Post polish residue won't wipe off

This may be a rookie question but I am a bit new to polishing. Did my first car with PO203S and PO85RD with great results.

Then did another car that needed more correction so I used M105 and followed with PO203S. Polishing went fine on the second car but then when I went to do my IPA wipe down (1:1) there was a filmy residue that the IPA would not take off. Spraying and wiping just would just push the film around. The paint did not feel oily or slick to the touch so I did the best I could and applied the sealant. However, the sealant (power lock) did not feel as slick as it did on the first car. Also on this car when I spray a qd and then wipe it tends to leave behind some faint streaks that can only be seen when looking at the panel straight on, not sure if this is the same residue being moved around the surface.

So, any idea what this residue is and how to get rid of it? Also note this particular problem car has been clear coated over the factory paint a few times but never waxed or sealed (owner didn't know better). I don't think that would have anything to do with this issue but just bought I would mention it.

 

Did the film "smear" when you wiped over it? What colors were the first and second cars?

 

Yes it did smear, I could see the light reflect off the panel differently depending on the direction I last swiped with the mf towel.

First car was a black 2008 Subaru STI. Second car is a metallic blue 2003 Honda Civic.

 

Honda Paints tend to be very soft. However i did a civic the other day and didn't have any issues when came down to having a film on the paint. Usually the IPA would take care of all that.

 

get 2 towels, 1 to spray with IPA and another 1 to wipe it dry, that usually does the trick for me

 

Yeah, I tried a fresh towel but go nowhere. My main concern is that it is affecting bonding of the sealant. What are the characteristics of sealant that didn't bond correctly?

 

Incorporate a post polish wash with your soap at a "Stripping Dilution" and this problem will be a thing of the past.

I tried getting away with IPA wipedowns etc for quite some time due to my perception that it was less labow intensive... after being where you are at now I realized it is well worth it

 

Sounds to me like you've used a bit too much polish when polishing and it didn't completely break down. IPA will remove oils, etc. that are left being when polishing, thus clearing things up to see if anything was filled, but it won't remove the wax, thickening agents, etc. If you've used too much polish and it didn't break down properly you'll have oils + a lot of those left over. I'd suggest an APC bath to remove them followed by a pH neutral normal wash to remove any film the APC leaves behind.

 

thanks for the tips guys.