I am a 64 year old enthusiast detailer with about 40 years “detailing” my cars and a few friends. I am NO expert and currently do 80-90% corrections and then stop for fear of damaging clearcoat. I use orbital polishers only and do no wet sanding.
I have several carnauba paste waxes and enjoy using them. I also use sealants as a base coat. Blackfire Wet Diamond and Menzerna Powerlock are my current favorites.
I recently purchased Celeste Dettaglio from Detailed Image and am seeing a haze (or sweat) on the hood and front fender tops on my ’08 crystal red metallic C6.
I know dark colors are the worse for seeing this and I have read some suggestions, but wanted to get an expert’s advice.
I already had BFWD on the C6 and then (after the BF had long cured) applied Celeste by hand to the entire car using a red foam applicator and the straight line method….going as thin as I could and still see the wax.
I let it dry/cure for 20 minutes and then easily buffed it off. I then waited 30 minutes and did a second buff. The wax is impressive in looks and slickness.
A few hours later I noticed some patchy haze on the hood and used some cold distilled water to remove it.
That evening I drove the car and the following morning there was quite a bit of haze on the hood/fender tops.
After removing it, the haze continued for another 2 days and on day 3 (72 hrs.) after the original buff, it stopped.
The only other wax I have had this problem with is Supernatural.
I appreciate any thoughts…..it’s not a terrible issue, but frustrating.
Thank you.
Some waxes can be very temperamental for sure…Supernatural being one of them! I know that it usually requires several days of buffing before the sweating will stop. I haven’t used the Celeste wax yet, so I can only go on theory here. Sometimes you may also find that the slickness and/or residue left over by a fresh application of a paint sealant can interfere with the bonding of the wax as well. To help with your application process / testing, and to make sure that your sealant isn’t intefering with the wax, wash your car after your sealant has completely cured before proceeding on to the waxing stage.
You may want to change your wax application process a bit as well to see if that helps. When you apply the wax to the hood for instance, try using a cross-hatch method to see if that does a better job of getting an even application. When you see hazing in patches, it’s typically in the areas where the wax was too heavy. Try starting with a small section. Apply the wax in straight lines from front to back, trying to avoid abrupt endings when you change direction. You almost want to make it more of a gradual curve at the end instead of a dead stop (this prevents a lot of wax building up at the end of your stroke). After this, do the same process in the opposite direction without actually applying more wax to your applicator. Finally finish it up in the front to back motion. Now you should have an area that is thoroughly covered in a thin, even application. Test this process only on the hood the first time to see if you need to change it up. This time give it more opportunity to cure…30-40 minutes. When you go to buff it off, first start by buffing opposite the direction of the wax application. Then use another clean MF towel to buff it from front to back. Be sure to use plenty of towels to ensure that you’re removing the wax and not just spreading it around. Come back in an hour or so and lightly buff it again. Check it over the next day or two to see how it goes. If it still sweats, you may try using even less product, buffing off with a light spritz of cold water, multiple buffings, etc. If it still sweats, then it simply may be a product like Supernatural and you know when you use it, it will take a few days before it’s ready to “show”. Some of the high-end waxes may require more effort, but as you know from using the Supernatural, the finish they leave can be breathtaking!
I hope this helps!