WW Scratching Paint

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xtremekustomz

New member
It seems I can't win with this black truck. It is roughly in the mid 90's here every day and I have an extended cab chevrolet truck. I make sure I get all the loose dirt off of the truck with my pressure washer, go over the truck with a foam gun and let sit, spray off with the pressure washer again and then do a conventional wash with GC and a sheepskin mit using the 2 bucket method. I do one panel at a time and rinse and after all is through I do a rinse with just the water hose. My WW is awful on horizontal surfaces. I have not been able to use it and not have streaking. I wash it every time I use it and it is the same thing every time. I now noticed today that it is putting fine scratches in the clearcoat. And before you ask, I drag it across the surface, not rub. I have tried using my vac that has a blower attachment to dry it that way and it leaves small water spots. I just really don't know what to do anymore. I'm just about ready to repaint this damn thing.
 
xtremekustomz said:
Meguairs WW
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They have been "not gentle enough" for my black Supra too. I have demoted them to glass cleaning duty. Check out Monterey WW from ExcelDetail. Many love them. I love them too.
 
Yeah, all WWs are not the same. I have some very soft ones I use on the "good cars" and I test them regularly so I can replace them before they wear and do damage. No way I'd use my regular WWs on those cars for fear of marring, even though they aren't marring the daily drivers (I test those frequently too). Just a case of better safe than sorry.



In this case, I'd think that replacing some WWs would be a lot easier (and cheaper) than repainting a truck :D
 
Accumulator said:
Yeah, all WWs are not the same.
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couldn't agree more. i only use the ultra-soft ww's and NOT the regular ones as they seem a little too hard for my taste. i also like using an x-large soft mf drying towel as well...
 
xtremekustomz said:
I have not been able to use it and not have streaking. I wash it every time I use it and it is the same thing every time. I now noticed today that it is putting fine scratches in the clearcoat.
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Streaking suggests a washing issue.



If you get a buildup of detergent in the fibres, they can go stiff, resulting in marring.



So, streaking and scratching raises a washing red flag for me.



How do you wash your WW?
 
xtremekustomz said:
It seems I can't win with this black truck. It is roughly in the mid 90's here every day and I have an extended cab chevrolet truck. I make sure I get all the loose dirt off of the truck with my pressure washer, go over the truck with a foam gun and let sit, spray off with the pressure washer again and then do a conventional wash with GC and a sheepskin mit using the 2 bucket method. I do one panel at a time and rinse and after all is through I do a rinse with just the water hose. My WW is awful on horizontal surfaces. I have not been able to use it and not have streaking. I wash it every time I use it and it is the same thing every time. I now noticed today that it is putting fine scratches in the clearcoat. And before you ask, I drag it across the surface, not rub. I have tried using my vac that has a blower attachment to dry it that way and it leaves small water spots. I just really don't know what to do anymore. I'm just about ready to repaint this damn thing.
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Are you presoaking the dirt before you pressure wash the truck. If you don't, the pressure washing could be causing your problems.



Derrick
 
ZoranC said:
They have been "not gentle enough" for my black Supra too. I have demoted them to glass cleaning duty. Check out Monterey WW from ExcelDetail. Many love them. I love them too.
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+1 on the Monterey WW from ExcelDetail, good qaulity and nice price.:up
 
I'm having more of an issue than just the waffle weave scratching the paint. Bugs are etching into the front of my hood, bumper, and grille. No matter what I put on there they still etch and actually chip the paint off. The truck will probably stay this color until the end of the year and I'm going to repaint it. I found some colors that I want to do a 2 tone with anyway. Something that won't show up these problems as easy. Probably gonna look into some ceramic clearcoat too :) The dupont looks good but it just isn't cutting it.



As for washing, I wash them in the washing machine with regular detergent on the extra clean cycle and it rinses twice. I do my other microfibers in there with the same detergent and they don't streak so I dunno.
 
xtremekustomz said:
As for washing, I wash them in the washing machine with regular detergent on the extra clean cycle and it rinses twice. I do my other microfibers in there with the same detergent and they don't streak so I dunno.
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How much detergent? Powder or liquid?



You said earlier that you wash the WW after every use. I find with my WW that the less I wash them with detergent the better. WW just don't get dirty enough to wash that regularly. And after every wash they will hold onto more and more detergent. If you do wish to wash after every use, then just wash them seperately in just hot water two or three times. I think you'll be surprised how much trapped detergent is released! It may fill your washer with foam. Try it...it won't harm your WW if I'm wrong, but it will save them (and your regular MF) if I'm right. :grinno:



Additionally, washing in hot water alone will release dirt and other contaminants picked up without the need for fibre-clogging detergents. The hot water (and trapped detergents) are enough to release debris from the fibres. It's not as though WW get filled with heavy grime, polish or wax like regular MF. They just soak up clean water. :up
 
Alfisti said:
..If you do wish to wash after every use, then just wash them seperately in just hot water two or three times. I think you'll be surprised how much trapped detergent is released!
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Very true :xyxthumbs
 
Your washing method seems fine but does your truck have a good coat of a sealant? You may also want to try sheeting the water off your truck and just run your chamois or a WW over the top to get excess water off then spray each area before you dry it with detail spray and then finish your vehickle that way. hope this helps but black is always going to show fine scratches no matter what you do.
 
Your washing method seems fine as stated all WW are not the same. You may also try sheeting your vehichle then dragging lightly the excess water off with a chamois or good WW then QD each section and completely dry that section. Black is always going to get fine scratches but doing this method will keep alot of scratches off your vehichle. good luck..
 
FWIW, recently I have been pre-soaking towels for a while before actual wash and that has helped improve results of the wash on very soiled towels.
 
ZoranC said:
They have been "not gentle enough" for my black Supra too. I have demoted them to glass cleaning duty. Check out Monterey WW from ExcelDetail. Many love them. I love them too.
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My Megs WW's seemed to get scratchy. My Cobra WW's have stayed soft.

You can try blotting the surface, followed by QD'ing off the rest of the water with a MF.
 
BlackCoupe said:
You can try blotting the surface, followed by QD'ing off the rest of the water with a MF.
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I see we almost think alike when it comes to this. Right now I blot (with Absorber or similar) to eliminate majority of water quick and then dry it WW. However, reason why I am not using MF for drying is to avoid getting dirt trapped, which they say WW reduces chances of. On the other hand I am starting to experiment with SpoiledMan's Grout Sponge Washing Era (liking it so far) and that is supposed to eliminate that dirt. In that case I should be able to use MF.



This all opens up an interesting debate. Accumulator, what are your thoughts?
 
ZoranC said:
.. Accumulator, what are your thoughts?
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I don't think that WWs would be any different from plush MFs with regard to dirt getting trapped. In the WW it could go up into a "pocket", in a plush it could go up into the nap and get caught up in the plushness of said nap. I wouldn't count on either to prevent the dirt from marring the paint though. Same old story: if the dirt is there, and it gets moved against the paint under pressure, you'll get marring.



The areas where I really worry about dirt are in inaccessible areas where water (and dirt) collect; as I blow these out with the compressor dirty water often comes out. Dirty enough to be liquid sandpaper. So I try to blow this dirty water into a cotton terry towel (a soft, fluffy one) in the hope that the dirt will get trapped in the nap of the towel. Seems to work OK but I'm careful not to move that towel (while in contact with the paint) lest I get marring; so it's blow/blot, pick up towel to reposition, blow/blot, etc. etc. In many ways I prefer the absorption of cotton over the adsorption of MF.
 
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