okay so i am a total noob at this.

when i washed my car, i got some white scratches on the doors. can this be because i had some debris on my towel/sponge?

is there anyway to get those scratches off?


and....
how do you guys go about washing your cars? i just put water in bucket, then i put some detergent on a sponge and then wash. any technique or special stuff that you guys use to wash ur car?

of course i go over with clay bar afterwards.

 

Oh my! You are going at all the wrong ways bro.

http://www.autopia.org

 

If the scratches come out depends on how deep they are. You can try to take them out with a high speed buffer. Actually you may not want to do it yourself, if you are unsure how to do it. You can go from a scratch to swirl marks.

As how i wash my car i do the wash part at a car wash down the street, just bring a few quarters and im set. After it is washed I do the clay, wax, whatever else at my house. Also if you go to a autoparts store you can get trying towels for your car rather then use a beach towel when you dry your car.

 

you probably dont wanna keep using detergent either.

 

oh ****...

 

Get a dedicated quality car wash soap. Have at least one (preferably two) dedicated buckets for washing. Use quality mits/rags and rinse the car thoroughly before washing to get as much surface dirt off as possible.

As for the scratches the rule of thumb is if you can catch it with your fingernail it has to be painted to be fixed. Definately read up on autopia...lots of good info.

 

holy crap, we need an intervention here!!!

1) get a good wash mit of some sort. http://www.autopia-carcare.com/son-dwmitt.html

2) for the love of all that is sacred, STOP using detergent. Try going to your local auto parts store and pick up a jug of Meguiras (sp?) Gold Class wash soap

3) do NOT clay bar every time. Clay bar will remove any polish (aka Protectant) you had on there before. Your poor pain is stripped of any protectants and the sun is going to FUBAR your paint. Claybar should be reserved for when you first buy your car and then once every 6-18 months afterwards to remove any 'debris'. You should ALWAYS wax / polish immediately after you clay.

4) HOW you wash your car will also determine whether you end up with the dreaded 'swirl marks'. Wash in straight up and down motions, NOT circular.

 

clay bar + wax every 6-18 months?!??!?! some people have already told me they do it everytime they wash car!!
okay... so i guess i should listen to jedi since he has 4000+ posts.

oh and why not use detergent??????????/

 

You only use detergent when you plan on claybarring, because it strips off every layer of wax on the car.

claybar it once or twice a year, after washing it with detergent and use plenty of soap as a claybar lubricant. other than that, wax frequently to build up a really nice shine.

 

Jedi = resident Zaino Master!

Here's why you should listen to me: https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-show-shine-26/super-sunday-%3D-zaino-day-108887/

 

pm me why.

 

same reason as to why not to claybar every time. Detergent (aka Dawn soap) is exceptionally good at removing polish / wax. This leaves your paint "naked" and unprotected against the elements; uv rays, dust, etc etc.

(too lazy to send PM, sorry...)

 

lol, I remember when I got my 8 and I was a total noob to car washing/detailing. It really is an art. You need to read up on a lot of stuff, have patience, learn from mistakes until you have a decent routine that won't harm your paint. And use plenty of common sense - you don't want materials that can scratch and you don't want to rub dirt on your paint at any cost.

Get a good wash mitt, car wash soap, perhaps a nice nozzle, and high-quality microfiber towels for drying (a lot of scratching can occur from drying too, so you want towels that don't cause micro-scratches).

 

Here's some of my VR work.

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=116991