I am scratching my car.

[Curlydave]

How do I remove and prevent minor scratches. They are all over the car, and only visible in intense sunlight. They are in the direction I wax/clean the car, meaning I caused them.



I normally wash with a sponge and meguilar`s wash, and dry with a drying towel I bought at Pep boys and Sonus Der Wunder (it sounds German lol!) buffing towels. I`ve polished and waxed it twice with Mother`s car detailing spray and bottled carnauba wax. I remove the wax with the Der Wunders. Next time I will use Zaino Z-2pro/ZFX and Z6. (already have it) I`ve clayed it once before the first waxing.



I bought some Mothers scratch remover, but then found out that it`s a spot treatment, not for scratches all over the car.



Is this normal? What is causing this? I`m trying to preserve my finish, not destroy it! Whare are some good products for removing scratches across the whole car surface?

[mikebai1990]

I would venture to say that maybe your sponge is causing some of the scratching. I`d get a microfiber wash mitt which would prevent many scratches. Making sure that all your towels are clean is also very important. As for a scratch remover, I`ve heard some good things about Scratch-X, made by Meguiars.

[jdhutchin]

It doesn`t seem like you`ve done any heavy polishing to actually remove the scratches. When you`re waxing, your wax probably has some fillers so that after you finish waxing, you can`t see them. When you wash again, you remove the fillers, and it looks like you just really swirled the car.



I`d also seond mikebai`s suggestions- get a good wash mitt instead of a sponge- I only use sponges on wheels, wheel wells, and the very bottom trim (below the doors, almost under the car). Everywhere else gets a wash mitt. You should also try the two-bucket wash system, that will help remove some wash-induced swirling.

[tguil]

I would venture to say that maybe your sponge is causing some of the scratching. I`d get a microfiber wash mitt which would prevent many scratches. Making sure that all your towels are clean is also very important. As for a scratch remover, I`ve heard some good things about Scratch-X, made by Meguiars.



I agree. I use cotton chenille, sheepskin or high quality microfiber mitts for washing. You might also want to consider using the "two-bucket" wash method -- one bucket with the shampoo, the second bucket to rinse the mitt. Make sure that you use high quality microfiber or 100% cotton towels for drying.



Now about your scratches. I suggest buying a Porter Cable dual action polisher. It makes a rather hard job quite easy. If you have not already done so, check this out: http://site.bettercarcare.com/topics.php?topicId=17



This is probably the best source of excellent car care information on the web.



Tom :cool:

[Deviant]

Yeah, sounds like your sponge is marring the paint. A quality mit will make a noticeble improvement. Also try out the two bucket method, help keeps the dirt and other contaminents from reaching your wash water. Also be sure to use goood quality MF towels as well.

[Accumulator]

Not to split hairs, but IMO it`s not the sponge itself (most sponges are really soft when wet), it`s the dirt that the sponge is pressing against the paint. Subtle difference perhaps, but with the wrong wash technique *any* wash media will result in marring.



I`d recommend a foamgun, used properly (see the numerous posts on the subject) with a mitt and/or a BHB. Washing without marring can be a lot more difficult than most people might think. It can take a lot of thinking and some real work to avoid the marring.



I`d make sure that drying towel isn`t contributing to the marring.



I dunno if you`re gonna be too happy with the Zaino until you a) quit marring when you wash/dry and b) get all the existing marring out. Products like Zaino reauire a marring-free finish to really look good. IF you want to get it good enough for Zaino, I too recommend a polisher like the PC or the Cyclo.