It sounds to me like someone is trying to sell cotton towels. High quality microfiber will not scratch paint. I've been using it for years to remove polish/wax, dry cars, QD, rinseless wash, etc.....never a problem when used properly.
cool, so dusting with them on any surface is ok?
LIGHT dusting is fine. It's best to use a car duster, but if you LIGHTLY dust a car that has NOTHING MORE than light dust on it, you'll be fine. Just don't use any pressure.
Any tips on making a white Bimmer pop? I see a lot of threads in this forum with black and blue cars, where the mirroring really shows the shine (for good and bad, I suppose). What is best for us Alpine Weiss owners?
- Meghan
Meghan@autogeek.net
** 10% off @ Autogeek.net- PinnacleWax.com -Wolfgangcarcare.com - Coupon Code = clubmember
My car is a dust magnet. I just washed it yesterday and its already got a nice layer of visible dust all over the car. How can I keep the car cleaner longer?
Also, can I just wash my car and polish it (without claying)?
There's really not much you can do aside from getting a good car cover or a duster. Some sealants will repel dust better than others, but for the most part if your car is getting covered that quickly, there's not much you can do.
If the paint isn't really too rough, you can polish without claying. Wash it, run your hand in a ziploc bag over the paint and get an idea of how rough it is.
I have a light grey interior, and I spilled god knows what on my counsol. What works best for cleaning stains, without discoloring the counsol?
Oh, and do you have any recommendations for chipped paint? I have no idea how it happened, but my hood has tiny chips of paint missing from it.
Thanks Matt, any suggestions on sealants that repel dust better? I forget what I've been using.
DP Interior Cleaner is pretty universal in that it works well on nearly everything, and is not harsh at all.
Chipped paint needs to be touched up. If you've never done it before, it's best left to a professional.
I've almost exclusively been using Wolfgang Fuzion. The durability is quite surprising from such a nice looking wax, and it's easy to use with decent dust repelling abilities. Can't really go wrong with the current special IMO.
Last edited by Matt@Autogeek; 03-02-2009 at 09:41 AM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
Hey Matt,
I was wondering if you could recommend me something to polish up my dinan exhaust tips? I have tried the mothers brand metal and it helped a little but didn't really get the results I was looking for. Is there something that might work better than this stuff? Would the best results be from using a machine or will by hand work with a polishing cloth?
I also seem to notice dark marks on my fuel cover and some spots around the car, they pretty much look like something rubbed up against the clear coat and left a mark. Doesn't seem to be a scratch and its definitely on the clear coat, have tried a few cleaners with no success.
Any recommendations to help this?
As always, your help is greatly appreciate matt!
Thank You
I usually use Meguiar's ScratchX for scuffs like that and with a little elbow grease, it takes them out no problem.
If Mothers isn't cutting it, look to the Wolfgang MetallWerk polishes. The aluminum compound is very strong stuff and will usually remove anything Mothers won't. Be sure to follow up with a finer polish as this stuff is very strong.
Matt - Last fall I bought Menzerna PO83 and PO106FA, and two each orange, white, and gray pads. I used my PC7424, and finished with Liquid Souveran. It looked great, though up close I could still see a few light swirls. The wax seemed to "fill in" good enough for then, but I did order some S34A to do it all over again this spring/ (I'm in the northeast and have no garage, so it has to wait for a warmer day.)
I washed my car yesterday, and the car had lost all signs of wax on the horizontal surfaces. No surprise, it's been a long winter. What startled me is that it now looks like I never even touched it with the PO83/PO106FA treatment last year. I spent MANY hours on it then, have not driven much at all this winter, and have not cleared snow off with anything more than my hand. (It stays parked, no snow tires.)
When I do this whole "paint restoration" process again, starting with the S34, I'm thinking I should just bin the PC7424 and go high-speed non-orbital for the 1st two steps. I want this thing done once-and-for-all right, no more screwing around. What say you?
If you have rotary experience and feel confident compounding and polishing your paint with one, then by all means go for it. Finishing with 106 and the PC will leave the paint perfect using a finishing pad.
S34 is very strong stuff and will definitely remove anything SIP could not remove.
However, if you don't have much experience with a rotary, I would just use 4" pads on the PC, or even 5.5" which are still quite a bit more effective than the larger 6.5" pads.
I have zero experience with a rotary. However, there's only ONE way to get experience: do it. I will probably get a Flex kit for the S34 compound and give it a go. At least the scratches will turn to swirls that are mostly going all the same way.
Thanks for the info.
Went and picked some up and gave it a shot.......WOW! My jaw dropped at how good the scratchX works.
I have tried many other products on it and even tried a buffer with no success and this stuff had it gone after a few swipes.
Had some key marks on the door handle and after using this stuff looks brand new!
Thank you Matt for taking the time to answer my questions and support the community.
It is greatly appreciated by many
Glad it worked out for you LVX! I first discovered that stuff worked great for that application when I was in a pinch a few years ago. I was up in NY visiting family, and my cousin side-swiped my aunt's car pulling out of the driveway. I obviously had no detailing supplies with me, so I had to run to AutoZone and find something. Picked up some ScratchX and it worked like a charm with a little elbow grease!
PixMan - If you have no experience with a rotary, you definitely don't want to gain that experience on a finish you value. You will screw things up initially, so it's best to go pick up a junkyard hood for $30 and practice on that. Fortunately, I had a POS beater to practice on and "see what it took" to burn the paint to get a feel for what to do and what not to do.
Your best bet is to get the Flex XC3401 which is completely safe, and just about as effective as a rotary. I have a PC, rotary and Flex, and the Flex is all I really use if that tells you anything.
Hey man, what's the best temperature to touch up some of the scratches on my car with a paint pen, like above 55 degrees?
Hey Matt,
I had a few more questions for ya if you don't mind? Well I got my roadster detailed today and when I picked it up I noticed they put something on the black back plastic part of the "gills" that made it look real shiny, almost like it was wet. When I touched it it felt like an oil, I was wondering if you might know what this is or could recommend a product that does this as I absolutely LOVE it.
Also I was wondering if you could recommend me a good hand wax and polish so that I can do it myself as I hear its good to keep a nice coat of wax on.
Appreciate all the help my friend
My 2006 Z4 has some light swirls that I want to polish out with my PC7336. It also has a couple that are more noticeable, but still feel smooth. Would you recommend getting 2 different polishes? Start with a fine polish for most of the car, and something a little more abrasive for the bigger marks? Or just use the fine polish more than once? What microfiber towels would you recommend for polishing? Please make your recommendations from products that you sell, since I feel it's important to support forum sponsors that share their expertise with us at no charge.
In that case, I'd say the hotter the better. But yes, above 55 degrees should be fine. It may take a little longer for the paint to cure in colder temperatures, so keep that in mind.
I personally like Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant. If you're looking for something a little cheaper, then Meguiar's #21 is easy to use and works great.
Is it textured black trim? For that, Black WOW is the way to go. Other good choices are Poorboy's Trim Restorer and Meguiar's Gold Class Trim Detailer.
Last edited by Matt@Autogeek; 03-25-2009 at 11:40 AM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
Last Fall I used an orange CCS pad and XMT Intermediate Swirl Remover 3 followed by XMT1 and Finishing Glaze to polish my Jet Black 1996 328is. Even with a rather healthy (and exhausting) amount of pressure, I could not remove about 25-40% of the swirls, as visible with a halogen lamp. Do I need a more abrasive pad, polish, or both?
Last edited by LinearX; 03-29-2009 at 12:35 AM.
330ci ZHP + ZPP + ZCW - SilberGrau on Black Heated Leather - 6MT - Adaptive+Dynamic Xenons
328is ZPP - Black on Sand Leather - BBS RX - ZKWs
Subaru BG Outback 5MT - Blue/Gray - WRX Wheels + Altimax Arctics
If that's the case, I'd probably get some yellow 4" pads and a 3.5" backing plate and go to town on it with Meguiar's #105 compound - work in on speed 6. You should be able to follow up with the Finishing Glaze and a gray pad without any problems.
I'm assuming the "more noticeable" ones are light scratches in the paint. For these problem areas, as I recommended above, I'd use 4" yellow or orange pads on a 3.5" backing plate with Meguiar's #105 compound on speed 6. After these areas are taken care of, go over the rest of the car with a 5.5" pad on a 5" backing plate, with Meguiar's #205, or something like Menzerna Power Finish (PO203)...a white or green polishing/finishing pad can be used for this.
For polishing, I really like our edgeless (white and indigo) towels. The Supreme 530s are my favorite for final buffing, and for drying of course, the Guzzler towels.
Bookmarks