Fingermarks

[Mike Phillips]

A couple of related articles...

Foam Applicator Pads at Autogeek.net

Priming your pad when working by hand

[norcalgsxr]

Hi Guys,

Just bought a Black 2014 Mustang GT, washed it in the sun and had water spots I couldn't get off. So I found Meguiar's Water Spot remover, figured it would be perfect, I come to find out its actually a compound which is horrifying that I used on my new car. I used clean microfibers to apply the water spot remover and to rewax (Mothers Carnuba) the paint. So now I have what looks like the fingermarks Mike is talking about, can only see in direct sunlight. I'm pretty/really frustrated. I used Klasse all in one a few times with brand new mircrofiber pads and microfiber cloths and it seems to make a few of the spots disappear and the other spots look better but its taking a long time and they still aren't gone. Any suggestions? Hit them another few times with Klasse All in One or? Did I ruin my new paint?

The picture attached is before I used Klasse all in one. I'm hesitant to use Swirl X - I called Meguiars help line and they said use more water spot remover (I'm throwing that stuff away) and a better applicator or Ultimate Compound which seems way to aggressive for a brand new car.

Thanks for any help.

[allenk4]

I myself have never put finger marks on my car before, but what I find odd is my cats have. and no they weren't trying to detail my car lol. they climb up on my car and I can see where their paws leave marks exactly like this, except in a shape of a cat paw. it's weird, and only my PC can remove it. anyone want some cats???

Put a clear bottle of water on the hood

For some reason it keeps them off

If you park in a garage, I imagine you could suspend one from the ceiling so it hovers over the hood

[The Guz]

Hi Guys,

Just bought a Black 2014 Mustang GT, washed it in the sun and had water spots I couldn't get off. So I found Meguiar's Water Spot remover, figured it would be perfect, I come to find out its actually a compound which is horrifying that I used on my new car. I used clean microfibers to apply the water spot remover and to rewax (Mothers Carnuba) the paint. So now I have what looks like the fingermarks Mike is talking about, can only see in direct sunlight. I'm pretty/really frustrated. I used Klasse all in one a few times with brand new mircrofiber pads and microfiber cloths and it seems to make a few of the spots disappear and the other spots look better but its taking a long time and they still aren't gone. Any suggestions? Hit them another few times with Klasse All in One or? Did I ruin my new paint?

The picture attached is before I used Klasse all in one. I'm hesitant to use Swirl X - I called Meguiars help line and they said use more water spot remover (I'm throwing that stuff away) and a better applicator or Ultimate Compound which seems way to aggressive for a brand new car.

Thanks for any help.

Water remover has a cut just below ultimate compound. This was not the polishes fault. I hate to say it but this is user error. Using too much pressure is what caused this. You should use a foam applicator pad with a polishing pal to remove them. Meguiar's recommending water spot remover is fine. Ultimate compound is also fine. If you want something not as aggressive then consider ultimate polish or M205.

I would recommend you go over it with water spot remover or UC and a foam applicator and not a microfiber towel. Also don't use too much pressure or you will be in the same boat. Spread even pressure on the applicator.

Good reference for technique
Avoiding "cheetah spots" or, "Look what this compound did to my paint!"

[norcalgsxr]

Thanks, The Guz good feedback.

Not directed to you in any way. I get that this was likely my error but I would prefer the minor water spots to what I have now. I wish there would have been some warning that said be careful when using Water Spot remover which is a compound on your (new) car, i.e be careful if your not well versed in detailing like my most people on autogeek vs., "easily remove water spots off/clear coat safe" (it mentions its a polish on the bottle but no mention its a compound and nothing that says its close to Ultimate Compound in aggressiveness which I have since found out). Would I have taken UC to my new car, no way. I feel mislead.

Car wash soap or wax doesn't have warnings, nor does Water Spot remover but I have never damaged my paint or created a bigger problem than existed before with soap or wax. I feel duped and while it is my error I bought this product and feel based on the description it was the blind leading the blind with no disclosure as to what could have (and did) happen if I didn't apply it as a professional would have.

[The Guz]

Detailing is a learning process. You are off to a better start than others by coming on a forum like this. Meguiar's offers so many products and the average consumer is not aware of all the terms and technology that is available today. Don't feel duped by Meguiar's. They focused this product for one specific task and that is water spots as that is a common thing. An average consumer see's this and buys it. They will not know the difference between compound and polish.

Now that you are aware of the issue, there is a fix for this. Simply go back and use thus product, UC or try ultimate polish as it is less aggressive. Using UC by hand is basically using it as a paint cleaner. Using it with a DA polisher will net you better defect removal.

Don't let this product steer you away from Meguiar's. They have great customer service and make great products. This could have happened with any other product. Now that you are here you can research, research and research even more.

Good Luck.

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Guys,

Just bought a Black 2014 Mustang GT, washed it in the sun and had water spots I couldn't get off.

So I found Meguiar's Water Spot remover, figured it would be perfect, I come to find out its actually a compound which is horrifying that I used on my new car.

I used clean microfibers to apply the water spot remover and to rewax (Mothers Carnauba) the paint.

So now I have what looks like the Fingermarks Mike is talking about, can only see in direct sunlight.

I'm pretty/really frustrated.

Ouch!

Here's the picture you attached uploaded to your free gallery here on AGO and once uploaded to the gallery it can then be inserted for easier viewing...

I used Klasse all in one a few times with brand new microfiber pads and microfiber cloths and it seems to make a few of the spots disappear and the other spots look better but its taking a long time and they still aren't gone. Any suggestions?

Hit them another few times with Klasse All in One or?

The Klasse All-In-One is a non-abrasive cleaner/wax or cleaner/sealant for the AR folks and technically it won't remove the damage but it might mask it.

Did I ruin my new paint?

No but if you really want to get the paint to look like it was new you have three choices...


1. Hire a pro with the help of this forum to undo the damage by machine.

2. Purchase a simple dual action polisher and fix it yourself with the help of this forum.

3. Fix it by hand which will require some work on your part but we'll help you.


I've been posting a lot of information about how to actually "work by hand" to this forum lately and most of what I say besides the actual technique is that most people don't have the

Skill
Experience
Muscle
Patience
Perspiration

To hold a foam or microfiber applicator pad and correctly rub or move it over the paint in a way to abrade the paint to remove the defects and thus level the surface all while not putting in scratches at the same time.

It can be done, in fact I've done it a lot in my life but it is very technique heavy while anyone, even a kid can turn on a polisher like the Porter Cable, Griot's or Meguiar's dual action polisher, make a few passes and with ZERO skill or experience get professional results.


Let us know how you want to attack it, choice 1, 2, or 3 and we'll help you.

I'm hesitant to use Swirl X

SwirlX is a very good fine cut polish and when used with a soft foam pad by machine will fix the problem. By the way I buffed out the car on the label of the bottle of SwirlX.

- I called Meguiars help line and they said use more water spot remover (I'm throwing that stuff away) and a better applicator or Ultimate Compound which seems way to aggressive for a brand new car.

Thanks for any help.

I've never used the automotive water spot remover by Meguiar's but they have very good chemists so I'm sure by the time any product in their "Consumer Line" gets past Mike Pennington and his team it's pretty much "Bubba-Proof". Seriously.

And their Customer Care staff are probably correct in that you should be able to use it or their Ultimate Compound to remove the damage and restore a clear, defect free finish.

The key is the application material and your technique.

Since I've never used the water spot remover I know for a fact and from first hand experience you can apply the Ultimate Compound by hand using a clean, soft foam applicator pad and good technique and fix the problem.

ScratchX would be another product you could use and it's less aggressive than the Ultimate Compound.

If you really want to fix the problem and at the same time learn how to fix all the future problems plus be able to machine wax your car's paint, (the only way to fly in my opinion), then get a dual action polisher, some foam pads a few products and take ownership of detailing your own car.


Or let us help you find someone on this forum that can fix it and just reward them accordingly for their time and investment into becoming qualified to do what I call....

"Touch Paint".


Sorry to hear of your mishap but thank you for joining our forum and trusting us to help you... we won't let you down.

[Mike Phillips]

Good info Guz...

Ultimate compound is also fine.

This is just my opinion but if we used the 4 basic categories of,

Aggressive
Medium Cut
Fine Cut
Ultra Fine Cut

I'd place Ultimate Compound in the Aggressive category.

Not because it feels gritty between your fingers like a old fashioned caveman compound but because it has the ABILITY to really remove some paint when used correctly. When you feel it between your fingers it feel like a creamy hand lotion.


Below is a picture showing in order how aggressive or non-aggressive some of the Megs products are relative to one another and the UC is right up their with real body shop compounds and I validated this with Mike Pennington before I wrote my article.

And on that note, I really need to update the article...

The Aggressiveness Order of SMAT Products - This might surprise you!


Super Micro Abrasive Technology = SMAT
From left to right, the most aggressive to the least aggressive SMAT products


From the most to the least aggressive...

M105 Ultra-Cut Compound/M95 Speed Cut Compound = The same in abrading power
Ultimate Compound
ScratchX 2.0
M86 Solo Cut & Polish Cream
D151 Paint Reconditioning Cream
SwirlX
M205 Ultra Finishing Polish

If you want something not as aggressive then consider ultimate polish or M205.

I would recommend you go over it with water spot remover or UC and a foam applicator and not a microfiber towel.

I agree.

It was the FIBERS working together with the pressure from the OP's fingertips and the abrasives in the product.

Re-polishing with a clean, soft foam applicator pad and holding the applicator pad as flat as possible while doing your best to spread the pressure out over the face of the fingers not just the fingertips would probably fix the problem.

Keep in mind the defect seen is scratches or imprints BELOW the surface so the surrounding paint needs to be abraded, just lightly, to level the surface and that's how a person would make these defects physically and visibly disappear.

[Mike Phillips]

Good reference for technique
Avoiding "cheetah spots" or, "Look what this compound did to my paint!"

The first picture in the above article is the hood of a 2006 Honda Pilot I owned and I put the spots in the paint. This picture,





I was sent a new polish to test out and I was told it could be used by hand or machine.

It worked okay by machine, very similar to Meguiar's M83, which at the time M80 and M83 were the best DA polishes on the market.

When I tested it by hand you can see by the picture above what happened. I sent the pictures to the owner of the product that I was sent to test and let them see the results along with my report.

This was probably back in around 2007 or 2008....


I think I called them Leopard Spots but Cheetah Spots or Fingermarks, it's all the same thing.

[Dr_Pain]

Mike Philips making paint look worst, on purpose??? I QUIT!!

All joking aside, thanks Mike for being such a wealth of information. Fortunately I've never encountered those but it is nice to learn from others experience. I will NOT replicate your experience (ie. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!)