Have I scratched the car paint, or just deep dirt?
 

Hey, what's up guys!

I've had my car for about 7 months now and in that time I have washed the car about 4-5 times, using the two bucket wash method, using optimum no rinse, and waxed after using a spray wax. On the last two washes, while I was washing the car panel at a time, I noticed these brownish lines and streaks across and swirls on the hood and on the side doors. It wouldn't wash off even using a wash mit, and ive tried using a pressure washer with water. It even stays after drying the car. It isn't noticeable but if you get up close you notice these markings.

Guys, are these irremovable scratches on the paint or just deep dirt that cant be washed off with just optimum no rinse and water? What can i do about this, and tips or products to use?

-Thanks for your help, any advice is appreciated!


P.S. Sorry for the horrible pictures, you really have to look at the paint closely to notice the markings.
https://i.imgur.com/pwUMxKC.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/rflWXEK.jpg

Its very difficult to determine from that photo exactly what has occurred. If I can ask for clarification if you gently run your fingernail in the opposite direction of the scratch is your nail catching? Is it possible the area was damaged in a parking lot, etc instead? In all likelihood especially if its wash induced marring, generally that is quite removable with machine polishing. I wish I could give you a definitive answer but its very hard to do over the internet on a white car especially lol. With that said that looks very much repairable with compound or even polish. For an example, I just repaired my brothers fender and it was a pretty good scuff and I was able to remove 85% of the damage and minimize all else with a machine polisher and polish, proper buffing pads etc.

Any decent quality polish should buff that right out. A quick coat of wax to follow it up and you should be as good as new.

Looks kinda like a oil stain or some kind of residue.

Wash with Dawn dish liquid(this will strip anything off of the paint such as polish,wax.
(See if this has removed your stains,if so just wax or polish and wax) If not move to next stage.

Get a clay bar kit (clay bar,spray lube/quick detailer,microfiber cloth),Mequiars is fine and have at it.

Wash again with regular car wash to remove any clay bar/spray residue.

Rinse well. and dry( I like to use a leaf blower)

At this point, if the stain is still there seek professional help.

Polish and wax as you have no protection what so ever at this point.

Best of luck!

THAT is waaaay too simple ...... :rolleyes:

:D


humfrz

There ya go...... :thumbsup:


humfrz

I would still try the simple first if it was me. If he has only washed the car 4 or 5 times in 7 months then going all out is sort of overkill. I washed mine 4 or 5 times in the first 7 days I think.

Well, the OP says he has just used spray wax on the car.

I'm thinking he needs to start all over and finish up with a good coat of wax.

Which reminds me, soon my car will be due for it's semi-annual bath, followed by it's annual waxing ..... ;)


humfrz

Does that mean you'll be joining myself and @Ultramaroon at the car museum on Sunday!? :D

You're going to need to use a different lighting technique to show us those scratches / swirls in a better light. I recommend using a dark area and use a work light or LED, and if the camera has trouble focusing use your finger to help it.

If the depth of the scratches are just in the clearcoat, then they can be easily removed with a buffer and compound. However if you can feel the scratches with your fingernail, then likely they're too deep and you'd only be able to minimize their appearance.

Next tools and recommended products: Be choosy which tools you use, don't go using a $20 autozone buffer on your nice car, just don't its a crappy idea. The tools I recommend (and are bread and butter staples of auto detailing and scratch removal) are:

Porter cable PC7424 Dual Action polisher - http://www.homedepot.com/p/Porter-Ca...Q&gclsrc=aw.ds

Meguiar's 5" velcro backing plate, Meguiar's DMC5 microfiber cutting pads (buy a 12 pack of these to save money), and Meguiar's Ultimate Compound. Follow online guides and youtube videos provided by meguiar's / autogeek / autopia etc for using this.

I'll have to pass. You guys have a good time ..... :)


humfrz

Damn, this forum is helpful!

Thanks for the advice guys, I think ill first try buying an actual car wash soap and clay bar the car afterwards for the first time and wax it again using a paste instead of a spray. Ill see if the clay bar would remove the dirt and hopefully it isn't scratch.

If i'm correct, which i'm hoping I am, this was caused by using a wash mit that had some dirt and stuck to the car while washing/drying, which was also waxed on sticking it to the paint.

I am familiar with wax is suppose to protect the paint, but what is the purpose of a car polish? Also is it applied after waxing or prior after the wash? Any tips?

I am new to the whole waxing/polishing thing, so any help will do!

JESUS, $120 for a polisher!?
I think ill use this for a last resort if all fails. Thanks for the recommendation, ill check it out!

1) Wash is to remove dirt from the paint,"rinse well". then dry.

2) Polish is to make the paint shine.

3) wax/sealer is to preserve the shine and protect the paint,

So do 1,then 2 then 3!

Hang in there ,it's not really hard to do.

I'm in Baltimore are you close? I'm retired and I find the wife likes it better when I'm gone. If you're within 75 miles I could give you a hand.

Well if you look at it from a professional standpoint, its a tool that you can easily turn that cost around on with detailing a couple cars for friends / neighbors. Polishing jobs on an entire car usually run over $100 so its nice to own quality tools so you can DIY.

I've been meaning to get that one for a while. This summer is looking good for it.

Totaled.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

$60 at Harbor Freight plus the 20% off coupon and you're at $48 and it will be good enough to last any polishing you'll do at home on your own cars.
http://www.harborfreight.com/6-in-57...her-69924.html

Looks like a chinese knockoff of the porter cable but if it gets the job done, well.. Don't cry when you can't warranty it when the power cord frays off. Also I'd ditch the 6 inch backing plate and use a 5" because they're better for getting in the smaller spaces / panels on this car.

When it comes to using a tool everyday and beating it up I'd only buy Ridgid since they have a lifetime warranty or any other big name brand
like Dewalt, Milwaukee, etc if you trust it since they only usually have a few years in the warranty.
For something that will be used a few times ever, I would go with a Harbor Freight one. The Harbor Freight tools aren't that bad though.
I have a rotary hammer that I've had for at least 5 years from there that gets heavy use every other week and it's fine.

You can pay a few bucks more for an 1 or 2 year extended warranty from HF and still be half the price of a big name brand tool.
If it goes bad they swap the tool out on the spot too rather than try to repair it. Trust me I like better quality tools
but Harbor Freight carries many things that are comparable to name brand stuff for a fraction of the price.
The handheld electric tools aren't usually what I would recommend though and I never thought that rotary hammer drill would last that long.
In this case with it being used probably only a few times ever, I think it's the way to go.

Guys, I wanted to know if those rubbing compound products like scratch out are safe on paint? I wanted to try thiese products of clay barring doesn't work. I mean not in small sections either but using it on a whole panel like the hood? And does it remove the current wax, needing a new waxing?

You've got to be very careful when considering any "compound". the white stuff is usually the lightweight stuff,the red is the heavy duty stuff. either one will remove your clearcoat ASAP as they are very abrasive.



First take little steps to solve your problem. You don't know what will do the trick at this point. Do a real wash with Dawn or regular car soap,and a good rinse and dry ,see what you've got and go step by step until it's all gone.

Don't anticipate problems that may never happen!

Good point man! I'll post an update of the results after a full wash/wax, thanks for your previous advice!

Guys I'm curious, when you guys are about to wash your car, do you check the weather on the upcoming week to see if it'll rain? Would you still wash/wax your car if it'll rain in another few days?

I've been checking last couple weeks, trying to wash my car when the whole week is sunny, but at this rate ill never be able to wash my car, damn crazy weather every few days!

Yuh, I check but think of it as once you wash n wax your car it will be protected. Otherwise you'll be waiting forever!
Last time I washed n detailed my car was Dec 2016. I had shoulder surgery a month ago. A few days ago I got my car done by a detail shop. ;)

Rain forecasted for the same or next day likely not. Or I'll just rinse it removing large particles and clean the glass if needed (dirty glass is my kryptonite lol). Anything beyond that and I'll do a full wash as needed.

Also as stated above this damage looks like it could be from a wash mitt or drying towel. Inspect your mitt, towels and anything else that would touch the paint very closely. Does the mitt or towel have a tag? If so rip that sucker off or fold the towel in a way it won't touch the paint. Microfiber grabs and holds onto dirt/debris by design so if you get something embedded in it and then rub it all over your car you end up with swirl marks. To help minimize swirls always wipe the paint with plenty of lubricant (wash solution, quick detailer, spray wax, etc.), and always in a single direction (generally front to back).

Thanks for all the advice guys, really appreciate it.

The weather finally cleared up! So after searching for hours on end(OCD, not really), I finally found and bought a wax and a polish along with a clay bar kit. Have any of you guys heard of these products, will these help? Any experiences or info on them? Iv'e read many reviews saying their great for white cars, ones like my Halo!
-Thanks!

Polish
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....L._SL1500_.jpg
https://www.amazon.com/473ml-16oz-Wh.../dp/B004ZLAQRM

Wax
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....L._SL1500_.jpg
https://www.amazon.com/Dodo-Juice-Di.../dp/B002OHN6CG

Well, shit! I just read up on some people saying sealant is way better than carnuba wax and it protects the paint way better. And also glazes like the one i got are for hiding swirls instead of fixing them! Dammit. Is this correct?

Whats the main difference between carnuba wax and a sealant, do they yield different results, and which one is overall better? Also if polishing is for hiding swirls, what if my paint doesn't have any, will the glazes suffice? Thanks!

It does not matter what products you buy you will have a group tell you they are wrong and you should use what they use. Buy wax some say sealer. Buy sealer some say wax. There are literally thousands of different products available and just as many opinions as to what is right or wrong.
Give what you bought a try and see if YOU are happy with the results. Don't worry that people will say it is wrong.

Haha, well that puts it into perspective! Your definitely right, read a post somewhere were some said in all honesty you cant eyeball it and tell the difference from many products, ill use what i got and see the results.Thanks.

Im just worried ill degrade my paint color if I don't protect it properly and it'll lose its color later on. But that's probably me overthinking shit.

That is a common disorder around here.

Just wash the car then wax it. Repeat every 6 months ....... see how simple it can be ...... ;)


humfrz

Take care with power buffers.
A friend wanted to polish out his 65 Buick Riviera with one.
He burned through to the primer on one of the ridges down the hood.
Not a happy bunny. Didn't try power polishing again.

Haha can you blame us with all these products that come out every other day, and thousands of steps made to clean a car? Makes you go OCD

Damn, that sucks man. Maybe it better that i didn't get a full polish, don't wanna risk messing up the paint. How did your friend know that he burned through the primer?

Are clay bars safe, is there a high risk messing the paint or removing clear coat like polish? Lol sorry if it sounds sounds dumb, new to to the whole detailing:bonk:

Clay bars are safe to the car's finish, if you follow the instructions. JUST DO NOT allow it to drop on the floor/ground. Why, because it will pick up a piece of grit that WILL grind scratches in the finish.


humfrz

Yep, for sure. Back-in-the-day, under a shade tree, we used a metal pail, rain water from the cistern, lye soap, a real sponge, a chamois, followed by a coat of Simonize wax ..... the excess taken off with an old baby diaper.

Now, for average care of a new car, just use a plastic bucket, any car washing soap, micro fiber cloths and any name brand wax.

See, it doesn't have to be a complex operation ..... :thumbsup:


humfrz

Main difference between a Carnuba and a sealant is the longevity of the product and the desired effect. Carnuba will give you a much deeper shine and make the paint look "wet", a synthetic wax or sealant can add some shine but its main selling point is that it will stay on the surface for months vs. the Carnuba which will only last a few weeks. A lot of people will seal with a synthetic wax/sealant and then layer a carnuba wax on top of that. As for the sealant it's really up to you and what you want to spend. There are plenty of options out there ranging from synthetic polymers that will last months, ceramic coatings that will last years, and even clear vinyl paint protection films.

As for sealants, and fillers, think of the paint in layers, like this:
http://i.imgur.com/Y1OQog3.png

A sealant or wax will be your top layer, on top of the clear coat. This layer is there to help protect and preserve the clear coat, and layers beneath it. Swirl marks could be through that sealant layer or into the clear coat itself. Applying more sealant or a filler will fill those in and make the surface appear to be smooth and have less defects. Although as the sealant or filler wears away the defects will come back.

Once bad enough you'll look at doing a correction, or using a compound and polish. This is when you call up a professional detailer as the chance to damage the painted surface is pretty high. Although with today's dual action polishers the risk is substantially less than it was in the past with buffers/polishers. The main action of compounding or polishing is to level the paint surface. As you can imagine, this is not something that you'll want to do often as we have a very finite amount of clearcoat to work with.

As humfrz notes Clay bars are safe, just don't drop it and use plenty of lubricant with it or it'll just stick to everything. Most kits come with a quick detailer, but you could also use wash solution with it. Also be sure you re-apply a wax or sealant after claying as the clay will remove your current protective layer (unless it's something more on the "permanent" side such as a ceramic or vinyl)

@sodjer Damn bro thanks for writing that up, really help shed some light, appreciate it!:thanks:

Since your saying polish can potentially damage the paint mabey I'll avoid that step. How does this routine sound, I will be hand washing at a coin wash:

1. Foam gun
2. Two bucket wash
3. clay bar with detailer while wet
4. Dry
6. Apply glaze
7. Apply layer of carnuba wax

Will this suffice to remove the swirls marks you saw on the pictures?

Or do you recommend i add two more things; polish before adding glaze, and add a sealant before wax?

Or is this an overkill? I just don't want to end up going to the store again to eat polish/Sealant because the clay bar didn't remove the swirls.

He could see the gray primer where the cream paint was ground off all down the ridge.
He put more pressure on the ridge than on the rest of the pad.

The swirls are more than likely grooves cut in the clearcoat.
All polishing does is thin the clearcoat down to the bottom of the grooves.
You wind up with a smooth finish, but it doesn't offer as much future protection.
Can still use polish applied and worked by hand (no swirly machine) like they used to.

Your call. I drive mine and am not obsessive about the appearance.