Snoshado's FXT Journal

Snoshado said:

Thanks! I'm trippin out about the scratches though :huh:

Click to expand...

what do these scratches look like? is it one or two little (white looking?) ones or deeper (sliver metal) ones? or is it just a dull covering; like swirls marks?

first the bad news;
-black cars will drive you crazy to keep detail/clean.

the good news?
-black cars look the best once they are finished..

example

if you think you want to get into detailing here are a couple of sites;
Car Care Forums: Meguiar's Online
Autopia - Autopia Home
Detailing Bliss

just be warned, like Foresters, Photography and most other hobbies;
it's expensive, time consuming, and most people don't understand it. :biggrin:

# 1 - JBP is THE BEST! :icon_wink:
# 2 - When those tires are gone get some that fill out the wheel well a little better (those look small)
# 3 - I am on the same road as you, Sno. I've GOT to get my baby polished and waxed well. It has reached swirl hell. :icon_cry:

Take it from me, don't start doing anything until you know more about fixing the surface. To start with last year, I bought some good name brand 'wax' but didn't realize 'cleaner wax' meant it had polish in it. Polish is ABRASIVE, the purpose being to grind down the surface of the clearcoat to buff to a shine. I didn't know this and just applied like wax and wiped it off, and actually CAUSED microfine scratches on my baby. I did this a second time before realizing what I had been doing.

Then a few months ago I unfortunately let some mobile detail unit do a quick wash/dry, and the scratched the :yell: out of it. It's swirl mark city now.

My plan, should you choose to follow:
1. Wash really good
2. Clay bar, to remove embedded surface contaminants before polishing (done once before).
2.b - buy myself a random orbital buffer!!!!
3. Use a soft polish (polish only, no wax). Currently have Meguiar's Pure Polish # 7 (from local autozone). There was another Meguiar's I first bought, but reading on the back it talks about 'cutting so fast you won't believe it' and I really don't want to start out with something very abrasive as soft as Subie paint is!
4. Wax (wax only). I had picked up Meguiar's Gold # 26 somethingorother, but it's listed as a show car shine. (Sounds like high shine, not as long lasting). I think I'm going to use their Techwax instead as it sounds more like something that will last longer on a car that sits outside every day.

Some of those links above are good, but I hopped autopia and realized I was a NOOB - I was lost with all the acronyms and terms. I'm still a noob and wanting to learn. Meguiar's has a helpline and I bet they would really be helpful to talk to from what I've read. I'll post up once I get around to taking care of mine. Keep us updated on what you do!