Still scratches once done detailing

[herb]

So I've got the DA and I've been using #80. I wash, clay, rewash, dry then polish with #80 then followup with 2 coats of wax. When I'm done after the polishing there are still some scratchs left in the paint, very faint though. I've noticed this on the two cars that I've done so far which are brand new cars, less than 6 months old. Could #80 be too agressive??? I will say that I've noticed these scratches when I paid for Meguiars to do my other vehicle which was only 3 months old.


DA
#80
#26
removal with MF bonnet

[roushstage2]

You could try some NXT instead. NXT fills in a lot of those little scratches.

[rusty bumper]

Re: Still scratches once done detailing

Originally posted by herb
So I've got the DA and I've been using #80. I wash, clay, rewash, dry then polish with #80 then followup with 2 coats of wax. When I'm done after the polishing there are still some scratchs left in the paint, very faint though. I've noticed this on the two cars that I've done so far which are brand new cars, less than 6 months old. Could #80 be too agressive??? I will say that I've noticed these scratches when I paid for Meguiars to do my other vehicle which was only 3 months old.


DA
#80
#26
removal with MF bonnet

What type of scratches are they?

[herb]

They're very light scratches and not like all in one spot. I can't get a pic to show what I mean because of the way the light reflects off the car but they're super super light almost as if the #80 PUT the scratches there.

I'm going to try again to get pics ...

[herb]

So it just dawn'd on me that this might be the problem.

I used #80 with the DA on a 8006 right. I remember doing half the hood then checking it out in the sun seeing little scratches that should probably be non-existent come wax time. I then went back to the shade and did the entire car. When I was finished I then took a 9006 with #26 and filled it full of wax, did a small part on speed 3 and had to keep getting the pad full of wax. Once the pad was full of wax I was able to continue on using a thin layer. For a small sedan it uses about half a bottle of #26 after filling the pad and 2 coats.

Here's where I think the scratches came from. I slapped on a 8006 pad with a MF bonnet to remove the wax. I'm pretty sure that the MF bonnet is what put the scratches in both cars that I've done. Like I said they're very small scratches but I'm thinking that what did it. Also these are very different scratches than the little scratches that were there after polishing. I'm going to test it on another vehicle that needs a waxing and see how it goes. I will not use the MF bonnet to remove the wax, instead I will use my MF towels to do it which seems faster anyway.

[herb]

this was an image from the type 1 and 2 water spots thread. Disregard the water spot in the middle but if you look to the left of the image and see those very fine but small scratches. That's pretty much what the scratches look like if you're looking at the car at a particular angle. Now it's not as bad as you might think as there's very very few of these light scratches but you would think they would not be there. I'm saying it was the MF bonnets still that are the problem.

[Mini-T]

I'm not sure about your scratches, but it does seem like you are using alot of wax. You should be using less wax with the PC than if you did it by hand. I did one coat of M21 on my cavalier and I only used a quarter sized blob per panel, and that was the first time I had used that pad. This is just my opinion, I could be wrong. I'm sure that some of the other more experienced guys can give you ideas on the scratched and your wax usage.

[the other pc]

Originally posted by herb
...I then took a 9006 with #26 and filled it full of wax, did a small part on speed 3 and had to keep getting the pad full of wax. Once the pad was full of wax I was able to continue on using a thin layer. For a small sedan it uses about half a bottle of #26 after filling the pad and 2 coats...

Way, way, way too much wax.

You should never fill a pad with any product.


PC.

[Accumulator]

herb- I've only had *one* instance where #80 was too aggressive for a ready-to-wax finish. Make sure you're breaking it down completely and it should almost certainly be mild enough. The marring in your pic looked sorta straight-line, not what I'd expect to see if a PC-applied product were responsible. MF bonnets on PCs sometimes act differently from foam pads, so yeah, that might be the problem.

And I'd probably do at least a dozen Suburbans with one bottle of liquid wax, even if I put it on thicker than I would normally do Any excess just gets buffed off anyhow and it doesn't take much to deposit the *tiny* (virtually unmeasurable) amount of wax that actually bonds to the paint.

[rusty bumper]

I apply my wax, or sealer like this.....Except the bead is just a little thiner.



I've never used the MF bonnet myself yet.........I just use a quality MF towel for removal.

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by herb

if you look to the left of the image and see those very fine but small scratches. That's pretty much what the scratches look like if you're looking at the car at a particular angle.

Hi Herb,

Neither a dual action polisher, orbital buffer or rotary buffer will instill straight-line scratches into your car's finish unless you drag the body of the tool across the finish.

We need to trouble shoot further to determine the true cause of the scratches.

Here's something to note.

Every Saturday at our Detailing 101 classes, we do our best to find a car in which the finish looks horrible so that we can show a dramatic difference between before and after and what can be accomplished using the right products and the right techniques.

We usually show ScratchX by hand and then M80 Speed Glaze with the G100. After applying both to different sections and then inspecting the results, often time 95% of the swirls and scratches will have been removed but a few will remain.

I will then ask the audience why they think there are still scratches remaining in the finish as a way to get them to think.

Most people understand the process and have the correct answer, a few need help, so we help them to understand what's taking place.

After applying a paint cleaner like ScratchX or a cleaner/polish like M80 Speed Glaze, most of the swirls and scratches will be gone, the ones that remain are merely deeper. If they were shallow, they would have been removed when all of the other swirls and scratches were removed.

Here's the visual results as they apply to what people see with their eyes...

Now that the potentially hundreds of thousands of fine, light, shallow scratches have been removed... the deeper scratches that remain stand out like a sore thumb.

Th reason for this is because without the myriad of scratches on the entire finish, anything left is easier to see and your eyes are drawn towards them. In fact if you're a serious enthusiasts, you find yourself focusing on them.

If you like, please feel encouraged to bring your car by Meguiar's during the next Saturday Detailing Class and I will try to help you find a process to remove them completely as well as help you with any other product or procedure you may have questions on.