Help me .......

[Big P]

Hello, I am new to the detailing world, I have a black 07 Camry. I currently use two wash buckets, a grit guard, gold class soap and a mg wash mit. To dry the car I use a water magnet, suede drying towel and mf towel. I recently used scratch X and gold class wax to removed a few dealer installed scratches and maybe a few of mine. However, I did not clay the car . I'm just having one Big Problem that I can't figure out, why do I keep getting scratches and swirl marks evertime I wash my car.

Am I washing or drying the car wrong or because I didn't clay?

I dont know what else to do ?


One last question how often do you have to wax?

[gb387]

Re: Help me .......

I would guess its due to something in your washing process...

I will touch on a couple things but read the posts below. Make sure you are using quality washing/drying supplies. You need a quality wash mit lams wool or a Deep Pile Chenille Wash Mitt these mitts are very soft and have a deep knap to pull grime in and away from the vehicle, use quality car wash soap (NXT Generation Car Wash or Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo & Conditioner) not dish soap.

For drying you should also use a towel made for use on a vehicle like, Water Magnet Drying Towel or Microfiber Super Suede Drying Towel these towels work well, you should keep a couple on hand should you drop one on the ground while drying your vehicle, you can toss that one in the wash and use a new one.

What are you using to wash your vehicle?

Read over this thread: Suggested products for taking care of a new car!
Here is another: Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle

[Big P]

Re: Help me .......

I'm using all MG products. I use gold class car wash shampoo and conditioner along with a grit guard and a Ultra Plush Wash Mitt. When I dry the car I use 1 water magnet, 1 suede drying towel and a couple of micro fiber towels. Am I missing anything? Should I change my wash mitt, car wash or drying products?

[Graeme]

Re: Help me .......

Are you hosing the car down properly before you start to wash?
You might be leaving grit on the car.

How often do you rinse your wash mitt?
You should rinse it after each panel making sure you remove any grit from it.

Do you ring the mitt out well before you put it into the suds bucket?
If you don't then it won't soak up much suds water because it is full of rinse water.

Are you rinsing your drying towels as you dry? Also how do you store them?
Rinse your drying towels as you go and be sure to store them in a container so dust and dirt doesn't settle on them.

Graeme

[Big P]

Re: Help me .......

I think I'm hosing down the car properly. I rinse the car from top to bottom using a shower setting. I use two buckets one with soap water and one of rinse water with a grit guard. No, I do not ring ou the mitt before I put it in the suds bucket. Also, I do not rinse out my drying towels. I use a water magent, mf and a suede drying towel. I store the the towels in an air tight container.

[the other pc]

Re: Help me .......

There’s probably be some action or product in your wash process that causes the problem.

Here’s what I’d do:

Polish out a small test section, probably one foot by one foot so that it is clear and glossy.

Do the wash process on that spot but do each step in a different direction, wash mitt up and down, dry with the water magnet side to side and dry with the suede drying towel diagonally.

If the scratches show up you’ll be able to see which step caused them.


PC.

[Big P]

Re: Help me .......

Thanks PC, I'm going to try your recomendation on Wed. I'll let you know what happens.

[Graeme]

Re: Help me .......

No, I do not ring ou the mitt before I put it in the suds bucket.

You should ring out the mitt before you put it in the suds bucket again. If you don't the mitt is full of rinse water and it is not taking up the suds water, so you lose any lubrication you had.

[kanabro]

Re: Help me .......

Graeme wrote, "Are you rinsing your drying towels as you dry?"

Do you actually mean that you wet your drying towel w/ the hose or in the rinse bucket?

[hondaprelude98]

Re: Help me .......

I would agree with the washing process, i have a black prelude and i had scratches and like i said i had, and they are gone and i would wax the car 2 a year depending on how well you can wax a car, and if you are new maybe 3 times.

[Graeme]

Re: Help me .......

Graeme wrote, "Are you rinsing your drying towels as you dry?"

Do you actually mean that you wet your drying towel w/ the hose or in the rinse bucket?

I use the synthetic chamois and I rinse it in clean water and ring it out after each panel.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Help me .......

Some paints are more scratch-sensitive then others, this could be the case and if it is there's not much you can do about it. We've seen some paints that will scratch just by wiping them with a clean microfiber and pushing a smidgen to hard on the cloth.

[Big P]

Re: Help me .......

Mike, if my car is scratch sensitve, will a suede drying towel work better than a mf? How about wash mitts is there a big difference between MF and ultra plush wash mitt. Also is waxing a car once a month over doing it?

[Graeme]

Re: Help me .......

This is from the other thread about waxing

Big picture,

If you're car is a daily driver, and you're washing it once a week, then waxing once a week will insure a show room new look all of the time.

If you're car is tucked under a soft car cover in a garage and only sees the light of day once in a while, then you don't need to wax very often.

[Big P]

Re: Help me .......

Graeme, I think I may have found the problem of what is giving me scratches. My washing mitt. I currently use the ultra plush mitt. Have you ever tryed the mf mitt? How about swirl marks? There not bad, but I noticed them on the roof and side pannels.