Hello all!

[andremw]

Just introducing myself, my name is Andrea. I'm pretty new with exterior car care. I grew up working with my father on our of all cars under the hood, but I finally have a new, shiny car (just a Cobalt, but since the last thing I drove was a rusty Geo, wonderful to me!). I'm joining hoping for advice on body care!

[BlueZero]

Re: Hello all!

Hey Andrea! Welcome to MOL!

Feel free to share some photos of your shiny car. We all like pictures!

[Murr1525]

Re: Hello all!

Here are some good links to read to cover all the basics:

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

1986 Ford Bronco II - Extreme Makeover

Each one, teach one... Ferrari Fiorano 355 F1 Spider

[andremw]

Re: Hello all!

Thanks alot, looks like I have some reading to do! I've especially been reading up on repairing stone chips, there are a few small ones on the hood that the previous owner didn't repair, that I'd like to get to asap before rust sets in. At least, from what I've read, it will be easier to get the color to match, since mine is a basic white color.

[new2detailing]

Re: Hello all!

Welcome,

Congratulations on your new car and remember that a good "wax" job starts with proper paint preparation. Have fun and ask lots of questions.

[Murr1525]

Re: Hello all!

Stone chips are tough... depends how OCD you want to be about fixing them.... If you want them looking ok, or looking perfect.

[andremw]

Re: Hello all!

Yeah, when I was younger, I let my dad attempt to repair some scratches/stone chips on my old car, and they looked horrible. I'd like them to at least not be noticable... Definitly OCD, I guess.

[Murr1525]

Re: Hello all!

The ok method is to clean out the chip, like with a corner of fine sand paper. Then dip a very very fine brush, or toothpick in the paint, get just a little on the tip, and dab it into the chip. A few dabs to cover it, then let it dry. Repeat a couple times to fill in a bit.

[andremw]

Re: Hello all!

What's the best way to make it as close to invisible as possible? Do you need to overfill it slightly, then sand or polish it down to the level of the rest of the paint?

All of this "scratch remover", "polish", and "waxing" terms confuse me, even though I 've been trying to read up on it. Seems everyone says something different.

[Murr1525]

Re: Hello all!

Many terms are used for different/same things, so esp between companies, it can be confusing. I try to stick with Meguiars terms at least.

And yes, if you wanted to get into making it perfect, you would be looking at wet-sanding, then removing the sanding marks, which would probably need some kind of machine polisher.

I think autopia.org has a few tutorials on that sort of thing.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Hello all!

Hello and welcome to mol.

[andremw]

Re: Hello all!

Thanks!