The smears and hazy spots that appear are usually caused by new wax that you did not properly remove. Sounds like you either didn't wipe off the wax very well, you waxed in direct sunlight or didn't give the wax enough time to dry. There certainly shouldn't be enough wax left loose on the surface of the car to pool up in rain water.

Did you follow the directions on the side of the bottle to a T? Most waxes have VERY specific directions for proper use. I have not seen the directions for the NXT stuff. But most include the following in their directions....

1. Only put on the recommended amount. If the directions say to put 4 dots of wax on the waxing pad, only put on 4 dots. Using too much wax will only lead to slow drying times and will make a mess.

2. Leave the wax on to cure for the recommended period of time. It turns hazy when it is dry. If you run your finger over it, it shouldn't smear. If it does, it is not dry.

3. Do not wax the car in the sun. So if you did the waxing in your driveway and not in your garage or under a tree, you are not following the directions. If you are waxing in the sun, the heat on the body panels will keep the wax from drying properly.

4. Did you wipe off with the correct type of towel? If you did not use an ALL cotton towel with a good nap to it, the towel will have nothing to 'pick up' the excess wax with...It'll just smear it around on the body. If the wax is dry, the wax particles will not be picked up...and your wax job will look like someone spilled a cup of flour on your pretty paint.

SC~

 

I have actually heard a lot of good stuff about NXT. NXT is supposed to be one step closer to that holy "one-stage" system. I was surfing the net and found some restoration forums, where guys typically using a 5-6 step Meguiar's process got better feedback with just one wash of NXT soap and one coat of NXT wax. Pretty amazing, the pictures showed it all.

Of course, after a long winter, it'd be ideal to wash, clay, clean, polish, then top it with NXT wax - from thereon, it's probably safe just to add a layer of wax every couple of months. I'm tempted to go out right now and buy the range of new NXT stuff - but it's pretty $$!! (still cheap compared to Zaino)

Check out: www.meguiarsonline.com/forums

Also, their new ColorX stuff looks pretty darn amazing too. Dunno how safe that is to use on a normal basis (like wax).

 

Clay bar is a very important step in detailing. After you wash your car and dry it, rub the palm of your hand over the paint. Does it feel gritty and not silky smooth? Guess what, there's contaminents and overspray on your paint. Do you want to wax over that w/o removing it first?

Clay bars when properly lubed will glide over the surface and pick up contaminents, etc and you can see it right on the bar. They will not scratch the paint if done correctly. You especially need to clay bar the hood and front end of the car. Once cleaned, feel the very smooth paint which is ready for polish/wax.

 

It's usually my front/rear bumpers that need claying the most. It gets so dirty... my panels are relatively clean for the most part. BTW, I got a Meguiar's Quik Detail clay bar package - can I use that lube with any other generic clay bar? (and for that matter, is one clay bar better than the other? )

 

You can use any clay bar with any quick mist spray detailer. You can also use a mixture of water and a little soap, but you must hose off your car when done. It will leave residue.

 

#1 Never use Dawn on your paint. Dishwashing detergent strips your paint and will cause long-term damage.
#2 Now that you have, you need to replace the natural emoliants. Use some Meguires cleaner/polish, any level will do.
#3 Always park in the shade when waxing your car.
Good luck, BMan.

 

A lot of people here are giving misleading advice. Look at www.autopia.org

Lots of people have provided good information but there is still some bad advice however most of the bad advice has been taken care of.

Claying is very important for your car if you want it to look good. One thing if you are not getting a good shine from your car you need to use a Polish. There are sooooo many to pick from though. It comes down to trying different ones to get the best shine from your car. If you look at the website above their forum is full of people that know what they are doing. Many run their own detailing business's.

Hope the site helps.

 

Zaino recommends Dawn to do exactly that, strip the wax off so you have a fresh paint surface to work with. But it's not advised to use regularly.

 

Umm.... usually when we clay a car at work.... We always buff and wax afterwards... because the clay removes the wax and leaves the paint dulll...

 

I didnt mean to imply that when you clay a car it will look good right after the claying but it is one of the many steps that you will want to do if you want your car to look good. Keeping all of the contaminants off the car keeps the paint in good shape which will improve the look of the car. After you clay of course you need to apply a polish and then wax.

 

I went to my local Autozone and picked up a bottle of this NXT wax today. I usually use Meguires #20 Polymer Sealant every once and a while. Comparing the NXT to the #20, the NXT is seems to take a more effort to wipe off. Either I used too thick of a coat or this stuff is just sticks. The shine is very nice.. a little more wet looking compared to #20. I will use this stuff again but I'm just not a big fan of how tuff it is to wipe off. I used microfiber towels.

 

Thanks for the feedback. They advertise this wax as being the easiest to apply wax you can buy. That said, the directions are not very specific. It says to apply "a small amount" on applicator and spread a thin even coat. Maybe I put on too much. It's supposed to take only 10-15 minutes to cure. I allowed for more time than that. Then it says to remove with a 100% cotton terry cloth towel. Which is what I did.

I waxed the car on a very cool day and kept the car in the shade. The only thing I may have done wrong is just put too much on...

After it was rained on, I washed it with the NXT wash. Very fast and easy (I just air dried it), and the car looks great now.