Why does my new Civic scratch so easy??

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nodule

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Hi,

This morning I hand washed my new 2013 Honda Civic EX Sedan in Crimson Pearl, which
is a wine/burgundy color.
I used the Optimum No Rinse, with a wash mitt from Auto Geek and the Ultra Plush lavender
16 x 16 micro fiber towels. When I used the towels to dry, I can actually see that I was putting a few very light scratches in the paint!
Are Civics, with their so called "soft paint", more prone to scratching?? Or is there a problem with my washing and drying technique? I always wiping lightly, in a side to side
motion, NEVER aggressively in circles. I mainly wipe in the direction the wind flows over
the car.
My towels were brand new and completely clean, so why do I get this light scratches??

These are very light scratches and you CAN NOT feel with fingermail, so I am assuming
they can easily be buffed out from a professional detailer??

Also, are the Lavender ultra plush 16 x 16 towels from Auto Geek considering top quality and safe for Honda paint?

Any thoughts or advice??

Thanks
Mike in NJ
 
They are probably just very superficial scratches. It can happen, even from good microfiber towels. A light polish should remove them.

A good technique while dry would be to use some sort of air (leaf blower or metro blaster) along with spritzing a little bit of diluted ONR on the towels prior to wiping.
 
Thanks,
However, im a bit limited with equipment since I live in a condo development, with no access to hose or electrical outlet.
 
nodule said:
These are very light scratches and you CAN NOT feel with fingermail, so I am assuming
they can easily be buffed out from a professional detailer??


Any thoughts or advice??

Thanks
Mike in NJ
Click to expand...

The swirls can easily be buffed out by you if you didnt want to pay a professional to do it for you. You can buy all the tools to do it yourself many times for the same as you would pay a pro to do it once.
 
I am right there with you about living in apartment and not having hose or electrical outlet to use the polishers.
 
They can be easily removed. In my experience (Owned 4) Hondas have notoriously soft paint.
 
My Tesla scratches easily. I've found that a number of waterless washes did it to my car, but Ultima and Optimum Opti-Clean didn't.

In terms of ONR, I usually make up 3 gallons of water and measure accordingly with ONR and use saturated 600g/m2 towels. I fold the towel into quarters. After a single wipe, I use a clean side for the next wipe. With my car, I go through about 12 towels, not including wheels.

With this technique, I haven't scratched it yet.

You can also spray a waterless wash on the car before you do ONR.

I also see that you are in NJ. Do you have a lot of salt/grime on your car? You might want to just go to the local coin-op to blast the bulky stuff off.
 
All clear-coat (CC) paints are susceptible to being scratched.
If the CC is, so to say, soft: scratches are "easier" to be removed.
Just the opposite, then, is usually true for the harder CC's.

Either way requires the removal of some of the thinly-sprayed, precious film-layer of CC-paint that's so dearly coveted.

What makes the varied formulations/types of CC, used by the many OEM's, so different...in being softer/harder than another, for example...
may take an effort requiring the behaviors similar to those of a well-renowned financial district's inside-traders.


Bob
 
JKL1031 said:
U need to blot when u dry.. don't rub.
Click to expand...

Negative. This is a rinseless wash, not drying after a 2 bucket wash. The wiping is how the dirt is actually removed from the vehicle.

OP, you need to try some different microfibers. Even high quality MF towels can scratch on certain soft clear coats. Also, consider that your wash media might be doing the scratching and you are just noticing it after your towel step. I've found that a microfiber covered foam wash mitt works by far best for rinse less washes. Cheap ones will work fine but microfiber madness makes one that is supposed to be top notch, but I have never tried it.

Try some different equipment before doing all type of funky things in addition to your wash.

Also, consider putting a coating on that soft clear coat. Even the DP paint coating would work great and is easy to apply. It can always be topped with a wax or sealant if you are a beading junkie.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using AG Online
 
KevinC...

Yes I am in NJ, and thats exactly what I did first! Went to self service
and blasted off all the heavy salt/grime, blasted out the wheel wells,
went back home and hand washed.

I mean my Civic looks beautiful now and these light scratches are ONLY noticeable to someone upon close inspection.
95% of people will said the car looks amazing. Its just that I know those scratches are there and it bugs me. I know it
should not since its my daily driver and it sits in a condo parking lot. There is not a thing I can do about that. Luckily,
I am in a very open area and I can park where there are no cars on either side of me each night. Same deal at work.
 
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