Hello, my name is Jeremy and I am a moron.

I was washing the MCS yesterday, using the nice soft mitt I usually use. When I was done, I noticed a weird spot. The mitt wouldn't take it off. In frustration, I used a kitchen sponge. Now the weird spot's gone, but it's been replaced with a big swirly scratch mark. Funk me. :evil:

So, what should I do to fix it? I've heard of the following possibilities. What do you think would work best?

Meguiar's Scratch X

Zymol Cleaner Wax

Zaino Z-5 Show Car Polish for swirl marks and fine scratches

Thanks for any advice you have, especially those of you that have removed scratches yourself.

Once again, allow me to repeat that I am a stupid moron. At least I learned my lesson.

 

If it makes you feel any better, I'm an even stupider moron than you, because I've done this to my car twice! I've only tried one repair product on the scratchy spots so far, and it did absolutely nothing. When I get home tonight I'll let you know what it was. Not to be discouraging, but I posted my question here after the first time I did this to my car, and didn't get much of a response. thread
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"Meine dispatcher says there is something wrong with deine cable"

 

Don't be so hard on yourself. Unless you scoured through the clear coat (not likely), this is a minor problem and very fixable.

Don't believe me? I take sand paper to my 911 in this article to show how to repair nicks and scratches.

I would start with ScratchX. You should be able to find it locally.

db

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Yeah, I got some info from this thread but I'm not sure if it's relevant to the kind of scratch I have.

Hopefully somebody will give us some advice here at some point.

Maybe we should start a club: Stupid Moron MINI Scratchers Support Group.

 

If it is not visible to you or spectators while motoring, don't worry too much about it. I have a couple scratches and I like to think that they add character!

 

I see your point. It wouldn't bother me so much if I hadn't done it myself. Motoring-induced scratches are one thing, but self-inflicted scratches are doubly painful.

 

Don't worry, man. We all do some pretty dumb stuff now and then... heh. I took my MINI to one of those do-it-yourself carwashes a few weeks ago...and I got a little too close with the spray nozzle...made a nice scratch about 3" long on the boot, right above the COOPER logo. It was deep enough to show through to the "white" undercoat...and on a Jet Black MINI, this looks not so nice! Went home, buffed it out as good as I could with 3M Swirl mark remover for dark cars, then used some Meguairs scratch x, then topped it off with a few coats of Zaino Z5 and Z6... well, the scratch is still there, but it's not as pronounced as it was...and you really have to know it's there...to know it's there.

Yea I was pissed for a day or two...thinking how careless I was with the spray nozzle.

But you know, it's a car...(yea, the BEST car ever, but still...only a car). It's still a blast to drive EVERYTIME, it still makes me smile, it still makes other people smile... it's just got a beauty mark, that's all.

Rock on,

-Joe

 

There is rubbing compound for clear coat. It's mild, only a bit more abrasive that your typical cleaner/wax. Rub gently and closely monitor the result. I've had good luck with this. Of course I only try the compound after I'm sure something milder won't work.

It's doesn't seem like a kitchen sponge would cause very deep scratches.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.


R.E.

 

I'd say depending on how much you want to work to get rid of the scratches a PCDA #7335 with some ScratchX might do the trick. Otherwise, some sand paper (2000+ grit) and a rotary buffer might be your only options. I'm not a professional detailer---just an amateur who has been learning under the guidance of some pro's, so I'm relaying to you what I've seen and experienced.

Meguiar's NXT Tech Wax is some amazing stuff. It's cheaper than Zaino, and gives that super deep/dark look in your paint. I used to be a Zaino fan, but now I'm Meguiars all the way.

This is what the DA looks like and you can buy one from between $89 to $200 depending on where and when you buy it. I got mine from Lowes at Christmas/new year for $89.

:evil:
>>
>>So, what should I do to fix it? I've heard of the following possibilities. What do you think would work best?
>>
>>Meguiar's Scratch X
>>
>>Zymol Cleaner Wax
>>
>>Zaino Z-5 Show Car Polish for swirl marks and fine scratches
>>
>>Thanks for any advice you have, especially those of you that have removed scratches yourself.
>>
>>Once again, allow me to repeat that I am a stupid moron. At least I learned my lesson.


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Octane Guy

 

I've been reading through scratch repair threads after going through a tragic yet hilarious marring incident that I thought I'd share:

My two year old son was helping my wash the mini a couple of weeks ago, one of his favorite weekend activities. Usually he just rubs the headlights and wheels with a sponge, or shoots an endless stream of heavily diluted Simple Green on the grill. This time he tried something new... I was washing one of the rear wheels when I heard this strange grating sound from the front. I walked around to find him "washing" the passenger-side front fender with a rock!! I disarmed him quickly, but the damage was done - big scratches in the clear coat that I have yet to try to remove. The bad news is that I'm getting ready to sell the car, so the timing is bad. I think I might see what a "professional" can do to make the damage less noticeable.

 

>>I've been reading through scratch repair threads after going through a tragic yet hilarious marring incident that I thought I'd share:
>>
>>My two year old son was helping my wash the mini ... I walked around to find him "washing" the passenger-side front fender with a rock!!

 

>>Hello, my name is Jeremy and I am a moron.
>>
>>I was washing the MCS yesterday, using the nice soft mitt I usually use. When I was done, I noticed a weird spot. The mitt wouldn't take it off. In frustration, I used a kitchen sponge. Now the weird spot's gone, but it's been replaced with a big swirly scratch mark. Funk me. :evil:
>>
>>So, what should I do to fix it? I've heard of the following possibilities. What do you think would work best?
>>
>>Meguiar's Scratch X
>>
>>Zymol Cleaner Wax
>>
>>Zaino Z-5 Show Car Polish for swirl marks and fine scratches
>>
>>Thanks for any advice you have, especially those of you that have removed scratches yourself.
>>
>>Once again, allow me to repeat that I am a stupid moron. At least I learned my lesson.
Dude! I am with ya. I scratched mine up with a clay bar.

 

If a scratch is the criteria for being a moron, I beat you to it last summer and most recently, this past weekend. When pulling my folding EZ-Up canopy out of the boot, I took a chunk of paint off of the rear bumper.

This past weekend I used that new Mr. Clean system for the first time and hit the bodywork with a sponge after soaping. Apparently, while it didn't seem as soapy as when I used to do it by hand, I didn't give it much mind. Lo and behold, the sponge scratched (definitely through the clear coat) the paint on the rear fender. Going back to the old way with copious amounts of water and suds.

Don't feel too bad.

 

On my MINI I got a door ding with some small scrathes in it. My solution was to take it to a dent remover, then have a professional remove the scratches the best he could. Some were too deep, but it is almost gone. I have had some experience with buffers and own an orbital waxer, but I hate tiny swirl marks so I do my waxing by hand, and have a professional remove scratches. If you just have them buff a small area it'll only costs about $20, less than the cost of a large screw up that I could possibly make. So if it is the pride and joy it sounds like, have a reputable pro do it for a couple dollars instead of chancing a costly mistake yourself.

 

>>Yeah, I got some info from this thread but I'm not sure if it's relevant to the kind of scratch I have.
>>
>>Hopefully somebody will give us some advice here at some point.
>>
>>Maybe we should start a club: Stupid Moron MINI Scratchers Support Group.

Hey, i resemble that aforementioned thread ~

In Chicago, or at least in the 'burbs, a couple of the NAPA stores carry a nice variety of the Meguiar's stuff. Confession time: I haven't had a whack at the scratch(es) on the hood of the Caravan as yet. Going on a supplies run tonight, though...

Progress report maybe as soon as Saturday, and thanks all. (It occurs to me that I'm fortunate not to have to perform these initial experiments on a beloved MINI).

Did you know that HAL, the ship's computer in "2001: A Space Odyssey", was named HAL because those letters come before the letters "IBM" in the alphabet??,
Tatt

 

I found out that the local auto parts place carries Meguiar's Scratch X, so I'm going to pick some up and give it a shot. I'll post some before and after pictures later today, hopefully.

Wish me luck!

 

i always get some scratches after washing... i dont know why.....

we should get a how-to on how to wash the mini... (especially with a black top)

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Team MightyMiniz

 

OK, here are the results of my Meguiar's Scratch X experiment:

Here's what the scratch looked like before:

:smile:

 

Mmm I love the look of newly Zymol'd Indi Blue - your car sure looks Happy, in the "after" pics. By the way that was my original choice of color combinations, IB/W... I changed my mind umpteen times and now i'm full circle back to digging the IB/W

Time for me to put some more coats of Scratch X on - I had become discouraged, seeing little if any difference (but after only one application) - here's hoping I get similar satisfactory results, with a couple 10 or so more applications.

thanks for your post.