I hope I did'nt mess up. Just for back ground info. I just bought a black G35, about 8 months old. It did have some swirl marks but not terrible.
It has been raining in Dallas for 3 days now and about 50 degrees. So very humid.
I started by washing with Dawn, with a 100% Cotton Fairfield from Linen and things (cut off sides) then dried the car, or tried. As I tried to dry the car it just keep looking like a smeared mess.
I finally used a synthetic chamois, it helped but still smeary.
Then I clay bared with Zanio and as I keep the car wet with Z7 and water in a spray bottle. It took about 3 hours but I did the whole car.
Now I go to wash with Z7, I can feel it is smooth now but looks awful. Again I can not get a 100% cotton towel or chamois to dry the car, so it just smires the water. Now a hour later it is dry and look like I screwed up.
The car has a dull appearance, like someone wet sanded and a smeary sheen, possibly the water dry itself on the car.
Does Dallas have strange water? I plan to do Z5 tomorrow morning, PLEASE tell me it will help.
Why am I having the drying issues? Is the dull sheen normal after Clay bar and before Z5?
At this point I wish I had just washed it.

<font color=black>2003 G35 Coupe, Blk/Blk</font color=black>
<font color=red>Frisco, TX</font color=red>
ChrisBruceLoans.com

 

Don't Zaino on top of water marks/streaks. Zaino has no abrasives in it so it won't "clean" the paint like most waxes.

Try using some bottled water on a small rag and wipe and dry in sections. Bottled water will remove water spots.

Russ

Black 6MT Coupe
Jax, FL
PS2 and Headrest Monitors Thread

 

Thanks I will try the bottle water.. at this point I am so pissed.

<font color=black>2003 G35 Coupe, Blk/Blk</font color=black>
<font color=red>Frisco, TX</font color=red>
ChrisBruceLoans.com

 

The first time I washed my Black G that is exactly what happened to it. Now I go through the spot free carwash (Primeshine) and then dry it with a chamois. I think if you can get it smear free and clean, put a wax on it. Then the next time it will dry smoother.

2003 Blk/Blk Premium w/navigation
Tinted Windows
Chrome Wheels
BRM Catback Exhaust
Injen CAI
Grounding Wires

 

Thanks for the info, how did you get it smear free? Did you re clay the car? I will be trying to wash again this morning as soon as it warms up a little.

<font color=black>2003 G35 Coupe, Blk/Blk</font color=black>
<font color=red>Frisco, TX</font color=red>
ChrisBruceLoans.com

 

If I understand your note, you're trying to dry the car with the cotton towels. High-quality cotton is good for buffing off wax, and is recommened by Zaino for buffing off Zaino. But cotton towels is not the best way to dry a car, especially for black.

I use a California Water Blade to take off most of the water, and then use dab (not rub) with a chamois to get any little bits that are droplets that are left behind. I find this works very well on my black car.

Other recommended ways to dry...
-- use a leaf blower to blow water off.
-- use water sheeting (i.e. take the nozzle off the hose to get a nice flow of water on the car... the sheeting action will take most of the excess water off the car, follow up with dabbing using a chamois or one of those absorbant towels.

As far as Zaino, using the Z6 quick detail spray just before applying Zaino, and in-between layers is definately worth it. Just spray Z6 very lightly, and you can use a cotton towel to wipe off. Makes a big difference, especially on hard to handle black.

 

I agree that using the cotton towels to dry the car can be a pain. Make sure you wash your towels before using them. This will remove the fluff and make them a little more absorbent. Also when washing your car cleaning towels, use dawn instead of laundry detergent, as the detergent can contain bleaches and other chemicals that will transfer to the car (esp. the paint). If you dry your towels in a dryer after washing them, do not use any anti static dryer sheets, as they too contain chemicals that will transfer to the car. However this will make your towels have a high static charge (depending on location) so air drying inside might be an option.

Once the car is waxed, you will find that the water will come off pretty easily. I use a blower (from my shop vac) to blow off the water. But I have had times when even this was useless and had to resort to using a chamois.


The dull look could be from water marks, or from the clay bar. When I clayed my MR2, there were spots that were dull but eventually came out with Zaino application.

Clean your car again and see. The bottled water idea is a great one.

Mike

2003 6MT Coupe Black/Graphite/Prem./Nav/Aero
1994 MR2 Turbo 5MT Black/Prem.

 

California Water Blade? Sorry for the ignorance, but what's that? And where do I buy one?

 

There's a thread about the water blade right below this one. You can get them pretty much anywhere, including Walmart.

Russ

Black 6MT Coupe
Jax, FL
PS2 and Headrest Monitors Thread

 

The oily film you're referring to might be cosmoline (sp?). It was all over my car when I got it home. I washed the car with Turtle Wax car wash, then rewashed it with dawn... and then followed the Zaino instructions step by step.

I did not have the same problem you had after the 2 washes. Hope this helps.

2004 Infiniti G35C-6MT
LR/Willow/Premium/Aero/Splash/BSM
30% Lumar Tint, Invinca Shield (C-Bra),
Z-Tube & JWT Pop Charger (being shipped)