I should have listened to PH, now my car is scratched!
I should have listened to PH, now my car is scratched!
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Discussion

Urban Sports

Original Poster:

11,321 posts

225 months

Wednesday 17th August 2011
quotequote all
I posted this a couple of months ago about paying to have the car cleaned at these hand car wash places...

http://web20.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0...

...a fair few said they would never go to them because of scratches and so on, I said I'd never had a problem....yada yada

Well guess what went again today, got back and found this;







If only I'd listened frown


Edited by Urban Sports on Wednesday 17th August 18:06

Pints

18,448 posts

216 months

Wednesday 17th August 2011
quotequote all
What is the 3rd picture supposed to be?

The scratches do look nasty. frown

Urban Sports

Original Poster:

11,321 posts

225 months

Wednesday 17th August 2011
quotequote all
Pints said:
What is the 3rd picture supposed to be?

The scratches do look nasty. frown
It's the drivers side wing just underneath the indicator looking down, those ones are not as long so don't show up as well.

With a nice mirror image of my block paving.

Stu R

21,423 posts

237 months

Wednesday 17th August 2011
quotequote all
I'd be surprised if a good detailer couldn't get them out or at least make them look a lot better - tend to look a lot worse than they are on black cars.

jdw1234

6,021 posts

237 months

Wednesday 17th August 2011
quotequote all
That looks like keying rather than accidental washing damage.

Could the damage have been done before without you noticing?

I hop[e it doesn't cost you too much.


Urban Sports

Original Poster:

11,321 posts

225 months

Wednesday 17th August 2011
quotequote all
jdw1234 said:
That looks like keying rather than accidental washing damage.

Could the damage have been done before without you noticing?

I hop[e it doesn't cost you too much.
No it's not as bad a keying, they are a lot finer than the damage a key makes, they definately were not there before, and I noticed the bonnet one immediately when I got back then found the others.

frown

StottyZr

6,860 posts

185 months

Wednesday 17th August 2011
quotequote all
Urban Sports said:
jdw1234 said:
That looks like keying rather than accidental washing damage.

Could the damage have been done before without you noticing?

I hop[e it doesn't cost you too much.
No it's not as bad a keying, they are a lot finer than the damage a key makes, they definately were not there before, and I noticed the bonnet one immediately when I got back then found the others.

frown
To me the second image seems to follow a circular cleaning movement. A key wouldn't be this direction in such a smooth curve I wouldn't have imagined.

paulmon

2,204 posts

263 months

Wednesday 17th August 2011
quotequote all
Prime contenders for these types of scratches are those god awful rubber blades that are frequently used to remove water. If a small piece of grit gets caught on it or is on the paintwork it just gets dragged along creating the types of scratches you have. You may be able to polish them out.

P

Urban Sports

Original Poster:

11,321 posts

225 months

Wednesday 17th August 2011
quotequote all
paulmon said:
Prime contenders for these types of scratches are those god awful rubber blades that are frequently used to remove water. If a small piece of grit gets caught on it or is on the paintwork it just gets dragged along creating the types of scratches you have. You may be able to polish them out.

P
Yes they used those rolleyes

Challo

12,168 posts

177 months

Wednesday 17th August 2011
quotequote all
A bit of elbow grease should get them out. Just removed 3 very noticable scratches on my black car.

Autoglym Paint Renovator first to remove the scratch, then followed up with Autoglym Super Resin Polish.

Pratically removed all trace of a scratch.

M5Tom

344 posts

191 months

Wednesday 17th August 2011
quotequote all
I've noticed they will also sometimes drop the sponge/mitt on the floor and then pick it up and carry on scrubbing leading to similar scratches as the OP has.

On the very rare occasion I do use them I tell them no chemicals and keep a very careful eye. I once left half way through after watching them scratch the car! (Paid them £3 for the pleasure of getting my car wet!)

NiceCupOfTea

25,530 posts

273 months

Wednesday 17th August 2011
quotequote all
I've used those rubber blades for years with no bad effects. Don't drop it and make sure you wipe the blade off and you're fine. Also, only use it to get rid of clean rinsing water after you have washed the suds off.

johnpeat

5,329 posts

287 months

Wednesday 17th August 2011
quotequote all
A good handwash is FAR less likely to scratch your paint than an autowash - obviously you need to choose wisely...

Those scratches look deliberate to me tho - key scratches can vary from slight marks to indented ridges.

Kids will often run along with sticks/toys etc., trailing them on every surface they can see (including your car when parked) tho - just as likely.

People will put stuff down on cars and then pick-it-up (sliding it along and scratching the car as they do)

Stones/Debris flying around will leave scratches too - when you're driving, when it's windy etc. etc.

I'm assuming pic2 is a mirror back? They are DEFINATELY deliberate scratches IMO - you'd not press hard on a mirror (as it would move/fold) and so scratches need to be deliberate if that's what it is?

Edited by johnpeat on Wednesday 17th August 16:18

Pints

18,448 posts

216 months

Wednesday 17th August 2011
quotequote all
NiceCupOfTea said:
I've used those rubber blades for years with no bad effects. Don't drop it and make sure you wipe the blade off and you're fine. Also, only use it to get rid of clean rinsing water after you have washed the suds off.
+1
But that's the difference of doing it yourself and getting somebody to do it for a fiver.
You tend to take more care with your own P&J. If anything gets dropped while I'm washing the car, it either gets binned or given a proper clean.

syko89

373 posts

180 months

Wednesday 17th August 2011
quotequote all
dropped the sponge on the ground and wiped a nice small stone over your paintwork would be my guess.

kambites

70,579 posts

243 months

Wednesday 17th August 2011
quotequote all
I find it safest to just leave my car dirty. wink

Urban Sports

Original Poster:

11,321 posts

225 months

Wednesday 17th August 2011
quotequote all
johnpeat said:
A good handwash is FAR less likely to scratch your paint than an autowash - obviously you need to choose wisely...

Those scratches look deliberate to me tho - key scratches can vary from slight marks to indented ridges.

Kids will often run along with sticks/toys etc., trailing them on every surface they can see (including your car when parked) tho - just as likely.

People will put stuff down on cars and then pick-it-up (sliding it along and scratching the car as they do)

Stones/Debris flying around will leave scratches too - when you're driving, when it's windy etc. etc.

I'm assuming pic2 is a mirror back? They are DEFINATELY deliberate scratches IMO - you'd not press hard on a mirror (as it would move/fold) and so scratches need to be deliberate if that's what it is?

Edited by johnpeat on Wednesday 17th August 16:18
Pic 2 is the rear wing, I'm 99% certain it was the wash today, the car hasn't been out of my sight, in fact for the last week it's spent most of its time locked in my garage.

Mattt

16,664 posts

240 months

Wednesday 17th August 2011
quotequote all
Can you feel the scratch with your fingernail?

Urban Sports

Original Poster:

11,321 posts

225 months

Wednesday 17th August 2011
quotequote all
Mattt said:
Can you feel the scratch with your fingernail?
Yes

syko89

373 posts

180 months

Wednesday 17th August 2011
quotequote all
just from the curve on the second photo it seems clear it was done in a circular sponging action, although theres nothing you can do about it unfortunately, other than listen to PH in future!