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Our black car is only about a month old and despite my best efforts at proper washing, it is collecting some very fine scratches. The kind that are only visible from a couple inches away from the car, and probably would be nearly invisible on a lighter colored car.
Should I try just a good wax, or do you guys recommend polishing and then waxing?
What's the best wax applicator? Microfiber? 100% cotton?
I have Meguiar's #26 wax and #9 polish, but would be willing to try something else. Suggestions?
I found out about Meguiar's ScratchX here on NAM and have been trying it on my IB with very good results. I use a cotton applicator with the ScratchX but a microfiber applicator the Klasse products I use and that works super.
I do use a lot of microfiber products for general drying and detailing and, while I am no expert, I learned the hard way to not trust all microfiber. I now get all mine from North American Car Care, but other good vendors are out there, too. IMHO, be wary of bargains and get the best, especially on your JB.
I noticed the same problem on my IB/W paint. After applying Z5 from Zaino, it did remove most of the fine scratches. As for the scratches that are not as "fine," ScratchX does work well. I am, however, reluctant to use ScratchX too often because I'm not sure if it has any ill effect on the longevity of the paint. :smile:
You can use any of the popular polymer products provided you carefully do the prep step first.
The favorite brand on this board seems to be Zaino. I happen to prefer Liquitech products. They're probably very similar.
Step 1 of the process (ie, the prep) will get rid of most of the micro scratches. Step 2 (the polymer finish) will fill in any remaining micro scratches and form a hard, protective surface when it polymerizes. Additional coats of the polymer will continue filling in scratches and enhancing reflectivity.
I've convinced myself that the microfiber cloths which I had been using for drying were the main culprit in creating micro scratches on my black MCS. So I have gone back to using flannel polishing cloths (ie, 100% cotton) for drying.
However, I recently learned about the Mr. Clean stuff so I might give it a try -- if it works, I can dispense with using drying cloths altogether...
thanks for the tips. i'm going to go for a professional polish, and try to start over from there. i think most of my problems came from the first wash when i used a chenille mit that wasn't 100% cotton :???:
