anyone have any idea how to get rid of this streak?


washing it with soap does absolutely nothing..

 

try a paint cleaner, and if that doesn't work, give it a polish......

if you are looking for something quick and over the counter, might give Meg's step 1 a shot for a cleaner, and Scratch X if your going the hand polish route.

 

hmm any idea where it came from?

 

Agreed,
Take it a step farther and clay/clean/seal the whole hood. Or your going to have one bright spot on your hood that looks better thn the rest. Were only talking a few additional moments here to complete and make it look right...

 

went to autozone and bought Turtle's rubbing compound, as recommended by a worker....product worked great, took off the stain + touch up paint, but it took a little while. that stuff can also be used as claying...it picked up contaminates and made my surface smooth.

this was the first time i detailed my car...i bought mothers clay kit, mequiars step 2 polish and step 3 polish. my car looks really new..

 

pictures

 

Looks great, but most will agree polish/compound isn't a complete substitute for clay.


You said the compound removed the mark and touch up paint?

 

Thats kind of old school thinking. The products you bought, other then the TW, may have more then likely resolved the issue. Start simple.
Compounds can be rather aggressive, and normally mar the surface requiring another polishing step. If that was a black car, it may have ended up much different.

 

exceldetail how do you do it? im not trying to knock on your job but detailing is hard work and requires lots of patients. it took me 5 hours to do everything, plus i tried to do it quick. by the end of the day my back was aching and my right arm is sore at the shoulders, elbow and wrist!
1.wash then dry
2.clay followed immediately by wipe
3.polish followed immediately by wipe
4.wax then wipe
5.vacuum
6.clean all windows with invisible glass
7.dress my tires
8.wipe down dirty spots on engine
all done by hand, but im getting a BUFFER NEXT TIME! any recommendations?

got a question...is it okay to reuse the claybar? still looks clean after folding it a bit.

And it is ok to use water instead of the lubricant mother's supplied because im running low. i had to dilute some so i didnt run out

yeah it removed the stain and the touch up paint which was an attempt to hide the stain
the rubbing compound worked great but i did have to go over it about 10 times to get rid of the touch up paint and some is still there but NOT noticeable like before.

 

Well, most of the regulars here use a PC (dual action buffer) when performing an exterior detail. No aches and no pains, reduces the detailing time especially when polishing, consistent results every time and can be used to apply a variety of products. Anyone who uses one will vouch for it's versatility and simplicity.

I would say you should be able to get 3-5 applications depending on the severity of the contamination from you vehicle. If I need to clay, I usually do it when I'm washing. You can use car wash/water solution as a lubricant when claying making sure it's well lubricated. Rinse off, then dry.

 

yup...i would estimate doing just the hood on your car completely (wash, clay, polish, seal) would take about an hour, including setup/cleanup. just to give you an idea of how much time a PC will save you...and the results are far beyond what you'll get from doing it by hand in any reasonable amount of time.

 

is there any cheap buffers you guys recommend?

 

Yes, a Porter Cable. Any cheaper and you will only regret it. Ask anyone here who owns one, myself included.

 

There are cheaper orbital buffers but none can equal the versatility of a PC. They are limited in terms of power and accessories. For example, one of the Waxmaster models has two speeds and the orbits per minute (OPM) is rated at about 3200. The PC has variable speeds and 6000 OPM. One other fact to consider is the ability to use different polishing pad vs a fixed pad that serves as a cushion. These are mainly wax on/wax off tools where as the PC is able to correct surface defects as well as apply and remove products. Save some bucks and get a PC, the return will be far more than what you expect or bargain for.

 

Dammnit Hawhyen51, so much more eloquent than me.... LOL

 

And then theres the UDM coming..........woooooof.

 

Don't even bother. Anything less than a Porter Cable DA is a waste of money. I bought 2 of those RO polishers that became literally useless after getting the DA. Wished I spent the money on pads and polishes..serious!