Stained white paint

[vermbird]

I`m new here so please take it easy on me.:wavey



Please bear with me ...this is a bit long but I want you to have all of the facts. I`m running out of ideas.



I am having a hard time keeping my `97 White Miata ...White. Back last Spring I noticed it was looking a bit dingey. I washed with Dawn and it still looked like it was dirty. It is noticable from 2 feet away ....even more noticable closer. I gave it a good hand application of polishing compound and that seemed to help. I Then washed with Dawn again and followed up with 2 coats of Meguiars wax. Well, about 3 months later it was looking just as bad. I had only washed it ,since waxing, with Meguiars car wash. The car was still beading water well. I started all over again and washed with Dawn then polishing compound followed by 2 coats of Nu Finish. About 4 months later ...same thing. Well, I tried a `major frontal assault` on the car. Began with a double washing with Dawn. Then used the Meguiars body scrub ...washed the car again with Dawn. Then an application of polishing compound with a rotary buffer. Dawn wash again, clay bar, ...then 3 coats of Nu Finish (A friend had given me a bottle of Slick 50 polymer finish so I used that on the trunk lid as a test ...there is no difference in the trunk and the hood) , waiting 2 days inbetween coats to insure proper drying. I left it on for a couple of hours before removing it too. Well, that was in Nov. ...and 3 months later I had the same dull stains. They are greyish in color, light, but still visable. Are these stains coming from pollutants? We are not in an industrial area. The car is not a daily drover and is kept outside most of the time and washed every month or so with Meguiars soap. Bugs and other dirt practically rinse off with plain water and the car still beads wonderfully. Should I have the car clearcoated? I refuse to keep putting this much effort into the car if it is not going to last more than a couple of months. HELP!!! Suggestions???



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[Lemonxxs]

Welcome to the forum!



But I am confused here....What do you mean by dingy or dirty? Do you have pics?



That seems like a lot of Dawn washes too.



What do you do in during the 3-4 months after applying your wax?



Describe the stains and where they are?

[Jngrbrdman]

Well, you for one thing you seem to be doing a dawn wash pretty frequently. That isn`t actually a very good idea. Dawn is pretty harsh and I really wouldn`t suggest doing it more than a couple times a year and only when you are trying to strip the wax off. There are other car washes that are more effective on cleaning your car than dawn.



Have you tried the ABC system? I`ve seen this problem with white cars before but I haven`t seen it keep coming back like that. Dawn and clay isn`t doing what the ABC can do. Valuguard (http://www.autoint.com) makes the ABC system. It might be a logical step.



It really seems like you are doing everything you can to keep it white. Maybe once you get it white you should try a good selant like Meguiar`s #20 or Klasse or something. Its worth a shot.

[vermbird]

Thanks for the reply. The `stains` are very light ...not very visible in direct harsh light ...but on overcast days and in lesser light they are visible. They are a light grey in color ...washing will not remove them ....even a dawn washing will not remove them. Something has gotten to ( and apparently "in" ) the paint. You can actually see a `pattern` to the stain ...like many little drops ...it is most likely being left by rain / dew??? The stains are mostly on the upper portions of the car ....hood, trunk and tops of fenders. They are too light to photograph ....Ive tried. I`ve only used the Dawn when starting all over and I want to remove everything ...including the body scrub and polishing compound residue. After I have polished the car I only use Meguiars car wash. I`m going to be re-doing everything this weekend. I have Meguairs #20 and I plan to use that ....was planning on using the NuFinish again but putting a coat or two of Meguairs Gold Class Carnauba over it. Any other suggestions?



thanks,



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