Hey there,

I just got the 2K SE in black with black leather & tint ... however, the paint is already showing a lot of "swirl" marks and slight scratches after a number of hand washes by myself ... how do I prevent them .. & more importantly ... how do I get rid of them?

I wash with a sheepskin mit .. use a chenille mit for the underbody ... I dry with a huge cotton (soft) towel ... but in the direct sunlight ... see TONNES of little scratches! It's breaking my heart!

Help plz ...

 

I also have the same car as yourself and had the same problem with the paint. I have found that if you put a good coat of canuba wax on the car and use a spray and wipe type wax with canuba in it after each time you wash it, it will take 99% of those little swirls out of the finish. Good Luck they look great for about 1 hr after you clean them then comes the dust.

 

I have a black max and have used the Zaino Products religiously (see the General Discussion for group deal details). My car is beautiful. The Z-5 product is specifically for removing swirl marks and the more coats the better. I used 2 coats the first time I used Zaino and all the swirl marks and a lot of the tiny scratches were gone. The stuff is great and the gloss enhancer spray actually makes your car more resistant to the inevitable dust that appears. I wash my car religiously every week and pre-Zaino, after about 3 days, you could tell I needed a wash. Now, it still looks nice after a week (barring rain of course) and I jsut wash to maintain. Zaino stuff truly is great and will help your black car maintain it's beautiful deep color sans swirl marks. There are a lot of black cars at my work and mine without a doubt looks the best (IM-not so-HO of course!) The paint on al Maximas is a little thin, but I feel that if you use Zaino, you will help it retain its 'wet' glossy look for a long time.

 

One thing I have learned is to never wash and dry a black car when it is windy.

Rinse the hell out of the car with H2o before cleaning. Always make sure that it is dried after cleaning out of the wind. (or better inside the garage)

The wind blows too much particles from the air.

Love black cars but they are a bitxx to take care of.

 

The TBird Folk swear by the stuff...
http://www.tccoa.com

 

Welcome to the superblack Maxima family. Also known as super dust magnet black. Heh.

Seriously, black cars are very difficult to keep clean. My car is dirty half an hour after I've spent the entire day washing, polishing, and waxing it.

The car will collect dust no matter what, so here's the trick. From 20 feet away, the car can be covered with dust but will appear sparkling shiny if you use a good polish before you wax. The polish brings a lustre to the paint that waxes cannot.

I usually wash my car with a soap like Turtle Zip Wax or Blue Coral Carnuba wash. Then I use California water blade to wipe off the water and then towel dry. Then, I use Meguiars stage 2 gold class polish, which is applied and removed just like a normal wax. You'll work up quite a sweat by now, but don't stop! Then, finish off with a good wax like Meguiar's Gold Class stage 3. I like to use Meguiar's Cleaner Wax for my final coat since that stuff lasts longer. Plain turtle wax isn't bad either.

Keep in mind that all waxes wear away in a month or less. Don't listen to anyone who tells you their car is still "waxed" after a month.

 

i got one of those 9 dollar auto absorber clothes from walmart.
i have a gray max and after i wash it i dry it with that and it leavs no spots marks etc..
best 9 bucks every spent =)

 

My last car was a black Accord, and it was a pain to take care of. After washing your car with at least a decent quality car soap and a cotton mitt or bath towels, dry it down using terry cloth towels along with something like the absorber. Use only 100% cotton towels. Don't apply too much pressure while drying. Once dry, then you should polish/wax. For polish and wax, I have found Meguiars Mirror Glaze products to be pretty good also (the ones in the tan bottles, not the maroon bottles). If you have lots of swirl marks, start by using Meguiars #9 swirl remover. However, if you need just a polish, use Meguiars #7 Show Car Glaze. This will make the paint really smooth and shiny. Then, wax using Meguiars #26 Hi Tech Yellow Wax. Finish off with a quick detailer and there you have it. Your black car should be better than new after this. The Meguiars #26 wax lasts about 2 months, so if you wax at least once a month and polish every other time you wax, you will have no problem maintaining a nice shine. This stuff doesn't last as long as Zainos, but you should be able to find it at any automotive store. Good luck!

 

There's nothing like a freshly waxed black car. I had two Black Max's 90 & 96 and did what I could to maintain the lustre. The 96 still looks pretty good, although the bumpers have not retained their original good looks. I've had success with Zymol wax and more recently have been using products from Griot's Garage.

My 00 Max is White, couldn't get the black, but kind of like the pearlized white look. The car is too new to wax, < 1 month, but don't think that a white car can take a shine the way a black one can.

 

i read taht pantiehoes works good to wash the car. wont' scratch it.

 

Pantyhose? Isn't that stuff made of nylon? I am pretty sure that nylon or any other synthetic fabric can easily scratch paint. Maybe it doesn't, but I would rather stick to coton bath towels.

 

but, if they published it in a mag. it should work right?? i heard terry cloth is not a good thing to use while drying the car. waht i do is, i use a electric leaf blower to blow most of the water away and then dry it with that super absorbant towel thingy.. but i only lay the towel over the water beads to soak it up. idont' wipe.. then wax. no water spots..

 

Hmmmmm....if it was in a reputable magazine, then maybe it does work. Sounds a bit strange though . Terry cloth towels are fine for drying as long as you don't apply too much pressure and use them on a clean surface. The nap in the towels will prevent you from rubbing any leftover dirt or dust particles into the paint and thereby prevent scratches. A leaf blower followed by the absorber thing is a good idea. The less you touch the paint, the better. Check out Meguiars web site. They have some good tips on taking care of your car also: http://www.meguiars.com and click on the car care clinic.

 

I wanna wash my car right now but i know its gonna rain tommorow so it would be a waste of my time. Sux

 

First of all, never EVER use a motion on your car other than a linear, front to back motion for washing or drying. Don't rub your car in circles, for the swirl marks you see are a by product of that. Use a good car wash soap, not dish liquid, and dont use too much because all cleaners will strip some wax off each time. I use Mothers, but there are many out there. Use a lambswool mitt and use two buckets, one to rinse the mitt each time and one for the soap. Don't use hot water, use cold because hot will also strip the wax faster. To dry, I use an artifical chamois (shammy) cloth that I BLOT dry the car with, just lay it down, blot and pick it up. Don't drag it, swirl it, rub it, just blot. Get the car nice and dry, and to finish it off use only 100% cotton towel and with no pressure just pull it over the body in a front to back motion to complete the drying.

Needless to say, stay out of automatic car washes!!!

When you wax, again, linear motion only - front to back. There are many good waxes out there to choose from. Finally, resist the urge to use an orbital polishing machine on the car, do it by hand or don't do it at ALL!

A nice custom car cover has been worth its weight in gold. Even if it rains and the car is covered, when you remove the cover the car is still lookin' good and as clean as it was before.

My grey lustre is about 6 months old, and I do NOT have swirl marks. Take your time and it will look great, whatever color you have.

 

One trick I learned when cleaning black cars (for a local funeral home many years ago) was to use cornstarch. Not sure if this would still work with todays paints, but worked like a champ 30 something years ago.

 

My experience has told me using a towel to dry a car eventually causes those miniature scratch. It is especially noticable on a black car, but is present on all colors.

After getting the scratches out, use a chamois towel ONLY.

 

But chamois picks up dirt as well. Like someone else mentioned before......the BEST for drying is the California Water Blade.

repeat: California Water Blade.

costs about $20, but will be the best $20 you'll ever use.

pros: made of super soft silicon, works faster than chamois or terry cloth, no scratches (unless you drop it onto the floor)

cons: uh......cost??

try it, you'll love.

 

Are you sure? Because I've already seen scratch marks only a week after I bought my 2K, and I have only used the water blade...

I have stopped using it since...

You have never noticed that it caused scratches also?

 

did you lay it or drop it on the ground?? that's the only way it's gonna scratch the clear coat.

Paint is a lot harder than silicone rubber. But if it's got some dirt on it, then it's the dirt that's causing the scratches, not the blade material.

I always rinse it off before I use it, and after I use it. Also, I always keep it in its original container to keep crap from getting on it.

 

I discovered a big one on my hood last night and removed it as carefully as I could. But I think it is too late as it left some marks on the clear coat. Anything I can use to remove it?

 

Try a mild polish first and then follow it up with wax. The polish will get rid of any slight imperfections and make the paint smooth. Or, if it is bad, try a clay bar first and then do the polish+wax.