Help with scratchs on black car.

[them2854]

Hello All.

I recently purcahsed a Black 03 Toyota Camry. I am very new to car care. So I am in need of guidence and lots of it. After washing it yesterday for the first time I noticed some scratches and I suppose "swirling" and a few chips on the hood (probably from bug residue). The scratches are probably from being washed in an automatic carwash.

I am looking to make the scratches not as noticeable and possibly remove them. And what could be used to make the white chips less noticable. I have no knowledge about waxes/polishes/clay/etc. So if someone could give me a list of products to start with and use that would be great! And also after these first initinal steps to make them less noticable what regiment should I perform to keep it looking good.

Thanks for your time, any help would be greatly appreciated!
Jamie

[Murr1525]

Well, before you go running off and buying things, it is best to understand the process, and the idea behind the different steps.

Let me give you a little reading first, then we can get more specific for you...

Were you thinking about detailing by hand, or investing in a machine polisher?

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle

Step 1 Wash

Step 2 Clean

Step 3 Polish

Step 4 Protect

Step 5 Maintain

Suggested Products for Taking Care of a New Car

What it Means to Remove a Scratch

How To Remove Swirls By Hand

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX

Rotary vs. PC vs. Regular Orbital Buffer

Recommended Products - G100a Dual Action Polisher

Using the G-100 to remove swirls with the Professional Line

[Murr1525]

Also, if you swing past Showcargarage.com, you can find a couple short video clips for car washing and using scratchX.

[them2854]

Thanks for the quick response.

If I could get away with doing it by hand then thats what I'm going to do. I'm reading through the links you posted.

Thanks
Jamie

[them2854]

Ok I've read through all the info. Which is very helpful. Out of all the different things I've read in the past couple days that was the easist to understand.

So this is what I have gathered that I'm going to need to get/do to get my car looking better.

Soap - Gold Class Soap with a wool washing mitt.
Dry with a drying towel.
Then clay. (to get the bug residue off, mostly just the hood)
Cleaner - Scratch X
Polish - with Deep Crystal System polish
Then wax - Which wax form is easist to work with?

That Sound about right?
Jamie

[LiquidBlack]

Most of meguiar's retail waxes are very easy to work with so long as you apply and remove properly. That is, when applying the wax you want to apply a very thin layer across the entire car. After allowing it to set for about 15-20 minutes, you'll want to remove the wax with a high quality microfiber cloth, such as Meguiar's Supreme Shine microfiber cloths.

For my black car, I prefer Gold Class. It leaves the paint looking very deep and glossy.

[Murr1525]

You'll want to clay everything, but yes, it helps with bugs also. Do paint --> glass/trim --> Wheels --> exhaust/muffler in that order only.

Yes, you will want to use ScratchX by hand. It *****, so dont ty to do it all in one day. Then, in the future, you cna use DC#1 for your milder and easier and cheaper cleanings.

Wax is all a personal preference. I like #21, which only comes in a liquid. Really, just pick one. If you become an addict like us, you'll have them all soon anyway. Counting cleaner/waxes, I must have 6 at least.