Hi everyone,

I just got my Fit about a week and a half ago and I finally gave it its first car wash today. Because of the good reviews of Turtle wax Ice, I bought it and used it to wax the car today. I noticed after wiping off the wax and buffing it, the waxed surface wasn't "silky smooth"......it was more like "grainy" or "sandy".....I tried buffing it more but it still had that same "grainy" feel to it when I ran my fingers across the paint.........

On the spoiler however, it had the silky smooth feel when I touched it with my fingers.

Do you think its a paint problem or is it the ICE?

By the way, I was waxing my Fit outside when the winds started to pick up. Sometimes I felt some sand/dust in the wind so I'm not sure if this had anything to do with it......

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions!!

 

Did it feel ok before the Ice wax? Either way it sounds like its clay bar time.

 

I didn't get a chance to feel the body of the car before I waxed it. I really didn't think this would happen. Do you think it could be dust/dirt/sand that got caught up in the wax while I was letting it dry?

The car still looks shiny and when i use the microfiber cloth included with the ICE to buff it, it wipes very smoothly....it doesn't feel rough.....however, when i use my fingers to touch the surface, it feels like its sandy or rough........

 

Hopefully you did not wax the car under full shine. The sun causes the wax to cake and stick together causing that grainy feel. It should feel pretty smooth nonetheless. I recommend claying the intended area before wax. That will remove all the surface impurities and make it feel glass smooth.

 

Turtle Wax Ice is not wax, it is a synthetic polish that does not cake in the sun like wax does. I think that rac1201 got sand blown onto the polish while it was drying. I've used it in sun and shade with no sandy wind, and have never felt the gritty surface that he describes.

 

Definately time to bring out the claybar! Try it and you'll be amazed how smooth it'll be after it.

Though I'm no fan of TW Ice but I don't think it was caused by it. Most probably contaminants that has bonded with the paint before it was delivered to you.

Hope this helps...

 

how do you use a claybar? Is it going to dull or ruin the clearcloat on my paint?
What should I initially expect when using a claybar? What I mean is.....is it going to look dull first, then I buff it to make it shine?

Also since I already put the Ice polish on my car, would the claybar also remove the polish?.

 

Claybar for sure, try it, it's like day and night...
Mine was like yours at first but after the claybar,
the paint became slick as glass. I do a claybar
each spring... try it

Philippe.

 

rac-
The clay bar is used with a lubricant that you spray on the surface of the paint. The bar just picks out embedded particles from the paint, and the lubricant usually does not affect surface polishes. But, since Ice is so easy to use, I would suggest a re-coat of it after the clay bar.

 

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!!

Do you think I should take this back to the dealer for them to do this "claying" because again, I only had this car for about 1.5 weeks and now I'm sure the car probably came like this.

 

just clay it, it doesnt take long. What I found that works extremely well with the claybar is window cleaner as the lubricant.


BTW, anytime you wax do it in your garage to avoid dusty wind if its windy out.

 

Id take it back have them do it. Be a picky customer, the car IS new.

I use to do detailing for Carmax Dodge/Jeep. When I did detailing for the front lot I made sure the cars that needed the clay bar WERE done. Ive seen many cars (mainly PTCruisers, BLAH) were kicked back because of rail dust. The customers had to wait about 1-2hours while the entire car was clayed.

 

I've read somewhere (maybe here) to use a diluted solution of soapy water as lubricant. That spray stuff (Meguires) can get a little costly if you use it generously.

 

Most clay bars are sold with their own lubricant sprays. Look on Amazon.com for a really large selection of bars/lubricant combos. Some of the lubricants are available in bulk sizes for low prices.

 

I used Mequires Gold Wax on my Fit which was only two months old. I washed and then garaged it immediately after it was completely dried off. I applied one section at a time giving it about 15 to 20 minutes to set up and using the one finger method to make sure it was ready to buff off. I swear the paint was so smooth I could not put a microfiber towel on the hood without it falling off!

Here is the after shot - I would recommend using the claybar to get that grainy material off the paint. Nothing beats a good wax job.

Cat :x

Proof:

 

If you want it done correctly do it your self, and spend the money on quality products. I know its not always the case, but it seems with car care produces you most definatly "get what you pay for".

 

Is this a Brand New Car or a Used car, but new to you? If it is a used car just get a clay bar and watch some youtube videos on how to use a clay bar.

 

This post is from 11 years ago.

 

So many years ago. In related news: i think i'll give this clay bar madness a try next time i get around to scrubbing ...