headliner stains

R

richh

New member
I recently washed my brand new mustang and the day after i washed it i noticed ultra fine scratches and swirl marks all over various locations.Im not sure if was done by me or the detailer at the autodealer before delivery.Im afraid that i have damaged my paint beyond repair.Can anyone suggest something or anything to correct and repair the damage.Sigh:(
 
Someone definitely will point you in the right direction here. this is a great forum. I will leave this to the experts. One way to avoid further scratches is to use two buckets for washing. One to wash and one to rinse. This helps avoid rubbing the dirt around on your paint.
 
First of all do not fret. All is not lost. You have to be specific when you are describing your problem. Are your swirl marks deep, or are they shallow (this will determine what type of Swirl Mark Remover that you should use)? Swirl marks are farily easy to deal with when the car is new. Most likely they are in the clear coat. Since the car is new your paint has not been exposed to the elements.



Run a search on the topic of swirl marks. You will see that you are not the only person out there with this problem. From there, you can decide what type of treatment you would like to try. I know that you will get some replies that can give you much more direction. Best of luck.
 
If the swirl marks are very light, then I would use a product like 3M Swirl Mark Remover. It is a very mild abrasive and will help with light swirls.



If that does not help, then step up to 3M Finessit II Finishing Material. It will work with medium swirls. If this product leaves a haze on your paint, follow up with the SMR, and it should help to remove it.



These products may take 3 to 4 applications to remove the swirls, so dont be frustrated if they dont work the first time. The SMR may take a long time to work. Some have spent 3-4 hours on a hood alone, so you may want to try the Finessit II first. The Finessit II applied by hand should solve your swirl mark problems.
 
Change your drying methods. Use an Absorber. They work really well. Also, burn your california car duster if you have one. If you do have one you will keep seeing swirls.
 
Thanx for the adivce and quick response.Im not sure how deep the fine hair like scratches are but what im most afraid of doing is causing more damage when i was the car again or apply the products to repair the marks.I just may skip hand washing the car and start going to the selfserve carwash and wash it there from now on.Also what about zaino products that are mentioned in other threads how well do they work.Also im contemplating going to a detailer and having them repair the damage.Im just big time paranoid i guess.I did rinse the wash mitt off numerous times during the washing and i all used a item just like the absorber and some terry cloth towels to dry.Any one have anymore thoughts all are welcome.Im starting to think that fine scratches are unavoidable to some extent.
 
If these swirls are very minor you may want to try using Meguiar's Scratch X first before anything else. Very good for beginners of detailing. Also very safe and will not add any further swirls or marks on the finish.



Don't get me wrong the suggestions that you have been provided with up to this point are VERY GOOD products. However when I picked up my new car (swirls on the finish were present) a friend of mine suggested starting very low on the spectrum of abrasives and it worked like a charm. Then find a good wax/polymer/ car finish program to stick with.



If Scratch X does not work go right to the previous mentioned products to get them (swirls) taken care of. Scratch X is the most mild and a very good starting point on a new finish.



Welcome to the forum!
 
It could be the terry cloth towels that put the swirls in your paint. Use only super soft towels on paint, like Miracle Towels or Fieldcrest Charisma (sp?) towels.



Dont give up washing your car by hand! Get yourself a cotten chenille wash mitt, and use the 2 bucket method and you should be fine. Never take your car through a wash were brushes touch the paint, they will scratch and make lots of swirls.



Try some of the products that have been listed here, especially the Finessit II. You wont go through the clearcoat with them if you apply them by hand. If you are really worried about using abrasives, use the SMR first. It is very very mild and you wont hurt the paint, it will just take longer to do.
 
All is not lost. I definitely agree with Showroom Lincoln, don't give up washing your car by hand, 2 bucket method is great.



Also, don't take your car to a detailer, they may do more harm than good actually. When you want it done right, do it yourself :)



Start with a very mild abrasive, as people have mentioned, 3M SMR and if that doesn't do the trick then Finesse It II. Be patient! All things take time, especially with these milder abrasives, don't get discouraged if you don't see results when the product hits the paint. You will definitely need to invest some time into the process.



Do a search on Zaino, you will find lots of information and threads in the archives.



Happy detailing!
 
Okay thanx for the advice.I have few more questions though.Im going to try Mequiar's no. 9 swirlremover with with their medallion paint cleaner first.Also who makes scratch x and where can it be purchased couldnt find it on this site.Lastly what should i use to apply the products and buff it out and is it safe to use on bumpers etc.
 
New vehicle, what kind of wax is on it. If a cheaper wax, not a sealant, you probably just have marring of the wax, even polymers can get them if the mitt or towel is wrong, the car is not soaked to soften the dirt, the wrong carwash solution etc.



Just try applying another coat of wax or sealant and see if when you wipe the indicators off if they are gone.



That is the simple way, if they are still there, then move on to more agressive correction procedures.



:cool:
 
I have some microsratches and swirls on my new car (5 mo. old) too - I'm starting to believe it's inevitable and impossible not to have them eventually...you might want to try a wax that has filling properties - such as the carnauba paste wax from Griot's Garage (griotsgarage.com) - I haven't tried it but a friend of mine did and he said it helps make them less noticable - I have yet to see a clear-coated car that doesn't have some fine scratches/swirl marks - mine came from the dealer with them, they meant well but they screwed up - I picked up my car at night and didn't notice them until a few days later in bright sunlight - they still bug me to a degree but I've learned to live with them for the most part...this is by far the best place for advice/suggestions - good luck!
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by littlebags [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>Okay thanx for the advice.I have few more questions though.Im going to try Mequiar's no. 9 swirlremover with with their medallion paint cleaner first.Also who makes scratch x and where can it be purchased couldnt find it on this site.Lastly what should i use to apply the products and buff it out and is it safe to use on bumpers etc. [/b]</blockquote>
Littlebags, I'd stay away from the Meguiar's #9. It's more coarse then the mentioned 3M products! Scratch X is also made by Meguiar's and can be bought at Target, Wall-Mart, G.I. Joes if you have one near you, or Shucks Auto. The list is endless.

I've seen with this thread you've gotten a lot of fantastic advice to follow!!!!! :)

One final note: I've never used the 3M products, but have only seen good things about them. I have only used the Meguiar's Scratch X (#9 once and it caused more swirls then before starting!)
 
Scratch X is really hard to use if you plan on using it on the whole car. It is designed to be used on small areas. It is harder to buff off than regular wax. You might just want to use it on the really bad spots and leave the minor stuff to the zaino or another swirl reducer wax.
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Jngrbrdman [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>Scratch X is really hard to use if you plan on using it on the whole car. It is designed to be used on small areas. It is harder to buff off than regular wax. You might just want to use it on the really bad spots and leave the minor stuff to the zaino or another swirl reducer wax. [/b]</blockquote>
I agree about using it on the entire car, if by hand alone. I used a palm buffer with a sponge bonnet and it put it on very thin. It was very easy to use. I think the buffer method is best due to spreading the material out thin.

I also followed up with Zaino Z-5 and it really does a nice job of getting those pesty swirls hidden. :)
 
Okay thanx for the advice i will definitely some of the sugestions.I agree with karen i think its darn near impossbile to prevent siwrls and fine scratches it bothers me big time as well.I hope ron is right and it just marring of the wax etc.Thanx again.
 
I too own a new Mustang, a 2001 Laser Red(about 7 months old now). I also have had a few light swirls/scratches in the paint.



I am glad Ron K saw your post first, as I was about to suggest the same thing he did. Most dealers will remove the plastic transit coating from your vehicle, then wash it, and then detail using some kind of spray wax/carnuba based wax.





There may be two (or more) causes for your swirls



1. Improper washing techinques at the dealership, then the dealer applied a spray glaze or wax, this glaze filled in the swirls the dealer had caused. When you washed your car, you removed the filling properties of the wax, then you suddenly noticed them. IE they were there from the day you drove off the lot.



2. A poor quality terry cloth towel you used for drying or perhaps your wash mitt, may have marred the surface.









A couple of points to consider-



1. Examine your swirls after washing and drying the car, run your fingernail along them lightly, can you "feel" the scratch with your fingernail?



2. You may very well have a coat of light spray wax on your car. Without going into a lot of expense to strip the wax, try washing with a light solution of Dawn dishwashing liquid and water. After washing with Dawn, then rewash using a good quality carwash solution(Meguiar's Gold class, PS21, whatever...).



The Dawn will strip off the dealer wax, and then really let you look at your car's surface.



You will need to strip off the dealer wax anyway when you plan to "remove" the swirls. Why not see where the swirls are really located? Of course, once you remove the swirls(if needed) you will then need to rewax your car's surface again.



I would first get the dealer wax off the car, then look at the REAL surface. That can help to tell you if you have marrs in the wax coating, or acutal marrs/swirls in your clear.



I can not emphasize enough that the surface you are dealing with is VERY delicate. Swirl removal can take time. The folks on this board are very knowledgable, but DON'T try to tackle a problem until you are sure of what the real problem is. Trust me, I have done it in the past, and have often not been happy with my results.



For example,

No need to go attacking swirl marks in the clear(with a 3M product, or Meguiar's), if all you have is marrs in your wax. You might end up creating more scratches than you started with. Remove the wax first, then really see what is underneath. Then if you still have swirls, make a game plan.



I know this is long, but post back to me if you like. Once you know what you have, you can develop a better game plan, and ensure that you have a better shine!



SJ
 
I have an otherwise perfect 356 porsche white vinyl headliner with water stains along the door edge. (bad door seal) It's a lot of work to replace the liner. Anyone have a trick for cleaning?
 
Yes, 1-cup of LA's Awesome to 1-gallon of warm water.Get a wash mit or cotton wash cloth and let it soak in bucket. Retrieve mit/cloth and wringe out 80%. Then just start rubbing. If the stain presist, spray straight Awesome onto damp rag and try again. Have a large dry cotton towel on hand for drying :)

LA's Awesome is avalible at Dollar Tree/Dollar General & Family Dollar. Its in the cleaning section and is yellow in color. I have used dozens of interior cleaning products in my 28 year detailing career and have found nothing that holds a candle to LA's Awesome :StarWars:

***Do not spray this product directly onto leather(or at least, not till you get past the learning curve of using this product :biggrin: )
 
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