removal of fine scratches from a bad car wash

[cjwilson]

I have a 2010 Subaru WRX WRB sedan. Just recently I returned from a trip in the mountains of California and someone other than myself washed the car. They didn`t double bucket or anything so now there are fine scratches in the paint which I really noticed in my garage with light from overcast skies coming through the windows, otherwise it`s not super noticeable unless you look at certain parts of the car at the right angle. I did a small test section with Meguiars Ultimate Liquid Wax and it did fill most of the scratches, but some were still visible.



Is this something that can be cured with a hand applied product, or is this something that can only be remedied with a machine polisher?



Thanks

Chris

[Dan]

Truly fixed with a machine is best unless you like working your arms to near death. Good thing is Subaru paint is nice and soft, so its usually pretty easy to fix. Might want to consider Opticoat after you fix the swirls.

[cjwilson]

Thanks for the response... being that I have no experience with DA Polishers, would it be an easy enough job for me to do if I ran out and purchase one of those Chicago Electric/Harbor Freight deals, or should I save this one for a pro?

[Richard Grasa]

DA is very beginner friendly so I don`t see why you couldn`t do it yourself. Get yourself some HD Polish here at the store on this site and a couple polishing pads and that should take care of your light scratches. Just do some reading, watch some videos on how to polish with a DA and you should be good to go. It`s pretty hard to screw anything up with a DA and Polish. Any questions on anything you`re unsure of, just ask.

[Richard Grasa]

Also some good info on that Harbor Freight DA in this thread if you haven`t seen it already.



http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-detailing-product-discussion/142910-harbor-freight-6-da.html

[Ron Ketcham]

A store may have one in stock.

I ordered mine on line in the middle of Dec, after three emails, finally they got back to me and said they may be back in stock Jan 18th.

[pwaug]

Welcome to Autopia!! You came to the right place.



The Harbor Frieght DA is now on sale for $49 with another 20% off with a coupon. Then you`ll need a 5" backing plate (the one that comes with it is 6" and not very good quality), a few pads and as mentioned above some HD Polish. Here`s a good source of Buff & Shine pads and 5" backing plate (bottom of the page) with good prices and reasonable shipping. You could also use HD Pads which are the same. Perhaps 4 green (see what others think for your soft paint) for polishing and a red to apply your Wax or Sealant. You can pick up 24 microfiber towels at Sam`s for $12. Here`s a list of articles and videos that can help Articles by Mike Phillips - Auto Geek Online Auto Detailing Forum (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/23722-articles-mike-phillips.html)



Adding OptiCoat after the scratches are removed might be a good idea to help eliminate future scratches in the soft Subaru paint Opti-Coat 2.0 (http://www.optimumcarcare.com/ocoat1.php?li=4)



I polished a car by hand a few years back--never again. The polisher is easy to use with little danger of damaging your paint if you take your time. You could even put a coat of wax on first with the polisher just to get the feel of using the machine or perhaps you have a friend or relative with a beater you could practice on.



Good Luck!!



Edit: Forgot the link to the good source of pads and backing plate Buff and Shine - Autoality Incorporated (http://www.autoality.com/store/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=298)

[cjwilson]

Wow, thanks for all the great info guys, I really appreciate it!

[pwaug]

It appears the Harbor Frieght DA is back in stock based on Ron Ks post today.