lldknyll26

So i was washing my car the other day and i noticed a minor scratch next to the rear Acura emblem. Its not noticable at all from distance but if you look at it up close at a certain angle its noticable. So i was thinking someone might have scratched it. So today i'm waxing my car and i notice more scratches near by the first scratch. Then i noticed that all the scratches were made by me while waxing the car. What did i do wrong? Perhaps dirt got on my waxing buffer and that might have caused the scratch. I even purchased a bottle of scratch remover and that didn't help at all. They are all minor scratches but i'm just mad at the fact that its only been 2weeks since i picked it up from the lot. I see the members on this board keep their cars really clean and have no single scratch.

Can someone explain the simplest and the safest way to wash and wax a car without leaving any scratch marks?

AcuraTL_driver

One...take off all jewelry(watch, rings) and two....be careful, lol. I mean I don't know. It's just being careful really, I think. If you want to get ALL scratches out, you'd need to go to a good detail shop and have them do it for you unless you know how to use a buffer. Its not as easy as people think to take out "orange peel" and "spider web" scratches.

I just saw two days ago that someone keyed my car by the pin stripe....I was piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiissed. But what can I do? Nothing...too damn deep for me to fix. How deep are they? Just small scratches? You'd most likely have to use a two step compound(Meguirs?).

vinnier6

iTrader: (1)

clay and polish first then wax, otherwise you are waxing dirt left behind after washing into your finish...

lldknyll26

two step compound (meguirs). care to explain? The scratches arent that deep. Not as deep as getting keyed but i hardly doubt its removable.

ifirahse

iTrader: (6)

+1. I see all these tiny scratches, swirl marks (from this one car wash on Robertson), etc....I'd be willing to pay the $100 or so bucks to get them all removed.

AcuraTL_driver

Many brands of polish offer two step compounds. One to fill and "clear" small scratches and the second step which would be to remove any remaining scratches. But to really remove every scratch, you'd have to take it to a shop like I said. But you'll have to be very careful when you wash it afterwards. But like someone stated, wash, then clay and detail polish. Then wax. It will really show. The clay will make a HUGE difference.

ndabunka

Are you certain they were made by you? Is your neighbor and/or girlfriends CAT is climbing on your car?

OmeGa101

#80 meguairs
pc 7424
nxt 2.0 wax

= MIRROR

jnc2000

Personally I use PDP products.

Ohio Auto Supply sells it in ohio - PL21 - its works WONDERS on dark cars -

Wash, clay, PL22 - sit back and admire.

http://www.pdproducts.net/

jnc2000

I ment PL22 - It is a one step product designed to remove swirls and surface scratches.

PL22 can be used on any dark car, not just NBP. I just finished cleaning up mine today (RRP.

1. Washed - removing all old waxes
2. clayed entire car. (wonderbar
3. prep car by applying gloss glaze - PL13 - removing 1500 sand scratches
4. Apply coat of quick spiff - SW88 to add depth to the paint.
5. Apply PL22 - alow time to cure ( 6 hours)
6. Apply SW88
7. Apply PW1 by hand.
8. Apply SW88
9. Enjoy


The PL22 and PL13 are applied by a Makita polisher. A wool pad was used for the glaze and a blue pad was used for the wax.

vinnier6

iTrader: (1)

udm/pc/flex....this is the answer to your swirl/spiderweb/light scratching....dont pay someone else 250 bucks to polish your car once, when you can do it whenever you need to for for the price of one of these machines...and they are easy to use....

Jesstzn

Here is a direct answer to your question...
First off I’ll start with the car washing .. its not brain surgery but some simple tips can make it so much easier, quicker and more efficient.

Washing and the tools needed
1. Try and pick a shaded area if you can or do it in the morning or evening.
2. Use at least a 2.5 gallon wash pail and make a grit guard for it if you don’t want to buy one. I made mine out of a piece of fluorescent fixture lens called an egg crate. You can do the 2 bucket method but after trying it myself I determined that if the guard is used and the mitt rinsed well there isn’t that much benefit.



3. Get yourself a sheep skin mitt as the chenille ones and the M/F ones tend to mar and a sponge is just a delicate way of wet sanding. If you do have a chenille mitt save it for the wheels, I use my old sheepskin one as my wheels are clear coated and I don’t want to mar them.
4. For a hose nozzle I use what looks like a fire hose nozzle ( do a google on “Ultimate Hose Nozzle “) and I like it because you can adjust it to flood the surface to float the grit away.
5. For drying I recommend the Microfiber Waffle Weave towels as they pick up a lot of water .. make for fast drying and don’t mar. You will need a couple of them and they are 24 x 36” .. can be found on line for less than $10 each. Alternate is the plush blue drying towels found at Wal Mart for around $8.
6. Soap … well everyone will argue for cheap to boutique … I use what’s on sale .. and combined with the proper mitt have never had a problem. Soap serves 2 purposes, one is to lubricate the surface so the grit has less chance to mar and the suds help float away the grit. Keeping it off the paint.
7. This is the point where I use a tire cleaner, I prefer Whesleys Bleech Wite. I try to apply it ONLY to the rubber. Spray all 4 tires then go and give them a bit of a scrub with a brush and rinse each tire at that point. I only use the Bleech Wite every 10th wash etc or when I notice my tires loosing the blackness ( is that a word or did I just make it up?)
8. Also if you have bugs on the front one trick I learned was to place an old wool type blanket over the front of the hood/bumper etc and wet it down and tuck it in all the areas, let it set for 1/ to ½ hour or so to soften the bugs. Maybe do this while your vacuuming the car out . I’m not a fan of bug sprays as some contain Xylene and its not paint friendly. Key to bugs is get them off soon as you can because their innards can be acidic.
9. Wash the grill/bumper area first because if you have to spend time there water is drying on the rest of the car.
10. Wet the car down well and with a stronger spray try and remove as much grit as possible. Then I wash from top down starting with ½ the roof, ½ the windshield and rear window and the windows on one side. Rinse well using a spray of water not a blast. Repeat for the other side.
11. Then I do front fenders and hood etc then rinse.
12. Do 2 doors and rear fender and rinse
13. Do trunk and rear bumper and rinse. Keep the rest of the car wet while doing all this.
14. Do remaining doors and rinse.
15. At this point take the nozzle off the hose and turn the water on to a gentle stream and let it flow all over the car. This does 2 things, A) floods all the grit off the car B) it also pulls about 85% of the remaining water from the car.
16. To dry I take the first M/F WW and fold it in ½ so its 12 x 18 and I hold it by 2 corners and starting at the front edge of the hood on one side I drag it over the hood, windshield, rear window, trunk, rear window, roof on other side, windshield and finally over the other side of the hood. Then I do the same down both sides of the car and across the back bumper.
17. Then I fold the other towel in ¼s and starting with the windows I dry them first then do hood, roof, trunk then finish off the sides and bumpers. In reality I can dry my TL in just a couple minutes.
18. Once the surface is dried I use an old plush towels to dry the wheels and a cheap M/F to do the door edges, trunk edge and under the hood.
19. Now I use a dressing on the tires to make them look nice.

I have been doing this for a while and tho it sounds like a lot once your past the initial cleaning of the engine , door edges etc and in an upkeep mode the wash time is about 40 minutes.

One of the keys to short wash times is to do it often and this way it doesn’t become a daylong chore that never seems to have time to get done.



Waxing and detailing for the Weekend Warrior.

First off I’m not going to get into polishing out swirl marks and spiderwebs as that has been covered to death already. Just some of what I think are useful tips for the beginner.

Ok lets get started, your going to need the following to do even a basic job. And what I am suggesting is products I know work because I have used them. There are also other very good substitutes for each item I mentioned out there.

 Wash supplies as above.
 Clay Bar kit ( Mothers is OTC ) and works well.
 Spot scratch remover ( ScratchX etc )
 Yellow foam applicator pads
 Microfiber 16 x 16 towels ( Costco yellow ones are excellent, just cut off the tags )
 Paint cleaner or cleaner wax ( ColorX is OTC , Klasse AIO , PoliSeal. Etc )
 And a wax/sealant of choice. I’m not a Carnuba fan, not saying there is anything wrong with it but the life is too short for all your hard work. I currently use Meguiars #21 sealant. And I’m not about to get into the “Whats best “ wars.

Ok once the car is washed do take the time to Clay Bar the paint surface. This pulls the contaminants out of the paint and leaves a smooth surface to start from. If you have tar of any amount on the car wipe it off using mineral spirits after washing but prior to claying . You will have to rewash before you clay. Clay will remove tar but a lot of tar has imbedded grit and your just asking to have it mar your paint if the clay bar pickes up too much. There is a link in the drop down menu in my web page on clay baring your car. Give it a read. http://www3.telus.net/jesstzn/

As your claying the car take a roll of masking tape and put a small spot of tape on any scratches you see for future reference cuz your not going to remember them all.

Once claying is done there is no need to rewash as long as you used the QD spray supplied for the lube.

Next step is take your ScratchX ( or sub ) and address the scratches you marked with tape. There is a link in the dropdowns on my web page for this too.

When done clean up the paint with the ColorX etc. ColorX is very forgiving and you can apply it to the whole front of the car before removing. ColorX also lays down a sealant for a little protection and is a good base for most sealants. Another reason for it is it will help remove some of the oxidized clear coar and along with it some of the minor swirling that is in the oxidized clear.

Then finally apply your LSP ( Last Step Product .. your selected wax or sealant ) . No need to apply the sealant the same day if your tired. Do it Sunday or next weekend. Just wash the car before you do.

Interior cleaning.

My routine is pretty simple be it my cars or customers.
1. I use a M/F towel misted with a Woolite solution ( see the Wonders Of Woolite button on my web page .. saves me typing ) to clean the dash and all the interior plastic. For the tight spots I put the towel around a Popsicle stick. ( vents etc )
2. I never dress customers interior panels. For my own I use either Meguiars #40 rubber & vinyl dressing or occasionally 303 )
3. Shop vac to vacuum and the Woolite solution for spot carpet staining.
4. Bissel Lil Green Machine if I have to shampoo.
5. Windows I use Stoners Invisible Glass ( Pump not aerosol ) misted lightly on a low nap M/F towel that I have dampened with tap water and rung out. I wipe the window down and immediately wipe/polish it with a 16 x 24 WW M/F towel I have dedicated for windows.

Have fun

Added Notes as I think of them
Any time your claying, using a scratch removal product or any abrasive always to it in a back and forth motion not circular and preferably in the direction the wind blows over your car. Any subsequent marring is a lot hard to see than if done in a circular pattern. I do apply waxes/selants by hand in a circular motion for coverage but I always remove in a back and forth motion. Waxes and sealants when wet have enough lubrication to allow this.

Always use a new yellow foam applicator when applying waxes/sealants or at least one that was washed immediatly after the last use. Dried waxes/sealants in the pad can mar.

Acura3GTL

^wow^
great diy!!

And for scratches, meguairs Scratch X works pretty good!

Bearcat94

Also check out the Wash & Wax Sub-Forum:

https://acurazine.com/forums/wash-wax-23/

Lots of great info and help there.

Sounds to me like the OP has surface scratches or swirl marks. They should come out.

The Wash & Wax guys helped me with this:





Good as new:





lldknyll26, you've got no worries man. Just get some good advice, some good products & tools and little work will take care of everything.

lldknyll26

thanks guys!! i appreciate it!

leedogg

coat/jacket zippers. Make sure whatever you are wearing when you wash/wax is free of anything sharp.