need help a cant stop streaks and water marks

[flegz16]

i have a black seat ibiza cupra and whenever i clean it it always end up looking crap and it really me off . iv been looking around at a few threads and iv decided to get a Lambswool Wash Mitt to start off with. can people point me in the right direction to some good shampoo/wax or anything that will stop my car from streaking and leaving water marks every time i washing my car.

also a quick guide to how i should go about cleaning it would be great



cheers

 

[mulli01]

i used to have the same 'water streaking' problem with my old black ur quattro, what i found to be the best way to get rid of these was to towel the car dry straight after rinsing (micro fibre towel being the best type to use), people might look at you a bit funny for hand drying your car with a towel but who cares right?

i've also got a lambs wool mitt to wash the car with and would recommend one of them too.

 

[FinerDetails]

the streaking is likely to be down to a few things.

Is the car waxed? this will help prevent it.

Do use use too much car shampoo, its over concentrated, or do you live in a hard water area? If so try Megs NXt shampoo.

As mentioned, lastly, use a micro fibre towel to dry immediately afetr washing.

Hope this helps

regards

Iain

 

[UncleFester]

Also when you rinse your car off, use an open hosepipe and 'sluice' the car down - when the water is used like this it leaves less marks.

 

[JayTse]

after you rinsed the car down, always dry the car using a cow cloth.

works a treat for me and always leave the car sparkling!

 

[UncleFester]

after you rinsed the car down, always dry the car using a cow cloth.

works a treat for me and always leave the car sparkling!

Wash leather? Gawd I hope not

 

[JayTse]

Wash leather? Gawd I hope not

it might be me being thick but i dont quite get you.. is there something wrong with using a cow cloth to removed excess water on the car after you rinsed it?

 

[Husbandofstinky]

I rinse my cars with rain water from the butt. It is infinatley a better water than from a tap for the paint work.

Quite often I just wash and rinse on a overcast day, get it right (minimal evaporation) and you wont get a streak.

Just using a rain water rinse is a vast improvement.

 

[UncleFester]

it might be me being thick but i dont quite get you.. is there something wrong with using a cow cloth to removed excess water on the car after you rinsed it?

Yes - they often trap pieces of sand / dirt etc in the cloth and then when you wipe the car with it ... it marks the paint. Much more of a problem with 'soft' modern water based paints or cars with a top clearcoat.

Microfibre to dry or nothing

 

[Mashburn]

Have a read of this: CLICK HERE

Some very good info on that site.

 

[JayTse]

Yes - they often trap pieces of sand / dirt etc in the cloth and then when you wipe the car with it ... it marks the paint. Much more of a problem with 'soft' modern water based paints or cars with a top clearcoat.

Microfibre to dry or nothing

cheers, interesting tip...

 

[Jace]

I use a AQUAGLEAM water filter & follow it up with a wipe down with quick detailer.



http://www.aquagleam.co.uk/?gclid=CIOQ-Lbd350CFQdl4wodL1CWNw

 

[robin cur]

Good old chamois leather

 

[Mashburn]

Use a thick pile drying towel instead of a chamois. But if you still have streaky marks then i suggest using Dodo Juice Red Mist Tropical once the car is dry. Takes less than 10 minutes to apply and adds a good shine.

 

[dholdi]

Good old chamois leather

for all the reasons unclef has pointed out above, unless of course you dont care about the marks to your paint.

 

[Mashburn]

Good old chamois leather

Next you'll be telling us you wash it with a sponge?!!

 

[dholdi]

And 1 bucket

 

[Mashburn]

hahahahaha!!

 

[Steely]

unless you want to go stupid i'd personally spend a day with a clay bar, a decent wax and a hose with NO spray connector,

wash it, clay it ( then polish if you fancy it) then wax it,

the next time you come to wash the car, use as dilute car wash as possible with the softest mitt and be as gentle as possible on the paintwork,

if you've done a good job on the claying and waxing if you use "sheet water" by allowing the water to flow smoothly from the hose with no spray you should be able to physically dry the car using a hose, with out having to chamios, ( this isnt possible on a non-waxed car)

I'll get a vid up on sat to show what i mean , its all about surface tension,

Ive stuck with Poorboys stuff upto now, esp nattys paste, its not the longest lasting wax, but for 3-4 weeks it doens a good job, you can wax a leon in 35-40 mins with it,


an example

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myG7hcb09KE&feature=related

 

[benuk]

I use a AQUAGLEAM water filter & follow it up with a wipe down with quick detailer.



http://www.aquagleam.co.uk/?gclid=CIOQ-Lbd350CFQdl4wodL1CWNw

An alternative to this (although perhaps a second best) is the flash 'autodry' system.. basically filters the water so when you rinse off you will not get watermarks. Unfortunately you can't buy it in the shops anymore, but I got mine new from ebay. I live in a hardwater area so had similar problems even when drying it after.