Tiny little scratches - Help?
Discussion
Hi
I have a Basalt Black 997 C4S and it gets washed once a week, nothing fancy but washed by hand by a valeter who comes to work.
He is pretty good and I have watched him and his process and he has 2 buckets and multiple cloths/mitts etc.
My problem is that over the course of time (57 plate 29000m) there are numerous little scratches and scuffs just from day to living I suppose. Most of them look like a grey or white hair sitting on the surface and they are only really noticeable when really close up and looking for them.
So my question is, what is the best way to rid me of these horrors? Should I get the car professionlly detailed now the spring is here? Will this even get rid of these type of marks? Should I attempt this myself and if so how (needs to be easy, I'm rubbish).
Any thoughts and advice appreciated.
Cheers
Ocean.
I have a Basalt Black 997 C4S and it gets washed once a week, nothing fancy but washed by hand by a valeter who comes to work.
He is pretty good and I have watched him and his process and he has 2 buckets and multiple cloths/mitts etc.
My problem is that over the course of time (57 plate 29000m) there are numerous little scratches and scuffs just from day to living I suppose. Most of them look like a grey or white hair sitting on the surface and they are only really noticeable when really close up and looking for them.
So my question is, what is the best way to rid me of these horrors? Should I get the car professionlly detailed now the spring is here? Will this even get rid of these type of marks? Should I attempt this myself and if so how (needs to be easy, I'm rubbish).
Any thoughts and advice appreciated.
Cheers
Ocean.
Thanks for that but they aren't swirl marks.
There are swirl marks which I live with on a black car and they aren't too bad. These are straight light scuffs for want of a better description. As though someone has walked past and brushed up against the car with something like a laptop bag and the zip has just gently brushed the paint.
The scratches can't be felt with my nail but they are white so they do show up against the black paint.
I had a dark blue car once and dare I say it, used Colour Wax and it did a pretty good job. Just wondered if that was the right course of action or whether I should pay someone to do it right.
Real dilema as I use the car all the time and if I do this now, I know I will just be in this position in another 6 months.
Ocean
There are swirl marks which I live with on a black car and they aren't too bad. These are straight light scuffs for want of a better description. As though someone has walked past and brushed up against the car with something like a laptop bag and the zip has just gently brushed the paint.
The scratches can't be felt with my nail but they are white so they do show up against the black paint.
I had a dark blue car once and dare I say it, used Colour Wax and it did a pretty good job. Just wondered if that was the right course of action or whether I should pay someone to do it right.
Real dilema as I use the car all the time and if I do this now, I know I will just be in this position in another 6 months.
Ocean
Ocean said:
The scratches can't be felt with my nail but they are white so they do show up against the black paint.
Ocean
This is a good sign. They will polish out. Ocean
There is loads of info online about this, but I have polished scratches out by hand:
And by Dual Action machine polisher:
I would advise that you invest in a DA polisher - it is so much easier to do than by hand. Let me know if you want more information regarding specific polishes etc.
Wow. Great results. I will have a proper look over the weekend and see if I can get some pics and then probably ask for some further advice if that's okay.
It's not that I expect a 57 plate daily driver to be perfect it's just that this is the first car that I have adored but used everyday and not pampered all the time and it still narks me a bit when I see imperfections. I'm not OCD or anything but you guys know how it is!? You see a mark and it kind of shouts at you! I'm also not averse to spending money on it to keep it in good order.
Thanks again for you help and advice.
Ocean
It's not that I expect a 57 plate daily driver to be perfect it's just that this is the first car that I have adored but used everyday and not pampered all the time and it still narks me a bit when I see imperfections. I'm not OCD or anything but you guys know how it is!? You see a mark and it kind of shouts at you! I'm also not averse to spending money on it to keep it in good order.
Thanks again for you help and advice.
Ocean
Anatol said:
JFReturns said:
This is a good sign. They will polish out.
Erm - that does depend on the build of clearcoat on the panel. The fingernail test is a sound rule of thumb, but if a panel has been polished a lot in the past, the first touch of the mop could go straight through...If the OP isn't the owner from new, a black 997 is the sort of car that could have had a lot of attention from a mop. New car, high-value car, dark-coloured car, these are the three biggest indicators of a regular polishing schedule...
Definitely worth getting a thickness reading before any abrasive processes on the clear, IMHO. :-)
Definitely worth getting a thickness reading before any abrasive processes on the clear, IMHO. :-)
Any decent detailer will carry various paint thickness gauge devices to measure various composite and metal panels. More importantly he/she will know how to use them and interpret the data.
You could still always have a detailer carry out a paint inspection report and then still polish it out yourself if feeling confident.
You could still always have a detailer carry out a paint inspection report and then still polish it out yourself if feeling confident.
Pfft....we have our own list of detailers here, Swiss approved and not.
Just because someone's paid them £1500 for approval (cheaper than Zymöl, but that's a different topic for discussion) doesn't mean those who've less money than sense, are not as good.
In fact, those who know who's whom in the UK detailing scene, will be thinking of at least 3-4 well known names, and not one of them pay for either company's approval!
One of them did for one year, but then never bothered renewing it - not least because said renewal was double the price, and they didn't see the benefit during the year.
In my (not so humble but) honest opinion, no company's "approval" means anything worthy of the definition of the word! There's no recognised body nor certification that says the holder/member is capable of wielding a polishing machine correctly or safely, with the correct polishes/pads.
BTW, you might want to fix your url - www instead of Www
Just because someone's paid them £1500 for approval (cheaper than Zymöl, but that's a different topic for discussion) doesn't mean those who've less money than sense, are not as good.
In fact, those who know who's whom in the UK detailing scene, will be thinking of at least 3-4 well known names, and not one of them pay for either company's approval!
One of them did for one year, but then never bothered renewing it - not least because said renewal was double the price, and they didn't see the benefit during the year.
In my (not so humble but) honest opinion, no company's "approval" means anything worthy of the definition of the word! There's no recognised body nor certification that says the holder/member is capable of wielding a polishing machine correctly or safely, with the correct polishes/pads.
BTW, you might want to fix your url - www instead of Www
Edited by PJ S on Sunday 3rd April 23:07
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