S&W Leaving Behind Streaks/Film :(

[MisterShark]

I just used it for the second time and got the same results again, despite following the directions (using the product sparingly), using premium MFs (a very plush MF that's ideal for QDs and waterless washing for the intial wipe, followed by another slightly less-plush MF for a second drying pass): I still ended up with streaky areas over more of my car than I'm happy with.

The first time I used it it was likely about 60 degrees (f) and this time just today it was 39 degrees (f).
If my only test had been conducted during today's brisk temps then I would write it off since some solutions act less than optimally when nearing freezing temperatures, but this wasn't the case.

I was mindful of working only one panel at a time with the car in full shade, spraying and immediately wiping, to ensure against the product prematurely drying. My 2nd drying pass also immediately followed. Streaking in multiple areas resulted all the same, making it necessary to re-spray and wipe once again.

What am I doing wrong?

[BigLeegr]

Are you getting the streaks before the final wipe? Is the S+W drying before you finish buffing?
If not,then the biggest thing I'm thinking is maybe your cloths aren't overly absorbent and isn't fully absorbing the product.
Also, some people's definition of "sparingly" is different from others. How much product do you think you use to wash a car? How dirty was it? How big is it?

[MisterShark]

Are you getting the streaks before the final wipe? ?

No, after making my second pass and stepping back to take a look.
Following misting the S&W onto, say a door, I immediately make my first wipe with a plush 70/30 MF (I know it's generally frowned upon to mention any other manufacturer's names/goods here, but in the interest of supplying as much detailed info as possible in order to facilitate as accurate a diagnosis of the problem as possible: the 1st wipe towel is the 'Shaggy Fur-ball MF, sold by a company that rhymes with 'Shmemical Buys'). The 2nd wipe was with a Vroom 70/30 (or is it a 80/20?) drying towel.

Is the S+W drying before you finish buffing??

The S&W is being wiped immediately after being applied to a cool clear coat (black 09 Toyota RAV4), so no: it's still plenty moist as it's being hit with the 1st and 2nd pass.

If not,then the biggest thing I'm thinking is maybe your cloths aren't overly absorbent and isn't fully absorbing the product.?

This is what I'm wondering also. Those Shaggy Fur-ball MFs, while plush and long-fibered, may not be absorbing as much as one of my other MFs may be cabable of. However, my first tryout using S&W occured before I purchased those towels: I had used my best towels for that session, and still noticed the film in some (albeit less) areas.

Also, some people's definition of "sparingly" is different from others. How much product do you think you use to wash a car? How dirty was it? How big is it?

Dirt level was medium-light to light both times. I wouldn't do a waterless wash for any dirt level higher than medium-light. My application method is full trigger pulls while directing the spray bottles direction briskly left to right, always moving as spraying. I don't get any run-down streams so I would judge this to be a sign that I'm not applying excessive amounts of product: just enough so that all surface real estate is uniformly misted and so I'm not doing a dry rub down on any areas of the panel being worked on.
As I mentioned above, it's a Toyota RAV4, so it's a small SUV.


I'm going to try again today during my lunch break if the temperature permits (43 degrees currently, so should be no problem). I've thrown enough of my best MFs in my car to do this test using those premium towels, ruling out that variable once I have the results. For the sake of being thorough in my case documentation, these MFs (again, avoiding manufacturer's names) are named after a certain venomous, hooded snake and specifically are the '530' model.

Thanks for the quick response and thoughtful consideration of my situation.
I'll report back shortly with my 3rd trial application
- using only my best MF towels
- paying strict and careful attention to the amount of S&W being misted on
- being mindful of performing an immediate 1st and 2nd wipe

Dunno if this makes any difference, but the S&W is being kept at my desk before I head out to use it at lunch to ensure that the colder temps outside do not slow any surfactant-to-contaminant chemical bonding action that possibly might occur if the S&W was much colder.

[BigLeegr]

Another thought I just had was; "Are you just wiping with a second pass and done, or buffing at the end?"
After you wipe the dirt off, you need to buff the residue off. Just wiping generally won't leave a clear finish.

[MisterShark]

Following my 3rd or 4th try at using S&W I noticed a lot more residual film than I initially thought was left over (light conditions were not the best when I did a final inspection initially).
I really had to buff quite a bit to get most of the film off and spent much more time than I intended to spend on a waterless wash (which I thought would be a quicker process, similiar to using a QD).

I decided to re-direct my purpose for S&W since it just isn't giving me the hoped-for results on my black clearcoated finish: I decided to try it on glass (since it notes that it's great for that purpose).
I buffed the hell out of it and made sure to use it sparingly. From the outside it appeared pretty good, but once inside and driving down the road it became apparent that I again had a film left behind.

I don't know: I don't think this product is for me.
Thanks anyway for the suggestions BigLeegr; I appreciate your advice.

[Poorboy]

From your posting, I believe you are using too much product .... there should only be a light mist not a full trigger spray ... actually Spray and Wipe works best in the sun on warmer surfaces ... if you touch your towel (no matter which brand) and it is damp after a pass, then you are using too much and just spreading it around causing the streaking and possible haze. There should be little to no pressure used during wiping, just let the weight of the towels do the work ..

ps .. you might want to try our towels as the ones you have mentioned (like BigLeegr noted) are not the most absorbent towels

[MisterShark]

I'll give it one last shot but I've been making it a point to be sure and not allow too much product to hit the surface: only the lightest of mist.

As far as the MFs go I was using the 'Shaggys' only for the 1st pass since they're good at grabbing the dirt safely (if a tad weaker at absorbing moisture), and have made it a point to immediately follow that pass (with the 2nd pass MF in my other hand) with the 2nd pass with the premium MF (the one that's named after a snake and is specifically '530').

Those particular MFs (the 530s) have been my best performers with everything from rinseless washes to QD applications.
To be honest with you I'd love to try out some of your MFs (whichever model you'd suggest would be best for the Spray & Wipe) but the shipping charges are the deal breaker for me.
I purchase all of my Poorboy's products (SSR2.5, Professional Polish) from a local distributor that you have listed (Glimmer Glass Detailing) in order to avoid shipping charges and would probably be willing to grab some of whichever towels you recommend for the S&W use, but I'm not sure if he's able to custom order your MFs in a quantity of any less than a whole case (which I can't afford to buy that many of).
Let me know if you're able to sell your distribitors quantities less than a case and if so I'll ask him to custom order me 6 of whichever towel I'll need for the S&W.

Thanks again and I'm very impressed with the level of customer service you guys always give. It's one of the things that makes me want to persevere and make this S&W work.

[Poorboy]

I'll give it one last shot but I've been making it a point to be sure and not allow too much product to hit the surface: only the lightest of mist.

As far as the MFs go I was using the 'Shaggys' only for the 1st pass since they're good at grabbing the dirt safely (if a tad weaker at absorbing moisture), and have made it a point to immediately follow that pass (with the 2nd pass MF in my other hand) with the 2nd pass with the premium MF (the one that's named after a snake and is specifically '530').

Those particular MFs (the 530s) have been my best performers with everything from rinseless washes to QD applications.
To be honest with you I'd love to try out some of your MFs (whichever model you'd suggest would be best for the Spray & Wipe) but the shipping charges are the deal breaker for me.
I purchase all of my Poorboy's products (SSR2.5, Professional Polish) from a local distributor that you have listed (Glimmer Glass Detailing) in order to avoid shipping charges and would probably be willing to grab some of whichever towels you recommend for the S&W use, but I'm not sure if he's able to custom order your MFs in a quantity of any less than a whole case (which I can't afford to buy that many of).
Let me know if you're able to sell your distributors quantities less than a case and if so I'll ask him to custom order me 6 of whichever towel I'll need for the S&W.

Thanks again and I'm very impressed with the level of customer service you guys always give. It's one of the things that makes me want to persevere and make this S&W work.

I believe Rob (new owner) of Glimmer Glass has some of our DMT's and yes he can order any quantity he needs .. remember just like the bottle says .. the less you use the easier and the better the results will be ... i would use a second shaggy cloth (personal tip) at the same time ... I overlap one next to the other and then let them glide together ... if the towels are getting damp, then you are just spreading moister and dirt which will definitely cause streaking ...there is a learning curve, but when you do get it, you will never want to be without it ... another note.. on glass, you may want to just a spritz directly into cloth and then buff ... or if the towel you are using gets too damp, then do not add any more and just wipe the windows until the cloth dries out ..

[MisterShark]

I'll give it one last shot but I've been making it a point to be sure and not allow too much product to hit the surface: only the lightest of mist.

As far as the MFs go I was using the 'Shaggys' only for the 1st pass since they're good at grabbing the dirt safely (if a tad weaker at absorbing moisture), and have made it a point to immediately follow that pass (with the 2nd pass MF in my other hand) with the 2nd pass with the premium MF (the one that's named after a snake and is specifically '530').

Those particular MFs (the 530s) have been my best performers with everything from rinseless washes to QD applications.
To be honest with you I'd love to try out some of your MFs (whichever model you'd suggest would be best for the Spray & Wipe) but the shipping charges are the deal breaker for me.
I purchase all of my Poorboy's products (SSR2.5, Professional Polish) from a local distributor that you have listed (Glimmer Glass Detailing) in order to avoid shipping charges and would probably be willing to grab some of whichever towels you recommend for the S&W use, but I'm not sure if he's able to custom order your MFs in a quantity of any less than a whole case (which I can't afford to buy that many of).
Let me know if you're able to sell your distributors quantities less than a case and if so I'll ask him to custom order me 6 of whichever towel I'll need for the S&W.

Thanks again and I'm very impressed with the level of customer service you guys always give. It's one of the things that makes me want to persevere and make this S&W work.

I believe Rob (new owner) of Glimmer Glass has some of our DMT's and yes he can order any quantity he needs .. remember just like the bottle says .. the less you use the easier and the better the results will be ... i would use a second shaggy cloth (personal tip) at the same time ... I overlap one next to the other and then let them glide together ... if the towels are getting damp, then you are just spreading moister and dirt which will definitely cause streaking ...there is a learning curve, but when you do get it, you will never want to be without it ... another note.. on glass, you may want to just a spritz directly into cloth and then buff ... or if the towel you are using gets too damp, then do not add any more and just wipe the windows until the cloth dries out ..

Can you recommend the specific DMT that would be best suited for my use with S&W? I want to get this right, so please let me know which color (if the different colors are indicative of a specific weight/knap MF) I need to go with?

Upon browsing your MF selection just before reading your last reply, I thought that the UMT would be the best choice, no?

[Poorboy]

I'll give it one last shot but I've been making it a point to be sure and not allow too much product to hit the surface: only the lightest of mist.

As far as the MFs go I was using the 'Shaggys' only for the 1st pass since they're good at grabbing the dirt safely (if a tad weaker at absorbing moisture), and have made it a point to immediately follow that pass (with the 2nd pass MF in my other hand) with the 2nd pass with the premium MF (the one that's named after a snake and is specifically '530').

Those particular MFs (the 530s) have been my best performers with everything from rinseless washes to QD applications.
To be honest with you I'd love to try out some of your MFs (whichever model you'd suggest would be best for the Spray & Wipe) but the shipping charges are the deal breaker for me.
I purchase all of my Poorboy's products (SSR2.5, Professional Polish) from a local distributor that you have listed (Glimmer Glass Detailing) in order to avoid shipping charges and would probably be willing to grab some of whichever towels you recommend for the S&W use, but I'm not sure if he's able to custom order your MFs in a quantity of any less than a whole case (which I can't afford to buy that many of).
Let me know if you're able to sell your distributors quantities less than a case and if so I'll ask him to custom order me 6 of whichever towel I'll need for the S&W.

Thanks again and I'm very impressed with the level of customer service you guys always give. It's one of the things that makes me want to persevere and make this S&W work.

I believe Rob (new owner) of Glimmer Glass has some of our DMT's and yes he can order any quantity he needs .. remember just like the bottle says .. the less you use the easier and the better the results will be ... i would use a second shaggy cloth (personal tip) at the same time ... I overlap one next to the other and then let them glide together ... if the towels are getting damp, then you are just spreading moister and dirt which will definitely cause streaking ...there is a learning curve, but when you do get it, you will never want to be without it ... another note.. on glass, you may want to just a spritz directly into cloth and then buff ... or if the towel you are using gets too damp, then do not add any more and just wipe the windows until the cloth dries out ..

Can you recommend the specific DMT that would be best suited for my use with S&W? I want to get this right, so please let me know which color (if the different colors are indicative of a specific weight/knap MF) I need to go with?

Upon browsing your MF selection just before reading your last reply, I thought that the UMT would be the best choice, no?

DMT color is only for choice ... no the UMT is better for polish and wax removal .. they are not as absorbent with liquids or QD's

[MisterShark]

I purchased some DMTs as well as some 'VELVET SMOOTH GLASS TOWELs' from my local distributor (GlimmerGlassDetailing.com) and am just waiting on a warmer day (it's currently 21 degrees F, with a 2 degrees F 'real feel' ) to try them out with my S&W.

Since I purchased the glass towel 3-pack (and inquired about the free 16oz S&W throw-in) he cut me a deal to include a quart of S&W rather than the smaller size (since he doesn't carry the smaller 16oz size) for $21 total (plus the $30 for the DMTs), so now I really want the S&W to work well for me since I now have 2 containers of it.

Time will tell.