So I've had the new 4G TL for 3 months now, and this is my first black car. My last Acura 3G TL was Anthracite so I got away with murder. I had it professionally detailed by a client of mine who I barter with after a few days of rain, and it looked fantastic two weeks ago, until I took it to the dealer and they washed it. The swirls from hell are driving me nuts, and there's three light scratches that I'm trying to remove.

So I washed it today with Meguiar's gold wash & conditioner, used a new sheep skin wash mit to wash, didn't touch the tires or rims, clean buckets, no direct sunlight as I got it in the garage asap. Used chamois to pat dry. I did not clay the 3 scratch area, but I did apply Meguiar's Scratch X 2.0, wiped clean with micro fiber, then 2nd clean micro fiber for finish, and it looks worse. The scratches really stand out now? These are not deep scratches at all, you can't feel them as you run your fingers over them.

Now what do I do? Shall I clay the scratch area, then repeat process? The car is 3 months old with 2k miles on it, and it's garaged every night so she's cleaner than most cars out there on a daily basis. I appreciate the help and no bagging on me, I'm a newbie at detailing. Thanks guys.

 

First of all never never never let the dealer wash your car. I made that mistake against my better judgement and ended up with spiderwebs like you have. Also, I would not use a chamois to dry the car. Not sure what yours are made of but if they even get a small amount of road grit in them they can scratch the paint like hell. Chances are you put some more scratches in the clear coat when you washed it.

Luckily you can fix the car, even make it better than new, it all depends on how much you want to spend and how much effort you want to put in. To fix the spiderwebs in my car ran me over $200 and took most of one weekend. But my car is better than new now and cleans up easily.

You will get many opinions on what to buy and what to do, most of them will be right and the difference is a matter of preference.

-Wash using the two bucket method. I use a MF wash mitt but others use a high quality REAL sheep skin mitt. Not the fake sheep skin. Dry with a MF or waffle weave towel.
- You can clay the car but it won't get rid of scratches. But if you are going to polish then do clay the car.
- Get yourself a good random orbit polisher like the PC or the G110. Either will do the job, some prefer one over the other but the differences minor really. I have the G110.
- Get a good swirl remover. You shouldn't' need anything too strong. I used 4-star swirl remover but Optimum might be better. Never used it.
- Get a white foam polishing pad (for light polishing/cutting), actually get a few.
- Get a grey or red pad too... but it you are penny pinching you can do this by hand.
- Use the white pad+polisher+Polish to get the scratches out. You may need more than one pass on the deeper scratches. There are many post/videos on the exact techniques. Mask off areas you don't want to polish with blue painters tape.
- Clean the polish residue off the car.
- You can apply a paint cleaner here or go straight to sealant.
- Apply 4* Ultimate Paint Protection with the red pad.... or you can do it with a hand applicator. Let set for 30 minutes then buff out with a MF towel or a MF bonnet on your polisher. The last option is easiest.
- remove the tape and step back and enjoy.
- Never, no matter how dirty the car is or lazy you feel, never let the dealer wash your car. They will hire some guy off the street for a day to wash cars and they don't know the first thing about proper washing or have the right tools.

Shop at http://www.exceldetail.com/ for your car care needs. Patrick is a regular poster here and he always has some deal going. His service is quick and prices good. Beware this can get addicting.

 

Thanks Rocket man, great response, I appreciate it. I hope your not burning out a fuse up there alone? JK.

I don't mind putting in the work and time, it is addicting. Even if the car is dirty, I'll still clean off the wheels and treat the tires as I like clean shoes! I got the $10 high quality sheep skin mit. Brand new chamois like $15 bucks, I was looking for a waffle weave but couldn't find one. Do I need to buy a orbit polisher or can I buy an attachment piece and use my own cordless drill. I've seen it done before and that would save a few bucks.

My detailer gave me 6 brand new micro cloths, so how do you wash these guys and when do you throw them away? Can you throw them in the dryer too? They are clean but seem to leave teeny tiny fibers on the finish? I really see it on the Black Pearl. Now I see why Acura added the speckles in the black pearl paint, it's to distract a clear perfect black finish.

 

Toss that stuff!!! It gets people in more trouble, then its worth or saves!! Sometimes I think its designed that way so you go BACK to the store and buy further Meguairs products!!!!

 

Show some pics if you can.

 

Toss the Scratchx and the Chamous. Rocketmans advice is solid. Use WW M/F towels to dry .. check exceldetail.com for the Pacific ww towels .. get 2.

Costco or Sams club has good yellow M/F towels for wax removal.

Wash them in the washer by themselves using Dawn dish wash soap & hang to dry.

 

i wish people would stop using clay to try to remove scratches....clay is not intended for that...infact, clay will do its own scratching....clay is for people who intend on machine polishing their car afterwards.....

the biggest problem you have is the fact that acura's clearcoat is soo soft if you breathe on it wrong it will swirl up....get a udm and start the business of swirl removal and proper washing steps....

its hard work, but very rewarding after you get it down....good luck and have fun, and keep comming here for answers as their are may experts to learn from just as i have....

 

They usually use clay that way because they have been misinformed by someone that doesn't know better.

As far as the clay scratching ... never had it happen on my own cars ... I have clayed off rail dust and overspray on my Passat that was polished out and saw no marring .. if your scratching with clay then your prolly removing road tar etc not the contaminants the clay is intended for.

 

All good stuff thanks lads. What do you guys do after it rains? I have my car garaged so when I come in from the rain, I'd like to use a MF to wipe it down, should I rinse off the rain water with a hose, then pat dry? I'll get a WW today as rain is finally coming to LA for a few days.

Oh and also wheel dressing. I've been using Black Magic generously and let it sit in overnight, does this transfer to the alloy rims with the brake dust? Should I switch to the gel instead of spray?

 

If you drove in the rain then the car is dirty .. don't wipe it down your swirling it ..

I use Optimum Tire gel ..

I doubt your going to find a WW towel off the shelf .. why not order a couple of the Pacific WW towels from Patrick ( www.exceldetail.com ) and a small bottle of the tire gel.. you'll have it in a couple days.

 

polish the car..

 

So after every rain fall, polish the car? I found a WW at the local auto store and returned the Scratch X and Chamois.

 

Ignore him .. you don't polish after every rain.

If it rains on the car and you have driven it .. wash it then dry it .. if you dry a dirty car you chance swirling the paint.

 

i would say more like your guaranteed to swirl it...i swear if i breathe wrong on my paint it swirls....

if its dirty, let it be dirty until you have time to wash it correctly...dont use cheap stuff on your car....buy quality microfibres designed to do the job your trying to do...drying or removing polish and or wax/sealants....different jobs require different towels....

when i first came to this forum, i was using t-shirts to remove wax and polishes.....

thank god i found dale and patrick!!

 

Thanks, as you see above, I have taken the appropriate steps and have the right tools now, so I will start correcting what every one else is f'in up, like the dealer and local car washes.

 

Usually after it rains is a great time to NRWS it! All the debris is "softened" by the water. NRWS acts as a lube, and then helps protect it as well with a light layer of polymers.
Again, NRWS has its limits. But it great out here in CA where we dont have salt.

 

 

Black is a huge learning curve, man but once you get the hang of it, it's worth it. You're already on your way by asking about it here. Best o' luck to you.