after an endless day of detailing i loved how my truck looked, yet a week later i wash it and something seems not right.

i washed the truck today with megs gold class wash, used as directed. two buckets etc... the truck paint feels dry, like the wax isnt there anymore. sure it shines like its been waxed but i cant "feel" it like i normally could( very smooth and slick surface) kinda wondering why, in 8 years of detailing my vehicles ive never ran into this.

 

I guess the obvious question, is what kinda wax is it?

 

meguiars gold class, applied and removed with a buffer.

 

I think a better test is to see how plain water beads. Many small beads and the wax is still good.

 

Hit it with some quick detailer.

 

not much on the beading when i washed it. i used some QD, but im thinking ill be doing it all over again tomorrow after work...sigh

 

Unfortunately, what gold class is in looks lacks in the protection side... I only give it a week's worth of time before I figure its time to re-apply (granted, I dont use it anymore, but when I did...)

BTW-- beading, though neat looking and a fun test, isnt always a sure test of protection...

 

I don't think it's safe to say that Meguiars Gold Class only last a week. I, personally, wouldn't recommend taking it off with a buffer either. Maybe the product didn't have enough time to set up on the vehicles paint.

 

Well, when I was still using it, I had the time and not enough of a life to be adding on a coat a week (It was my Monday afternoon ritual for a bottle of GC until I got NXT... Then it was once a month... Now it varies...)

Agreed on the buffer part-- good catch. I should have read more carefully.

 

the buffer i use for applying and removing is a low speed orbital, i think it runs about 2300 ish rpms. Dont really know, its a 7" orbital i bought from sears a long time ago. As for the wax setting up long enough it was about 70 outside and i was in some shade. I let it sit about 10 minutes and the wax was dry to the touch when i began removing it.

this is all rather odd, ive been using gold class for a few years now and it has always lasted quite well, several months in most cases. Could this be due to old wax? it is the bottle i had from last year, but it stayed inside all winter, not like i let it freeze or anything.

FWIW this is how it looked after i waxed it last week.

 

To tell if the wax is there (a worthwhile amount anyways), grab a clean terry towel and ball it up. Put it on clean paint and kinda twist it back and forth. If it is quiet, there is wax present. If it squeaks, time for some more wax.

If you washed it with Gold Class, I don't see how/why that would have removed any wax if it was there.

 

Roush, that won't scratch the paint?

 

I would be a little iffy about doing this (only because it may cause some marring). There is no real way to tell if there is a for sure coat of wax still there that will protect your finish. I believe the best way to tell if there is wax there is to put another coat on and you know for sure.

 

I picked that trick up from MOL. If you use a clean, soft towel and the paint is clean, it won't. I have done it on my car and not marred it. It would be almost no different than wiping product off of the paint. As for the towel, it is kind of like your hand, on a waxed surface, your hand will just glide over it. On a surface with no wax, it drags and squeaks. I agree that there is no 100% sure way to tell if there is wax or not.

 

I'm gonna stir up the hornet's nest here.

You guys that are shrinking in horror at the suggestion that someone actually should let a terry towel touch their paint - do you redetail after every time you brush up against your finish with your clothes on? This is getting a bit OTT.