Help

[QKG16]

Dear Meguiar's admin staff, members or whoever that is out there,
I have this problem with my 96 FD3S RX7. I recently had the car painted and it was not such a good job. I then had it sent to another person to have it polished. It came back good...but it was months since, and now when I wash the car (using only cotton cloth and water), I can see a lot of swirls and light scratches and a lot of blurry semi white patches.
What should I do now? Which Meguiar's product should I go for?

Any information will be very much appreciated!

[Calais]

Re: Help

Please post pics.

Swirls after multiple washes are somewhat normal if 100% perfect wash techniques are not observed. White scuffs could be a number of things.

[Murr1525]

Re: Help

Yeah, pics would help. Have you seen any of the products in a store? Something like SwirlX and Ultimate Compound would be products to look for, but might need to check if you cna find them.

Also, you might want to watch this:

How to Wash Your Car Show Car Style

[Eddie6th]

Re: Help

Pics will help.
I'm unsure about your wash methods. You said a cotton cloth and water. Swirls are very easy to produce. Can you be a bit more specific as to your procedure,and what products and types of cloths,mits or sponges you are using?

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Help

Washing with a cotton cloth and just water is really not a great way to wash, and will almost always inflict swirls in the paint, even if the car isn't terribly dirty to begin with.

Cotton terry cloth may feel very soft to the hand, but each of those little loops of cotton fiber has a bit of bite to it, which is why we recommend using terry cloth as an applicator for products like PlastX on headlights (the "bite" afforded by the terry cloth can actually help the process along) but we recommend using a foam wax applicator pad when using something like ScratchX on paint (the "bite" afforded by the terry cloth can actually be too aggressive and end up hazing the paint).

Aftermarket paint jobs present an unknown quantity - they can be very hard or very soft, but there is no historical record, so to speak, to use as a guide. Nonetheless, using a cotton cloth to wash any vehicle, constantly moving that cloth over the dirty paint, is a recipe for problems. Using only water means you've had no soap to emulsify and encapsulate any dirt that may have been on the surface, no matter how light, and therefore you have been dragging that dirt against the paint. Consider that even under the best of circumstances it is the washing & drying process that causes the vast majority of swirls, and you can see that perhaps some adjustment to your technique is in order.

You should pick up a good quality microfiber or natural sheepskin wash mitt, some quality car wash soap, and a pair of microfiber drying towels. Our X3002 Microfiber Wash Mitt, Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo & Conditioner and a couple X2000 Water Magnet Microfiber Drying Towels will go a long way toward reducing the amount of swirls you'll be creating in the finish. Use the two bucket method to enhance the safety factor. Will this completely eliminate the recurrence of swirls? No, but it will reduce them by a huge percentage. The video Murr linked is excellent for teaching proper washing technique once you've got all these tools lined up.

Now that's all fine and well moving forward, but it does nothing for the swirls you already have. Others have already mentioned SwirlX and Ultimate Compound, and either is an excellent choice. Regardless which one you choose, make sure to apply it with a soft foam wax applicator pad so as not to create any other issues due to vigorous application with a terry towel. Keep in mind also that these products only work when being worked against the paint - so apply to a small area and work with a bit of elbow grease for a couple of minutes and then wipe off before it dries. Take a look at this video for some pointers on proper technique with these products.

The "blurry semi white patches" are a bit of a concern though. Any chance you can post some pictures of those areas?

[QKG16]

Re: Help

thanks for the advices guys. i will try to take pictures of the blurry patches and post them up.

[CieraSL]

Re: Help

Do the "white patches" look anything like this:


or anything in this thread: The Clearcoat Failure Photo Archive?

[QKG16]

Re: Help

Eddie6th: i dont use any car shampoo at all. i am just using cotton cloth and water, which could be my problem.
CieraSL: the blurry patches are not what is seen in the clearcoat failure archive.. i think it looks quite similar to the photo u posted. i am still trying to get a good picture. the car is very dirty at the moment so i might clean it first.
sorry for the delay guys. i really appreciate all the advices.. will be heading down to the local store to pick up my meguiar's product this weekend

[QKG16]

Re: Help

just wondering. if its the clear coat problem as suspected, any meguiar's product can help?

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Help

Using just a cotton cloth and water is really not the best choice - you need the lubricity and surfactants in a good car wash shampoo to break down and remove the dirt; water alone doesn't really do it and you end up just wiping the dirt against the paint. Your net result is badly swirled and scratched paint, and the need to machine polish regularly to remove the defects. Proper washing & drying techniques are critical to the long term appearance of your paint.

We'll wait until you can show some pictures of the paint as it is now, and keep our fingers crossed that you don't have a clear coat failure issue.