2016 Subaru Impreza Sport, Black, Bugs and Scratches

[RusskySlava]

Good morning (afternoon for some of you) Autogeek community,

I've lurked on this forum a few times to get some tips and tricks, but now I have a question and decided to come to you for help.
As a background, I bought a 2016 Subaru Impreza in May as a present to myself for gradumakating college. It's my first new car and I'm very excited on it. I chose the Subaru because I go snowboarding in the mountains a lot and go climbing occasionally during the summer so I needed a vehicle that could get me to a lot of places, but still get great gas mileage and work well in the snow.
Now the color: Black was not my first choice. Stock on Imprezas seems to be limited at times in my community, and there were certain features I wanted and didn't want that more or less forced me to get this color vehicle. I didn't have an option of ordering a car and waiting, as my existing vehicle had blown a head gasket during my last finals week (talk about luck).

This car has received a lot of miles already, a lot of which were highway miles in northern California which as some of you may realize is heavy bug season. Although I've tried to keep up with maintenance of the paint, it seems that the bug infestation is beating my lack of knowledge.

This morning I decided to try to clay-bar the car as one of the articles on Autogeek suggested. I washed the car last night, and this morning I busted out a Meguiars clay kit I grabbed from O'Reillys.
Within seconds of beginning the clay process, I realized that I had begun scratching the paint on the car:http://www.slavarussky.com/subaru/subaru_scratch.jpg


I can just barely feel the scratch with my fingernail.

So my first question is: Am I able to repair this without respray? Or at least make it less easy to notice?

I've also noticed that some of the areas that look like bug guts, are actually slight bumps in the paint.?(not sure if that's even possible)

What are the steps and products that I could apply in my situation to:
A. Repair the current damage.
B. Protect the car from further damage.

This car will be driven a lot, in variable conditions (snow, desert, etc).

Some more information. I live in an apartment and don't have a hose hookup, so I'm stuck with using the DIY auto wash bays. I can run an extension cord to the bay that my car is parked in. The car did receive a coat of Griots Garage wax a few months ago (applied by hand). I don't have any equipment yet, and am not sure what direction to go in.

Thanks a lot guys. Any feedback (positive or negative since I deserve it for taking such #### care of my new car) is appreciated.

[Ebg18t]

I think we need to find you a local AG'r with the proper equipment to come help you out.

[RusskySlava]

That would be great if there's anyone in the area. Any equipment I should look into picking up myself?

[DavidAl]

Looks like not enough clay lube or too much pressure. Did the clay bar fall on the ground at any time throughout the claying process? If it did, it may have picked up a rock or another sharp object.

[RusskySlava]

It did not leave my hand. I'm thinking that the bug guts may have had some contaminants and I didn't deal with that properly before hand. The struggle of having to wash in one of those bays...

[LSNAutoDetailing]

Welcome to AGO.

Wow, sorry about your vehicle. As EBgt18 states, without first hand looking, it's hard to tell how deep those scratches are. If you're getting a fingernail caught in them, they're pretty deep. I don't know what grade of clay you got, but if you didn't fully remove all the dirt off the vehicle, it's possible the piece of clay grabbed something. Re-kneading clay constantly is is a must...

In fear of giving advice that may make matters worse, I would see if you can hook up with a detailer (preferably from this forum) who can help you out.

The only other thing you could try is if you have a machine DA polisher, is start with a least aggressive pad and polish and see how it reacts.

Sadly, from the photo's those scratches look pretty deep, unless it's residue from the clay bar... (above surface.)

[Ebg18t]

Russlyslava- I am hesitant to recommend specific tools without someone showing you how use them, no offense intended. Your Subaru has very soft paint and the fact that's its black isn't going to help. I have 2 Subaru's myself, so I know how soft and easy to scratch they are.

I would start watching some of the videos on you tube about scratch correction, but don't buy anything yet. Also look up mikes tutorials. I learn something new every time I review them. I am sure there is someone either near you or close to you that will offer up there assistance to teach you. Proper technique is more important than anything else.

Once it's all cleaned up get it coated. Oh and learn how to do a proper rinseless or a 2 bucket wash.

[RusskySlava]

The rinseless wash would be perfect for me since I don't have access to a hose. I'm just worried that my car gets too dirty from activities. Could I spray it down in a wash bay with just water to get the majority of the dirt off and use a rinseless wash at home to get it clean? I watched Mikes tutorial with the corvette and I love the idea of saving water and being able to consistently keep my car clean. As far as coating, are you referring to wax/sealant? Would that help with bugs?

Appreciate the help. Hopefully I can find a local to give me some pointers.