Paint Scratches

[serap123]

Hey all!

Im Mike from Malta..and I recently bought a Toyota Vitz (japonese import). I love the car to bits and it always delivers..however one thing is bugging me. The paint work is all scractches from top to bottom and this is really getting to me...you can see the scratches in the sun mostly...they are those circular ones that turn up if you don't polish it properly or wash it very badly...the guys who imported the car clean everycar in a really horrible way so probably that is why.

Iv'e tried scratch X - it's useless...i tried ICE polish, it's also didn't get rid of the scratches..and as a last resort i tried the good old Turtle Wax polish but also to no avail :/...

could anyone help me out on this one? They are really starting to bug me now lol.

Thanks!!

Mike :)

[Mick G]

Hey Mike,

I wonder what colour your Vitz is? I've got a Silver 2004 Yaris and never noticed any real problems with scratches. Maybe one colour shows them up more than others. Or maybe it's not sunny enough here to notice :-)

Later,

Mick

[Raeman]

Hi Mike, the scratches are "Swirls" causd by poor washing techniques and YELLOW SPONGES!!! :ffs:

The only real cure (apart from a re-spray) is to have the Yaris machined buffed and polished.

Try to find a professional in your area to do it.

Afterwards, allways use a lambswool mit or microfibre mit to wash the car with and a good towel to dry it.

Dark paints like blue,green and esp black show up loads of scratches and is very difficult to completely get rid off, but by correct washing you can reduce them drastically.

If the scratches go deeper than the laquer then a re-spray is the only option though.

Use a good wax after every 4 or so washes to keep the paint nice, shiny and smooth.

[Raeman]

Hey Mike,

I wonder what colour your Vitz is? I've got a Silver 2004 Yaris and never noticed any real problems with scratches. Maybe one colour shows them up more than others. Or maybe it's not sunny enough here to notice :-)

Later,

Mick

Hi Mick, silver is an easy colour to keep clean and the paint is usually very hard.

I have a silver SR and for it's age, the paint is near mint.

Mind you, i do wash it regularly (Not with a sponge!!) and a few weeks ago i clayed and waxed it. Looks like it had been re-sprayed afterwards!! B!!

For that reason alone i love silver cars!! :D

[NWYaris]

What's the alternative to yellow sponges then?

Usually when I was my car I'll rinse it down, wash it with car shampoo and hot water with a yellow sponge, rinse it off, leave it 5 minutes, use a shamoiss leather, make sure its all dry, then wax it using an electric buffer using auto glym wax. Usually gets rid of the swirl marks and comes out mint, but obviously if there's an alternative to using yellow sponged and having swirl marks in the first place then I'd like to know about it :D

[T V O R]

No problem with a yellow sponge. The only problem is when they are not changed or are dropped on the floor during a wash thus picking up grit etc. I will use a sponge for about 5 or 6 washes and get a new one (30p form the supermarket) and demote the old sponge for the bumpers and another one for the wheels and tyres.

Only use one sponge for the paintwork. If you drop it – Bin it. No swirls on my car

[NWYaris]

Ahh the art of car washing :D

[Raeman]

No problem with a yellow sponge. The only problem is when they are not changed or are dropped on the floor during a wash thus picking up grit etc. I will use a sponge for about 5 or 6 washes and get a new one (30p form the supermarket) and demote the old sponge for the bumpers and another one for the wheels and tyres.

Only use one sponge for the paintwork. If you drop it – Bin it. No swirls on my car

No swirls on your car??

If your car is brand new, and i mean absolutely just out the factory it would still have a few swirl marks on it!!

No car, even new ones never have absolutely flawless paint, it just doesn't exist! :(

Even at the showroom cars get dusted down occasionally and this will cause swirls aswell, small ones but inperfections nontheless.

Then when they have been sold, some spotty oik who has no idea will wash the thing using an old yellow sponge and put millions of nice scratches all over it, just for you. :ffs:

If you think your car has no swirls, go out at night time and shine a torch on the paintwork. I'll bet you will find a few swirls then!

[T V O R]

There are a few lines if you look really closely which are inevitable, when I say paint swirls I mean the ones that jump out at you like these. My car is 5 years old and the paint work is in fantastic condition

[Raeman]

They are the nasty swirls i was talking about. :(

Quick machine polish will soon get rid of them. ;)

[NWYaris]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Electric-Car-Boat-Ca...%3A1%7C294%3A50

Probably get them cheaper elsewhere

got mine from BnQ in the sale :D

[Raeman]

Used a few different kinds of those buffers but the best ones are the "Angle grinder" style ones.

You can fit different mops to them depending on the level of "cut" you want.

For example, if the paintwork is very dull (like what old red vauxhalls and vw's go like) there is a mop for that job.

Then there's finer ones for just removing small swirls, scratches ect. ;)

[serap123]

thanks to everyone who replied! Sorry for the late thanks...been rather busy. So washing the car at the jet wash gives the car scratches? Or the old car washes with the brushes? I usually wash my car by hand and change the sponge and chamois regularly. I just ordered Meguiars clay Tablet. I know someone who told me that it got rid of all his swirls.

[Raeman]

Sorry mate but using just the clay bar won't remove the swirls. :(

I did my met dark red Accord with the Megs clay bar kit and whilst the paint is lovely, smooth and very shiny (use the wax with the kit aswell) the swirls were still there!

As i mentioned, get the car machine polished by a professional then alter your washing techniques afterwards to minimise future swirls/scratches.

[serap123]

Sorry mate but using just the clay bar won't remove the swirls. :(

I did my met dark red Accord with the Megs clay bar kit and whilst the paint is lovely, smooth and very shiny (use the wax with the kit aswell) the swirls were still there!

As i mentioned, get the car machine polished by a professional then alter your washing techniques afterwards to minimise future swirls/scratches.

ok thanks mate...Well at least i'll have a super smooth paint finish now lol. I duno if i will bother with the machine buffing because it will probably cost quite a lot and i'm thinking of buying a new car next year.