finger marks on my car, ugh Options

[Mike]

my ex decided to be stupid and write my name on the hood of my car in the winter, now, me being stupid as well, I didn't clean the car 'till about a week later, I didn't think anything would happen, well, after washing / waxing my car i noticed that my name that she drew out with her finger is still kinda etched into the paint.. you can only notice it on an angle when the light hits the car at a certin point but still... i've tried washing it off to no success, any ideas ?

[celicaboy04]

my ex decided to be stupid and write my name on the hood of my car in the winter, now, me being stupid as well, I didn't clean the car 'till about a week later, I didn't think anything would happen, well, after washing / waxing my car i noticed that my name that she drew out with her finger is still kinda etched into the paint.. you can only notice it on an angle when the light hits the car at a certin point but still... i've tried washing it off to no success, any ideas ?
[right][snapback]272406[/snapback][/right]

Have you tried waxing/buffing it out?

[Mike]

my ex decided to be stupid and write my name on the hood of my car in the winter, now, me being stupid as well, I didn't clean the car 'till about a week later, I didn't think anything would happen, well, after washing / waxing my car i noticed that my name that she drew out with her finger is still kinda etched into the paint.. you can only notice it on an angle when the light hits the car at a certin point but still... i've tried washing it off to no success, any ideas ?
[right][snapback]272406[/snapback][/right]

Have you tried waxing/buffing it out?
[right][snapback]272433[/snapback][/right]

I tried washing it off
the carwash soap i use has wax in it

but i'll get some turtle wax and give that a try i suppose

[kevstir]

sounds like she caused fine scratches on the paint m8, go get yourself some meguiars scratch x as that will remove very light scratches , wax it afterwards as the scratch x will strip all wax from the paint work

[Mike]

thanks for the advice guys
i'll give it a try
see if i can get the marks out

[Buck-O]

thanks for the advice guys
i'll give it a try
see if i can get the marks out
[right][snapback]272453[/snapback][/right]

Sorry to say, but "Turtle wax" wont do crap for your problem.

Unfortunatly, what has happened, is that the clear coat (unless your car is White, Black, or Red, in which case it is a single stage paint job without a clear coat stage) has been micro abraded...or in plain english...your woman turned her finger, and the dirt and grime on your car, into a sand paper pad.


Being a profesional detailer this is somthing i see ALOT in my daily detailings.

The good news is, its not fatal. And it can be corrected. The bad news is, its going to take some work.


All a wax is going to do, is fill some of the scratches temporarily. And even then, your talking about thousandths of an inch of wax on your paint. And at that, it will evaporate out of those depressions in less then a week.


A close friend of mine had her boy friend do this to her car, and i was able to correct it.

If you have an random orbital buffer (with a FOAM polishing pad, wool = bad and NOT A ROTORY! YOU WILL RUIN YOUR PAINT!!!!) go to a local Meguires distributor (you can find these at meguires website) and pick up a product from the Mirror Glaze line (tan bottle) called Swirl Remover 2.0. THis is a mild abrasive polishing compound, and it will slowly buff out the marks in your hood.
Now you CAN do this by hand with a foam hand applicator, but your going to be rubbing for a LONG time untill the abrasives in the polish break down enough.

Scratch-X, as kevstir mentioned, will work for a quick fix too. But Scratch-X has ALOT of fillers in it, and optical properties to make the eye "ignore" the scratch. And it will have to be applied over several applications to completely remove the microabrading. A Random Orbital Polisher is really the only true way to remove it right the first time.

If your not interested in doing it yourself, consult your local detail shop. Asking them to do a quick plish with a Random Orbital and some polishing compound on the hood, should only cost you $40-$50. Just make sure they use a Random Orbital, and NOT a rotory polisher (or you will end up with holographic halos all over your hood). ANd DONT take it to a body shop. They are notorious for useing bad products, and rotory polishers.



Sorry for the lengthy post, especially for my first on this board.

But i saw this thread and had to speak up.



If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. And i would be happy to help anyway possible.

Just wish you lived in BC so i could meet you somewhere and do it. Unfortunatly Toronto is a ways from Seattle.

This post has been edited by Buck-O: Apr 17, 2005 - 12:05 AM

[Akimbo]

good first post

[Buck-O]

good first post
[right][snapback]272537[/snapback][/right]

Thanks, i try.

[Blakout16]

so, the random orbital is the bumpy one right... correct me if im wrong.

[Buck-O]

so, the random orbital is the bumpy one right... correct me if im wrong.
[right][snapback]272547[/snapback][/right]

By "bumpy" you mean the one that vibrates?


A R.O. basicly has a free spinning attatchment post, on a ball bearing, that is set off center of the drive shaft to the motor.

So as the motor shaft spins, the attatchment shaft "orbits" around the outside of the central drive shaft.

And becuase the attatchment shaft is on a ball bearing, the polishing pad (in this case) stays in teh same relative posision, and orientation.

Think of it like your hand swirling on a polish, only at 80 times per seconed.


The polisher i use is the Porter Cable Model #7424 Dual Action/Random Orbital Polisher/Sander.

Ive had it for over two years, and it was the best $120 investment i have ever made.



P.S. its not good to swirl on wax by hand either, i was just useing that as an example. Its a good way to add optical swirls into your paint. You should always wax ina front to back motion, like the air moving over your paints surface.



P.S.S. if any of you would like more detail help, feel free to ask any questions you want. And i HIGHLY recemend you visit a site called Autopia at www.autpia.com they have the BEST on-line detailing forum around. And also be on the look out for a guy by the name of ScottWax. He has taught me just about everything i know in detailing. And hes super cool.