What scratches are these? Towels?

emmjay

emmjay

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Hey all,

I just purchased a brand new Golden brown metallic Honda Accord V6 sport out here in Dubai. Its been sealed with menzerna powerlock.

Today was the first time I saw the car in the sun....and I noticed the scratches as seen in the pics below. Are these towel induced or could they have been there before hand or induced in some other way?

This is the first time that I have seen scratches that look like this.

How can they be avoided as this is my first japanese car and I have always had german cars with rock hard paint.

The car was washed yesterday using the following:

1. Hp rinse.
2. CG honeydew snow foam and let dwell for 3-4 mins
3. HP rinse.
4. Sonax gloss shampoo with MM incredimitt wash mitt
5. HP rinse
6. Air blower to remove water from all cracks and crevices
7. Dried with 2 Cobra guzzler waffle weave towels - one wet and one dry

Tried hosting the pics online but cannot seem to upload them so I have attached them.
View attachment 40160

View attachment 40161

View attachment 40162

View attachment 40163

and here is the car:
View attachment 40159
 
some look like holograms, others look like scratches, I think you may have gotten a bad detail.....
 
Certainly look like wash/dry induced scratches. Very common, and very correctable.

Could have been there prior to your latest wash, but since you hadn't inspected the car there is no way to tell. You will have to correct the paint, and then see if your wash method is causing immediate damage afterwards, though it sounds like you're doing everything right.
 
Do the scratches appear to be in the same 'pattern' that you ran your drying towel (or wash mitt) over the paint? It sort of looks a bit like towel marring on very soft paint to me, but I may be wrong.
 
I agree with Zach and Lawrence. A lot of that marring seems to run down the panel horizontally like you'd see from washing or drying.

I wonder if someone washed it with a dirty wash mit? Either way it looks like there was grit in the wash/dry medium.

With a desert climate like Dubai, I can't imagine how hard it is to keep the grit from tearing up a paint finish. I'd have to keep all my stuff sealed up in air tight tubs.
 
Maybe an automatic car wash with the rotating brushes. The car or brushes would have had to been pretty dirty.
 
I have a feeling its the dealer because I am washing my car in the exact same method /way that I always washed my cars, and I have never come across this before.

I took delivery of my car in the evening after the sun had set on 30th of December. On the 1st of Jan the car received a full wash, decon and seal and that too was in the evening and I only got done once the sun had set.

The car was in for a 1000km check up at the dealer a few days ago and even after posting 4 signs to not wash the car, when I got it back it had been wiped down with marks that looked like those cheap dusters on the long sticks. SO pretty much a dry wipe

Today was the first time I was up early enough to see the car in the sun ( I am on holiday at the moment lol ).

All my wash medium was fresh out the box yesterday as I had not washed the car since 1st of Jan - they were all washed in towel kleen and dried before going back in the box. I keep them all in boxes of various sizes that I purchased from Ikea

I might Do a light polish with M205/ flex/ white hybrids and see where that takes me if I get some time.

THank you all for the replies.
 
lawrenceSA said:
Do the scratches appear to be in the same 'pattern' that you ran your drying towel (or wash mitt) over the paint? It sort of looks a bit like towel marring on very soft paint to me, but I may be wrong.
Click to expand...

It does look that way, but I washed the car in the exact same way that I washed my Gti mk7 for 2 years and never had even minor swirls let alone swirls of this magnitude / pattern.
 
A little update:

The car's paint was corrected a few days after my last post.
I used M205 on black hybrid pads and my flex and sealed the paint with Menzerna Powerlock.

Fast forward to 1 month later (today) and similar types of scratches are back minus the holograms. The scratches are in the direction and pattern that my wash mitt and towel runs on the paint.

I am washing the car in the exact same manner that I used to wash my previous car, which NEVER had this problem.

Q: How can I avoid these wash/dry induced scratches. This paint is so soft its driving me nuts!!

My method is:
1. HP rinse
2. Foam
3. Hp Rinse
4. 2bm with a MM incredimitt with mitt getting rinsed and rubbed on grit guard after almost every panel.
5. Rinse
6. Wet Waffle weave followed by Dry waffle weave
7. Wash all wash media in 3D towel Kleen....
8. Hang dry in my washroom on a towel stand (indoors)

Please someone help.

Could a drying aid of some sort help? I have half a gallon of ONR and 2 bottles/sprays of Megs UQD.

P.S. I've heard that the MM incredimitt is a tad too aggressive, would changing to a Micro chenile wash mitt that I got from AG help?

Thanks :)
 
I think a drying aid would be a good starting point.:dblthumb2:

Also, it would be good to know if it's the washing or drying thats causing the issue, so *maybe* you could re-polish it, then wash it one direction and dry the other.

Then hone in on 'perfecting' that part of the process.
 
lawrenceSA said:
I think a drying aid would be a good starting point.:dblthumb2:

Also, it would be good to know if it's the washing or drying thats causing the issue, so *maybe* you could re-polish it, then wash it one direction and dry the other.

Then hone in on 'perfecting' that part of the process.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply lawrence. I was just thinking the same!

I'm thinking of polishing just one door and switching out the MM incredimitt with the Micro Chenile wash mitt and seeing how it goes. I'm just very limited on time due to a new job working 6 days a week so would need to find a day off.

Would ONR be a good drying aid? If so how would I use it? Its available locally thankfully.

A spritz on the panel and continue wiping with the waffle weave?

Would I need to follow up with a dry waffle weave to eliminate streaking? Or would that be one of the culprits, dry waffle on paint....:doh:

Apologies for the questions, just trying to get to the bottom of this :)

TIA
 
I suspect it may be the dry waffle weave towel moving across the paint that is causing that.

Maybe look at the ww drying towel to blot up the standing water, then a MF towel spritzed with your drying aid of choice, to deal with any streaking. Use as little pressure as you can.

Or look at investing in a decent blower/compressed air/metro vac type thing.... , if it is indeed the drying side causing issues.
 
IMO on soft paint it is usually the drying towel that causes the problems.

I use a grout sponge when I do a 2 bucket wash since I like the way it releases any dirt when squeezed into the rinse bucket. On a really dirty black car with soft paint I will not wash the whole door. Instead for instance I will wash the top 1/2 of the door then rinse the panel. Then after rinsing the sponge I will wash the bottom section and rinse the panel. I am just trying to make sure debris gets rinsed off and I am not pushing debris into the panel from the top to the bottom. Thinking about it I guess I could start the wash on the bottom of the panel to prevent this.

Anyways I still think drying is still the major cause of marring in soft paint. Maybe to test you can wash and dry one door as normal and then just wash and blow dry the other door but do not touch it with a drying towel and see what the results are.

Drying microfibers are better used when damp. Running a dry towel across a surface increases the chances of marring esp on soft paint. Using a drying aid like Meguiars Ultimate Detailer or Ammo Hydrate help the drying process and provide a bit of a buffer. In addition you can use the towel and blot and not drag it. There are also great drying towels like Carpros Dry Me Crazy and Mother's PFA drying towel that help a lot. The best bet is to not touch the paint though maybe wash, blow dry, then blot the drops that are left using a drying aid for assistance.
 
I use an "Absorber XL" for bulk water removal when drying. But I never wipe or swipe with it. I simply hold two corners and sort of flop it up and let it land spread out flat on the hood, roof, or trunk. A much smaller motion but sort of Like spreading a blanket on a bed. It will absorb a majority of the water on an area as big as the towel. You can do it about 5 times before it needs to be wrung out. For the sides, just hold by two corners and lay it agains the vehicle and continue around the entire vehicle. I'm careful not to let it drop under the fenders where there may be fine grit. After doing the whole vehicle in the manner, there will be a minimal amount of water left. For the remaining water I use a really soft and fluffy large microfiber towel. Again, not much wiping or swiping. Just kind of dabbing the remaining water.

This allows for complete drying with a minimal amount of abrasion. I've found waffle weaves to induce scratching easily on soft paint. Especially when the towel is dry. I'd switch to something with a higher pile, like those gold or purple towels on the AG store website. After about a half an hour, I'll then go around with detail spray or spray wax, and small microfiber and lightly wipe it down, removing any water spots that may remain.
 
Thank you all for your replies :)

Alright, I see where the problem might be.

All 3 posts above mention blot dry....I have always swiped :doh:

I was under the impression, if the towel is wet, its okay. Been doing this on my previous 2 Gti's without any problems. Live and learn I guess.

I did try the blot method, but the weather here is so s*** the water dries extremely fast leaving spots. Using a wet waffle on each panel followed by a dry waffle seemed like the best method to avoid spots and streaking.

I will experiment with a drying aid and a purple plush towel which I received in my last order. The best possible drying aid I have is Onr (money wise). Meguairs is nice for its beading properties but expensive for quantity vs price.

Would swiping the paint with a drying aid / plush towel be okay?
 
Harpolith said:
I use an "Absorber XL" for bulk water removal when drying. But I never wipe or swipe with it. I simply hold two corners and sort of flop it up and let it land spread out flat on the hood, roof, or trunk. A much smaller motion but sort of Like spreading a blanket on a bed. It will absorb a majority of the water on an area as big as the towel. You can do it about 5 times before it needs to be wrung out. For the sides, just hold by two corners and lay it agains the vehicle and continue around the entire vehicle. I'm careful not to let it drop under the fenders where there may be fine grit. After doing the whole vehicle in the manner, there will be a minimal amount of water left.

For the remaining water I use a really soft and fluffy large microfiber towel. Again, not much wiping or swiping. Just kind of dabbing the remaining water.

Just wondering, Using this blot method, is the car really spotless after drying? When i tried the blot method, the car just did not seem spotless :/

After about a half an hour, I'll then go around with detail spray or spray wax, and small microfiber and lightly wipe it down, removing any water spots that may remain.

This seems like a nice idea, but in that half an hour my car covered will be completely covered in dust haha, it is Dubai after all. Maybe right after washing. :xyxthumbs:
Click to expand...

I might have to give those purple plushes a try. Sucks cuz I just picked up 3 supreme guzzlers (yellow) and 3 regular guzzlers (green)...with shipping to Dubai, thats a pretty penny :)
 
lawrenceSA said:
I suspect it may be the dry waffle weave towel moving across the paint that is causing that.

Maybe look at the ww drying towel to blot up the standing water, then a MF towel spritzed with your drying aid of choice, to deal with any streaking. Use as little pressure as you can.

Or look at investing in a decent blower/compressed air/metro vac type thing.... , if it is indeed the drying side causing issues.
Click to expand...

Thank you Lawrence, I did purchase a cheap leaf blower but it doesn't get everything off in time, the weather here dries stuff up really quick. I mostly use it for cracks, crevices, between lights etc. where water hides.

I will definitely try the plush purple with ONR and see if it helps. A swiping motion with that towel would be okay yes?
 
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