GTO for Spring Break

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ISLANDSBEST

New member
I have consistently used a car cover since I bought my new Lexus. The paint has been immaculate. I wash just to get film off the car. It was hardly ever "dirty," particularly as I QDed daily.

Last Friday I rushed out of town. I did not have time to put the car cover on at the airport. When I got back, the car was a bit dirty, so I did not put the cover on it. I drove it from then until now, still not using the cover, because I never put a cover on a dirty car. This morning I washed it. Now, keep in mind that the car was clean seven days ago. I did not drive it in unusual conditions. It just had the normal "seven days between washing" dirt.

I washed the car <em class='bbc'>twice[/i], because I was going to put a new coat of Z on. After the double washing, when I went to put the new coat of Z on, I found a large number of very tiny "dots" of hard or gummy material that the car shampoo and washing had not removed. They eventually rubbed off . . . with LOTS of rubbing. Most, I could remove with my finger nail. This must have been some sort of atmospheric fallout. There were also tiny white patches (about 1/16" in diameter). With elbow grease and Z5, these rubbed out also.

As we know, it does not matter how great your wax or Z or K if your paint is not in good condition to begin with. The above experience has re-enforced for me the importance of keeping a car covered when it is not in motion -- either covered by a car cover, or garaged, or at least under a carport.

In fact, I do not see how one could keep the paint pristine without covering because washing does not seem to remove all contamination from the surface of the paint . . . at least if you keep your car uncovered in Los Angeles!

Comments? Observations? (other than suggesting I move out of LA!)
 
i have a new black jetta that unfortunately does not have a garage to call home.

i bought the finest outdoor cover for this thing, but like yourself, refuse to put it on over a dirty car...

but what's the lesser of all evils?

the car gets washed weekly and then covered that day/night.

if i take the car out after that, it will get dirty enough that putting a cover on it MAY scratch the finish.....

but do i leave it uncovered until that next washing? will it get sap, rain (acid), bird crap, etc. on it during this time?

do i press my luck? and if so, which way should i press my luck?

i'd say it's a catch 22.

i realize you too are looking for answers. i don't have any. just empathy...

--thomas
 
Hi roadk,



Thanks for the emphathy.



I drive my car to work, then put the cover on. When I drive home, I QD, then put the cover on. So, I usually do not have a problem. When I park for a short time, to run into a store, I do not put the cover on, but I do check for bird dropping, etc. before getting in the car. I have found that if I QD each day, in the evening, before putting the cover on, I have to problem.
 
darbh - I feel your pain!

the trick to getting all those dots off with great ease and minimal finish damage: <strong class='bbc'>clay bar[/b]. If Zaino is your potion of choice, then use the Z6 spray as a lubricant. It is amazing how well clay bars will work to remove this stuff and make your paint feel glorious - and they really won't scratch much.

As you move the clay bar over the surface you will literally hear and feel the difference within a few strokes.

I'm with you though - never cover a dirty car. Even when the car is clean again, your cover will have all that crapola in it.
 
I understand what you mean. Those annoying dots --> "." Here in Southern California, I really am scared to add more and more layers of Klasse, even Zaino without claying before layers, or using Z-1 Pre-Cleaner before the Z-2.



Clay works fine, but I see them everytime I wash. Thats a lotta clay cars!
 
I find about half a dozen of those tiny little brown spots on the horizontal surfaces every day. Fingernail usually gets em if they are fresh. Has anyone ever had one of those analyzed? I suspect it is either insect poop or anti-matter... ;)



H
 
See? It's not only me that sees (or "imagines") those tiny dots. I think I'll use that lighted magnifyer.... :D



That's one good thing about metallic paint. Most things are camoflauged.
 
Sounds like you would not want to breath the air over there. Imagine your lungs if your paint looks like that. :(
 
I've seen the same stuff drop onto my car, and becomes more noticeable as more dirt collects on the car.... :rolleyes:



I feel your pain roadk. Not having a garage sucks!
 
Hi All,



Thanks for your posts. I am sad to hear that you have experienced the same thing, and happy to hear I am not loosing my mind . . . . or that I have bad karma.



When I think back about my old Lexus, I cannot believe what I subjected the paint to! No surprize that the clear coat failed in several locations (particularly one that had bird poop on it -- slight damage that five years later led to total failure -- the clear in that area simply feel off after five years -- shows you that aggressive contaminants can have a delayed reaction!).



By the way, I did clay the hood . . . because it had some water spots. It did take care of the "dots" problem (and the water spots) , BUT, added a few very fine lines (and, I know about turning the clay)! They will go away, I think, with more Z5.



I think the lesson is "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
 
Hey everyone,

Well, I finally got the chance to take a break and catch up on some detailing.

The car is an '05 Pontiac GTO that a co-worker purchased a few months ago. From a distance, the car looks very good. But, there were plenty of swirls and it just had this opaque look to it.. The hood and right rear quarter had been repainted - hood measured 18.8 mils, while the rest of the car was about 5.5 mils. The goal was to remove the scratches and restore the paint depth.

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To start off, we washed the car with ONR and clayed it using Meguiar's blue and M34. The tires were cleaned with Super Degreaser, while the rims were cleaned with Wheel Brightener. Unfortunately, the wheels were stained a shade of gray. We ended up polishing them by hand with M105 to restore the color.

The paint corrected using a few systems. The hood was corrected with M205 on a W8207 pad on the rotary and then finished with M205 on a W9207 pad on the G110. The rest of the body was corrected using my Fein rotary with a W8207 pad and M105. I started out at 1500rpm and a bit of pressure to remove the deeper defects and then lowered the rpm to 1200 and lessened the pressure. The finish was then refined with the G110 and a W9207 pad and M205. Certain areas were polished with a Surbuf pad and M105 on the G110 to remove some sanding marks. The exhaust tips and headlights were polished with M105 / M205.

My halogen lights burned out, so Brinkmann picks will have to suffice.

Before:
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After:
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The tires were dressed with Eimann Fabrik Black Sapphire Gel. For the paint protection, I chose Z2 Pro followed by BlackFire Midnight Sun.

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Overall, it was a very enjoyable car to work on. The paint was not too hard, but it responded very well to a bit of polishing.

Thanks for looking!

-Chris
 
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