best thing to get out small tiny swirl scratches?

[gen2lover]

ok- not sure if they are swirl scratches- more just regular scratches all over the car..from my california duster? from?

on the car? they are everywhere. red rt10- 2002. I know it is hard to explain without a pic.I had the car detailed by a good shop 2 months ago- but I have tiny (but everywhere) fine scratches on the paint.You can especially see them in the sun. They are not swirl marks.

Any ideas or pictures? Then I can tell you if thats what I have... thanks!

 

[kcobean]

Moved this to the detailing section.

Are the scratches circular or straight? If circular, they're probably not from your duster since you dust in straight lines.

I'm guessing they're from your detailing rags, wash sponge/mitt, or wax applicators.

 

[goldcup]

Ive got a sapphire car and the first time I used a california duster was the
last time.Should be called California scratcher!!!

 

[kcobean]

Ive got a sapphire car and the first time I used a california duster was the
last time.Should be called California scratcher!!!

Yep....I have one, it never touches my car. When you figure that some part of the 'dust' that gets on your car when you drive is actually pulverized gravel, the thought of wiping it off your paints surface without any sort of lubricant is terrifying.

 

[gen2lover]

the scratches are mostly straight.I have not used any machine to wax or anything.Same thing happened to my last car too (steel gray in avatar)

Anyone have any scans or pics to see if they are similar? I cannot believe this is UNcommon.

 

[kcobean]

the scratches are mostly straight.I have not used any machine to wax or anything.Same thing happened to my last car too (steel gray in avatar)

Anyone have any scans or pics to see if they are similar? I cannot believe this is UNcommon.

Can you post a picture of your scratches? That might help folks identify them.

If they're straight, just think about what you do on your car in straight lines. Car-duster would be my first suspect.

 

[treesnake]

The scratches are from the CF duster. I know exactly what you are talking about. I did keep one in each car. I use them to clean lawn furniture, dune buggy, four wheelers now.

You can also get fine scratches from your towels. Hopefully you are using micro fiber towels. But make sure they are a quality MF towels. If you pick up a MF towel and it sticks to your hand, use it on the lawn furniture... Only use a towel once, and wash it. (no fabric softener). If you drop it don't use it. The MF towel picks up all the dirt on your car ...and also the floor. If you drop it, you will be wiping your car with all the sand and grit your towel picked up from the floor. One last thing, I blow the car off with air after every drive and before I wipe it down with a towel (MF) and detail spray. No need to be wiping any more dirt with a towel than you have too.

You can get the fine scratches off with a fine rubbing compound, by hand or with an orbital.

 

[goldcup]

Treesnake said it all.One other thing you do not "rub" the car down you lightly drag the towel across the car never applying significant pressure.I do not quick detail my car,it gets washed with lots of suds or it stays dirty.
Anything you touch the car with will SCRATCH it no exceptions!!!
Whether you see it or not depends on how hard you bear down and how dark your color is.People will tell you they have used the cali duster and it doesnt scratch, they either do not care or they have a light colored car.Never take advice from a guy with a white car !!!

 

[agentf1]

Pick up a good ROB like the Flex 3401 and some foam pads and a good swirl remover and it should remove most of your swirls. As far as polishes go I like Zaino ZPC, Menzerna or 3M.

 

[SoCal Rebell]

If you want to do it right have the car "wet sanded". It comes out perfect, my black Gen2 had scratches and $400 made it look better then new

 

[gen2lover]

wet sanding it?

 

[V10 PWRD]

Try Meguires Mirror Glaze. Used this religously on a black car and it was fantastic.

 

[Paul Hawker]

Be careful. Every time you remove scratches, you also are removing a tiny bit of your clear coat. The clear coat is very thin, and only can be buffed/sanded so many times.

Sometimes it is not a bad idea to just put on a good coat of protective wax that will reduce the appearance of the swirls, and only seldom give it a good buffing.

My comprimise is to use a orbital (porter cable) to apply a cleaner wax, followed up with a sealer wax. Does not get rid of everything, but still looks great and does not remove the clear coat.

 

[SoCal Rebell]

Be careful. Every time you remove scratches, you also are removing a tiny bit of your clear coat. The clear coat is very thin, and only can be buffed/sanded so many times.

Sometimes it is not a bad idea to just put on a good coat of protective wax that will reduce the appearance of the swirls, and only seldom give it a good buffing.

My comprimise is to use a orbital (porter cable) to apply a cleaner wax, followed up with a sealer wax. Does not get rid of everything, but still looks great and does not remove the clear coat.

It sounds to me that he has never wet sanded the car, so it will be fine and look better then new.

 

[gen2lover]

not sure- ill ask the detail guy.

 

[Paul Hawker]

Some detailers have a little gadget that can measure the thickness of your paint, but most are designed for metal vehicles, and may not be appropriate for Vipers.

 

[woosch]

Some detailers have a little gadget that can measure the thickness of your paint, but most are designed for metal vehicles, and may not be appropriate for Vipers.

The good ones will work on metal and composite vehicles. My buddy is a pro detailer and has one he has been using on my ACR.

Wait till I post the befores and afters... The finish was horrible for a new car...

 

[gen2lover]

OK PLEASE DO!

 

[Canyon707]

It's the California duster. I only use on my dash etc. I got some scratches with it. I was shocked when my black Viper had sun on it. I finally got them all out but, it took days of buffing. ( I'm slow) I usually start with a good blast of air. Then I take a micro fiber rag and ever so gently let it touch the surface dusting very lightly. Then I use Adams detail spray working sections with two more micro fiber rags per section. I have only washed my car a few times since 04 when I got it and it looks nearly perfect with 22k on it. Let me tell you for me it was a learning process but, with all the advice here and online I got the hang of it. I used a Portor Cable with a mild cutting pad from Mequires. Some different polishes. Several brands actually. Some were better than others but they all seemed to work. When I detail my car I usually use about 10 Micro fiber rags which is about once a week. The hood and the trunk get fresh and then another fresh MF those areas can really show if there scratched.

 

[Tere]

I use Zaino products exclusively on all my cars. Z-5 does a really good job of taking out swirlies and fine scratches -- it may take 2-3 coats initially. Claybar about every 6 months or if you detect any surface contaminants starting to take up permanent residence. Zaino is a very distictive polish, noted for its depth, reflectivity, and luster -- it gives a very deep wet-look gloss. If you have a pearl finish, Zaino is a knockout polish for bringing out the pearl. Show folks can tell you it gives you a trophy winner.

 

[viper k]

only use baby diapers 100% cotton been using them for 30 years

 

[wallbanger]

The best thing you can do is have the car detailed by a professional...the guy will clay the car , then he will polish the paint with a rotary or a dual action buffer...there are different grades of polish and different grades of pads..then he will seal and wax u're paint to protect it....THEN all you have to do is maintain it with careful washing and a quick detailer..then every 4-6 months re-wax the car by hand..very easy to do....Avoid brushes at the regular car wash

Like people have already said polishing is basically just removing a thin layer of clear coat....if you insist on doing it yourself i would recommend meguiars ultra cut 205 which can be used by hand..however it is an aggressive polish but will work fine if you have isolated swirls

A glaze technically is a polish however it works by filling in scratches and the effect wears off over time

here is an example of how a viper(also located in canada) can be transformed by a professional...this website is also a great reference but can get confusing unless your willing to put in a lot of reading

CAUTION...detailing is addicting

05 yellow Viper - Autopia.org

 

[SLICK]

CAUTION...detailing is addicting

Yes it is ...

 

[bluesrt]

take the car to a pro detailer and have a 4 stage buff,after that have him explain to u how to keep up with protecting ur paint.have him wright it down on paper,its all down hill after that.

 

[gen2lover]

yes! these are all over my entire car!

see pic.Is this from micro fiber towel detailing and california duster? my car is red rt10. notice in the middle of the hood..all the lines/scratches...

 

[J&R3xV10]

Wow... I didn't realize how much my paint WAS scratched on my yellow 94 till I saw those pics. I have GOT to do something about my finish!! I vow to never use a CA duster again.

 

[gen2lover]

my entire car was like that...after 2 weeks- even after getting it prof. done

I use the cal. duster daily as well as towels with WINDEX!! AND DETAIL SPRAY.

 

[KERS-VPR]

ok- not sure if they are swirl scratches- more just regular scratches all over the car..from my california duster? from?

on the car? they are everywhere. red rt10- 2002. I know it is hard to explain without a pic.I had the car detailed by a good shop 2 months ago- but I have tiny (but everywhere) fine scratches on the paint.You can especially see them in the sun. They are not swirl marks.

the scratches are mostly straight.I have not used any machine to wax or anything.
Anyone have any scans or pics to see if they are similar? I cannot believe this is UNcommon.

You didn't use a machine but what did the detail shop use?
I've used a cali. duster on mine without any ill effects that you guys are talking about. I get nothing but compliments on the shine.

 

[Paul Hawker]

Windex not a great product to use on auto finishes as it will remove any wax already on the car.

California duster is impregnated with parafin wax. If you use it on a hot car the wax will often come off the duster and leave what looks like a scratch. Often times it is just some of the wax which can be polished off.

Usual technique is to take a new California duster. Lay it on some newspapers in the hot sun to soak up some of the excess wax. Use the new duster till it gets a bit dirty, then relegate it to wheel cleaning duty. These dusters are pretty cheap, so refrain from using them long after they get dirty.

I see professionals at car shows using fluffy dusters to gently brush off dust during the event.

 

[Newport Viper]

I have used a duster for years no problems. However, I do keep a good coat of "wax" on the car. Make sure it is not your washing technique or wash mit that is doing the damage.

Go here to learn....Car Care Forums: Meguiar's Online - Powered by vBulletin

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/index.php

And if you want to spend 30 hours doing a wet sand here's how.

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24527