ford mustang + webbing + white paint = ?

[rudemood12]

alright, let me give a little back story on this first -

purchased a 2001 ford mustang gt back in september. as far as i know, its never seen a winter till this year, and was garaged all year long, more or less. and unfortunately, do to the cold weather, its been taking a beating via the weather so far this season in new england (its my daily driver), as i havent had a good opportunity to wash/wax/protect it.

i thought the paint was in pretty good condition (no swirls, webbing, etc) but after taking a good look at it the other day in the sunlight, it looks like pretty much the entire car has a good case of webbing - no swirls really, just those circular, cobweb looking things. i want to get rid of these!

so, the first good day i get, im washing/claying/defect removing/waxing the car.

so my question is, given the car itself (if anyone knows about how hard/soft the paint on a ford mustang might be) and the apparent issue, what is my best option?

i currently have DC#1, but everything i am reading lately says its not very aggressive, so i dont know if thats what im looking for. so im thinking this wont work well. i took it to a small portion of the car the other day, and didnt seem to do a whole lot. granted, i didnt exactly put a 'full' effort into it, as it was more of a test run, so maybe the results are quite skewed.

so, im thinking maybe going the #80 series route, and possibly a porter cable unit. id rather not have to drop the $100 on the PC, but if its going to give me the results i want (meaning no more webbing) versus doing it by hand, i will definitely take the leap.

so, im looking for any and all information/help here. i definitely want to get these defects out, and want to do it in the most efficient way possible. thanks guys, this forum has already been a huge help.

[Murr1525]

Well, you are right, DC#1 wont do anything to swirls.

If you want to stay working by hand, you are probably going to want to use ScratchX. I am not sure if ColorX would be strong enough, but it is an option. ColorX is more of a 'medium strength' cleaner.

Scratchxing a whole car *****. But, if you do one part at a time, over a few days, you will get there. You'll want to try applying with a Hi-TecFoam Applicator first.

Depending on how much time you have, you might want to do something like ScratchX a panel, or section, etc, then follow up with a polish and wax, or even a cleaner/wax to get it protected right away. Dont want to fix a section, then drive around for a week and get it swirled again.

In the future, when there is no defects to fix, DC#1 will be a good choice for a cleaner.


Be sure to read:

A Lesson From White Paint


How To Remove Swirls By Hand

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX

What it Means to Remove a Scratch

Suggested Products for Taking Care of a New Car

[rudemood12]

thanks for the suggestions. i always had the thought that scratchx was more of a small area solution, rather than an entire car. i am more than willing to put in the work if its required. that is not an issue.

im glad there seems to still be some use for dc#1. ill definitely keep it around in that case.

ill try a small area w/ wash, clay, scratchx, dc#2, nxt wax and see how it goes. i think thatll give me a good idea about the overall success.

about scratchx... how much work/effort is needed to see results? my gf gave it a shot on her black monte carlo, and it didint seem to do much, but i think it may be more or less because she didnt put enough elbow grease into it.

[Dragpakmach]

My Mach1 had the same problems only my cobweb scratches were dealer installed.I used #83 with a rotary and yellow pad#8000 to remove the cobwebs.Nothing else worked.Scratch X might work but to do a whole car by hand.Youll need to take Ibuprofen before you start to minimize the sore muscles. You probably could try G100 polisher on a yellow pad with#83 it will not be perfect but it might get rid of most of the fine scratches.Good luck fellow stanger.

[Murr1525]

The ScratchX will need worked in with some passion, and more than one application. Be sure to read that How-to and understand it. You might need 3 or so well worked in applications for each area.

As I said, it'll ****.

The G-100 would be a much easier solution, not only for removing swirls, but also regular maintenance. Just have to see if you want to spend the money on it.

[rudemood12]

sounds like a plan guys. thanks for your input. i figured there would be some mustang owners around as well, and id hope theyd share their experience, so thanks dragpakmach.

[rudemood12]

alright, well i went at it with some clay/dc#1/dc#2 just so see what happens... its a HUGE improvement, looks great just standing there, but in the light, you can definitely see the swirls. im going to pick up some scratchx just to see what it can do, and get an idea of what im up against.

i was excited to see just what dc#1/dc#2 do by hand in a quick 5 mins, but the swirls are definitely still there.

[Murr1525]

Sounds good... hopefully all goes well and easily.

Remember, DC#2 is only a polish, so there is no protection on that paint now where you worked.

I am sure you just waited since you will be ScratchXing anyway, but just making sure you have some sort of Gold Class, Nxt, #21, etc in your arsenal.

[derekxec]

when you say work the scratchX am i pushing really hard? or what?

[LiquidBlack]

My technique for scratchx is this:

Apply ScratchX to a high quality foam applicator (such as Meguiar's High Tech Applicator).

Lightly spread the scratchx around the area you will be working (8x8 inch area is good).

In an up and down motion, work the scratchX into the finish. Just move up and down, moving slowly over from one side to the other. Continue working it in until you can barely see it.



Either wipe the surface with a high quality microfiber cloth, or repeat the process. Repeat as many times as necessary until you are swirl free.

It's a good idea to tape off a section while trying these techniques. Thus, you can really see the difference you make using these techniques.

[rudemood12]

to update this some, i took some scratch x to the previously mentioned area, and worked it in pretty well (couldve pushed it some more) and i did a pretty good job. not 100%, more around 60%, but definitely an improvement. that made me smile before work?

that being said, are there any retail stores that carry #83? i stopped in at pep boys and they had some #9, and #21, but that was about it. i did manage to snag some seafoam as well tho

if i can get some #83 tomorrow, i might go with that, or just put in some elbow grease with the scratchx. we are definitely heading in the right direction tho. thanks guys.

oh, and i have some nxt wax in the wings here, just waiting till i get the car scrubbed down first.

[Murr1525]

Well, you may need to order online, but first I would try looking up a distributor in your area, or an automotive paint supply store.

Try the Dealer Locator on the Meguiars homepage, and search for professional products.

It should give you some leads.

[rudemood12]

yeah, i did that. thanks. i was just curious if anyone had any specific experience with a particular retailer.

im looking for the quick fix, thats why i ask

[Murr1525]

Ehh, retailers are hit and miss with a lot of professional and detailer line products.

Finding a good PBE store near you is key for all that stuff.

[rudemood12]

i figured as much. if necessary, ill track one down tomorrow. if necessary meaning if scratchx requires 10 applications to get results im happy with