely (much more likely), or a film from the water (also likely, I never got 100% of the water off with an absorber and I`ve tried numerous such things), or a combination of the preceding. Some shampoos don`t work well with some water. Or it could be marring that is only temporarily hidden by your SMR and wax..it appears to come back after a wash because you wash off the stuff that hides it.



I`d suggest you:



-Get a good, long-lasting, great-beading wax on it. Something like Collinite, that`ll help. Apply it after you use the SMR

-Get a waffle-weave MF drying towel

-Try a different shampoo (e.g. Meg`s Gold Class)

-I`d also tend to think you can do better than the TW mitt. I`d bet it would *not* pass the CD-test ;)



It could be some shampoo residue that is left over, I didnt even think of that. The smearing does go away when I instant detail it so maybe it is some residue left over. Im also going to get a waffle weave towel to dry the car down with (I have one but I use it for my polished wheels).