Last week, my dad bought a new car (2006 BMW 325, loaded, 16,000 miles, Black w/ Black leather interior, I could go on and on and on, but the car is sexy )
So saturday I figured I would give a full detailing. There were some minor swirls, but a few nice scratches here and there, plus it was warm out (a high of 45 ). Process:
Wheels with Meg's Wheel Brightener
Mystique wash
Prima Clay with Meg's QD
Rinse again to get most of the residue off (operative word is most, it was sunny out, and I couldn't resist washing it in the sun)
Dry with Dual Ply MF's (I need a waffle weave bad)
Test spot with Swirl and white LC pad, chased with Epic.
Spot looks good (will post a pic later)
Tape
Swirl the car
Buffout and apply Epic
Let sit for an hour or so, then pull tape to kill time

So heres the weird part. I used a clean Monster FLuffy to buff the Epic off. I would buff once, and being that the Monster Fluffy is as amazing as the Epic, it came right off.
I then pulled the car out into the stting sun for a final inspection, and saw some light hazing/holograms/orbital swirls with Epic still on the paint. I took to it with another Monster and they didn't want to come out! I began to sweat, hoping nothing was in my pad. CHecked it, totally clean. So I pulled out the Slick and QD'ed with that. Epic came off no problem.

So what happened? I've used Epic 3 times before this, so I know how much to use, and this has never happened before. Any ideas?

BTW, the car looks amazing. I drove it up to the dealership and they went crazy.

Pics this afternoon (I'm at school now )

 

probably needed more time to cure. how long did you let it sit?

in colder temps i would give it 1hr.

 

I would guess that: 1. It was a little cool, 2. It was a little thick and 3. It was a little too soon. Brendan, I've had that same problem at 45 degrees in my garage when I put Epic on by hand. The spots I had difficulty with were thicker spots. I think the cool paint had something to do with though since I let it cure about 2 hours. A little Slick and a quick wipe and it was history, easy as pie. On cool days try doing the Epic in the sun for added warmth.

 

I've always heard NOT to wax a car in the sun, regardless of the temp, because it can cause long-term problems with the paint.

Pure myth ??

 

No, not with the new synthetics, use to be true however. If you read a Carnauba wax instructions it will tell you to not apply in direct sun. Epic on the other hand could careless. I do it in the sun if it is cool out and in my garage if it is too damn hot to stand in the sun.

 

Makes sense... synthetics are very different than the natural carnubas.

Good to know... thanks !

 

Yes and yes to both of the above posts.

If your air temps are lower than 60 or so, then you really need to let it dry longer because your paint is way too chilly. If it's also more humid out than average, then longer for that too.

You said you let it sit for an hour or so, but that may not have been long enough with the cold temps. It's hard to determine the exact wait time degree by degree and humidity % by humidity %, but longer is better. When it doubt, do a swipe test before buffing off. 45 is pretty chilly for wax.

It could've also been applied too thick, but since you've used Epic a few times before and also seem to have a good handle on these concepts pretty well, I'd almost guess that's not your problem and it was just due to cold temps. Still, it's worth mentioning just in case. You never know... this new car sounds so fun that maybe you were distracted!

Last, regarding the direct sun application and just to keep things confusing around here...
In normal situations, you still shouldn't apply any wax in the direct sun. However, in cold temps you can get away with it.
In fact, on a cold day, applying it in the shade then pulling it into the sun to dry and buff off can be of benefit with most synthetics.

So still be wary of direct-sun applications when it's above 60 degrees out. But know that you can do so in certain situations and can even use it as a trick to help in cold weather.

Last (for real), using Slick to buff off the hazing was the right course of action.

-Heather

 

Simple answer that people seem to forget.

The Swipe Test. Did you do it to determine if the wax is dry??

re: Waxing in the sun
It's also largely dependent on the color of the paint. Pepper White will be mostly cool to the touch under the same sunlight that a Jet Black paint would be scorching hot.

Feel the paint, if it's cool or slightly warm, it should be ok, if you say OUCH!!, then move to the shade.

 

I think the deciding factor is not whether to apply wax in the sun or shade, but how warm/hot is the paint. If you can spit on your paint and it sizzles, best not wax it - sun or no sun . Really though, If my paint is cool to slightly warm to the touch - I'm waxing in the sun. If the MINI wings emblem leaves a brand mark on my arm when I touch it, into the garage I go . Besides with Epic you may run the risk of retinal damage if your wax your car outside without shades just due to the shine !

 

Good answer, but I beat you by less than a minute.

 

Doh!

 

with Hydro you can apply as long as it doesn't freeze, it seems.

at the end, i think Hydro is the true winnarz.

im turning into a Hydrohead.

 

You so lazy kenchan (or is that efficient?).

 

True fact! You can Hydro almost anytime. And it doesn't stain trim either.

Like the label says, "Why wax when you can Hydro?"

Once you fully turn into a Hydrohead, would you be willing to wear a giant foam bottle of Hydro on your head for advertising? There could be some free Hydro in your future in exchange...

-Heather

 

heather, im silly but not a clown.

 

Ok sorry, but school was long today (as usuall.)

Swipe Test :Did it, and it was totally dried. I thought maybe I had buffed to early, but I did 2 swipe tests on the last panel that I had applied Epic too, and it was dry.

All is well now, and Epic is amazing (not trying to discourage anyone from buying it,) just a weird experience with it...

The Slick cleaned it up instantly. One spritz per panel, no such hazing. Again, the car looks awesome. Pics to come....


Thanks for the replies all.

 

Here we go.


The car after Mystique wash and clay. Car looks amazing as is, but the swirls were there. Mystique is amazing


Taped off and curing...


Reflection off the paint.


More pics to come...

 

nice car and nice shine. that deep reflection is very similar to what my
black Legacy looks like right now with Hydro.

im telling ya, why wax when you can hydro?

 

There is something very pleasing about putting wax on your car, seeing it cloud up and then revealing the shine underneath when you buff it off. Waxing is more like earning the shine than simply being given it by some wimpy bottle.

Brendan - Nice car, but it is too shiny! All I could see was your garage ceiling.

 

yah, kinda like cleaning out your ear wax, i suppose.

if you saw my civic outside, you would not know if I used Hydro
or Epic...they look almost identical. while you guys are making
buzzing noises with your monster fluffy's like how chows does
while he's pretending he's use an orbital (), im wiping down
my fresh Hydro'ed car within minutes getting very similar results.

 

Haha. My mum walked outside and said "it's so shiny, you can't even tell what color it is..."


Going to take some cool shots tonight. Yay.

 

yah, its almost like the car dissappears.

 

What car?

 

Just pulled my detailing stuff inside (yay freezing temps) and realized I had forgotten to clean my pads. White with Swirl was easy, but the Epic had cured in the pad, so it's soaking as we speak... o well.

Sorry, venting...

 

Just talking to myself now...
The Epic is in there good. I soaked in laundry detergent (the soft kind, so it was easy on the pad) and some dish soap and worked and worked and worked, but only pulled a little bit out. O well. I need some other pads soon anyways...

Best way to dry a pad:
Roll is so most of the water is pushed out. Then wrap in a Monster Fluffy and roll like a taco, then fold the taco in half.

Mmmm MonsterFluffy and Epic taco. Yumm.