MINI Cooper MINI Cooper specs
MINI Cooper MINI Cooper Forums MINI Cooper Pictures
Mark Forums Read MINI Cooper radio MINI Cooper latest news
 

Go Back   North American Motoring > MINIs in General > Detailing 101
Sign in using an external account
Register Forgot Password?

Welcome to North American Motoring !
Welcome to North American Motoring,

You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our community, at no cost, you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is free, fast and simple, so please join our community today!


» Latest Main Topics
Go to first new post New MCS owner!
by kablam
2 Replies, 71 Views
Go to first new post Hello to eveyone from...
2 Replies, 82 Views
Advertisement

Reply
 
 
 
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
  #1  
Old 08-19-2008, 10:58 AM
snid snid is offline
6th Gear
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Burlington, VT
Posts: 2,021
Gallery
mottled appearance due to magnetic numbers

At a recent track event, I used magnetic car numbers for the first time. I made sure to clean off the paint and the back of the numbers before applying them so there wouldn't be anything to scratch the paint.

After two days at the track, I removed the numbers.

Now, the paint where one of the numbers was has a mottled appearance. I cannot feel any scratches or any film / dirt / stuff on the paint. I really don't think it's scratches because it is a mottled appearance over the entire area the magnetic numbers were placed, not a few linear scratches here and there.

I've washed the car and it's still there. Quick detailer spray didn't work. I gave a very quick attempt at using a claybar on a little spot to see if that worked and didn't see anything coming off quickly - I should try again when I have more time I guess.

From straight-on, you cannot really tell anything is going on. Looking at an angle, you can tell that the rest of the paint has a flat / mirror finish and the area where the magnetic numbers were has a dull finish, with sort of "spots".

Any ideas?

If this will indeed need professional help, how does on determine what detailer to go to? Stop by and ask to see a car they are working on?

Alternatively, does anybody know a good detailer in the Burlington, Vermont area.
__________________
Team Justacooper
98 hp at the wheels!
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 08-19-2008, 05:43 PM
MLPearson79's Avatar
MLPearson79 MLPearson79 is offline
Moderator
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Terre Haute, IN
Posts: 7,703
Gallery
Garage
There was probably dust/grit behind the numbers that marred the paint. You won't necessarily see actual scratches, but you will see the haze that you have now.

Likely, it just needs to be polished out. You can try doing it by hand (Scratch-X is pretty good for this), but it very well may need the care of someone with a random orbital. You can do it yourself very easily, but if you don't want to spring for an RO just for this job (although after you got this haze taken care of, you'll likely want to do the whole car!), I would look for a good detailer by stopping in, checking out their shop, asking what they use, etc. The most important question to ask in this case is are they actually going to use something to remove the haze, or are they just going to conceal it? And don't be afraid to ask for references. I've seen some really crappy RO/rotary work lately. Maybe try asking around at a local club for referrals?
__________________
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 08-20-2008, 02:35 AM
OctaneGuy's Avatar
OctaneGuy OctaneGuy is offline
Vendor & Moderator :: MINI Camera and Video & c3 club forum
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Anaheim, CA
Posts: 8,794
Send a message via AIM to OctaneGuy Send a message via Yahoo to OctaneGuy Send a message via Skype™ to OctaneGuy
Gallery
Garage
At MITM, I polished out some magnet damage on paint. A PC with an orange pad and Swirl should fix it pretty easily.
__________________
5548 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim, CA 92807 866 707 9292
Looking for Prima?? Buy Prima at ShowCarSupplies.com
11% off everyday discount code: MINI11NAM
2010 Midnight Black MCCSa
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 08-20-2008, 05:24 AM
lotsie lotsie is offline
Banned
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 15,383
Gallery
Quote:
Originally Posted by OctaneGuy View Post
At MITM, I polished out some magnet damage on paint. A PC with an orange pad and Swirl should fix it pretty easily.
I had those black magnetic stone guards on my MINI, and they left a haze on the paint, and I did what OG did, and it worked great.

Mark
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 08-20-2008, 05:35 AM
kenchan's Avatar
kenchan kenchan is offline
6th Gear
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Posts: 31,442
Gallery
i would try some polish. wonder if the magnetic strip had some release
oil or something like that (manufacturing oil) on the back?
Reply With Quote
Old 08-20-2008, 05:35 AM
 
 
 
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off

Forum Jump


MINI CooperMINI Cooper PrivacyMINI Cooper Terms of UseMINI Cooper Guidelines MINI Cooper Advertising The North American MINI Cooper Community
  MINI Cooper news, forums, FAQs, and reviews for enthusiasts and owners of the North American MINI Cooper
All times are GMT -7. The time now is 05:59 AM.
 Copyright © 2002-2008 North American Motoring. All Rights Reserved.     Powered by vBulletin and vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.

All times are GMT -7. The time now is 05:59 AM.


Powered by vBulletin and vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.
North American Motoring is an independently operated web site supporting MINI owners and enthusiastsworldwide. As such it has no official relationship with MINI USA, BMW AG, or BMW of North America.All original artwork and design is Copyright © 2002-2004 North American Motoring.
Admin Account Passwords

Search Engine Friendly URLs by vBSEO 3.5.2