NEW Black Sand Pearl Toyota Yaris - 1 month = micro scratches

[TRD_Yaris_GS300]

hello, everyone! i have been surfing around autopia for the last few years. I have a VERY EXTENSIVE car detailing inventory, but I need some encrouragement to get started. I have bought many items from Lynn Phillips (BetterCarCare) as well as a few others on here.





First of all, here is my problem:

My Yaris is a month old, and it was only MANUFACTURED in June 2006. I`ve only washed my car 4 times, and i keep it covered (outside), but I`ve managed to leave (or the dealership left them before i picked up car) a ton of VERY LIGHT surface scratches which are pretty much parrallel (From scrubbing, i guess). I`m annoyed to find out that Toyota DOESN`T PROPERLY detail/prep the cars they sale!! Bottomline, I need to do the VERY BEST OF JOBS THIS FIRST TIME AROUND!!





Questions:

1)I have a ton of green MicroFibers from TheRegans (are you guys familiar with these?)..are these high quality for polishing/wax removal???

2)I`ve only used a BRAND NEW microfiber sponge (from walmart, blue) and I ALWAYS use two wash buckets and rinse the sponge THOROUGHLY!! What is the BEST sponge/item to use on my NEW paint?

3)In my ladies QUICKNESS to help, she washed my microfibers with Clorox (powder), did this ruin the microfibers for polishing/waxing paint?? should i use a bit of Woolite to clean them up (as directed by a few people)

4)What do you guys use behind the license plates to keep them from vibrating and scratching the paint?? or am i being WAY to anal-retentive?? both my Yaris and my GS300 (Onyx Black, YUCK!!) only have 2 holes at the top, and I`m not that confident about just mounting the license plate to the car with 2 bolts. I`m looking for a pair of O-rings to install under the 2 bolts, and a couple of "stick on" pads near the bottom of license plate to keep the rattle down..what type of o-rings should i use??





My Skill Level

Moderate - lots of experience and a keen eye for damaged areas..and a mindset of ONLY the best, while taking as much time as possible





MY INVENTORY!!!

*Porter Cable 7424

*Sonus SFX Full Kit

*S100

*Tons of Green microfibers(how can i tell if they are high quality, is it easy to "ruin" them?)

*Meguiars 3 Part

*Turtle Wax ICE (it`s 104 degrees fahrenheit in Austin today, would this be the best due to conditions?? i know, it`s 90% advertising, 10% quality, but i thought i would list it just in case)

*Mother`s Powerball

*Plexus, Novus 1&2, Stoner Glass



----------------------------

EDIT: I`ve ALSO GOT A BRAND NEW WOOL WASH MITT (though i`ve been using Microfiber "sponge", should I use the Wool Wash mitt for removing polish/wax or for washing car??) and I`m using RAINX car wash soap (type with the gold-colored Carnauba beads in it..hehe, i know, cheezy)

----------------------------





Last time i talked to Lynn Phillips, I believe she recommended Klasse-all-in-One followed by S100 layered THIN..







THANK YOU ALL!! I will try to get a few "before" shots of the microscratches, but i don`t know if they will show up very well. I hate having BAD WATER that`s full of minerals that turn into water spots, so i`m forced to PreRINSE my car after washing it at a local car wash :argue I will "tweak" (edit) this post over the next few hours to UPDATE my inventory and ask more questions. Again, Thank you ALL for all the information Y`all have shared with me in the last few years. I only post now because I`m at a BIG CROSSROADS WITH A NEW CAR!

[martinager]

Those light scratches should come right out with the PC and a light cutting pad, or if bad in places a heavier cut. SSR 2 or the Sonus equivalent should be just fine for polishing that out.



pics ?



Also Im sure you can buy some sort of filter to put on your hose. I got one and am having zero problems with it. Ill see if I can find something about it as my dad is the one who had found it .

[TRD_Yaris_GS300]

I will try to take some pictures in a few hours after i get a chance to wash it again and it`s BRIGHT enough to "bring out" the scratches in pictures. If afraid of using a "polish" on the car, since IT`S NEVER BEEN WAXED :( I`m afraid that it will damage the clearcoat further. Plus, it`s going to be 104 degrees fahrenheit today, and this will only complicate the problem :nixweiss . This is why i was considering using the Turtle Wax ICE, which boasts that it can be safely applied in direct sunlight/heat. But, it says that it`s a Polish, not a wax (even though it says "stop waxing, start icing" and it "implies" that it`s a wax..).



I`ve got PLENTY of hgh-dollar polishes/waxes, but i just don`t want to be impatient and destroy the paint on my brand new car. Toyota/Lexus is awful, I don`t think I will be a car from them again due to their problems with paint (though, black is not the easiest color to care for)..

[imported_themightytimmah]

Consider washing your car with Optimum No-Rinse and distilled water - you can do a full car with two 69 cent gallons of water from sams club or equivalent.



For the mild scratches, if I was going to order something I`d get Optimum Polish and Red Moose Machine Glaze, use OP via white followed by RMG/black pad and then top with your LSP of choice - Clearkote`s YMW works good there.

[TRD_Yaris_GS300]

Consider washing your car with Optimum No-Rinse and distilled water - you can do a full car with two 69 cent gallons of water from sams club or equivalent.



For the mild scratches, if I was going to order something I`d get Optimum Polish and Red Moose Machine Glaze, use OP via white followed by RMG/black pad and then top with your LSP of choice - Clearkote`s YMW works good there.





thanks, timmah..though i`ve already got a BRAND NEW set of SONUS SFX pads, would these be "good enough"? i`m guessing OP stands for orbital polisher (or Optimum Polish?)? i`ve got a brand new porter cable 7424, how would this do :woot2: ?

LSP? would that be a sealant like S100/P21S??



Thanks for all the GREAT ADVICE, people!! I`m starting to feel confident enough to go tackle the job.



GOOD CALL ON THE DISTILLED WATER!!! too bad I can`t filter my water, maybe in my next place of residence...

you bring up another point on the Car Wash Soap..i`ve been using RainX w/ carnauba beads (hehe, yeah, i know it`s lame but it looked pretty good, and RainX has a good reputation for displacing water, which is my main problem with "hard water" drying on the car QUICKLY and leaving TONS of waterspots..)



What is the best car wash soap that i can get at Walmart, PepBoys, Autozone, Advance, or somewhere local to Austin, Texas??

[abbeysdad]

Life brings you to the purchase of a new vehicle and BAM, new car fever. Part enthusiasm, part obsession, part common sense - after all, that new vehicle is the second largest investment most will ever make!

Sometimes the fever can last only a few weeks or until the first scratch or dent - sometimes it lasts longer - it`s all so variable!



1. I`m not familiar with that brand, but most likely if it`s micro-fiber and it`s soft, it will be fine.

2. Personally, I don`t really like the MF Sponge for washing. Might be more prone to scratching if there`s stuck on debris. I think you`re better off with a mop like sponge or mit or even a brush.

3. I don`t think the clorox II powder hurt the MF towels - if you`re concerned just run them through the washer again with some liquid soap.

4. You may have gone over the edge on this one. I guess you could get a couple of rubber washers to go between the plate and the body - can`t say I`ve ever found this necessary and have never detected any rattling either - ?

[TRD_Yaris_GS300]

Life brings you to the purchase of a new vehicle and BAM, new car fever. Part enthusiasm, part obsession, part common sense - after all, that new vehicle is the second largest investment most will ever make!

Sometimes the fever can last only a few weeks or until the first scratch or dent - sometimes it lasts longer - it`s all so variable!



1. I`m not familiar with that brand, but most likely if it`s micro-fiber and it`s soft, it will be fine.

2. Personally, I don`t really like the MF Sponge for washing. Might be more prone to scratching if there`s stuck on debris. I think you`re better off with a mop like sponge or mit or even a brush.

3. I don`t think the clorox II powder hurt the MF towels - if you`re concerned just run them through the washer again with some liquid soap.

4. You may have gone over the edge on this one. I guess you could get a couple of rubber washers to go between the plate and the body - can`t say I`ve ever found this necessary and have never detected any rattling either - ?





hehe, actually, I`ve got 4 cars right now: 3 of them are S13 Nissan 240SXs (amazing, all of em are SOHC 1989s!!!). They are ALL heavily modified in different ways (one road racing, 1 drifting, 1 with no engine and grass growing through hood!!), and they are all AN OBSESSION! My last "nice" car was a 2000 Lexus GS300 which had THE WORST paint..Onyx Black..which i was "told" has no clearcoat, just paint for the "look" of bold, not shine...that thing was SO BADLY hazed and I NEVER even tried to polish it for fear of making it WORSE (this was when i bought the PC7424 and Sonus SFX set, and why they are still new).



THANK YOU FOR THE 4 ANSWERS!!! I will get one of those "mop" type wash mitts today, I was thinking that they would probably be best, but your opinion WEIGHS much heavier :P



I`m off to the yamaha dealership to pick up my new R6 :woot2: Rossi racing here we come!! :spot

EDIT: Didn`t pick it up today..they tried charging me over $3000 in "fees"... :mad:



btw, as far as mods go, all i`ve done so far is "debadge" the emblems off the rear (C-L-E-A-N) and had tint professionally installed by a VERY reputable place (that MESSEDIT UP BAD and "fixed" it with black paint). Also, i installed OSRAM SILVERSTAR (as opposed to the amethyst-color coated Sylvania Silverstars.

Soon, I will remove the sidemarkers (clear) and tint them darker (since my car is black) and INSTALL BRIGHTER bulbs to shine through, as well as tint the taillights with translucent cherry/fire red and paint the headlight housings black (if i can find a second set of headlights off ebay). Other than that, i will probably wait a few 1000 miles before buying Forged wheels (10.2 pound 15x6.5s!!) and installing TRD lowering kit (springs/shocks/struts). S-I-M-P-L-E ... aka KISS..

[TRD_Yaris_GS300]

"2. Personally, I don`t really like the MF Sponge for washing. Might be more prone to scratching if there`s stuck on debris. I think you`re better off with a mop like sponge or mit or even a brush"



Do most of you use the "mop style" wash mitts/sponges?? what brand do you guys personally use?? I`m going to go buy one here in a few minutes :2thumbs:

I don`t know if the microfiber sponge was the culprit in micro-scratching my car, but I definitely don`t want to keep using it JUST IN CASE.

[TRD_Yaris_GS300]

Today I picked up a Mop-Type "Premium Cotton Chenille Mitt` from walmart, it`s made by Microtex and seems to be pretty soft and could hold plenty of dirt AWAY from the paint..

Right now it`s sitting with all my other UNUSED wash mitts like the natural wool mitt :o





I`ve been taking this whole thing VERY SLOWLY (too slow) as I don`t want to add more scratches or do a bad job polishing/waxing.



btw, i got my first scratch on the car last night. I had driven my friends downtown, and as soon as I parked my friend swung the passenger door open and scraped it against the curb!!! :mad: Perfection is impossible.

[Accumulator]

..I`ve managed to leave (or the dealership left them before i picked up car) a ton of VERY LIGHT surface scratches which are pretty much parrallel (From scrubbing, i guess)....



Washing without marring is very tough. I strongly encourage you to research wash techniques that involve the use of a *foamgun*. They oughta come as standard equipment with black vehicles.



Quick replies to a few of your Qs follow, pardon any typos as I`m in a hurry :o






2)I`ve only used a BRAND NEW microfiber sponge (from walmart, blue) and I ALWAYS use two wash buckets and rinse the sponge THOROUGHLY!! What is the BEST sponge/item to use on my NEW paint?



Often it`s not the wash media that causes the marring, it`s dirt that gets pressed against the paint (between the wash media and the panel) during the wash process. It`s a matter of technique. The foamgun helps because you can "dislodge and flush" instead of "scrub". And a slick LSP will help keep dirt from adhering to the panels, so get some wax/sealant on there after you polish and refresh it frequently.



NO time to repost all the stuff I could get into about washing...I use MF mitts, sheepskin mitts, and BHBs all the time (always with a foamgun). All are fine if used correctly, but that proper use is the hard part.




3)In my ladies QUICKNESS to help, she washed my microfibers with Clorox (powder), did this ruin the microfibers for polishing/waxing paint?? should i use a bit of Woolite to clean them up (as directed by a few people)



I`d get one of the made-for-MF detergents. While the arguments *against* them make perfect sense to me, they nonetheless work like a miracle when I use them. No way I`ll wash my MFs in anything else. Again, this is based on significant, obvious, first-hand experience.




4)What do you guys use behind the license plates to keep them from vibrating and scratching the paint?? or am i being WAY to anal-retentive??



Not A-R at all, I take care of this on all our vehicles. My local Lowe`s sells self-adhesive silicone bumpers which are designed to go under audio equipment or furniture or something. There are several sizes, I usually get the big ones. I stick these on the backs of all my plates. Note that you`ll need fasteners of sufficient length to accommodate them.





Oh, and good car wash soap is money well spent IMO. I`d at *least* buy Meg`s Gold Class.

[Pb2theMax]

I have the same paint on my 05 Tacoma. Adopting a good washing technique is critical. To wash I use filtered and softened water, foamgun, rinse bucket, and sheepskin mitt. The paint is soft, but easy to polish. The SwirlBuster Polish and Pad work great on this paint. I have 16k miles and my paint looks better now than it did when I drove it off the dealers lot.



http://img224.imageshack.us/img224/6493/taco81806001bz9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[TRD_Yaris_GS300]

1) Foamgun..check. I researched these last night and found the Foamaster, anybody know of the best place to purchase it (cheaply) or know of a better brand foamgun??



2)Silicone/Rubber o-rings..check. I ran to Lowes and found the PERFECT orings!! thank you!



3)Inline Water Purifier..check. I looked around, couldn`t decide between one at Lowes and one at Pepboys made for carwashing..very VERY good idea, basically the best properties of Mr. Clean Autodry without the lame plastic :chuckle:



4)Meguiars Gold Class Car Wash Soap..check. What was I thinking with the RainX soap :o





QUESTIONS:



A) What is the BEST of the BEST item to use to buff out wax?? should i simply use my green microfibers?



B) ACCUMULATOR MENTIONED "made-for-MF detergents", what would this be?? I`ve seen Sonus der Wunder Washche, is this the ONLY product out there for cleaning microfibers??







PB2theMAX - WOW! very beautiful!! Maybe I can be happy with Toyota`s black paint after this ordeal is behind me. You have made me feel WAY BETTER! I recognize now that IT WASN`T ME THAT SCRATCHED it, it was CERTAINLY the dealership. I take TONS of precautions (soap/rinse buckets, completely rinsing off car before touching it with ANYTHING, brand new microfiber sponges,etc.etc.etc.) and it`s just NEAR impossible that i did the damage. It does make me feel a bit better to know that you had the same problem from a Toyota dealership and that you were able to remedy it with time and care.



PICTURES ARE SOON TO FOLLOW (approximately 2 days to gather supplies, then it`s on!)!!

[imported_FJF]

4)What do you guys use behind the license plates to keep them from vibrating and scratching the paint?? or am i being WAY to anal-retentive?? both my Yaris and my GS300 (Onyx Black, YUCK!!) only have 2 holes at the top, and I`m not that confident about just mounting the license plate to the car with 2 bolts. I`m looking for a pair of O-rings to install under the 2 bolts, and a couple of "stick on" pads near the bottom of license plate to keep the rattle down..what type of o-rings should i use??



This is a common concern in car audio, where the bass causes the license plates to rattle. Typically, a layer of self-adhesive sound dampening material is attached to the plate. Dynamat sells a license plate kit for this exact purpose.



Even though my cars aren`t centered on audio, rattles drive me nuts, so I use a similar approach. I attach RAAMmat Butyl-based sound deadening to the plate and then follow with a layer of Ensolite foam.

[Accumulator]

TRD_Yaris_GS300- When you ask about the best product to "remove the wax", do you mean to remove the wax that`s already on the vehicle? Many paint-cleaner/all-in-one products and abrasive polishes will just clean off/cut through any existing wax. Or you can try rubbing alcohol. I myself use AutoInt`s New Car Prep solvent these days, I find it to be a handy product to have around for those times when I need a solvent-based cleaner.



Oh, and I`d buy a foamgun from DANASE (http://www.danase.com/) (fellow Autopian and all-around great guy) or from AutoGeek.

[TRD_Yaris_GS300]

Thanks for the help FJF , i`m gonna check out that Dynamat license plate kit and possibly try what you`re doing if the dynamat isn`t working..



Accumulator, when i say "remove the old wax", i`m talking about a pre-wax cleaner that removes old wax, like Dawn. My Yaris hasn`t been waxed, but the car wash shampoo that I`ve used has "wax" in it, and i was wondering what would be best to get it clean for WAXING.



I`m still looking for the best foam gun, I bought a cheap sprayer w/ soap applicator, but I don`t think it`s going to "foam" :P I`ll check the Danase website...is it considered to be the best foamgun? Will I want to use Foamgun specific soap or will Mother Gold car wash soap be good?