Surface marring from washing...

[spudd73]

Currently, im using Meguiars Gold Class Shampoo and use the 100% pure wool washing mit by properautocare.com. I was wondering if there`s anything else i can do, or change to help prevent adding the harline scratches to the surface after i detail my car. They don`t return until about a month after i detail it. Maybe i`m not putting enough wax??? I don`t know...

[KoolKat]

How are you drying? Maybe a pre-soak?

[imported_liam]

enough wax.... hmm.. well either

a) when you wax, the `hairline` scratches dissappear because your adding fillers to the paint and hence when the wax wears out - the scratches come back. (note - more wax does not mean longer lasting protection as only a fixed amount of wax will adhere to the paint at one time.)

or

b) after about a month new scratches have been added to your paint via the environment and your washing. - most of the time your washing you will add some tiny new scratches - unless you go the way of the accumulator and his method - search it if you like.

or

c) a combination of the above.

[imported_dpeezy415]

Yup, I get scratches from washing too.



I even use two washmitts and two buckets. And I know that it isn`t my drying technique b/c I use a leaf blower and BLOT w/ a MF. But I can live with it...

[6']['9]

your gonna get hairline scratches regardless. Driving around in the city or country will induce them. You gotta figure driving in the rain, dust , is basically gonna do that to ya, bugs and so on. Id just rewash it the way you have been doing and go over it with something like Booster wax instead of having to repolish it again. If you washing techniques are right and you not getting hazing then thats what id suggest to do.

[Jesstzn]

Originally posted by spudd73

They don`t return until about a month after i detail it.



What products are you using in your detail routine?

[jmsc]

Its the washing that causes most of the cc scratches.



I`ve been using the expensive Austalian Wash Mitts. I rinse the mitts thoroughly after each pass. I`ve been blot drying for 3 years now. And I still get linear cc scratches.



So every spring I use a PC and Menzerna to remove them. Its a never ending battle. Try to keep a few layers of carnauba or sealant on the finish at all times. It easies the washing off of the contaminents.



Can`t wait for Ceramiclear!

[spudd73]

Is there a quick detailer i could use that would maybe have fillers to help hide the scratches unitl it`s time to polish it again...or is that a bad idea???

[Accumulator]

Originally posted by 6`][`9

your gonna get hairline scratches regardless.. .



I dunno, I avoid such marring on my "good" vehicles. But then I don`t live in an area like the SW where you have lots of airborne grit either.



I hardly *ever* have to polish out wash-induced marring on the Jag, the S8 or even the dog-hauling minivan. But when somebody else washed the S8 due to the "deer incident", they marred it something awful by my standards. And those were "competent" people who were trying to do it right. After polishing out what they did to it, I`ve washed it many times with no marring at all. I`ve only had to polish it and the minivan twice each since I got them (and the minivan gets used hard almost every day of the year).



But on the other hand, I wash my wife`s car the "normal", two-bucket, way most of the time and yeah, it has wash-induced marring. I`m quite confident that I know what does *and what doesn`t* cause marring in my situation.



Wash-induced marring can be avoided if you work at it. Check out My Wash Technique (http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=35232) .



Between washing the way I do, washing *frequently* and keeping plenty of slick LSP on the vehicles, I don`t have much trouble with marring.



Things you can try, short of washing the way I do:



Use a higher-lubricity shampoo. GC isn`t slippery enough for my taste.



Never let the vehicle get too dirty. Once it gets dirty enough, nothing will prevent some marring except possibly using a foamgun. And even then it`s tricky. You want to get the dirt off before it bonds to the surface.



When washing, try to "dislodge and flush away" the dirt as opposed to "scrubbing" or wiping it off. Dirt that sticks to the mitt will scratch if you move the dirty mitt across the finish with any real pressure.



Instead of rubbing the wet mitt against the panels, use it this way- hold it open in the wash bucket with the cuff pointed up; it`ll fill with wash solution. Hold the cuff shut so the mitt`s like a bag full of solution. *Very* gently move the "mitt/bag" across the panel, with very little contact pressure, while the solution seeps out of the mitt. If the mitt is obviously getting dirty, rinse it out even if you`ve only cleaned a very small area. When the mitt is empty rinse it out and move on. Repeat as needed, better multiple gentle passes than one harsh pass. Never let it touch the finish with a dirty mitt and/or unless solution is seeping out of it to lubricate the surface.



Have plenty of mitts, and if there`s any possibility that one hasn`t rinsed clean, use another, clean one.



It only takes one careless moment to mar the finish.



Remember that more time spent washing can mean less time spent polishing (and a thicker, longer-lived clearcoat).



Getting a foamgun will help more than anything else you can try.

[Bill D]

Foam gun for sure :up

[6']['9]

Originally posted by Bill D

Foam gun for sure :up



what will that do?

[Bill D]

It`s the only way I way I know of(at home) to make a constantly running stream of soapy solution over the section your are washing. While you are directing the stream of soap over the section you are washing you lightly wisk it with the mitt, rinse right away, if desired, with a flick of the adjustment bar and move on. You can also "pre soak" the entire car before hand and then begin the washing process. For me, it`s a fanastic tool for washing and now I really can`t see myself being without one.

[spudd73]

Does Pinnacle Bodywork Shampoo have more lubricity than Megs GC Shampoo? And does anybody think this would help more with the scratches???

[Bill D]

I heard both about Pinnacle : very slick or not enough performance for the money :nixweiss



However,for OTC car washes:



EO Wet, NXT and Duragloss all seem pretty slick although I wash exclusively with a foam gun so that may skew their performance :nixweiss

[Accumulator]

Originally posted by spudd73

Does Pinnacle Bodywork Shampoo have more lubricity than Megs GC Shampoo? And does anybody think this would help more with the scratches???



Yeah, but then GC isn`t all that slick (at least IMO). I tried GC after reading all the :bow that I read about it here and I thought it was crappy, not slick at all compared to what I`m used to. I gave it away to somebody who mars when they wash anyhow. Griot`s works much better in this regard, and I hear that PoorBoy`s is similar.



Even with Griot`s now costing $40/gallon plus shipping, it`s all I use. It does seem to help with wash-induced marring and it seems better in this regard than my previous fave, Meg`s #62.



But using the foamgun and the "dislodge and flush" approach will be the best course of action ;)



I recognize that none of this is cheap, but you can`t get time and clearcoat back. I`d rather not have to polish out marring for that reason alone.