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Scratches after first wash - what did I do wrong!

GTDave

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
North Yorkshire
Hi all,

Need some advice as i am perplexed at what went wrong!

So got my new shiney black Golf a week Saturday, so this Sunday I decided to give it it's first clean.

Bought myself the scratch-shield kit of 2 buckets, grit guard, wash mitt, cherry shampoo (which was rather good).

As I dont have a jetwash I simply hosed down the car to start with, paying special attention to the lower area of the car, around the wheel arches, wheels, lower door areas and sills.

Once I was happy that most of the dirt was gone I moved on to using the mitt and the 2 buckets.

I started on the roof and worked around and down, rinsing the mitt often.

Once I was down to the top of the doors etc I switched and started on the bonnet, drivers door, passenger door, rear and around.

One thing to note at this point is I thought the idea of the mitt was to bury any dirt within its fibres to keep it away from the surface, I noticed that even after a good rinse, I had to pick out pieces of grass and other such fibre type rubbish (no grit mind! or from what i could tell)!

Rinsed the car off and then started to use the microfibre drying cloth I had to dry off the car.

While doing the drying I noticed that when I got to the rear of the car there was some VERY small swirly marks/scratches, they are really faint and minor but in my opinion caused by the first wash.

I dont really want to repeat the process until I know what I did wrong.

Was it me? The mitt?

any advice most welcome.

Cheers

Dave
 

riceburner

Autocross Champion
Location
nice try PPNT
Car(s)
MK5 Best GTI
Hey guy, really sorry to see your post, I can totally side with your dismay! Sounds like you were definitely on the right track with everything you did. So my post is just to ensure some other points that maybe you have maybe not, addressed. These are all things that could still introduct scratches even though the afformentioned processes were followed.

First suggestion: Use two mitts. One for the top half of the car then another for the bottom/dirtier parts of the car. Some even use the cleanest mitt just for the roof, hood and fenders, and top portion in the rear (above the window line) as these areas catch the sunlight and expose the scratches the easiest as they are the most 'visible'.

Few other things come to mind:

What brand mitt was it? Some, even if microfiber, are not very good and will hold onto dirt. Additionally, microfiber towels and the like CAN scratch paint even if brand new. A suggestion moving forward would be to test it when new on a CD. If it scratches the CD it can scratch your paint, is the rule of thumb.

Washing: Be sure to use the mitt in ONE direction, and you only need to go over each surface once, with a little overlap. This is because the soap is to suspend the dirt and the mitt simply guides it away - that said, you do not need to apply much pressure at all to do the job. The other part of the theory is that any scratches that are introduced are only visible when looking at the car from certain angles - if you wash in circles, no matter where the light is hitting your car from you will see spider webs everywhere.

The same goes for drying. The key is to use the newest cleanest, biggest, softest microfiber available, and make sure it's damp before beginning, wringing it out often, and even using some spray wax or drying agent along with it. again, you don't want to go in circles, and also (you likley got this) work form top down, cleanest areas to dirtiest, so that you aren't potentially picking up unwashed grime and dragging it over the paint.

Sounds like you are on the right track from what you described, my questions are only to make sure you did all the above right. The only other thing is possibly the car shampoo, it may sound crazy but even the shampoo, even if it seems really sudsy, might not provide enough lubrication and dirt suspension to properly wash the car. This is where presoaking the car in shampoo really helps - I don't have access to a powerwasher and foam gun however I got a waterless wash system which allows me to pump up a small canister and presoak the car in soap, so that by the time my mitt glides over the paint the dirt should already be suspended.

Gritgaurds are awesome, 2 bucket wash is great. One more thing to make sure of is that all buckets, mitts, water, soap, etc is kept COMPLETELY SEPERATE from the wheel washing process - hence i call a proper wash a '3 bucket' wash - having a seperate bucket for all wheel related items. If you fail to do this, then that is likely the culprit as you may have scraped brake dust all over the car.

Any other questions please get back to me!
 
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BxGTI

Go Kart Champion
Location
Bronx,NY
I don't think that you did anything wrong, the dealer probably did a bad prep and you just didn't noticed it before, they are pretty good at that globally:-( also is this your first black car? If it is good luck, you are going to need it. You are actually using the correct method, just make sure that your shampoo is NOT striping out the wax and that you have good quality MC towels, ohh and get rid of any labels on the MC


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

riceburner

Autocross Champion
Location
nice try PPNT
Car(s)
MK5 Best GTI
^also true. I bet like every single brand new car they get goes through their industrial car wash and instantly messes up the paint.
 

ManInTheClouds

Ready to race!
Location
OK
Now you can progress to Stage 2 detailing and purchase your very own machines and pads and polish and make the car look better than it left the factory.
 

Gogo GTI

Go Kart Champion
Location
Boulder, CO
Car(s)
2017 GTI Sport
Are paint jobs really that delicate now or has this always been an issue with dark cars. I've owned grey, black and dark green cars before and this has never been an issue. Maybe I just never noticed or cared too much about it. Honestly, I only started noticing swirls and became paranoid about them after buying a CSG GTI and joining this forum over a month ago. Take a bite out of the fruit of knowledge and you're screwed!

Now I'm starting to obsess and stress about it. I've never been a meticulous car owner before and honestly I would wash my cars about once a month-- if that. My wife says I need to go back to being more care free and accepting that swirls are just a fact of life. I paid over $23K for a car and I can't get a stress free paint job??
[Thanks. End of venting]
 

GTDave

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
North Yorkshire
Hey Guys,

Thanks for your responses.

RiceBurner - Thanks for your reply, to answer your questions:

The Wash Mitt is whatever brand came with the scratch-shield kit, so I am guessing its not the best, so any recommendations welcome.

I think I _MAY_ have washed in multiple directions, so wont be doing that again, I also like the idea of a second mitt. The trick with the CD will be used in future as well, clever idea really :)

In truth it is a 3 bucket system as I use another bucket and old sponge (as I dont have wheel brushes yet!).

BxGTI - I think there is some legs in your comment as I did say to the dealer the prep wasn't that good as I had to wipe white residue off the door handle. It is actually my 2nd black car, the first one wasn't metallic black though...

Thanks everyone.

Dave
 

riceburner

Autocross Champion
Location
nice try PPNT
Car(s)
MK5 Best GTI
No problem Dave!

Well yes this is a good chance to get your car polished by somebody (don't just take it to some shop like turtle wax, seek out somebody, a good polish can and will cost ~200 bucks) but following a polish, leaving your paint pristine, you can follow up with layers of sealant, following up after most washes, and provided you follow extreme care when washing you should be able to remain relatively free of lovemarks.

Another tip, is to presoak/carefully wipe off with a seperate MF, any bugs/bird crap, road tar, etc, before fully washing. They make good solvents for helping out with this type of stuff. You can even skip using the stuff by using hot water soaked on your microfiber. Just be sure to follow up with sealants afterward always.

I have a bunch of interest in detailing so any questions feel free to reach out to me anytime.
 

nicholam77

Go Kart Champion
Location
Minneapolis
I'm definitely no detailing expert but these are my amateur car washing suggestions:

1.

After initially rinsing the car, spray completely with a foam gun. You don't need a pressure washer to do this, a regular garden hose will work. The foam gun attachment is like $40 from Chemical Guys (or other brands). What this does is before even touching the car with a mitt, you apply a layer of sudsy soap to the whole car. Let it sit for a minute or two. First, it will start lifting the dirt from the surface, making it easy to wipe away. Second, it adds an extra layer of lubrication for when you introduce the mitt. Lubrication (soap) is essential to not making scratches.

2.

Straight passes with the mitt, only once over each area. If you foamed the car in step one, dirt should come off easy and not much pressure is needed! Be gentle. Clean mitt with grit guard often. Work top to bottom.

3.

Use a drying agent (spray detailer). Spray a section, then dry with microfiber. This will help eliminate water spots, and again provide lubrication between the paint surface and drying towel.

4.

Use quality microfiber everything.


The above works well for me. My paint isn't perfect, but for never claying or polishing it looks very good after a year and a harsh winter.

And just know, you WILL get some small scratches occasionally. I don't think scratches are 100% preventable. That's what paint correction is for. Just keep a good coat of wax on in between.
 

Jersey UG MKV

Plastidipping Fool
Even the best practice can induce swirls, this isn't new, has always happened. Most people just don't care about their cars so they don't notice.

Here is what I noticed. Totally could have come from the dealer/transit/factory and you didn't notice.

Use a detail spray while drying. Someone as careful as you were during the wash probably did it while drying. If you left a tiny amount of dirt, your drying towel may mar the paint. Using a detail spray while you dry gives lubrication to help reduce swirls while drying.

Grab microfiber madness wash mitts if you can. They are the best I have used.

Other than than be realistic. Even the best detailer has issues preventing swirls. The key is being able to remove them a few times a year if need be.
 

mesaboogie18

Ready to race!
Location
MD
I've done the two bucket method for my 2 month old GTI and it's also got minor scratches all over. I think it's probably from the few car washes the dealer did when I've brought it in. Sucks, but cars will always gets scratches. As long as they're not deep or noticeable without a close look, I won't let it bother me.

If you haven't already, now would be a good time to stock up on some detailing supplies and get that car looking even nicer. It's amazing what some wax and elbow grease can do, even for a brand new car.
 

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VictorHuge

New member
Location
Toronto
Hey guys, I used to work at a dealership and honestly, you can scratch the new paints with dry skin. It certainly doesn't help that dealerships often use "soft cloth" washing machines. I've done nothing but touchless washes and still somehow have fine scratches on the paint. Good thing it's pure white...

For this reason, my next new car will not be detailed, just give it to me off the truck and fcuk off!
 

PouncingPanzer1

Go Kart Champion
They may have been there before, and now with a clean slate you can notice them. My GTI with 263 miles on it needed a 2 step paint correction before I even took delivery of it. I knew this, but I also knew who would be polishing it should I mention anything to the dealer so I didn't say anything. New cars always need polished, even Astons. It reduced the amount of orange peel I had too, which I noticed was worse on my Mk7 than it was on my Mk6.

Sounds like you did way more than 99% of people do in terms of swirl prevention. Use 2, maybe three mitts, double up your grit guards or get the grit backboard. I like the backboard it gives you a nice surface to rub the mitt over. Maybe introduce a foam blaster into your process. A drying lubricant will do you a world of favors also, and drying is where most wash-induced scratches are made. For a drying aid I have been mixing CarPro Eco2o waterless wash at 1:15 in a pressurized sprayer. Any waterless wash will accomplish this for you. Chemical Guys after wash works okay too if you don't mind the gloss enhancers killing your beading properties. Also, try the pat dry method and avoid dragging the towel across large flat areas.

Hope next wash goes better for you.
 

PouncingPanzer1

Go Kart Champion
Hey guys, I used to work at a dealership and honestly, you can scratch the new paints with dry skin. It certainly doesn't help that dealerships often use "soft cloth" washing machines. I've done nothing but touchless washes and still somehow have fine scratches on the paint. Good thing it's pure white...

For this reason, my next new car will not be detailed, just give it to me off the truck and fcuk off!
I told my dealer I wouldn't accept my car if they touched it. I refused delivery last time because of the half gallon of tire shine on it. Keep that spoofy shine shit away from people's cars. The oils are KILLING the rubber and plastics.

I would spend days prepping new VWs right off the trucks and they usually always had paint flaws in one form or another.
 
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