Is it normal for NanoPolix to leave a slight film if you don’t buff enough?

That film is pretty much just leftover product. I’ve had it happen a few times on darker paint where I got lazy and didn’t do that final buff. It’s not a defect or anything, it just means the cloth’s compound hasn’t been fully worked off the surface yet.

I usually just go back over it with a dry side of the cloth and a little more pressure. It clears right up. I’ve also noticed it happens more if the panel is even slightly warm, so I try to do it in the shade now. You’re not doing anything wrong, it’s just one of those things where you gotta finish the job. Once you’ve done it a couple times you’ll get a feel for how long to keep rubbing.

That’s just leftover product, happens when you don’t work it down enough. Give it another quick pass and it clears right up.

I actually had the opposite thing happen the first time I used mine. I buffed it until I was absolutely sure I got everything, and then the next morning when I went out to my car, I could see a faint smear in that exact spot. It was like the product settled or something overnight. I just took a dry microfiber and gave it a quick wipe and it was gone, but it did make me wonder if I was ever going to get the hang of this thing.

Honestly, I think the whole process is just more forgiving than people expect. The cloth does most of the work, and the leftover stuff is just whatever didn’t get absorbed into the paint or wiped away. I wouldn’t say you’re doing anything wrong. It’s probably just the nature of the product when you’re working on a vertical surface like a door. You’re fighting gravity a little bit and it’s easy to think you’ve buffed enough when you really haven’t.

The one thing I will say is that I’ve started keeping a separate dry cloth in the garage just for that final pass. It’s not some fancy detailing towel, just an old one I had lying around. That seems to cut down on the film showing up later, at least for me.

I’ve had that happen a couple times when I was in a hurry. The film is pretty much just product that didn’t get fully rubbed away. A second pass with a dry part of the cloth usually cleans it up fine, so I don’t think you’re doing anything wrong.

That’s pretty much how it goes. I’ve used mine a few times on little door dings and the same thing happened to me. The first couple times I was in a hurry and just didn’t give it enough time to break down all the way. A quick second pass with a dry part of the cloth usually sorts it out.

I’ve also noticed it depends on how much pressure I’m putting on it. If I’m too light with it, the film shows up more. Once I started pressing down a bit firmer and doing a few extra circles before wiping it off, I stopped seeing it as much.

It’s not a big deal anyway, it’s not like it ruined the paint or anything, just looks a little cloudy until you clean it up.

It sounds like you already figured it out. That haze is basically just leftover product that needs more time being worked into the paint. I’ve done the same thing on a fender scratch and a quick dry cloth pass fixed it right up.