PasPar2

I feel silly asking this but.... I have no where else to ask

I have a black 996 that I wash by hand once per week or so. I use Meguires products... wet,sponge,rinse,absorba dry,then go over with the quick detailer with a nice microfiber towel.

If you look at the car from 4 feet away - it looks amazing... shiny and clean. But up close, I still see bird poop stains, round stains left over from dried up pollen and other such "imperfections"...

What am I doing wrong? wrong products - switch brands? or is it time to have it clayed again? (about 3 months since last detail so I think its too soon)

Blackness

Was the car free of the bird poop and pollen stains after the last detail? What was used as the top coat? Be careful of the chamois style drying products as they can remove a little of the top coat at each use. I assume that's what you are talking about regarding "absorba dry". I use larger waffle-weave microfiber towels to dry the car.

PasPar2

I bought some waffle-weave microfiber towels but they dont dry the car as well as the absorba chamois...

after the last detail the car was free of any blemishes. I dont know what was used in detailing the car... I farmed that out

Phil G.

Try claying the surface before you wash and wax. If you have etching of the paint from bird poop, etc., you'll need to use a mild abrasive to remove or reduce it. I have used 3M Hand Glaze or Finessit-II with some success. There are a number of detailing forums on other sites. I use the one on www.audiworld.com - lots of useful info.

rudy1024

There's also lots of information to be had here in the Performance & Competition Forum/Concours subforum... as long as you're here it's a good place to start...

Good luck!
Rudy

ervtx

+1. Tons of info here....

FWIW, dark pigments are the hardest to maintain. Not only because they more easily show the wear and tear, but because the pigments are also more susceptible to the wear and tear. Therefore, you have to be way more deliberate in how you maintain it compared to lighter colored cars.

Here are a few sites with products I have used to maintain my prior black car, some with good instructions as well...

http://crspotless.com/
(towel drying a car is where most micro scratches form; this eliminates towel drying)

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/inf-p...sh-clinic.html
(this one starts out with a tutorial on bird droppings).

http://www.drcolorchip.com/
(if you're patient, it works).

MLindgren

You need to start with a good polish job to eliminate the bird crap marks and any swirl marks then build up a couple layers of wax. I have a black car and prefer to use wipe-on-walk-away products like Ultima Paint Guard Plus. I also recommend using an electric leaf blower to dry the car 90% first. Then a micro-fiber waffle weave towel is enough to get the car totally dry. I use waffle weaves from Wal-Mart. Find them in the kitchen junk area-they are about 3 bucks for 2 of em'

PasPar2

thanks for the info... I will ready up and try to close my eyes at 4' away till I get in

here it is after the last wash:

ervtx

+1 Ultima Paint Guard Plus is great! Even better on top of a layer of carnuba wax.

Chaos

You need a good buff out,that should solve your problems. As far as that being a dumb question just hang around awhile !

Ed Burdell

Time to use the clay bar?