jonredraider

Today I took my 4 day old Nighthawk Black TSX for its first gas fill up. Under the bright lights of the Exxon, I noticed that the trunk was covered in tiny scratches that are in a circular patern. I tried to rub an area of about 3inches square with my shirt and nothing changed. Anyone else (esp. those with Black TSX's) have anything like this???

Thanks

ostrich

I think that is inevitable with a NHB TSX... I am sometimes afraid to look closely at my NHB TSX too for fear of finding something like this!!! LOL Actually, I did find something like that too, but it's around the area just in front of the fuel door.

These scratches were probably from the dealer prep. I think there are various products that can help hide or eliminate these minor scratches. I just got my Zaino kit yesterday - it includes Z5 which is supposed to be for something like this. Go to the "Car Wash" section and you will find lots of help there.

Good luck!

jonredraider

Thanks for the reply I did a search for "scratches" and the dealer prep thing stood out. I have bad luck usually when I try to fix something. I usually end up making it worse!

CDR

These fine scratches are from circular buffing during prep, known to detailers as "swirls." They are only in the clear coat layer of the paint, but the light reflects off these micro-scratches and they show up brilliantly against dark colored finishes. Black is the most difficult, but my Carbon Grey can show them easily, too -- much to my occasional dismay.

Since they've been created, the only way to truly eliminate them is to polish the car with a very fine abrasive which will smooth them out. Barring that, there are car potions which will partially fill the microscratches and reduce the visibility of swirls, although they'll still be there. Zaino Z5 does a little of this, although not much from what I understand.

In addition, you'll need to take extra care when washing and maintaining your black/dark car to not add more scratches. Surprisingly (to me), the clear coat will scratch easily. I suggest a visit the Autopia web site (www.autopia.org) for tons of info and tutorials, and there's also a "Car Wash" section on this site with good tips.

Additionally, since you just got the car, it's worth commenting/complaining to the dealer. The Acura paper survey I received specifically identifies "Buff or swirl marks" as a potential problem on delivery of the vehicle. My guess is the dealer might be willing to take care of it. Be cautious, however, that they don't simply patch up the swirls with filler-wax but really fix them, gently.

Good luck! It's fixable but will take some effort.