Getting rid of micro-marring on a new vehicle

[mixxmstrmike]

Fellow autopians...



I`m in need of assistance. Here`s the scoop. I bought a new Lexus IS300. Paint is in almost perfect condition. Perfect condition for me would be flawless, no micro-marring whatsoever.



I`ve noticed lately under direct sunlight a slight hint of micro-marring/spider webbing on my clearcoat. I`m assuming it`s been from the frequent carwashings I`ve been doing since it is a new car. (Been a while since I had the new car bug)



What are some of your suggestions to getting rid of the micro-marring at such an early stage? I have a PC, but haven`t really found a good product to polish out the marring.



I want to be as preventative as possible so that`s why I`m asking for assistance now rather than when "it`s too late."



Thanks in advance,

Mike

[JasonD]

First, how are you washing the car? What car wash are you using? What type of mitt? Drying towels? We might be able to help you prevent some of this from happening in the future.



Second, you have a PC. What kind of pads do you have? Do you have any microfiber towels?



Last, do you want to be able to buy your products locally or do you mind ordering from an interent company? This will help narrow your search for products.

[mixxmstrmike]

Meg`s gold class with a chenille wash mitt. Separate bucket for the Meg`s and a separate rinse bucket.



For drying towels, I`ve been using a Griot`s waffle weave microfiber drying towel, which is a 70/30 blend, I believe.



For the pads, I have a Griot`s orange and red pad. I also have a few Meguiar`s pads both yellow and tan. My microfiber towels consists of a mixture of manufacturers, but most have a 70/30 or 75/25 polyester/polyamide content, respectively.



No problem ordering through the internet to get the good stuff.



Thanks, JDookie,



-Mike

[JasonD]

Okay, sounds like you have quite a bit of good stuff to work with. First, I personally don`t care for chenille mitts. I like sheeskin mitts instead. They are more gentle and don`t leave lint everywhere, but that`s me.



I`ve never heard of anyone using Griot`s PC pads, so I`m not familiar with those at all but will assume they are good.



Your options are wide open here. My absolute favorite product that I don`t ever do a detail without is Klasse All In One. On a new car, this will get most of what you are probably seeing out and prep it for a protectant. If you are looking for a mild polish, you can read up and pick something. They are pretty much all good. I`d love to pick one for you, but it comes down to personal preference.



Bottom line, all you need is a mild polish, paint cleaner, and protectant. If the mild polish doesn`t get your defects out, then step up to a more aggressive polish of whatever product line you chose, and go from there.

[Accumulator]

mixxmstrmike- Never worked on a Lexus so I don`t know how hard your paint is. Based on my friends RX330 I bet it isn`t all that hard though.



The Griot`s orange pads last forever but a *very* mild. The yellow Meg`s polishing pad might be better choice. The orange Griot`s pad is sorta in between the two Meg`s pad. The red Griot`s pad is a nice soft finishing pad for your LSP.



Good starting points for polishes would be Meg`s #80 (removes and fills, best before carnaubas or NXT), 3M PI-III MG (05937) or their new PI-3000 SMR (but only the PI-3000 line, not their other SMR!), or 1Z Pro MP, which is the mildest of these (the pink consumer stuff is too mild). You could always do a follow up with the Meg`s beige pad or the Griot`s orange for a final "burnishing", especially with with the #80 or the Pro MP.



But the big thing really is to tweak the wash regimen so you don`t have to do this very often. Removing marring isn`t really "preventative", it`s corrective and it involves taking off paint/clear (not something you want to do too much of).



You almost certainly need more mitts (they get soiled and don`t really rinse clean); I can`t remember ever using fewer than four, even on a really clean car. I found the GC shampoo to be insufficient lubricity-wise though I realize that others like it (I use Griot`s Car Wash almost exclusively, buy it in gallons). And I still think a foamgun, used in conjunction with the "dislodge and flush" method of washing, is the way to go. The big trick to avoiding marring is to avoid rubbing the dirt into the paint...and the big question/challenge is "how to move the dirt off the paint without rubbing it *against* the paint?". Nah, the dirt doesn`t really migrate very far into the nap of the mitts/away from the paint ;)

[mixxmstrmike]

There`s some good stuff on this thread and thanks for the heads up. I will definitely order up some AIO. I`ve been debating on whether I would eventually get some, but from the sounds of it, I think it may actually do the trick.



I`ve used sheepskin wash mitts before and still have a few in my arsenal. I may revert back to them though the chenille, I have to admit, was more of an experiment. I do prefer the sheepskin.



The GC shampoo works well, but I do want to try the Griot`s stuff as well.



Accumulator: You think the Meg`s yellow pad is more "abrasive" than the Griot`s orange pad? If that`s the case, I may use that with some polish and see how the micro marring is diminished.



So, my plan is to wash, clay again, apply a polish, AIO, and LSP. Sounds like a decent plan?



-Mike

[Accumulator]

Yeah, that sounds good. I`ve never directly compared the Griot`s pads and the Meg`s ones, but the Griot`s pads don`t have much cut at all. They`re not a "finishing pad" or anything, but, at least with Griot`s polishes, they never did much correction for me. So I`d go with the Meg`s pad for that and see how it works.