New paint + Vroom microfibre = scratches

[imported_Nate]

I have brand new paint on my car, and washed it for the first time today... 2 bucket method, sheepskin mit, meg`s gold class... looked awesome, no swirl marks, so far, so good.



So I went out 2 hours later and saw bird poop on the hood. I hosed it down hard, and it stayed there . So I decided to make this the first use of my Mother`s detailing clay. I clayed it, and it seemed to get rid of it. It left a little clay residue in a couple spots.



So I grabbed a brand new Vroom microfibre polishing towel. Went out and buffed out the clay marks with medium pressure. Boom I have swirl / scratch marks for the first time . Not even just from buffing, there are a couple 6 inch long scratches where I must have just dragged the polishing towel along.



What the heck! I went out and bought all these products to make sure this didn`t happen.



Do you think the paint is too new to stand up directly to a microfibre polishing cloth? (It`s about 2.5 weeks old).



This will probably polish out later on, right?



Thanks!

[PakShak]

Aloha Nate...



Sorry to hear about the scratches. There could be a few possibilities why this may have happened. IMHO...



1. The new paint could be really soft so any speck of dust or residue from the "clay marks" could have gotten in to the towel which resulted in the end results.



A clay bar whether fine or medium is a "sanding bar". Possibilities here could be that some of the residue from the "clay marks" contain granule sand grit which ended up in your towel. So when you "Went out and buffed out the clay marks with medium pressure" this may have caused the scratches.



2. Was the new micro fiber towels washed first before use?



Yes, you should be able to buff out the the scratches with a final polish if the scratches are light.



With Aloha,

Ranney :)

[imported_Nate]

Hmm yeah you could be right about that, the clay caught up in the cloth could have done it.





But, no, I didn`t wash the cloth either. It was right out of the package. Am I supposed to wash it? :o

[PakShak]

Aloha Nate...



Yes, you should always wash any new micro fiber towel before first use to "reduce the potential". During the manufacturing process of micro fiber towels, there could be loose micro fiber filaments that get caught in the towel so it is recommended as standard practice to wash all new micro fiber towels before first use.



Also, it is good practice to always inspect your towels that come out of the dryer or off the clothes line to make sure foreign objects are not embedded in the fibers. You would be surprised what you would find. :)



Happy Detailing!



With Aloha,

Ranney :)

[Tasty]

If you just wiped on the paint with a dry microfiber and no kind of lubrication at all then you got what you asked for. Swirls. Your original post doesn`t mention using a QD or anything.

[imported_Denzil]

Hmm yeah you could be right about that, the clay caught up in the cloth could have done it.





But, no, I didn`t wash the cloth either. It was right out of the package. Am I supposed to wash it? :o



Rule of thumb for all new microfibers is that you ALWAYS wash them first. Don`t blame the microfibers that are tested and proven. Before you point the finger, question whether what you did was right or wrong.



Anyway, like previously stated, did you use a quick detail spray? Rubbing with a dry microfiber isn`t as good as one that`s lubricated with a quick detail spray.

[imported_Nate]

Oh, darn. I didn`t know I had to wash them first :(.



I had a lot of QD on the paint for the clay, so I was kind of wiping that off with the cloth. I could have sworn that the Mother`s instructions on the QD bottle said to buff out with a cloth after, so that`s what I was doing. The problem was probably because I didn`t wash it first.



I had another look at it, and it`s not too bad, I think it will polish out.

[imported_Denzil]

After you clay an area, do you bother to rinse that area before wiping it with your microfiber?

[imported_Nate]

Before you point the finger, question whether what you did was right or wrong.




After you clay an area, do you bother to rinse that area before wiping it with your microfiber?



Ok, take it easy on me... The point of this thread was question what whether what I did was right or wrong.



Anyways, this was my first claying ever. I didn`t rinse the quick detailer, I thought the point was to use the microfiber cloth to remove the detailing spray. I didn`t know I was supposed to rinse it.



I don`t think these scratches are tooo bad... I mean, I learned a lot about detailing to prepare for this new paint job, and unfortunately it seems I will continue to learn and make a couple mistakes.

[BigJimZ28]

I think the polishing cloth is that real thin one, correct?



if so I would not use that on my paint!

[imported_Nate]

I think the polishing cloth is that real thin one, correct?



if so I would not use that on my paint!



Yeah, it`s the one that almost feels like felt.... I figured, it`s for polishing, it`s meant to be rubbed on paint - I planned on using it to polish sealant glaze when I use it later on...... darn!!

[BigJimZ28]

Yea, that`s what I thought, I saw it but did not buy it

as I did not think it would be good for the paint



I hope you got some of the orange (professional?)

towels as I think they are very nice for the money

[imported_paradigm]

yup...best to wash before using (even if that wasn`t the source of the problem here). you never know who/what/where those towels have been exposed to in a Target store. :nervous2:

[velobard]

It might have been the clay residue getting caught up in the MF, but IMO even more likely is that there were bits of bird bomb left under the clay residue that got ground into the finish when you wiped with "medium" pressure.



Some bird bombs are stubborn and sticky enough that it simply calls for a full wash of that part of the car if you hope to avoid some degree of scratching. I had one like that last week, it looked like a sick, giant goose let loose on the center of the hood and it spattered over the back half of the hood and onto the windshield. Yuch!



BTW, yes your new paint played a part as well. I`m presuming you`re talking about a fresh repaint, not a new car. New paint will take months to fully harden and cure. That`s why I`m can`t wax my car until at least Thanksgiving, so the paint can finish outgassing.

[abbeysdad]

Seems to me there`s a lot of assumptions in this thread... not the least of which is that the Vroom MF towel had anything to do with the marring. I also disagree with the post that suggested that using a dry MF towel on the finish causes scratches. What do you use to buff off `wax` carrier .... a dry MF towel. Take any dry MF towel and do the CD test...and don`t be bashful, rub it really hard - hmm, typically no scratches. Although I agree that new towels should be washed, I`m not sure that`s to blame here. Oh, and contrary to another post, you can clay w/o rinsing. Many clay manufacturer`s directions specify wiping with an MF cloth rather than washing and/or rinsing. With the right amount of lube there should be nothing except the QD or clay lube left on the surface and that can be wiped away just like doing a QD.



So what happened here? I think the clue is in the statement that `there was some clay residue left on the finish`. But wait, if a proper amount of lube is used, there is no clay residue left on the finish. The only way to have clay on the finish is if there wasn`t enough lube.



Unless there`s plenty of lube for the clay to float on, claying can be a very abrasive process.



For bird droppings, spray well with nearly any appropriate liquid (QD, water, window cleaner - whatever is on hand to soften) to get it very wet. Carefully scoop/remove with a paper towel or cloth - you can use an MF towel, but I sure hate to! (bird doo often contains grit so wiping on the finish is to be avoided). Follow-up with QD/wipe or wash the area.