I searched and could not find any related threads, so here i goes:

Has anyone else has mysterious scratches on the driver's side doors?

2005TL Nav/AT Anthricite/Quartz, purchased 12/04

Is started between my 2nd and third washing. I use 2 separate buckets and mitts, one for the wheels (cotton mitt) and one for the body (sheepskin mitt) washing the body from the top down, so bottom-grime-impact stays on the bottom. I dry the car with silcone squeegee and microfiber towels.

I stroke side-to-side and the scratches are at an angle, left/low to right/high, so it not from my washing.

The scratches are numerous and seem to grow in number every week. My first thought was that fine gravel was being thrown on left curves, but I drive the same roads in the same manner as with my last car which was 2003 TL-S, with no such scratches for 3 years.... Or any other previous cars for that matter ... Civics, Accord V6, Integra...

After I dry the car the scratches have a white apppearance (probably clear cote) making them really visible on the dark anthricite paint.

Is this a paint flaw? It is really annoying...

 

can you get pictures? It would help some of us better diagnose it. Also what color cars did you own previously? Could be swirl marks but could be a clearcoat problem too. Definitely need Pics.

 

This sounds more like a paint problem than something you could be doing based upon your description of your washing method.

I also have anthracite, so I'll check mine out later when the weather breaks in the spring and I can get back to washing it by hand.

Thanks for the heads up.

 

doesnt seem like your wash method thats hurting the car.. could be a paint problem... hmm interesting some pics would help

 

after rereading I think it could also be caused by the microfiber towels. I noticed they are good for some things but dirt gets stuck in them and doesn't come out even after washing. But pics are going to be your best tool in helping us help you with your problem.

 

Thanks for the reply, I do not think is is the microfiber towels as I use them all over the car andthe scratches are in one place onlt, on the drivers side doors. I will try to take pictures, but it may be difficult as I tested Maguire's Scratch X and it smoothed out the scratches so tey are more stealthy.

 

JDM5,

My last 3 cars in descending order were very similar in color: 03 TL-S(dk green), 98 Accord 2Dr EX-V6(dk green), 94 Integra LS(teal)

Thanks for the reply. I do not think is is the microfiber towels as I use them all over the car and the scratches are in one place only, on the drivers side doors, primarily the back half if the fron door and the front half of the back door. Some of the scratches are in clusers (perfectly parallel), some spanning from one door the the other.

I will try to take pictures, but it may be difficult as I tested Maguire's Scratch X and it smoothed out the scratches so tey are more stealthy.

 

Here is a picture.



After the Scratch-x they are really hard to see.

The area looks almost perfect in low-light just inches away, but in I notice in direct sunlight I now see swirls in the area I applies the scratch-x. Am I doomed or is there a way to clean up the Scratch-X swirls???

 

Here is a bgger one, my picture host resizes anything over 250K and it shrunk it too much.

 

I really don't think this is a paint defect. And by the description of how you wash your car, it sounds like you know what your doing. However, I would still look into the towel your using to dry off the car. Also, try using some Meguires X was and it should remove the swirls. G'Luck!

 

Are you referring to Meguires Scratch X? That is what I used right after washing/drying and why the scratches can be barely seen now in the photo, but now I see a hazy look in the area I applied the Scratch-X in direct sunlight. It looks like theequivalent to fine swirl marks that it is supposed to remove.

 

It can possibly also be your passengers brushing up against the door getting in/out

 

Could it be that something got trapped in the water blade you used to dry?

 

My guess is that your initial instinct was right. It looks like something got thrown back from your tire. I can see at least two of these scratches, it looks like the higher one is at a steeper angle.

Try to imagine the scratches extending forward, do they intersect at your tire? If so, I think you found your culprit. Much as I hate to say so, you might want to consider mud flaps.....

 

I would think it's either zippers or a bag of some sort (laptop) that you are wearing or carrying are coming in contact with the paint. Or it's caused by road debris being thrown up by the tires like others have also pointed out. If its not you then its most likely the tires are the culprit.

Could also be caused by shrubs either driving too close to them or opening your door into them.

 

i have those too..i think it's pebbles and rocks....

 

The picture got shrunk to 700x500, but inthe original image (8MP) inside the large oval are about 8 scratches. Many of the scratches are in unison as a group, indicating they happened at the same time, while others are individual. The angles are all over the place.

Here is a zoomed in pic:

 

Thanks for the input. Lots of vivid imaginations

sparkz:
My work parking lot is private and the spaces are large.

1hottl:
Not likely as my motion is straight down on the doors

Brewmaster:
Yes, that makes sense for most of the scratches, except a few which are at the opposite angle of about 135deg. And shouldn't the mud flaps deflect such debris.

JDM5lugHatch:
No zippers, no laptops, no shrubs

terse:
I just noticed 1 on my right-rear panel on Sunday's washing, but



My main concern is why all in the same general area, over time. They did not occur at once. My suspicion was bad paint on the driver's side doors, and wanted to see if any others had similar issues.

One would think I was driving on diamond gravel, because normal city debris would not make such deep, long scratches in the paint.

 

well it appears that the only logical explanation would be gravel/rocks being thrown up by the tires. Like recommended earlier it looks like you are in need of mud flaps. I think they are hideous but if you get them color matched they might not be so bad. Good luck!

 

Try Mother's scratch remover-it will be able to get the most of your scratches out.

 

That is just it, there are already mud flaps

 

maybe the aliens got bored with crop circles and decided to make parallel diagonal lines on your car.
Slink

 

damn your being difficult. j/k

maybe the mud flaps are causing them. I have no mud flaps and I don't believe I have any scratches either. Then again it's to f'ing cold to wash my car so I can't see them if there are any under all the salt.

Good luck though!

~Chris