Another Damn Scratch

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voidpointer

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Half rant; half request for advice. It really irks me every time I wash my car and find some new scrape on the side of my car. I really don't want to be "that guy" that parks out in BFE just to avoid cars parking next to me. Maybe that'll be what it takes. But how do you guys manage this issue? And for any dings/scratches/paint marks that you find, what advice can you offer for removing or fixing them?
 
Daily driver or garage queen?
My daily drivers take a beating and luckily as each has turned the 100k+ club but show their wear and scars. However they still look excellent and we get lots of compliments. I don't lose sleep over the DD's.

The garage queen is a different story as its in show car cond. hence, it rarely gets driven... Cruise nights or a cruise on the back country roads.
 
This is my commute car. I park in the garage but I use it every day for driving to work, the grocery store, anything really that doesn't require much luggage space.
 
Expect it on DD's... For dings you can use dent wizard, polishing will remove scratches, do a coating, drive & enjoy the car. That's why I keep cars into 100 - 200 k miles. I keep them looking new (with a fair share of wear), take care of them and drive the heck out of them.

That's why I have a play toy... Kept in the garage. Gets less than 2k miles a year on it.
 
Most polishes would take care of minor scuffs/transfer with little effort.

I normally bust out M205 with a hand wax pad for these occasions, and then a sealant/wax of choice onto the spot(s).

It's the nature of the beast. Recently I had a guy standing right next to my vehicle - so close that his jacket zipper and plastic buckles from his backpack were tapping on the rear quarter panel. The whole damn block was empty behind me, yet he chose to hover right there before j-walking across. I blurted out, "OH, C'MON!" and he turned around an said sorry. I guess he heard me as my sunroof was opened. Funny thing is I felt bad for raising my voice.
 
paul_g said:
Expect it on DD's... For dings you can use dent wizard, polishing will remove scratches, do a coating, drive & enjoy the car. That's why I keep cars into 100 - 200 k miles. I keep them looking new (with a fair share of wear), take care of them and drive the heck out of them.

That's why I have a play toy... Kept in the garage. Gets less than 2k miles a year on it.
Click to expand...
I clay and wax but don't polish. Everything else already takes too much time. Polishing still follows the same once or twice a year cycle I assume?
 
I'm "that guy" who parks in the middle of nowhere. I usually leave 6 rows between me and another vehicle. If I can't find that many rows, I go out at least 30 cars from everyone else. :xyxthumbs:

As I get older I can use the extra steps.
 
voidpointer said:
I clay and wax but don't polish. Everything else already takes too much time. Polishing still follows the same once or twice a year cycle I assume?
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Yes, you'll want to paint correct and surface prep before doing a coating. You'll find this should (depending on how deep) take care of most light to moderate scratches. The coating will protect the surface and make maintaining easy.
 
There is always the funny method of keeping parking lot morons from dinging your doors. I have seen several cars with this on them.

Pool noodles. Those brightly colored soft foam floating things that you see in peoples swimming pools. Get a couple of them, at least six feet long, and hang them from your windows with soft string or rope. Make a bent metal hook that fits over your slightly rolled down window and hang the pool noodles so that an opening door strikes it instead of your paint.

You can even be really crazy and hang several on each side. They also work in a narrow garage with an uncaring wife.
 
oldmodman said:
There is always the funny method of keeping parking lot morons from dinging your doors. I have seen several cars with this on them.

Pool noodles. Those brightly colored soft foam floating things that you see in peoples swimming pools. Get a couple of them, at least six feet long, and hang them from your windows with soft string or rope. Make a bent metal hook that fits over your slightly rolled down window and hang the pool noodles so that an opening door strikes it instead of your paint.

You can even be really crazy and hang several on each side. They also work in a narrow garage with an uncaring wife.
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Will they keep the car afloat in high water? :)

On a serious note, do the best you can. Park way out in notorious parking lots. Most of the door dingers
Like to park close to the store.

Clean, clay, Polish and protect. Coatings help a lot and are durable.
Look into McKee's as its bubba proof and exceptional.

I live in NH... Snow, salt, sand, slushy mixes of all that crap sprayed from cars. And, I love getting pelted by the sander truck on the highway!

DD's take abuse, that's why modern clears are getting harder and tougher... Good, bad for quick correction. That's why I say correct and coat before you have a big job on your hands.
 
voidpointer said:
I really don't want to be "that guy" that parks out in BFE just to avoid cars parking next to me. Maybe that'll be what it takes. But how do you guys manage this issue?
Click to expand...

Honestly, I think everyone on this forum parks in BFE to avoid cars parking next to them. There are a lot of other strategies though...parking at the end of rows, etc.
 
I park very far from everyone. I usually find a spot that has one side as a curb. I usually drop my friends off to whatever we are doing...restaurant, shopping etc. I usually drive to the spot most people do not park. They hate walking. My ride is almost 5 years old and no scratches or door dings. My friends and girlfriend say I anal park...OK by me!! Might I suggest parking very far away from it all and IMO your scratches will be reduced.
 
When you guys talk about "applying a coat", are you referring to the polish? Or the wax after the polish?
 
Protection after polishing; as it removes the imperfections and any protection had on prior.
 
With a DD it's going to happen. I do selective parking, if I go somewhere where they do not have shopping carts I am that guy in BFE. Carts involved, I look around and find some of the nicer vehicles to park in between, or next too. In my experience others look for the same thing, as they can tell who will be cautious. Went to a grocery store the other day, parked mid pack one spot open on each side, when I got out of the store, a new Lincoln on one side and a fairly new Impala on the other. I knew I was good. But out there in BFE you have no protection from shopping carts, with a good wind I have seen them travel about 15 mph, and they do damage. I work for a mid west retailer and have seen it first hand what they can do!
 
voidpointer said:
When you guys talk about "applying a coat", are you referring to the polish? Or the wax after the polish?
Click to expand...

Not the polish, but the last step product (LSP). When I say coating I'm referring to nano-glass ceramic coating such as, Pinnacle Black Label Diamond Coating or McKees 37 Paint Coating.

These will give you the most protection and easy maintenance.
 
paul_g said:
Not the polish, but the last step product (LSP). When I say coating I'm referring to nano-glass ceramic coating such as, Pinnacle Black Label Diamond Coating or McKees 37 Paint Coating.

These will give you the most protection and easy maintenance.
Click to expand...

That's still pretty confusing. I'm a newbie with this stuff. I'm only aware of Clay -> Polish -> Wax process. Are you talking about an addition to that, or a separate process specifically to address damage?
 
I'm answering from an iPhone, so my answers are pretty limited in detail today.

In lieu of wax. If you want protection from light scratches and marring, extreme hydrophobic properties, high "candied" like gloss, longevity and ease of maintenance, start investigating products mentioned above.

I suggest that because of your concern for scratches, etc.

Keep it simple:
Wash
Decontaminate (clay) - only as needed (do the Baggie test).
Polish - remove swirls and scratches
Protect - LSP of your choice.
 
oldmodman said:
There is always the funny method of keeping parking lot morons from dinging your doors. I have seen several cars with this on them.

Pool noodles. Those brightly colored soft foam floating things that you see in peoples swimming pools. Get a couple of them, at least six feet long, and hang them from your windows with soft string or rope. Make a bent metal hook that fits over your slightly rolled down window and hang the pool noodles so that an opening door strikes it instead of your paint.

You can even be really crazy and hang several on each side. They also work in a narrow garage with an uncaring wife.
Click to expand...
Went to Nyc and saw numerous cars in the city with a ridiculously looking big foam or rubber thing attached to the trunk.I think it's called defender,supposedly its there to help with scrapes and bumper car style parking in tight spots.
 
to be honest, you can be as careful as possible but no matter what you're going to get some stone chips, a few dings/rids at some point. on top of careless people who don't care about other people's property, every time you drive there's always debris on the roads which manages to find it's way to everyone's car at some point in time. daily drivers realistically can be kept at about 80-90% and i wouldn't expect perfection. just do the best you can do to help avoid any situation which would cause damage...
 
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