Post-wax slickness

[SR99]

Mike,
related to your final wipe how-to thread, I do the same with a dedicated final wipe towel, and that's where I expect to feel the post-wax slickness where the towel glides over the paint with no friction.

Recently I had several bird poop bombs to clean off my hood, and I waxed again afterwards, except I tried a different wax than what I had used about 2 months prior. I did this in the morning on a "cold" car and in a shaded garage.

This was the first time I can recall where I did not get the post-wax slickness. It looked great, and it wasn't grabby or anything, but it didn't have quite the frictionless slickness I expect. I have used this wax on another car and it did have the slickness so it's not a bad batch of wax.

Any reason you can think of why the final wipe would not be super slick? Only thing I can think of is some strange interaction with the previous wax but I've changed waxes many times over my life and have never had this happen.

thanks

[SR99]

One correction to the above description: the product I applied a couple months ago (3M Performance Finish), even though the label says "superior waxing solution" is not actually a wax but entirely synthetic and I guess it would be better called a "finishing sealant" per your reply in this thread from a couple years ago:
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/23160-3m-performance-finish-sealant.html

The product I put on top of it, and the one that lacked the slickness in this case but not in previous use, does have carnuba wax in it (Eagle-One Nanowax liquid which I don't think they sell anymore and they only sell a spray)

Maybe a carnuba-based product applied over a recent application of a synthetic sealant is not a good combination (for slickness anyway; it looks perfectly fine)?

[SR99]

Anyone?

Since I'm not sure what caused this to happen I'm not sure what if anything I should do to correct it?

Has anyone ever finished waxing only to find the normal/expected slipperyness wasn't there, and did you figure out the cause?

[jcedorjr]

I've never used 3M but I've used the Eagle One years back and it was slick however didn't last long at all so never used it again. Has the car been clayed recently? It's possible that the wax didn't sit right on the paint and more came off on the wipe down than what stuck to the car. I was having a problem where the car would be slick after the initial wax, but following the first wash, would lose the slickness and beading. After a clay bar and polish I seem to be in a much better place.

[SR99]

Thanks for the reply. The paint is factory fresh and in excellent condition according to Mike's paint classifications. There were only 3 relatively small spots where I could feel some grabbiness on a microfiber towel so that's all I clayed (Mothers yellow clay). The whole car had the glassy slipperyness after applying the 3M product a few months ago.

I could be wrong but it seems the glassy slipperyness is more than cosmetic and would help repel dust better than a less slippery surface. That's the main reason I'm wondering if I should do some followup, or just leave it since the gloss looks fine, just not as slippery as I'd expect.

[jcedorjr]

I'm not sure honestly. My car looks glossy and slick and to the average person immaculate but wouldn't hold wax. I'd wash it once and the bead and slickness were gone. After running a clay bar over the whole car followed by a polish to remove the old wax and clean the paint, the car looks and feels so much better. Perhaps give the 3M a try rather than the Eagle One and see how it grabs so you can keep the products the same next time, that could make a difference. I've heard that sticking to one product line helps with the bonding.