jharlacher

Hi everyone,

I have a 2010 TL (Grigio with Taupe) and I had a guy wax/buff it to get all these clearcoat scratches out. The guy looked great afterwards, but I just had the car wash after getting an oil change at the dealer, and low and behold, I can see a lot of the clearcoat/spiderweb scratches again.

I've been researching and I sorta understand that you have to fill the scratches in, but I had thought the waxing I had done had eliminated the clearcoat scratches. Any ideas on how to eliminate and then avoid spiderweb scratches in the future?

Thanks.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

spiderwebbing or "crows feet" is clear coat failure.

Pete2010

Stop doing that - NEVER let the dealer wash the car. The clear on acuras is very soft. You need to take care when washing the car - no machines, wash by hand to make sure you don't create new swirls.

Edit: The only way to get rid of them is by machine polishing out the scratches. Buffing with wax, glaze or sealant (like zaino products) only hides the scratches. Once a year I will pull our my porter cable and machine polish out the scratches.

Negative - it's just common on some cars when they have soft clearcoat. If you wash any car incorrectly you WILL induce swirls, it's not indicative of a failure of the clearcoat.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Swirls, no.

Crows feet; yes

Because we dont know the definition of the words OP used, we dont know if its swirling or crows feet.


and that is def. clear coat failure.



when he used the words spiderwebbing, it could mean swirling.

potmilkz

i had the same issue, had the dealer repaint 95% of the car..

you cant fix it, the crows feet is under the clear coat and is at the basecoat.. no matter how many times you buff it, it will still be there..

lets just say, i even try wetsanding and it didnt work.

ucf_bronco

iTrader: (1)

Well how did the car look? HAHA

QFT!!!

I would bet that his issue is different, especially because he said the car looked great after the previous detail. The only color I've see our issue on is CBP.

Pete2010

Ahh yes - good point. I missed the crowsfeet one - Probably spiderwebbing if waxing made his car look better.

Although - if he just had wax/sealant/glaze put on with a buffer and not actually a polishing compound, most any wash will just wash it off and show the scratches again.

Gotta do machine polishing with a compound (like Menzerna)

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

i dont know what we're talking about any more.

jharlacher

Haha, the CAR looked great, not the guy, Ha.

To clarify the words, I see tiny scratches, nothing like the picture posted. Little swirl marks that you see with certain angles and lighting. I first noticed them a year or so ago after going through a car wash (the kind that touch the car). More and more piled up since, so I decided to have a place buff the car last week. It looked brand new, but then the dealer washed the car and I could see more tiny scratches (some in the same spot as before).

The guy that originally worked on my car did a buffing (use a clay bar in some spots) and then applied a sealant. The dealer washed the car, some marks showed up, but then waxed it and it seems pretty good now.

Thanks for the replies everyone. It's all very helpful and I appreciate not being made to feel like a noob! Looks like just sticking to hand-washing and then an annual machine buff is the way to go?

Pete2010, what sort of products and machine do you use? I'm looking to invest after this fiasco. If you want a job done right, do it yourself, eh?

potmilkz

can you show us a pic of what your talking about

because i am pretty sure everyone is confused on what you are talking about.

Teddybear

op, you mean swirl marks?

Teddybear

Edit: stupid connection. double posted.

Pete2010

Yea - standard swirls.

I use this: Porter Cable 7472 with Menzerna 105 and 205 and a few different pad sizes.
http://www.autogeek.net/poca746varap.html

Check out the car wash section of AZ for more detailing info. Wealth of info over there.

jharlacher

Yeah, just like those in the pic of the red car. Not as bad as the pic, but that's what I had before the original buffing. I tried taking pics, but the swirl marks are minimal now after the original buffing and waxing by the dealer. Is it same to assume swirl marks are scratches in the wax and not the clear coat (that's what the service guy at the dealer was telling me).

Mr Marco

OP, see Wash & Wax section. Car needs a polish.

Jesstzn

I think you misssed it first off .. he doesn't have crows feet .. just dealer installed swirling.

mY sLOW UA6

^+1 get it polished the right way, and don't let anyone wash it except for yourself.

farmdog

Your cars clearcoat is in need of some TLC.....
Read this and get a porter cable 7424. That buffer is noob friendly so you won't burn your paint.
http://www.detailedimage.com/Auto-Detailing-Guide/

TOGWT

“Paint Surface Scratches (Cause & Effect)” - http://www.autopia.org/forum/guide-d...se-effect.html