After waxing

[jalews]

I live in a very hot country (near Singapore)

I used a liquid wax (SC Johnson Kit car wax) to wax my white car two weeks ago. I didn't wash the car after that. To my horror I found that stains that had developed on my car could not be washed off by using a car detergent. The body of my car had black marks everywhere. I had to re-wax it again using a lot of strength.

Where did I go wrong? What is the best way to wash my car after waxing - with mild detergent or just water?

Does all wax come with a cleaning agent ie. do all waxes help take out the dirt from the car?

[BrianS]

Hi John,
Welcome to the site:

Most waxes have a few limited cleaning qualities (since wax can only work when mixed with a solvent). For example, a more reflective wax will have low solvent and high resin content (synthetic or otherwise).
A more durable wax will have higher solvent content because of the stronger resins.
And some waxes have specific paint cleansing ingredients to help achieve a better surface to apply the wax over. Most of the time they also have abrasives in them as well.

I'm not sure where the stains on your car came from but it is obviously dirt. This needs to be eliminated first and foremost so check everything. On a gut feeling, I'd say the wax applicator had dirt in it. If it didn't simply wash off, and needed elbow grease to remove it, then it must have mixed in with the wax and somehow bonded along with it.

Always use a good pH neutral car shampoo when washing - avoid household detergents.

Take Care

B.

[rivolette]

A lot of times if your buffing cloth is damp, it causes that problem. Either that, or there was moisture involved between the time you applied the wax and the time you wiped it off.

Make sure you apply and buff the wax in dry conditions next time. Also if you have tough stains, use a "Clay Bar" usually sold at Auto care stores. Use it according to the instructions, it will take those pesky stains off just fine.

Good luck ;)