fine marring/ scratching, is it unavoidable?

[jevan]

Hi everyone



This question is directed to more of the professionals of the forum but any comment would be greatly appreciated



I have opticoat 2.0 on my paint, its about 1.5 weeks old so its pretty much just applied and i decided to apply come optimum spray wax to have asmoother feel ans add extra protection. It was a cloudly day and I was not able to see if i had induced any marring into the coating. However upon my examination just then in the sydney sun i started seeing fine sratches or maring in my paint.



Did i do something wrong application wise? all i did was foam lance and 2BM with 2 MF noodle mitts, try to dry the car with the hose on a lower pressure and then i pat dried the remainder water with a waffle weave from OPT. Next i started to apply the spray wax where i would do 2 mists for half the bonnet and wipe with a mf cloth in viertical then horizontal sweeping motions, then turn over and buff off the remainder in the same way.



the cloth used was from car care products. I rang them and they told me that their listing of towels they stock has just changed but i was told that the equivalent towel is now (But none the less the MF towel i used was of high quality):



http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/pr...re_ultra_cloth

Mint Microfibre Ultra Cloth, Single priced at $10.95



the only difference being the colour and it might feel a little bit softer.



So basically there are sweeping lines that i am pretty sure are from my spray wax application that have made my heart sink..lol... after all my hard work polishing it and coating it with opticoat 2,0 which should of helped my marring and scratch issue, to what i would have thought to be more resillient that this. =_=''



So what am i doing wrong? also is it inevitable to get scatches even with great care during the washing process? mind you, I have had a bit of time off work so i have been washing it alotttt.. haha. so much that i dont believe even any dirt and grit could have stuck into the surface yet, plus it hasent rained since i have applied the opticoat.



thanks for your helps guys.

 

[togwt]

There is an inherent risk of inducing surface marring anytime you touch the paint surface; therefore correct washing / drying techniques are essential



Opti-Coat does provide a scratch ‘resistant’ finish but it needs to be fully cured (~ 30 days) to take effect

 

[Accumulator]

Hi everyone



This question is directed to more of the professionals of the forum but any comment would be greatly appreciated



I have opticoat 2.0 on my paint, its about 1.5 weeks old so its pretty much just applied and i decided to apply come optimum spray wax to have asmoother feel ans add extra protection. It was a cloudly day and I was not able to see if i had induced any marring into the coating. However upon my examination just then in the sydney sun i started seeing fine sratches or maring in my paint...

First thing, never do *anything* to your paint without appropriate illumination. Ever. Just wait if you have to. When something goes wrong, you need to spot it immediately so you can quit doing whatever's causing the problem.

Did i do something wrong application wise? all i did was foam lance and 2BM with 2 MF noodle mitts, try to dry the car with the hose on a lower pressure and then i pat dried the remainder water with a waffle weave from OPT. Next i started to apply the spray wax where i would do 2 mists for half the bonnet and wipe with a mf cloth in viertical then horizontal sweeping motions, then turn over and buff off the remainder in the same way.

You either didn't get all the dirt off (caused the marring by rubbing residual dirt into the paint when OCWing) or you caused the marring during the wash.



If *I* used the "noodle mitts" on a finish that'd only been pre-foamed, I'd expect to get marring. Even if I did say....one-third of a panel at a time. Where you filling the mitts with wash solution, holding them shut at the cuff, and gently whisking them across the panels while the solution seeped out? Or where you doing it "normally", wearing the mitts like gloves or holding/rubbing them across the panels like a sponge?



Once the mitts get dirt on them (like, after the first inch's worth of contact with a dirty car), they can be scratch-machines because they have abrasive dirt stuck to them.



IMO the "noodle" or "muppet" mitts are more likely to have this issue because a) there are fewer "gaps" between the strands for dirt to get safely caught up in, and b) the fewer strands will generally result in more pressure against the paint. (Save the flames, that's just *IMO* )

the cloth used was from car care products. I rang them and they told me that their listing of towels they stock has just changed but i was told that the equivalent towel is now (But none the less the MF towel i used was of high quality):



http://www.carcareproducts.com.au/pr...re_ultra_cloth

Mint Microfibre Ultra Cloth, Single priced at $10.95

Assuming you CD-tested it (as with anything that'll be touching your paint), it should be OK. The problem probably came from the dirt.

So basically there are sweeping lines that i am pretty sure are from my spray wax application that have made my heart sink..

"Sweeping lines" are a :nono They mean that something was wrong for longer than just a moment.



If those "sweeping lines" came from the wash, you need to quit doing stuff in long, sweeping motions. If/when you do get marring, you sure don't want it to be loooong scratches. I use an "interrupted, jiggling motion" with my wash media so the dirt has a change to float away and so that any marring that does happen will be short little scratches that won't be too obvious.



If they came from the OCWing, you need to get the vehicle cleaner before you do that. And I'd still try to keep the motions shorter.

So what am i doing wrong? also is it inevitable to get scatches even with great care during the washing process? mind you, I have had a bit of time off work so i have been washing it alotttt.. haha. so much that i dont believe even any dirt and grit could have stuck into the surface yet, plus it hasent rained since i have applied the opticoat..

At some point, well....yeah, marring happens.



But you oughta be able to go a few months without anything obvious showing up during close inspections, and at least a year before the vehicle looks like it *just might* oughta be redone (looks like that to an Autopian...a normal person oughta think it looks great for years without any polishing).



I think you need to rework the wash technique. I'd be spraying foamgun output at the point of wash medium-to-paint contact, to effect a "dislodge and flush" approach where the abrasive dirt isn't getting moved across the paint under pressure.



While some people do fine with ONR/etc. and can do a wash rather quickly, I spend *hours* at it, and I'm working very hard. It's also somewhat nerve-wracking, knowing that a momentary slip-up might result in marring. Lots of intense concentration, all done with proper lighting. By the end of a wash I'm a lot more played than I am after a tough workout!

 

[Dr Buff]

The question I want to ask first is, has there been any form of buffing ever done to the vehicle before these applications. Even if it was a DA and Even if it was six months ago ? Secondly, get rid of that damned mitt and get a lambs wool mitt. I never liked those mitts