New Car Paint Help!

[adamd123]

Ok, so I have always tried my hardest with my last car (Silver 02 Jetta) to keep swirls off the paint. My usual wash process consists of:[list=1][*]Wash: NXT[*]Dry: Meg's Super Suede[*]Clay if needed.[*]DC Paint Cleaner - Buff with supreme shine microfiber[*]DC Polish - Buff with supreme shine microfiber[*]NXT Wax (2 coats) - Buff with supreme shine microfiber[/list=1]

And besides a few minor swirls the paint stayed in great shape.

Now the problem...
Ok so I just purchased a new 2006 Audi A4 (Black) and have had it for two days now. I custom ordered it and requested that when it was delivered, not to have them detail the car (to avoid swirls). So they honored my request, and just took the wrapping and rubber guards off of the car. No detailing. So far so good right? Well I noticed right away that the wrapping and rubber that they took off left behind some sticky residue wherever it was attached to the car. So today I took it to the car wash for the first time and ran into a problem.

I wanted to just wash the car to see if the glue would just come off. So I soaked the car, and then started lightly scrubbing it with as much suds (NXT) as I could. After rinsing the car and drying it with a Meg’s Super Suede towel, I noticed that none of the glue had come off. And also to my horror, I had light swirl marks in the paint already! So I thought I would try a clay bar on one of the sticky spots… Worst mistake ever. This ended up scratching the paint even worse and did not get rid of the glue. After this I decided to call it quits until I got some opinions on what I should do next?

Is it too early to wash my car? Or do light swirl marks come with every wash, and I just have not noticed before because I had silver paint. I really want this car to have a swirl free finish on it. Is there anything I can do to fix what I have done? And what suggestions do you guys have for my washing regiment, to prevent future scratching.

Here is a picture I tried to take:



Thanks for any help!
-Adam (the n00b)

[Jeff Smith]

Re: New Car Paint Help!

Originally posted by adamd123
Ok, so I have always tried my hardest with my last car (Silver 02 Jetta) to keep swirls off the paint. My usual wash process consists of:[list=1][*]Wash: NXT[*]Dry: Meg's Super Suede[*]Clay if needed.[*]DC Paint Cleaner - Buff with supreme shine microfiber[*]DC Polish - Buff with supreme shine microfiber[*]NXT Wax (2 coats) - Buff with supreme shine microfiber[/list=1]

And besides a few minor swirls the paint stayed in great shape.

Now the problem...
Ok so I just purchased a new 2006 Audi A4 (Black) and have had it for two days now. I custom ordered it and requested that when it was delivered, not to have them detail the car (to avoid swirls). So they honored my request, and just took the wrapping and rubber guards off of the car. No detailing. So far so good right? Well I noticed right away that the wrapping and rubber that they took off left behind some sticky residue wherever it was attached to the car. So today I took it to the car wash for the first time and ran into a problem.

I wanted to just wash the car to see if the glue would just come off. So I soaked the car, and then started lightly scrubbing it with as much suds (NXT) as I could. After rinsing the car and drying it with a Meg’s Super Suede towel, I noticed that none of the glue had come off. And also to my horror, I had light swirl marks in the paint already! So I thought I would try a clay bar on one of the sticky spots… Worst mistake ever. This ended up scratching the paint even worse and did not get rid of the glue. After this I decided to call it quits until I got some opinions on what I should do next?

Is it too early to wash my car? Or do light swirl marks come with every wash, and I just have not noticed before because I had silver paint. I really want this car to have a swirl free finish on it. Is there anything I can do to fix what I have done? And what suggestions do you guys have for my washing regiment, to prevent future scratching.

Here is a picture of my paint after this fiasco.


Thanks for any help!
-Adam (the n00b)

I am not familiar with this at all but if it were me, The first thing I would do is call the dealer and find out what type of glue it is and what products and methods they use to remove it. Until you get rid of that glue I wouldn't touch it.

You might try upping the concentration of your NXT for another wash but that might not cut it either, I know I have used Isopropyl Alcohol to remove the glue from decals and badges but that seems a little harsh to use on an enitre finish. I wonder if a 50/50 mixture of IA and water would work? I have seen others discuss using that for inpsection purposes, it evidently causes no harm. I can;t remeber what they used to apply, likely a MF I guess. I am sure they'll chime in here ASAP.

Your previous method looks sound but I don't have black. So I am likely not the best judge on that.

For what it's worth here is a thread that touches on using the 2 bucket method:

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9523

There are someother threads I have seen from others. THis only popped into my mind as it was from just a few days ago.

And here is a link discussing the Grit Guard:

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2971&highlight=bucket+method

[Jeff Smith]

BTW, what wash mitt/spong are you using and are you using the 2 bucket method?

[jerm]

Is the glue actual "glue residue" or does it still have glue on the top of the surface? Can you actually feel the glue or does it just look like it stained the paint? If it just looks stained you may want to try some ScratchX. I custom ordered and just received my new Chevrolet Cobalt SS/SC about a week ago and I had a few scratches and what I thought may have been glue residue in two small areas. The scratches and residue are now gone after a few applications of ScratchX.

Welcome to the forum btw!

[adamd123]

Jeff:
Thanks for the feedback man. Yea unfortunatly I did not try the two bucket method. But I will from now on. Thanks for the links! Also I usually use the Meguiar's Ultra Plush Wash Mitt, but right now I just bought the most expensive ($9.99) lambs wool mitt I could find at Walmart.

Jerm:
If you run your fingers over the glue you can barley feel it, but if you push your finger into it you can smudge it around. The crappy thing is that there are glue spots all over the car, so I want to be sure I get them off the right way. Do you guys think bug and tar remover will be too hard on the paint?

I called the dealership and they said that they use an alchohal industrial streangth chemical to get it off. If I bring it in to them, I risk getting ALOT more scratches. Any ideas on other products I could use?

Any other suggestions on how NOT to get more swirls when washing, and also how to get rid of the damage done by the claybar?(I had used it once before, so it may have just had some dirt in it )

Thanks for your help guys!
-Adam

[Murr1525]

Working by hand, ScratchX will definately become your friend at removing swirls/scratches.

[jerm]

If you can work and smudge it around with your finger, go ahead and try some bug/tar remover. Remember to fully clean and wax the area after removing the bug/tar product.

[Alex]

If the bug/tar product is not going to help try some WD40.
I have recently removed some stripes from my dads truck and after removing the stripes there was a lot of glue residue left behind. The most effective way of removing the glue was WD40, as one of the members here suggested. My dad's highway truck has a single stage paint and WD40 didn't harm it in any way juist wash the car right after using it.

Good Luck

[adamd123]

Hey guys thanks for the responses. I dont know if this helps any but here is a better picture of what the glue looks like.



Alex:
What did you use to rup the WD40 in with? MF Towel?

-Adam

[Jeff Smith]

Originally posted by adamd123

Alex:
What did you use to rup the WD40 in with? MF Towel?

-Adam

I just woke up and see the others are throwing some good ideas at you.
Here is another link discussing using a couple products to remove glue:

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7684&perpage=10&highlight=sticker%20glue&pagenumber=1

If you use the seach feature above you can find some threads on this. Use terms like glue removal and such. Once you have a plan for removing the glue, I would then focus on making sure my wash method is squared away. The 2 bucket method with grit guards is highly recommended. After you know you are gong to be able to wash it without adding much more swirl and scratches, Then I would proceed with the Scratch removal. As the others sate, if you are working by hand, Scratch-X is most likely your best bet.

Here are a few other links you should have a look see at:
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
Recommended Products - G100a Dual Action Polisher
How To Remove Swirls By Hand
Recommended Products - G100a Dual Action Polisher
How To Wash Your Car using the Two Bucket
Method
Using the G-100 to remove swirls with the Professional Line
How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX

[adamd123]

Hey thanks for the links Jeff! awesome info. I actually just got back from the dealership. I asked them if I could borrow their solvent. And sure enough it took it right off. I will definitly start using the double bucket solution. I noticed in your post that you dont dry your car with any thing other than a leaf blower. Do you not reccomend drying with a shammy or the meguiar's super suede?

Thanks again for your help eveyone.

-Adam

[Alex]

I used an MF towel

[Jeff Smith]

Originally posted by adamd123
Hey thanks for the links Jeff! awesome info. I actually just got back from the dealership. I asked them if I could borrow their solvent. And sure enough it took it right off. I will definitly start using the double bucket solution. I noticed in your post that you dont dry your car with any thing other than a leaf blower. Do you not reccomend drying with a shammy or the meguiar's super suede?

Thanks again for your help eveyone.

-Adam

Glad you found a fix. Now you can get down to setting yourself up for the long haul.


Please keep inmind here that although I may post quite a bit I do not have alot of experience under my belt. Only 4-5 months I guess. My enthusiasm should not be mistaken for experience. I chime in on what I am familiar with and I enjoy trying to help the new folks along until they get a feel for how to find what they are looking for.

Having said that. For my leafblower use. I use it because "I" think that it eliminates one step of the process where I am applying friction to the finish. It does work very well for me. I have to work around several trees and have noticed the goodies tend to blow out of them onto my finish. So the use of the leafblower simply reduces the chances of my missing something and scraping it across the finish. But, thats just what works for me. I am sure you will find countless other posts in here from folks who use a shammy or the meguiar's super suede and get great results and it works for them. Personnally, before using the leaf blower I was using the water magnet. But with my tree situation I was finding that I could not guarantee I had a good clean surface. The WM did pick up a few things once in a while but that was mostly due to me not getting the tree junk cleared well enough. I still keep the water magnet around for those instances where I can work away form the trees. I have 3-4 of them. Keep one in the trunk.

For the shammy or the suede, myself I would not use them. I like a bit of a nap. THe WM doesn't have much but does have the little spaces. the ones you mentioned have none. But, as always, if it works for you, run with it. I see you likely already have the supreme shines. I have dried with those and got great results as well. The Terry's are also great. If you are not satisfied with what you are using, change. Go buy one other tye of product and try it out. See what it does for you. If not satisfied try another.

After using the leaf blower I go the the Quick Detail pad and a QD. usually by the time I am done with the leaf blower the QD pad does the trick for catching any errent drops.

Thats my story and I am sticking to it.