Help me with clusters of fine scratches!

R

Rogue3000

New member
Hello everybody:



Background info: I drive a 2005 Subaru Crystal Grey Metallic WRX(Slightly darker silver). I'm very new to car paint and care; this is my first "real" car that deserves all the attention that I'm now willing to give.



Okay, my assigned parking spot is under a tree, and a few days ago, I found my car to be covered in little purple spots that resembled large blueberries, only resembled more a big purple bird dropping. Anyway, so I came home and got a sponge and started washing/wiping them off, but some were very hard and stuck on well, so i used the green, coarse side of the sponge. (I had washed the car the weekend before with the softer, yellow side of the sponge with no marks to show, so i thought this would be safe). Now, after everything dried off, there are EXTREMELY noticable clusters of VERY fine scratches in the areas that I scrubbed (half a dozen on the hood)

The clusters on the hood appear to be much easier to take care of, however on the drivers side rear door, there is a massive (about 4 inch diameter) spot where I believe I have "sanded off" the clearcoat. There is one similar on the opposite side of the car as well, but doesn't concern me AS MUCH. (not to mention the half dozen on the roof/rear deck)

So, panel of experts, what do i do? Have I destroyed my paint? I was recommended "3M Perfect-it swirl remover for light cars (#39109)" and a good waxing. Will this do it? If i use this 3M product and it doesn't work have I done any more damage? What do you all suggest? Thank you in advance, and I appologize for the lenghty post.
 
Welcome to Autopia, but I'm sorry your first post had to be of this nature.



The 3M and a good waxing may help hide the scratches for a while, but it won't help a lot and they will show back up as your wax wears off. But you really won't do any harm either.



What you should do is find a good detailer in your area and have them look at the damage you've done. Note that I said "good detailer", now is not the time to try and save a few $$$$. It may or may not be as bad as you think, and an experienced detailer may be able to clean up your finish, or at least parts of it. If you have indeed worn through the clear coat then you'll have to have a body shop repaint that area. If it's just one door that was damaged then the repaint won't be as bad as you may think.



To find a good detailer you may want to post your location in the "Professional Detailers" forum here and ask for suggestions. Good luck!



In the mean time go to this link and read up on how to maintain your car the proper way (and throw away that sponge!). Also download the free ebook on detailing form this same link:



http://www.autopia-carcare.com/how-to.html
 
Well, first off let me slap ya. Just joking.



Second, let me help you. Never use a sponge non paint :( It will marr the surfaces ALOT, and will take a little bit of work to get them out. I'd suggest trying "Scratch-x" by meguiars if you are looking for consumer type products. If you want to get really good results, try some Meguiars DACP, or Poorboys SSR2.5.



If you are doing it by hand, just remember to keep working the product so it breaks down.



I'd also recommend you purchase some quality sheepskin wash mitts, and a couple high quality wafle weave microfiber drying towels.



Search the forum, you can find likes to the different items.
 
well first off - i LOVE the choice of car (if only insurance would let me..)



second - this might get all overwheming with the waffle weave Mf's and this product - that product... but i assure you - just take your time to read through the guide and everything well make sense...



most of us here have almost spotless cars, and we love our art of detailing... we even get overexcited when a new brand of cloth comes out! lol.

what i mean to say is - hopefully you'll enjoy detailing your pride and joy as much as you love driving it one day.



(hmm... that was a bit longwinded for a "hi and welcome" post....)
 
Rogue3000- Welcome to Autopia!



Sorry to hear about the marring on your Subie. Gotta be careful wiping off birdbombs as they are usually rather abrasive (full of grit). And washing/drying without marring the finish isn't as easy as one might think (do a search, lots of info here on how to do it right).



Having owned a few Subarus, I sincerely doubt that you've compromised the clearcoat, it's pretty tough.



IMO you can fix this yourself and possibly safer than taking it to a pro, who might do who-knows-what.



I'd get either 3M PI-III MG (SOURCE) or some 1Z brand Paint Polish (available from vendors here). Use these with a plush microfiber towel from a reputable source. Both these products work well, even by hand, and are plenty mild enough for inexperienced users. I've used them to remove similar problems from Subaru clear, and if anything they might be a bit too mild. In this case, they'll at least make things *much* better, quite possibly good enough. Also, both products are good to have around, so it's not like you'll be stuck with a whole bottle of stuff you only used once. And IMHO these products are gonna work better than anything you'll find at an autoparts store or Walmart ;)
 
First, thanks for all of your warm salutations and warnings. I feel welcome already. Anyway, Its true, i am an EXTREME noobie to car paint care, seeing as this is my first "real" car. (previous car was a beat up, hand me down 98 Jetta GL covered in scratches, didn't bother fixin her up)



Thanks for the replies everybody. Well, last night, I discovered some of my fathers old Car Supplies and found a bottle of "MOC MagnaCrystal Cleaner/Glaze" that had a description of its uses on the back that seemed to match my needs. I applied this to a few spots to see the results, and It did help significantly, you wont notice the spots at first unless you're looking for them, but you will notice them if you're looking at the paint. That being said, I'd like to try a different product-one that will fix the scratches, not cover them up. So if I purchase the Meguiars Scratch-X or the 3M Perfect-It products, will that help remove the scratches, or have the same effect as my fathers cleaner/glaze? I'd like to take care of this permanently, rather than have to keep applying products to that area or wax it more than I normally would. What do you all think? And once again, now that I've applied this Cleaner/Glaze product, could I have in any way done any more damage?
 
Rogue3000 said:
I'd like to try a different product-one that will fix the scratches, not cover them up. So if I purchase the Meguiars Scratch-X or the 3M Perfect-It products, will that help remove the scratches, or have the same effect as my fathers cleaner/glaze?
Click to expand...



These products will mechanically remove the marring through abrasion, like sanding scratches out of wood. The marring will be gone, not just covered up.



..now that I've applied this Cleaner/Glaze product, could I have in any way done any more damage?
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Not unless it, or the material you applied/removed it with, is overly abrasive. Unlikely, IMO. In any event, using the PI-III MG/Scratch-X with foam/microfiber applicators and removing it with a plush MF will solve any problems.
 
Again, the largest scratch that is most visible on the door panel is a large 4" diameter circular shape that is clearly a flatter grey. I'm not sure what this means, but hopefully this 3M product will take care of it.



Anyway...



Alright, sounds good, I'm ordering the 3M Perfect-It Scratch/Swirl Remover right now. 1 More question that I don't thank has been answered yet: Since this 3M Perfect-It removes the scratches through abrasion, if it doesn't end up working, will I have done any damage that could prevent a body shop from fixing the scratches?
 
Rogue3000 said:
Since this 3M Perfect-It removes the scratches through abrasion, if it doesn't end up working, will I have done any damage that could prevent a body shop from fixing the scratches?
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You're asking the right questions. I see what you're concerned with, and yeah, there's always the "but it removes more paint and there's only so much to work with" thing. But IMO the 05937 is so mild that it won't be a factor. If it doesn't work, it'll be because a) the problem is too severe/maybe nothing will fix it completely and safely or b) because the 05937 is too mild- no problem, a shop will use something more aggressive and no harm done. In that case, the little the 05937 will have done won't even factor in.



It's not like the 05937 will make things worse.
 
alright thanks a lot for all the info, i've relaxed a lot more about it after hearing what you all said. final question: can i leave it alone for a week or so? or should i take car of this immediately? I'm in Philadelphia, so temps are in the low 40's and snow should be here in the next few weeks.
 
Hello again everybody! I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving. While I was away visiting my family across the country celebrating thanksgiving, my Meguiars Scratch X came in the mail. I plan on applying it today, and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions/recommendations as for how to apply it, or any warnings or such. I know I should wash the areas first (without a sponge :) ) and then apply the ScatchX. I have a 100% Cotton cloth I plan on using (I don't have a MicroFiber towel), but I hear you need to use quite a bit of elbow grease to get the scatches out. Is this true? The tube does not say how much of the product to apply, but I've heard to use it liberally. Am I correct? Well, thanks for all your help guys, I really appreciate it. Hope to hear from you soon!



PS: and if this works nicely, I'll go out and wax/wax it (appropriately, I've read through the site, so I think i know whats going on now :) ) and take some pictures, and post them up!



Thanks in advance.
 
A light cut followed by a polish with a foam finish pad on the end of a buffer would make short work of your problem, if I understand the description correctly. It can be done by hand, but it takes an awful long time.
 
Rogue3000 said:
I have a 100% Cotton cloth I plan on using (I don't have a MicroFiber towel), but I hear you need to use quite a bit of elbow grease to get the scatches out.
Click to expand...



Best to use one of those yellow round foam applicators, rather than a cotton cloth. Unless the cloth is ultra soft, it will induce its own micro-scratches.



You've gone this far, you might as well get the right applicator and restore your baby properly.



All the best!
 
I second the "watch it with cotton" advice. Almost all cotton terry will, in my experience, mar automotive paint to some extent. You might be able to get away with it on white though, and Subie clear is fairly hard. But I *strongly* urge you to buy some MFs and some foam applicators. Drop in the bucket cost-wise, compared to the car ;)
 
Hey everybody! Well I got my ScatchX in the mail and went to the local autoshop and picked up a foam applicator pad as per your suggestions. Well, ScratchX is working like a charm(with quite a bit of elbow grease), however it is difficult to see my progress with the clusters of scratches because theres still a residue of the product regardless of how much I work it in, so I was wondering what I should do with this residue? Wipe it off with a cotton cloth and water?



Thanks all
 
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