rscharf

I washed my car with Dawn and applied One Grand's Omega Glaze followed by their Blitz Wax on my Cadillac. (The Cadillac is my test case before I start messing with the paint on the Lexus! ) Initially there was a great shine but I did notice some hazing (mostly on the hood). Two weeks later (last Friday), there were very large sections of white haze on the hood. There was a lot of dust on my car from sitting in the parking lot at work for two weeks and having had salt air deposit on it the weekend in between in Galveston. Initially, I thought the hazing would go away with a good wash, but it didn't.

What did I do wrong to get this hazing? O.K., I admit it, I was lazy and didn't "clay" the car. I'm trying to keep it simple with the upkeep of my car's exterior, somewhere between the perfectionist and the person who washes their car once a year. It was very hot at the end of last week, and I'm wondering if some of my wax problems are at least partially due to living in Texas.

I did apply a second coat of wax to a large portion of the car last weekend, and it looked the same after the first wax I gave it a couple weeks ago, but I'm wondering if that white haze will come back.

I would appreciate any help on this matter. I'm admittedly not a wax expert!

Thanks.

Robert

Manaray

Well if they put the same paint on your Caddy as they do all the other GM cars, it wouldn't surprise if it was the paint that was going bad. If there was hazing from the get go, then it definitely sounds like your paint. You might have had some type of contaminant on your paint...but more likely, your Caddy's paint just sucks ***.

I would try some 3M Perfect-It III rubbing compound (it's a bright white color liquid in a black container) and I would rub down the whole area.

Then I would apply the OneGrand Omega Glaze, then the OneGrand Wax...

If you have sap or overspray on the hood, I would clay it first (before the rubbing compound).

I use OneGrand products (Special Touch, Omega Glaze, and the Wax) on my Black GS and my Gold SC and they do nothing but shine...the SC is especially impressive because the car is 10 years old with the original factory paint and it still shines like it just came off the showroom floor (actually, it looks better)

Also, go to Sears and invest $50 in a Craftsman 10" Oribtal Buffer. You will thank me later.

fulmitz

I agree with Genarch. I have the same problem with my Black SC430. Shines the first day and then starts to haze. I'm in New Orleans and with the humidity in TX and LA I think we have to let it sit a little longer. I've found the haze buffs off. Don't use 3M on it just yet. If you have a garage or some where with less humidity do it there. Good luck.

Fulmitz

Gekko

Fulmitz - after reading your trials and tribulations with the scratch marks the dealer left on your Black SC430, I was curious if you would choose another color the next time around? I ask because I am considering black vs. silver and although I think black looks better, I think the silver will leave me with much fewer sleepless nights due to its apparent ability to hide scratches better. I'm somewhat torn. Your thoughts?

Daddy-O

Carnauba waxes are hygroscopic. They can absorb water. The key in applying carnauba wax is to follow the instructions on the package. This is the best tip I can offer.

There are a few additional tips I can share.

Use a foam pad to apply the wax. Thin and even application is important here. Always apply the wax in a front/back motion. Long strokes from front to back and vice-versa. Trust me on this.

Speed over force: Always buff quickly, not with downward pressure. The key is to buff and make the surface a smooth as possible. Concentrate on this while buffing. If you need a lot of downward pressure to buff the wax, you've applied too much product, or you're using the wrong wax.

Random orbital buffer? I don't use one. Some people like them. They do offer the advantage of speed. Hand buffing works just fine. I recommend high-quality microfiber towels. Once you've used one of these, you'll wonder how you did without.

100% cotton (Made in USA) towels work well, too. Beware of towels labeled "Made in Pakistan". They can contain polyester or nylon stitching which can micro-scratch your finish.

Always buff the wax in a front/back motion. Always in the direction of the wind flow. Not circular motions like on TV commercials. Trust me on this.

Immediately after waxing, spritz the car with distilled water and buff (Quickly, not hard and front to back) to set the wax. You can also use a quick detailing spray here, too.

Sometimes, hazing is caused by too much wax. This sounds like the issue with your Caddy...It's better to go thin, wait 24-48 hours and apply a second layer. The directions of most car chemicals these days seem to stress the "less is more" philosophy. The same goes for glazes and waxes.

Your problem sounds like a combination of climate and technique. You can change one of those. It sounds like there was too much product on the car. The product is a good one. Blitz is known as a "hard" wax. I don't use it, but it comes highly recommended from many satisfied users.

Hope this helps.

fulmitz

Gekko,

My car is still in at the lexus dealer. They took it yesterday morning and got it back from the body shop last night at 5pm. They were also doing the 1000 mile service and working out some bugs such as the vibration of the drivers side wood panel with radio on and the vibration of the wind deflector as well as the rattle from the passenger rear pillar. They haven't called me and it's almost 5pm cst. I hope my car is ready today!

Fulmitz

fulmitz

The scratches are still there, just not as deep. The buff marks from the dealer are gone. All the vibrations seem to have disappeared as well. I think they also uped my tire pressure to the newly recommended 38psi. I'm gonna dawn the car, then glaze and rewax and see if I can do anything about these scratches. I wouldn't be as upset if I did it, but to have the dealer make the scratches is just..... UPSETTING!!!!

Fulmitz