OK i am ashamed to admit i'm not the best at keeping up with washing my car. so there for more time you go on not washing a white car the harder it gets to get it minty clean. i get these "shadow spots" no matter what type of soap i use or maybe not using the right one, and i'm guessing waxing is a must to get all the shadow spots out. But i want to know what you taffette white owners are doing to keep your car white as possible. oh ya i have "rail road" rust on my trunk where the plates go and rear bumper towards the bottom. and it also seems the grill doesn't match white with the rest i don't know if its the light i was in or just harder to keep clean, i have 06 Si so you know what grill i'm talkin bout. any suggests if appreciated.

 

Define "Shadow Spots" and yes, my SI grill is an offset white as well. Sadly the product of cutting corners to minimize cost.

Having owned a black car before and now two White car, I will tell you that white is hands down the best color to maintained for the lazy. With that said:

I have yet to wax my 2-year old daily driver but I do wash my car on a monthly basis (with non-scratch material & wally world car soap) and the car is garaged for the most part against the elements. The car is in fairly good shape with basic routine washing and proper shelter from the weather. Nothing too fancy really. If I had to give a suggestion aside from the basics (washing and sheltering), I would recommend using meguair products as I've used them before on my prior cars to great results.

 

The trick is to not let it get too dirty. I use Meguiars Car Wash: Gold Class Shampoo & Conditioner and have the Meguiars three step wax system though I've only used the wax on the Si, not the cleaner or polish; my hatch is a different story. I have never let the car get that bad. It's never had a car wash brush or auto car wash ever, I always wash it myself starting from the top working my way down with a mircofiber sponge rinsing the sponge frequently. The only thing that pisses me off is how thin the paint is on the bumper, I would gladly pay the extra 100-200 bucks (over estimating Honda's savings per car) for them to put a little thicker coat on, oh well.

In your case you might need to give it a good wash then do the full 3 steps of the Meguiars wax. The first step is a cleaner that will get rid of the shadow spots and rust streaks, second is the polish to bring out the shine and third is the wax to seal it all in. Then just make sure to keep it clean and you should be good.

 

ya the shadow spots are like spots you missed but you didn't if that makes any sense. kinda like a grease spot. But i know with some waxing they should go away just wanted to see what other owners are doing with their whites. i don't have a cover for the car either so i think i should get one too. but you think the Meg is gonna get rid of "rail road rust". I was thinkin about the mothers ball, any thoughts of that product?????

 

i get those spots to. I think it was just to dirty and i didnt hit that area hard enough. Comes right off with wax though...I use meguiar's nxt tech wax. That wax does a really good job.

 

Never had a Taffy but right now I have a White MazdaSpeed 3 and I havent had any spots. I usually wash my car once a week though and I use this soap that has wax in it so it waxes while I wash. Like said before use a micro and start from the top and work your way down. I also like to save my windows for right before the rinse and scrub them pretty good. Anyways hit it again and it should come off, maybe with a little extra pressure.




Not a great pic but its after a wash with the waxing soap thats made by Rain X...

Quick PiK Whoring

 

^ what he said..............

 

Waxing will not remove any spots on your paint. In reality, it will seal them in and aid in spreading dirt and grime across the surface of your paint. Wax is a sealant to keep dirt and grime from getting on the paint when it is clean. So, anything that is mistakenly left on the paint, and then waxed over, is sealed into the paint.

Use a soap that does not include wax and that is intended to wash cars (not dish detergent). Choose one that says it will strip any remaining wax you may have on the car (read the bottle). This will actually allow you to clean the car; not just the film of wax on top of it. Clean from top to bottom, cleaning your wash mitt often (I prefer a lambswool or microfiber mitt...have a dozen lol). Only clean one area of the car at a time, and then rinse that area, being sure not to let soap dry on the car. I also recommend using a seperate mitt or cleaning tool for the wheels as they have an extradinary amount of dirt on them. When you are certain your car is free of all dirt dry the car completely with a good microfiber or 100% terry cloth towel. Some people prefer to use one towel and continue to ring it out when it gets wet. I use about 6-8 towels to dry my car. Once one starts to cause streaking, I move on to the next. Wringing them out is annoying, and they still cause streaking after that. When your car is completely dry apply (and remove) a quality wax according to the directions on the bottle.

These are a very basic version of what I do everytime I clean a car. On the days I wax my car, I use soap that is made to take off the wax. In between those days, I use one that isn't intended to. I prefer not to use the ones that include wax because I don't think it compares to a real waxing. Keep in mind, I am very **** about my car and the ritual I do everytime I clean it. I have two 7' X 5' cabinets full of car care products (soaps, waxes, polishes, cleaners, towels, mitts, etc.).

Like I said, I am very **** but in the summer/spring/fall I wash my car at least once (but mostly twice) a week. I wax my paint once every two weeks, and my wheels once a month. In the winter months, I slack (because it's F'n cold) and only wash my car once a week and wax it once a month. For the like of a good waxing, cleaning your car will be much easier, because the dirt will slide right off the wax.

If these "spots" aren't on the surface of your paint (aka-don't disappear after using a quality car wash), but are instead in your clear or paint, a buffer or at least a scratch remover will probably be needed to remove them.

 

ive never really had a prob with mine tw si. . .i always wash it weekly and wax it every 3-4weeks