I wiped my strakes several times with a 100% cotton towel after washing( a few times) and now they looked scratched?

has anyone else seen this?

Metal polish should take care of that.

"There's no shine like Mother's!"

Be careful not to use anything abrasive on them, as at least some strakes are apparently coated with lacquer. Someone posted on the UK RX-8 board awhile back that their strakes were "peeling" (whatever that may mean - they didn't post pictures).