Scum, I hate Scum!

Here's another trick I forgot to include in my above post, with your now freshly washed car lightly mist each panel just before you towel dry them. This will add gloss and inhibit water spotting as you dry and may help with your residue issue.
I'll be curious how the distilled water works, if it does there are measures one can take to reduce it's reoccurrence, they aren't cheap but are less than a water softener system.

Should the water turn out to be the culprit this might be your best option, but not necessarily this brand.

https://www.griotsgarage.com/product/portable+water+deionizer.do?sortby=ourPicksAscend&page=2&refType=&from=fn

 

Bob, spring for a professional detail on the car first or do it yourself. Wash the car, use a clay bar next, polish and then wax. Use a random orbital machine. Griots garage has everything you need. You could attach a water deionizing unit to your water outflow to cover all the bases. Good luck.

 

Id have the car polished and "start over" Laying on wax after wax after wax can lead to some issues, not sure if this is exactly one of them, but could be.

In the shade and cool to the touch:
pre-rinse the car and knock all the loose stuff off the paint
Car-pro iron X the whole car
wash the car like normal
use a quick detailer to aid in drying of the car with the waffle weave towels

Washing the microfiber:
use a detergent free of any softeners or scents...something like tide free or ALL free and clear.
Wash in warm water, not hot.
dry with air, no heat
If your towels have left over residue on them when you go to dry, then that residue will be re-activated when trying to dry the car as the towel gets wet. Could be the cause here.

 

I think the clay is a really good suggestion. If there is "stuff" on the surface of the paint that is causing it, the clay will take it out. I like Mother's clay over Meguire's for the stuff that is commonly available at AutoZone, Pep Boys, etc. Griot's clay may be better, I haven't tried it. I didn't actually like Zaino's clay (it had too much of a bubble gum consistency).

 

I would not use Dawn. There's no point in using it on the paint if you're going to clay/polish anyway and it can't do the rest of the exterior any good. There are car washes intended to remove waxes if you feel like you really need one.

If you're going to start all over again you might want to consider folding a product like Iron X (there are several that perform the same function) into the mix.

I’d recommend spending some time reading up on the car detaining forums in order to formulate a plan of attack that’s best suited to your specific needs.

Good luck. Let us know what you figure out.

 

That's a very good possibility, using towels with fabric softener. Especially given the streaks. I was thinking water hardness or TDS, however, water hardness wouldn't have streak marks like that.

 

Wash your other nice car with exactly the same products and exactly the same procedure. If no streaks then its what's on your paint and you will have to polish it all off and start over. If same streaks then go ahead with the distilled water. I'm on well water and its fine for the wash phase. However, I use at least six gallons of distilled water for the rinse. Must not let any of the hose water dry before rinsing. Fill a clean bucket with a couple gallons of distilled at a time and flow generously over the paint starting with the roof.

Never rub on your car to dry it! Like ever. I use a high capacity wet/dry motor that detaches from the base and becomes a blower. Start at the roof and do everything. Get under the wheel wells, brakes, door jams, etc.

I don't use wax or any product on my paint at all. Just get a great paint correction, 2 or 3 bucket wash when more than dust appears and blow dry. Ferrari paint is so soft just rubbing your finger on it when dry will leave a scratch. Can't believe all that rubbing doesn't cause more harm then good.

Note: Most of my car is clear filmed. I do not daily drive and avoid rain and always garage kept. If this is not the case for you then I could see adding extra paint protection.

Another thing to look for is if you currently see the streaks on your glass. Assuming you don't put any of the products you use for the paint on the glass then you can see if its the paint products. Lastly - take a look at the condition of your hose. I have had hoses that eventually broke down under the hot sun and tossed them for new. They were high quality black rubber but got too old. Don't skimp on a cheap hose that melts in the sun or doesn't bend freely when its cold.

Hope this helps.

 

why would you not wash the mitt after every use? Its a one time use, then wash it thing. same with all your microfiber you are using for your car. Use it, wash it, dry it fold it, re-use it. NEVER is it use it, let it air dry, use it, air dry, use it, etc.....

 

Glad you solved it. I figured it was towel contamination but didn't really consider the mitt since I wash mine thoroughly every time I use them. I suggest using multiple mitts-- one for the wheels/tires, one for the lower panels when the car is really dirty, and another for the upper panels and when the whole car is pretty clean. Use different colors or mark them so you know which is which.

Always wash your microfibers separately from everything else using a detergent with no dyes or scents added. Use warm (but not hot) water and dry them on fairly low heat. I wash my microfibers twice and rinse three times after that. And I wash each type of towel separately, so mitts are not washed along with detailing towels.

 

Looks like you found the answer but I'll ask anyway.

Just so I understand, were you able to wash away the soap scum with just water and get to the base clear coat?

You mention the wax, is there wax on the car when you go through your wash routine and does the soap cut into the wax and wash it away or is the soap friendly to the wax, leaving it on the car after rinsing?

-F

 

Bob,

Come on over to the April FCA breakfast. I have a detailer that can tell you all about the fixes first hand. If you want to set something up prior, I can use yours as a demo.

Most of my detailers bring their own water. Others use waterless washes. Depends what you need performed.

 

Sounds good. You also have my number too somewhere.