Preventing Product Residue (Smearing)
This is a post directed (but not limited) to black MPS owners like myself.
Smearing is cause by over application, or incorrect application and removal of your wax. Cutting compounds can also cause the same effect. The end result is an oily residue that can be difficult to remove and is more an issue on dark coloured vehicles. In particular RED (although red is not "dark" it is susceptable to the problem) and BLACK. Both of these are popular MPS colours so i thought this would be a great post for this forum.
First of all here is a picture of a "smear" so you know what I'm talking about. It presents itself like a hologram on the paint that if you get the right angle in the sun is quite easy to see. On a freshly detailed car it completely ruins the finish.
http://www.aus-designs.com.au/smear.jpg
A couple of points first how to avoid smearing.
1. When a manufacturer says apply thinly. They really do mean it for a reason. When applying a carnauba wax in particular, it is quite pointless to over apply the product. The wax only bonds at the immediate surface of the paint and the wax layer, and after drying all the excess is buffed off. This over application not only wastes product, but also affects correct drying of the product, which in turn causes smearing.
2. When a manufacturer says do not apply the product in the sun or to hot panels, they also mean it for a reason. This too affects the application of the product which once again can cause smearing.
To summarise, the correct application and removal of a product will prevent this from happening.
So when it does happen how do you fix the problem? Well if the residue is caused by a compound it's quite an easy fix and won't waste much of your time. If it's caused by a wax then you may need to strip it back and start again.
In the case of your wax smearing I first suggest trying a good quick detailer like Victoria Wax Quick Detail. In minor cases this has been all I needed to fix the problem. Washing your vehicle has also been known to produce smears which this detail spray has always easily corrected. When buffing always use a premium microfibre cloth like this ZAS Super Plush towel pictured below to avoid marring the paint. These towels are perfect for use with a QD.
http://www.zas.com.au/images/superplush.jpg
If all else has failed then it's time to buy some Isopropyl Alcohol. The bottle pictured below was purchased from Bunnings for about $10 however there are cheaper sources like this one Dan from DMS found here.
http://www.zas.com.au/images/isopropyl.jpg
Mix it 50/50 with water and simply mist on to the panels and wipe off. This product will strip back the wax and you can start again. I use the same mixture after buffing to remove any compound residue before applying my paint protection.
18 months and 35000km later my paint looks better than the day I picked it up
http://www.zas.com.au/images/mpsbonnet.jpg
