Chemical streaks after wash and HGG?

[ColoradoSHObro]

Noticed these trails after i did my 2 bucket wash today. I experienced this once before on my car but not to this degree. I've tried hitting it with DS, WW, and even more HGG to get it to spread or knock down with no luck. 

pictures are of the hood where it is most pronounced but there are other small spots/streaks like this around the car. 

 

Here is the steps of my wash:

-Power wash

-Foam cannon w/UF

-Wash car with wash pad . . . it does take me a few minutes to get around the entire car and always makes me a little uneasy seeing the first parts of the car settle in after i've hit them with the wash pad and most of the foam is gone.

- Rinse car

- Immediately pull car into garage and mist entire car down with HGG while it's still wet

- I then  go panel by panel and buff the HGG in with grey edgeless towel and wipe clean with a separate edgeless towel. This process also takes several minutes and maybe the HGG sitting on the paint is causing the streaks? Funny thing is i did the hood first though.

 

If anyone has any tips on changing up my routine to prevent this result please let me know. Also, any suggestions on how to remove the chemical streaks now?

 

TIA

[falcaineer]

You may not have rinsed it all off and locked in the shampoo suds under the HGG, or used too much HGG in those areas. Have you tried a clean, dry MF by itself? Ok, maybe a little elbow grease, too.

 

If the above doesn't work, do you have anything else on the car besides HGG, like PS, wax, etc? If not, Eco APC and a towel will strip  it off, then you can just reapply. But if there's anything else besides coating, I'll take it off, too, so you will need to reapply it all.

 

As for process, when I use HGG, I apply and remove it one panel at a time. If the car starts to dry, just rewet the surface. Since you like to use it indoors, you can use a spray bottle.

[ColoradoSHObro]

 no  other chemicals on the car.  I did try a clean MF towelbut it didn’t do a dang thing. i rinsed they car pretty thoroughly so my best guess is it’s dried HGG. ill try it panel by panel next wash and maybe spray down the last panels i hit with DS to prevent water spots. i didn’t think the HGG would have that effect if it dries on the car when applied when it was still wet to begin with though. 

. . still experimenting with  the correct application of each chemical.

[Nickfire20]

Couple thoughts...

 

it is recomended to use GnG panel by panel

if detail spray doesn’t remove what we see in this pic, try clay

 

Question...

 

how many sprays are you doing of GnG

it is recommended for 1 or 2 sprays per panel, as with most of Adam’s products, a little goes a long way.

 

 

keep us posted

[falcaineer]

1 hour ago, ColoradoSHObro said:

 no  other chemicals on the car.  I did try a clean MF towelbut it didn’t do a dang thing. i rinsed they car pretty thoroughly so my best guess is it’s dried HGG. ill try it panel by panel next wash and maybe spray down the last panels i hit with DS to prevent water spots. i didn’t think the HGG would have that effect if it dries on the car when applied when it was still wet to begin with though. 

. . still experimenting with  the correct application of each chemical.

 

If nothing else on there, try APC. It'll break down what is on there and then you can reapply the HGG using either wer or dry method.

[ZMAN024]

Before you strip with APC or clay, etc, try some Brilliant Glaze on the streaks.  It works wonders on other products to remove residue and level things out, so it just may save the day.  

[ColoradoSHObro]

21 minutes ago, Nickfire20 said:

Couple thoughts...

 

it is recomended to use GnG panel by panel

if detail spray doesn’t remove what we see in this pic, try clay

 

Question...

 

how many sprays are you doing of GnG

it is recommended for 1 or 2 sprays per panel, as with most of Adam’s products, a little goes a long way.

 

 

keep us posted

first time i used the GG i grossly over used and it and learned quickly i didn’t need so much.

id say i used about 3 sprays per side of vehicle, 3 on the trunk lid area, and 2 or 3 on the hood. i also make sure to move the bottle while i spray so it mists across the panels and doesn’t all hit one spot. maybe an extra spray or 2 here and there if i feel i need even coverage.

 

i bet APC would do the trick but don’t have any on hand right now. . .  which ties into my other posted question: could i dilute TRC and use that in its place since it shares the degreasing properties.

good tip on the BG, need to pick that one up as well. 

[falcaineer]

9 minutes ago, ColoradoSHObro said:

first time i used the GG i grossly over used and it and learned quickly i didn’t need so much.

id say i used about 3 sprays per side of vehicle, 3 on the trunk lid area, and 2 or 3 on the hood. i also make sure to move the bottle while i spray so it mists across the panels and doesn’t all hit one spot. maybe an extra spray or 2 here and there if i feel i need even coverage.

 

i bet APC would do the trick but don’t have any on hand right now. . .  which ties into my other posted question: could i dilute TRC and use that in its place since it shares the degreasing properties.

good tip on the BG, need to pick that one up as well. 

 

No harm in trying TRC, maybe not even diluted. And agreed, the BG is a good tip from @ZMAN024. The solvents will settle at the top while in storage, so you can carefully use just that portion if the need arises.

[LSX Maestro]

I know exactly what you've got going on.  Just had this happen on my black C7.  Washed it in the sun, pretty warm day, you could tell the paint was pretty warm.  Did all the right steps, pulled it into the garage as soon as possible.  Misted it with the stuff and began buffing.  Had the streaking you're talking about.  From what I can tell, the temperature of the paint was just too high. It kind of baked/burned to the paint and while it wasn't permanent or damaging, it just activated different ingredients in the chemical or something and became a real project to buff off.  

Coating Prep took it off as did Brilliant Glaze and I'm sure Waterless Wash + Elbow grease would too.  

[ColoradoSHObro]

^ im glad to hear i’m not the only one that experienced this. thanks for the commment LSX! car was in indirect sunlight when i washed it so didn’t think it would have that effect but that’s another curse of black paint i suppose. . things heat up quickly. my next day off i’m planning on rinsing the dust off the car and maybe i’ll try more WW and more thorough scrub and if that doesn’t do it i’ll try the TRC. no BG or coating prep on hand but i would imagine one of the above will take care of it. 

i suppose next time i wash it in any sort of sunlight i’ll dry the car off first and apply HGG after via the dry method. i’m pretty dang sure the streaks are from the HGG because i’ve seen these marks twice and both times i used the HGG. when i do a wash without HGG i don’t see it.

ill report back with results

 

[ColoradoSHObro]

Well i took some time to try and get rid of the streaks today. Sad to report i was unsuccessful   Rinsed and dried the hood. First i tried letting it soak in Waterless Wash for a minute or two and buffing in with a MF towel. Didn't do a darn thing. I then tried diluted TRC and thought it was working at first but once i wiped it clean i saw the streaks were still there and hardly diminished. The TRC definitely stripped any other existing chemicals off the surface and left some gray hazy streaks . . kind of expected really. so i hit it with detail spray and took a claybar to it. That seemed to help a little in certain spots but still did not completely remove the streaks. Not sure exactly what approach i'm going to take next but i'm open to suggestions. 

Kind of thinking of strip washing the whole thing and using correcting polish since i need to do that eventually anyways but i'd like to get the car looking decent before then since it might be a few weeks until i get to it. 

 

Overall i'm a little frustrated that the use of a basic product caused this and is costing me more time and chemicals to correct than it seems worth. Not to mention i'm sure all the touching to this area of the car is going to cause me more work in correction.I'm sure my application could have been better but i did use it as instructed in all the videos and articles i've read. If this issue was indeed caused by the HGG i'm surprised the issue isn't more well known. 

Might have to stop by the shop and have one of the adams guys take a quick look at it they're willing. 

[Dan@Adams]

Hey Travis,

 

It was nice chatting with you in our Live Chat just now. Brilliant Glaze or Revive Hand Polish should do the trick. I would start with Brilliant Glaze first. If you don't have any, we can absolutely take a look at it for you and figure out what you will need to resolve the issue - stop by today or tomorrow morning/afternoon if you can. We'll be open from 9am - 2pm tomorrow.

[SVT_SRT]

I've had this problem before on my black Focus RS, after months of wondering what was going on, I realized it was because the heat from the panel itself made the HGG dry too quickly, almost immediately. I also pull indoors before applying, but the heat on the black panels is what causes this. Also, another thing that can make it worse, is if you use air such as a leaf blower or master blaster like I do, not having enough water on the panel can cause this problem. Hope this helps you.

[falcaineer]

So what's the verdict, @ColoradoSHObro?

[ColoradoSHObro]

yes i’ve been meaning to follow up on this. well i was able to stop by the denver HQ last friday and had someone take a look at the streaks. By that time they had diminished quite a bit and didn’t look nearly as pronounced as in the pics i posted here. so something i hit it with before knocked it down some. can’t say exactly what but my best guess is the TRC did some of the work. it was difficult to see with the lighting in my garage at the time.however there was still some chemical residue present and i was given a bottle of brilliant glaze to remedy the remnants. i applied the brilliant glaze when i got home and it did the job on the rest of the residue.

so overall i learned you have to be a lot more careful with HGG on a black car. mine was a little too hot,not wet enough, and i applied it in too large of areas before rubbing in and buffing. made for some tough removal.

 I still need to give a shout out in the proper section to the adams reps who  helped me out as I did receive amzing customer service.

[ColoradoSHObro]

Well i'm afraid i spoke to soon. I noticed more chemical residue spots today after washing the car. Still some on the hood, deck lid and A pillars. They're more spots than streaks but this is starting to drive me insane!

Hopefully these pics are clear enough:

 

 

If they were basic water or soap spots i would think they would have come off in the hand wash. So i'm still guessing they're HGG spots. I took some solvent from the top of my Brilliant Glaze bottle and worked at the spots in the hood with a double soft MF. Put some decent elbow grease on it too. It diminished the spots but didn't completely remove them. You can still see the imprint of where they were/are. It's like they're burned into the paint at this point. I"m kind of at a loss ?‍♂️ I feel like strip washing the car but if the TRC didn't remove these spots i'm not sure if that would work either.

 

Taking suggestions . . . 

 

[rrmccabe]

The pattern of that almost looks different from the first.  Water spots can be really tough and hand wash doesn't always touch them.  Do you have any claybar you can try?

 

 

[ColoradoSHObro]

The marks do seem to be of a different nature. I do have some clay i could try but IIRC i'm pretty sure i tried that last week with no result. Worth another try though

[falcaineer]

TRC and APC are two different products, as is SW. The latter two will strip any of the HGG that's on there so I'd suggest either one. As @Dan@Adams said, Revive is also an option to try, if you have it. In the end, polishing it out by machine may also be in your future if these other options don't work. Sorry you're going through this...HGG is an awesome product, but it does take a bit to figure out the right process.

[ColoradoSHObro]

1 hour ago, falcaineer said:

TRC and APC are two different products, as is SW. The latter two will strip any of the HGG that's on there so I'd suggest either one. As @Dan@Adams said, Revive is also an option to try, if you have it. In the end, polishing it out by machine may also be in your future if these other options don't work. Sorry you're going through this...HGG is an awesome product, but it does take a bit to figure out the right process.

It just so happens i love HGG on every car i've used it on except for my own. My paint just seems to be very picky about how it is applied. I just re-visited the adams site and ironically these are the comments in the product details page:

"The optical grade polymers won't stain exterior trim, and even leave rubber and plastic looking darker and protected from the elements.

Application couldn't be more simple - apply by misting over a wet vehicle and spreading with a premium plush microfiber towel or go for the dry application, using a pre-moistened microfiber towel to apply protection and shine. Regardless of the method you choose you'll agree that Adam's H20 Guard & Gloss is the easiest, fastest, and most effective way to seal your paint that you've ever used."

This was exactly my process in applying it and did so in the garage out of the sun on a car that had just been rinsed. Although, it is mentioned in the video the text never says to apply panel by panel or to be cautious of  applying it to a warm car. I worked around the car as fast as i could to get it all buffed in but i'm only one person. 

 

As far as moving forward now, i'm not sure if the spots in the last pics above are still from the HGG or possibly hard water spots. Regardless, i want to be confident that the next dollars i spend on another product is going to get rid of this problem. So no gambling with the revive or APC. I think i have to go with the strip wash maybe give dawn a shot first and see if that will remove this garbage. I'm tired of staring at it. 

 

Also, while i agree that APC and TRC are 2 different products I know for a fact that the TRC stripped the layer of HGG off the hood because when i washed it today the hood was the only area of the car that had lost all hydrophobic qualities while beads formed everywhere else. 

[falcaineer]

I know you went by the HQ already, but you're only about an hour from me...let me know if I can be of any help. I have most everything.

[ColoradoSHObro]

11 minutes ago, falcaineer said:

I know you went by the HQ already, but you're only about an hour from me...let me know if I can be of any help. I have most everything.

thanks very much for the generous offer falcaineer! i think having HQ so close by i will tap that resource first until they’re tired of dealing with me. ? 

[Junior]

I would be willing to bet you have a combination of things going on. Water spots are more than likely what you are seeing now. As for the first pic of streaking, I would say it’s probably over application or technique related.  How many applications of H2O had you done on the vehicle when you first saw the streaking? Were you applying it at every wash and if so what was the wash interval? I have been using H2O for several years and the only time I ever got streaking was from excessive use. I think the magic number was 4 washes in 4 weeks time applying H2O each time.

 

As for the water spots, I would probably look into some paint correction using at the very least Revive by hand after claying the offending areas where the spotting is. But machine polishing might be the best option.

 

One easy way to figure out if you got water spots or embedded defects would be do do a normal wash and then do an IPA alcohol wipe down in the spots you are seeing the defects in.

 

All you need is a spray bottle and 1:1 ratio of Isopropyl Alchol to water and a very soft microfiber towel. Make sure the car is cool and dry and mist the towel and the affected area of the panel. Gently wipe in a straight back and forth motion applying very light pressure until the solution has flashed and removed. It shouldn’t take too many wipes to do this and there is no elbow grease involved. Google IPA wipe down or search this forum for techniques and tips.

Edited June 25, 2018 by Junior

[ColoradoSHObro]

13 hours ago, Junior said:

I would be willing to bet you have a combination of things going on. Water spots are more than likely what you are seeing now. As for the first pic of streaking, I would say it’s probably over application or technique related.  How many applications of H2O had you done on the vehicle when you first saw the streaking? Were you applying it at every wash and if so what was the wash interval? I have been using H2O for several years and the only time I ever got streaking was from excessive use. I think the magic number was 4 washes in 4 weeks time applying H2O each time.

 

As for the water spots, I would probably look into some paint correction using at the very least Revive by hand after claying the offending areas where the spotting is. But machine polishing might be the best option.

 

One easy way to figure out if you got water spots or embedded defects would be do do a normal wash and then do an IPA alcohol wipe down in the spots you are seeing the defects in.

 

All you need is a spray bottle and 1:1 ratio of Isopropyl Alchol to water and a very soft microfiber towel. Make sure the car is cool and dry and mist the towel and the affected area of the panel. Gently wipe in a straight back and forth motion applying very light pressure until the solution has flashed and removed. It shouldn’t take too many wipes to do this and there is no elbow grease involved. Google IPA wipe down or search this forum for techniques and tips.

This was only the 2nd time using HGG on my vehicle and i had at least 2 washes in between applications. I don't feel i over-used the product on application but as mentioned previously the paint was hot and i didn't go one panel at a time. 

As far as the spots i see now, they could be water spots. However when i've had water spots on my car before they usually have a white hue to them or at least a hazy white outline. If look closely at these spots they are clear and seem to be more of a chemical nature. You can almost see a slight chemical rainbow in them. It's hard to say exactly what they are though. 

 I will be doing a paint correction on the car eventually so polishing is in my future. regardless, I would like to know what these spots are along with how to remove them(without polishing) and how to avoid them in the future(don't think i'll ever wash my black car even in indirect sunlight again).

 

If i do the ISO wipedown and it doesnt remove the spots then what does that tell me?

[Junior]

Okay thanks for the info Travis. It sounds like timing and heat played a role. As for the wipe down, that should remove all wax and sealant and get your paint to bare assuming you have no ceramic coating. I am guessing you haven’t gone that far yet. So that should tell you if you have embedded defects or if the blemishes were indeed streaking of some kind from the product etc.