Preventing Fine Micro Scratches and Keeping Your New Car Looking New
10-14-2005, 12:38 AM
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It does, and don't smack the car with that leaf blower nozzel (did that on the bike twice)... Thus the reason why I purchased that silly (but I love it) "Metro Air Force Blaster"... 
10-14-2005, 10:07 AM
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Originally Posted by munro86
Theres a method in his madness!
Isn't keeping a P-car in pristine shape madness! We're all mad! Good job, Ben!
10-15-2005, 04:00 AM
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10-15-2005, 09:15 AM
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OCBen,
Thanks mate , you have a very engaging writing style.You might have another career outside of building spaceships! Just some questions: What do you think of pig skin chamois? My father used one when I was growing up and I use one now and personally think they are superior to the synthetic ones, which tend to leave some dirt spots behind. The other question was, do you spray a high pressure jet of water under the wheel arches to remove mud,tar generally road grime etc.?
Thanks again, very informative.
Jason
Thanks mate , you have a very engaging writing style.You might have another career outside of building spaceships! Just some questions: What do you think of pig skin chamois? My father used one when I was growing up and I use one now and personally think they are superior to the synthetic ones, which tend to leave some dirt spots behind. The other question was, do you spray a high pressure jet of water under the wheel arches to remove mud,tar generally road grime etc.?
Thanks again, very informative.
Jason
10-15-2005, 12:22 PM
#25
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Thanks munro, but it's unmanned spacecraft and not spaceships that I work on. 
I've never used a pig skin chamois before but I have used the common cow hide variety, and those vary in texture and are not as absorbent as the synthetics. And as they age they break down and leave behind particles of hide all over your car. The synthetics just thin out as they wear down. I use my newest one on the body and my old one for the wheels. After I'm done drying I clean them out in the wash bucket, rinse them and let them dry. If I had soft water I bet they would dry soft.
I imagine the pig skin chamois works a lot like the cow variety, though I wouldn't be surprised if it's softer. If you like using it, just make sure you prep it good by soaking and wringing out to get it really soft before you start drying.
Yes, of course, I spray down the wheel wells with the jet spray pattern when I'm wetting down the car just prior to washing. I also wash and apply dressing on the plastic liners in the wheel wells. But you guys knew that, right?
I've never used a pig skin chamois before but I have used the common cow hide variety, and those vary in texture and are not as absorbent as the synthetics. And as they age they break down and leave behind particles of hide all over your car. The synthetics just thin out as they wear down. I use my newest one on the body and my old one for the wheels. After I'm done drying I clean them out in the wash bucket, rinse them and let them dry. If I had soft water I bet they would dry soft.
I imagine the pig skin chamois works a lot like the cow variety, though I wouldn't be surprised if it's softer. If you like using it, just make sure you prep it good by soaking and wringing out to get it really soft before you start drying.
Yes, of course, I spray down the wheel wells with the jet spray pattern when I'm wetting down the car just prior to washing. I also wash and apply dressing on the plastic liners in the wheel wells. But you guys knew that, right?
10-17-2005, 12:08 PM
#28
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Needed to clarify that I wash my wheels with a special wheel cleaner, not with the soap water that I use for washing the car. My favorite product for cleaning wheels that does an excellent job on brake dust is the one made by P21S - the liquid kind not the gel. The gel is best for heavily soiled wheels that are nearly black from all the brake dust. I never let mine get that bad so the liquid works best for me.
10-17-2005, 12:36 PM
#29
OCBen: Ok now we know how to lessen the likelihood of getting small scratches, but how do we remove or at least mask them when they occur? I have a black car and have many small scratches in the clear coat. I've used lots of over the counter products that are supposed to remove or to at least hide scratches put none of them work to my satisfaction. Any recommendations?
10-17-2005, 02:44 PM
#30
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There are quite a few excellent sites that discuss the problem and offer solutions. It would be helpful to learn as much as you can before following any particular recommendation.
But generally speaking, if the swirl marks are everywhere and they’ve become really noticeable as they would on a black car, then the best solution is using a machine polisher. If you’re a novice, then I would recommend getting a dual-action polisher (or orbital polisher as they’re sometimes called) and use a good machine swirl mark remover polish. Meguiar’s and 3M make good products in this category. In the past I used to use Meguiar’s but in the last four years I’ve been using 3M professional series, which has quite a few products in the machine polish category, as well as my favorite, Imperial Hand Glaze (applied by hand as the name implies).
If you’ve been trained how to use, and are experienced in using a high speed rotary polisher (or circular polisher) that’s what I would recommend, and that’s what I would use if I were doing the job. But you can do severe damage if you don’t understand the mechanics of a rotary, and using your Porsche as a guinea pig would not be Phi Beta Kappa. Porter Cable is a popular brand among the orbital types. You just need to be patient for the results when using it. The rotary type is more efficient and does a much better job at fine micro scratch removal. I use the top of the line Makita 9227 – a sweet powerful machine – for my machine polishing.
As for hiding or masking the faintest of scratches, use Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze. This sealer will fill in all those tiny scratches and provide a uniform coating that will dazzle you. A second or third coat (per instructions) will ensure complete sealing and coverage. See the recommended steps in Autopia.org.
But generally speaking, if the swirl marks are everywhere and they’ve become really noticeable as they would on a black car, then the best solution is using a machine polisher. If you’re a novice, then I would recommend getting a dual-action polisher (or orbital polisher as they’re sometimes called) and use a good machine swirl mark remover polish. Meguiar’s and 3M make good products in this category. In the past I used to use Meguiar’s but in the last four years I’ve been using 3M professional series, which has quite a few products in the machine polish category, as well as my favorite, Imperial Hand Glaze (applied by hand as the name implies).
If you’ve been trained how to use, and are experienced in using a high speed rotary polisher (or circular polisher) that’s what I would recommend, and that’s what I would use if I were doing the job. But you can do severe damage if you don’t understand the mechanics of a rotary, and using your Porsche as a guinea pig would not be Phi Beta Kappa. Porter Cable is a popular brand among the orbital types. You just need to be patient for the results when using it. The rotary type is more efficient and does a much better job at fine micro scratch removal. I use the top of the line Makita 9227 – a sweet powerful machine – for my machine polishing.
As for hiding or masking the faintest of scratches, use Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze. This sealer will fill in all those tiny scratches and provide a uniform coating that will dazzle you. A second or third coat (per instructions) will ensure complete sealing and coverage. See the recommended steps in Autopia.org.