Scratching from Cleaning!

[Daz]

Hey guys..



Been searching and looking on the forum quite a bit, but never posted before but here goes! (Searching does the trick!) :up



Cleaned my car today - just normal wash.. and when I finished, I noticed lots of scratches.. which I didn`t see before. I can only imagine these are caused by the wash mit I used and the dirt has been scratching all my paint. :mad:



I don`t want all the scratches.. so how can I get rid of them? There are loads.. and I think I`d rather go over the WHOLE car to get rid of all the swirls (I have my fair share of those too!) and scratches (if possible!) and start again with it.. Anyone know of anything I can use? I`m in the UK and don`t seem to have the same range of stuff other people have.



I use Meguiars 3 Stage at the moment.. would the Paint Cleaner do the job? I used it last time but it didn`t seem to get rid of any of the scratches.. just the oxidation mainly!



I also need a new wash mitt.. as this one is just causing me problems.. Anyone in the UK recommend one? I`ve been looking around a few sites and found http://www.seriousperformance.co.uk/sp/products/shampoo.php - the bottom Mitt.. Anyone using it?



Thanks for any help!



Daz.

[Accumulator]

Daz- Welcome to Autopia. :xyxthumbs for searching!



I`m never sure what`s available on your side of the pond, but Meg`s (professional line) and 3M might be. I doubt that your Meg`s paint cleaner will do the trick. You may very well need to use a rather aggressive polish, at least at first. Meg`s DACP (AKA #83) might be a good staring point. 3M`s PI-III stuff (rubbing compound 05933 and machine glaze 05937) are good. I can`t remember what Autoglym offers, but I like their stuff too.



Couldn`t get your link to work. Get a SOFT sheepskin mitt (or two/three) and RINSE it WELL after each swipe (don`t just dunk it in the rinse bucket, really try to clean it). Use the two-bucket method. Wash BEFORE the vehicle is too dirty using a high-lubricity soap. Just BARELY touch the surface with your mitt (don`t scrub). Change your rinse water frequently. Dry by blotting with a waffle-weave MF.



Ask away with more Q`s and/or for clarification.

[Daz]

Ah, my original link was copied - from the shortend version.. I have now fixed that.



Thanks for the help..



Finding a lot of the good products is hard over here.. I`ve looked for the Meguiars product you mentioned and not found anything - I`ve never seen ANY 3M products for Car Care on sale here..



http://www.meguiars.co.uk/acatalog/ - Thats the Meguiars range.. and thats direct from Meguiars - individual stockists don`t sell anything outside of that - or at least, thats all the ones I can find!



The swirls marks are there - I can see them now, so wanna get rid.. and the scratches are annoying me the most now!



Maybe it`s something I am doing to cause these.. but I know my wash mitt isn`t helping at the moment! The Meguiars 3 Stage products I was very pleased with so would like to continue using these - they are by far the best products I have used..



I apply them using a foam, terry towelling "Wax Applicator" and then buff that off to a shine with some Microfibre`s.. I don`t see anything wrong here? The bonnet has just been painted and it has swirls and some scratches.. so I`m thinking the original wash with my bad Mitt is the source of all my problems!



Looking forward, after I have got rid of all of the swirls.. and scratches.. how should I use the 3 Stage? I`m never quite sure when to use what stage - as I`ve only used it once.. and I did all 3 stages!



I`ll go back to looking for some of these Meguiars or 3M products!



Thanks again,

Daz.

[Accumulator]

Daz- I looked at the link you provided..maybe try the ScratchX. Their lambswool mitt might be good, too. I hesitate to offer advice on the 3-step as I`ve never used it.



Do an internet search on "Autotglym". They`re UK-based.



Note that some scratches just won`t come out without professional-level tools and products. But you CAN still do a LOT to improve things.

[Daz]

Yea.. I`ll give it a go..



I`ve used many Autoglym products in the past before using the Meguiars.. still do use the Glass Cleaner and Bumper/Trim Shine!



Some scratches are Primer deep, so I`m going to follow a bit of advice I found on the forum (Touch up paint, artist brush, polish in when dry! basically..) and try and get rid! As for the swirl marks, I dunno what I`ll try... Paint Renovator looks ok, but I havn`t seen anyone use it on the forum. There HAS to be thse Meguiars and 3M products on sale somewhere, right? :o



I always remember tho going into a Bodyshop.. with a massive scratch across my roof which was caused by them during some other work.. dunno what they did, but 15mins later it came back and it was completly gone.. nothing to see at all.. quite amazing!



Water Spots - big problem, I can`t get away from them! :mad:



Everything I do to clean my car seems to be causing a problem somewhere ( :nixweiss: ) so I`m going to follow your advice and other advice I found whilst searching and changing everything I do! :xyxthumbs: See how it goes!



Thanks,

Daz

[chris0626]

Daz, since you`ve been using the "search" function, I bet you`ve already clicked on the "Learn" icon and read the articles on scratch removal and washing ... but just thought I`d add a vote for those resources, just in case ... They`re all about technique, not specific products.

[Daz]

Yea, I`ve been using that loads.. :)



Very useful!

[SP 325i]

Daz,



Products are available in the Uk. You just need to know where to look!!!

Serious Performance sell the Megs Pro range, along with lambswool mits, MF cloths and MF drying cloths. Follow this link to full range and pricelist. Ring Alex, he is also into detailing so maybe able to recommend what to use and can probably get most products that you will need

www.seriousperformance.co.uk/sp/pricelist_120503.pdf



3M products I usually get from a local refinish factors (find in Yellow pages), maybe Alex can get these products as well.



www.frost.co.uk also sell some interesting stuff eg 1 grand blitz wax



For 3M stuff follow the link. You can then enter your postcode and find your nearest distributor

http://cms.3m.com/cms/GB/en/2-29/uRllEU/view.jhtml



Steve

[Lowejackson]

Daz

Welcome to the forum



Most but not all of the products you read about on Autopia can be bought in the UK.



Megs UK will sell the pro range but you need to ask for it. Give them a call or send an email.



Dont discount Autoglym but in this case you need a different range of products. The bodyshop probably used a rotary of some kind. You can buy the next best thing which is a PC - but it is a small hassel to get one.



One other thing I would recommend buying from 3M is the clay - you will not regret buying this and you will wonder how you ever lived without it.



On a side note, Autoglym also have a pro range



Steven

[Daz]

Well the scratch I have in mind.. is quite deep - dunno if it will come out (you can feel the groove in it!).



Other scratches are white scratches but not deep at all.. so dunno what kind of product would get these out - was going to try the ones suggested by Accumulator.



Using these, can they be done by hand? Would it be possible? I`d probably work with them rather than buying a PC at this stage!

[Accumulator]

Daz- Since scratch/swirl removal is just a mechanical process (you abrade the paint down to the level of the bottom of the scratch using an abrasive polish), it CAN be done by hand. BUT it`s gonna be a lot of work. And sometimes the concentrated pressure of using your hand (imagine rubbing with one finger) can be even RISKIER than using a random orbital.



You might get the most aggressive product Autoglym makes (or stuff from the sources SP 325i provided) and give it a go. The same products will work fine if/when you get a polisher.