Scratches from Washing

[Michael M]

First I would like to thank folks for helping a newbie with car washing techniques. I would never have thought that flood rinsing could make such a dramatic difference to getting the car dryer quicker but it sure does. I also employed the leaf blower technique that many use here and between those two you can dry 95% of the car in under 5 minutes - no water marks.

My question is that with the black finish on my new car which has only been washed twice I can already see very fine scratches in some areas. Nothing serious mind you since the car is new and has only been hand washed twice but you know how unforgiving a black finish can be. What is the safest and best way to remove these very light scratches as they start to develop?

[JonMiles]

Polish with a light polish like 205, the scratches may have been there from the dealership and just covered with glaze to cover them up

[Birdhunter]

[A4 1.8tqm]

:iagree too:

I highly recommend a polish like Pinnacle XMT 360 or Poorboys PwS. They finish very well and are extremely easy to use, just polish till its gone and clean the pad on the fly as necessary.

[superd]

Re: Scratches from Washing
Polish with a light polish like 205, the scratches may have been there from the dealership and just covered with glaze to cover them up
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Jon Miles
Detailing Excellence
Detailing Excellence - Home

Jon,

I'm in the same situation however my swirls are very faint on a white 2008 Denali. Until I stumbled onto this site I was using incorrect washing methods (which I have corrected). Would the 105, 205 combo be too aggressive? I would be doing it by hand, the wife won't loosen up the purse straps enough for the 7424xp! I was looking to use the Wolfgang TSR, finishing glaze, then the wdpgs 3.0.........since it can't be applied by hand I'm trying to explore other avenues. I've been reading good things aobut the Megs combo, any suggestions on pads, or proper application methods (circular or straight line), or what results to expect?

[JonMiles]

Polishing by hand is going to take a while especially on a truck that size. But the 105/205 combo will do the trick without a problem. I would start with 205 to see how it works first, if you need more cut go with the 105 then follow with 205 to finish. As far as pads go I would suggest the CCS Euro Foam Hand Polish Applicators - Hand polish, hand detail, foam applicators, CCS foam pads, polishing pad

You can work with them in a circular motion and they will cut well enough to get the job done. Before you get going, you are going to need a load of caffeine because it's a long job correcting by hand.

[ScottB]

machine buffer and a light or finishing polish will likely remove the smallest and little fine scratches from washing.

[superd]

Re: Scratches from Washing
Polishing by hand is going to take a while especially on a truck that size. But the 105/205 combo will do the trick without a problem. I would start with 205 to see how it works first, if you need more cut go with the 105 then follow with 205 to finish. As far as pads go I would suggest the CCS Euro Foam Hand Polish Applicators - Hand polish, hand detail, foam applicators, CCS foam pads, polishing pad

You can work with them in a circular motion and they will cut well enough to get the job done. Before you get going, you are going to need a load of caffeine because it's a long job correcting by hand.
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Jon Miles
Detailing Excellence
Detailing Excellence - Home

Is it worth picking a battle with the wife? How much more effort is required to correct the paint by hand vs. waxing a car? How much time/energy could one save with 7424xp vs hand? I would prefer to buy the PC but other hobbies are getting in the way.

[JonMiles]

Nothing is worth picking a battle with the wife, as everyone knows "if she ain't happy, ain't nobody happy."

The effort in correcting the paint by hand is substantial, its going to take you a few days to get flawless results, but it is well worth the effort. Its all about what is more important to you at this point; time or money? I do paint correction for a living so the time saved by correcting by machine is worth the $150 bucks to pick up a machine IMO.

Mike has a great article to compare the two methods
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...s-machine.html

you may want to read over it and make a decision based off what you think. A 1 step correction with a PC normally takes me 6 hours, by hand it would take about 15-18. Note: I drive a dodge ram, so size is similar to your ride.

[Shane731]

Re: Scratches from Washing
Polishing by hand is going to take a while especially on a truck that size. But the 105/205 combo will do the trick without a problem. I would start with 205 to see how it works first, if you need more cut go with the 105 then follow with 205 to finish. As far as pads go I would suggest the CCS Euro Foam Hand Polish Applicators - Hand polish, hand detail, foam applicators, CCS foam pads, polishing pad

You can work with them in a circular motion and they will cut well enough to get the job done. Before you get going, you are going to need a load of caffeine because it's a long job correcting by hand.
__________________

Jon Miles
Detailing Excellence
Detailing Excellence - Home

Is it worth picking a battle with the wife? How much more effort is required to correct the paint by hand vs. waxing a car? How much time/energy could one save with 7424xp vs hand? I would prefer to buy the PC but other hobbies are getting in the way.

Just an FYI, instead of copying and pasting the quote from the person you are responding to, just hit the Quote button at the bottom of their post. Should make it a bit easier and neater for you.