Fine White 1/4" Scratches

[scottio]

Hi There,

Hoping someone can help me. I recent bought a Black 99 Isuzu. Like most black cars the paint just didn`t have the deep dark luster it would have had when new, and there were some visible swirl marks.

I used Meguiars swirl remover, then polish, then coated with Carnuba Wax. The results were amazing and the deep black was back.

3 days later after it rained (of course) I did a quick wash again using the same washer, sponge and shammy that I used before. After washing it, tiny little white scratches or marks of some kind appeared uniformly all over the vehicle. They are about 1/4 inch in length and in all different directions.

Does anyone know what these are and how to remove them? Is the paint damaged or could this just be on the wax? I tried the swirl remover again on a small spott and it didn`t help.

Thanks,
Scott

[Beemerboy]

Sounds to me that you did this by hand? and with a car of that year sounds like you may need a orbital, or rotary. The steps that you took are correct but alot of products on the market have fillers that fill in the swrils. When you washed it after the rain some of the fillers washed out. That`s about the best info that I can give you, also remember black is one of the hardest colors to get right, take my word for it I have a black BMW

[CharlesW]

Originally posted by scottio
the same washer, sponge and shammy that I used before.
Hi Scott,
Welcome to DC.
The three things above have me just a little curious and possibly concerned.
1. I have no idea what the washer might be, but could it be a brush of some sort?
2. While some people do have good luck with sponges for washing, I personally would not use one. It may have had some debris embedded in it that caused the scratches. A good wash mitt is much more forgiving.
3. A shammy is also not very forgiving of any dirt left on the vehicle. Again, I wouldn`t use one. It might also have left the scratches from dirt on/in it.

Like Beemerboy says, you may have washed some fillers out, but I would be more inclined to think you did the damage during the washing or drying. The scratches weren`t there before you washed the car, they were there after you washed the car. I would sure take a look at the washing process.

Charles

[elortt]

:yeah What Charles said

[scottio]

Thanks for the feedback and info.

The washer is just a Simoniz (sp?) pressure washer. I`ve used it on 2 other vehicles with no problem and the first wash on this one with no problem. The reason I bring it up is because the fine little scratches are so uniform and spread out that I don`t think it was dirt in a sponge or shammy that caused the problem as they would have led to longer and less uniform scratches... seems like the result of pressure washer, but I can`t believe it would dammage the paint considering I`ve never had a problem before. Thooughts?

Should I try some type of rubbing compound to see if they come out? Anything you recommend?

[Beemerboy]

I had to agree with Charles about what you use to wash and dry never get that thought. I`m going to go back to what I said about the fillers being washed out, since you used a pressure washer. You can use a light cut compound but most all those really need a orbital or rotary, but by hand will still produce OK results.

I would recomended that you contact Poorboys World and get some SSR2 for removing the swrils. By hand you can get some impressive results and then follow up with PB polish with carnuba, then top with a good paste wax that `s what I would do

[kimwallace]

Is there a chance the car has been repainted ...
1/4 inch long scratches sound like they may be under the paint and caused by a D/A sander used in most bodyshops. Many times when a car is repainted the prep work isn`t completed with a fine enough paper. If it is this, you might be able to remove some of it with a rotary ...
Just a guess on my part, without seeing the car.