Trapped Dust?

Bill1975

New member
Well, I went and washed again Sunday. (after one week. Having previously done a wash-clay-paint cleaner-polish-synth wax). My routing this week was to add a LSP, so I washed, OD'd and added Mothers Carnauba (from the 3 step system. Not the cleaner carnauba). It seemed to balance out the high gloss look of the coat of Synthetic wax, and I liked it more. However, I noticed today, incertain angles what appeared to be dust, especially on the hood and trunk. It didnt come off. However, its only been a week since the first detail, and I made sure the thing was spotless (or so I thought) before the last application of wax yesterday. There seemed to be a LOT. What I'm wondering is - Could this just be dust or pollen that Didnt come off after my last wash, or got caught in the finish? Im thinking that since my car is black, and is always outside that in the sunlight the wax softened a bit and trapped particles of dust floating in the air. Any ideas?



Sorry I dont have pics. It would be easier to make my point, but no camera for me!
 
Hmmmm....try to think about where your car was during that week. I'm thinking maybe minute droplets of sap, or even overspray. Has it been real windy? I think your wash and QD would have removed dust or pollen.



Mikeman out.
 
Sometimes things like that just slip past you and you end up waxing over them. Guess you might be looking at using a paint cleaner and redoing those areas, but it sure sounds like a pain, huh?



Gotta be really careful when you add LSP after just a wash, I *really* inspect before I do that. Almost calls for a light claying with something like the green Sonus clay, at least if it's been outside like yours was. You can do one area and see if it appears to be picking up anything.
 
I couldve missed it, but I would think that when I did the clay and paint cleaner the first time, over a week ago, that wouldve gotten it. maybe I picked up something else before my cleaning on Sunday? It looked like whatever it is is evenly spaced (more or less) and fairly uniform in size. The car felt and looked really clean, Im not sure how I couldve missed it, but then it was in the shade the whole time. Im going to wash again this Friday.



if I apply a paint cleaner, wouldnt that remove all my wax? Then I would have to redo both the Mothers Synth and carnauba...... A pain indeed....



Its a bit frustrating. I've learned so much about detailing, so far, and it keeps looking better, but now all I see are the flaws in the paint that i didnt remove, or in my own work. Even though, fresh after my last detail on Sunday my neightbor came by and seemed wowed by my cars appearence. I should probably get used to it not being perfect- a black car that is a daily driver (30-50 miles a day) and is always outside....
 
You will get past the perfectionist stage. You'll simply get worn out trying to keep a daily driver that immaculate. Consider your "dust" problem a challenging little detailing problem to have fun with when you feel like it. Remember, nobody else will notice it.



Mikeman out.
 
Bill1975 said:
..if I apply a paint cleaner, wouldnt that remove all my wax? Then I would have to redo both the Mothers Synth and carnauba...... A pain indeed.



Yeah, it *will* remove everything, or at least compromise it so much that you'll want to redo it. See what you think after the next wash. It's all a question of whether it bothers you enough to justify redoing it.
 
It could be dust that settled on the paint after you washed, and before you waxed. Or it could have been embedded contaminants from the previous week, which were stuck enough to resist being cleaned off during the wash. Is this "dust" just on the horizontal panels?

I'd get out the paint cleaner, but that's just how I am. :)
 
White95Max said:
It could be dust that settled on the paint after you washed, and before you waxed. Or it could have been embedded contaminants from the previous week, which were stuck enough to resist being cleaned off during the wash. Is this "dust" just on the horizontal panels?

I'd get out the paint cleaner, but that's just how I am. :)



Yeah, its just on the horizontal panels. I wash at "DIY" coin and brush joint, but I just use the hose. It was in the shade the whole time, so I may have missed some things. Will do a quick wash before leaving town this saturday, we'll see.



To top things off, Monday I was driving home and I saw little drops splattering on my windshield. I thought it was just water, but then it started smearing. I tried to wipe it off and noticed it had a slight oily feel to it. No color, not sticky, just slightly oily feeling. I got quite a bit on the hood and roof. Though I got it all off with water and QD, but theres still a little bit on there, but it doesnt seem to be hurting the paint. Then there were the Sprinklers on Tuesday...... But yeah, I'll see how the next wash goes. Funny thing is, right after I wash and clean my car, it looks great, but it doesnt strike me as being great. Then a few days later when its dirty again, I appreciate how clean it was...
 
Those drops could have been watery bird crap from high above. As it falls through the air, it will spread out into smaller drops. I've had this happen to my car a couple times. I think the birds around here recognize my car, and man do they know how to aim! :(
 
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