spiderwebs???

[jeneedominique]

so i just bought a black 08 edge. i've been to the dealership more times than i want to count since i got it. I've had black cars before and never had a problem with what the service guy tells me are spiderwebs that "you just get on black vehicles" i'm not very vehicle saavy so any help would be appreciated, is he telling me the truth or just trying to shut me up because he knows that they aren't doing the best job that they could do or are using a crappy cloth which is causing the paint to look like it has tiny scratches all over it. it's very annoying. i just had the dealership put the "solarshield" on that says it's supposed to prevent streaking and swirls, yet there are swirls and straight "scratches" all over. help!!!

[ablb]

so i just bought a black 08 edge. i've been to the dealership more times than i want to count since i got it. I've had black cars before and never had a problem with what the service guy tells me are spiderwebs that "you just get on black vehicles" i'm not very vehicle saavy so any help would be appreciated, is he telling me the truth or just trying to shut me up because he knows that they aren't doing the best job that they could do or are using a crappy cloth which is causing the paint to look like it has tiny scratches all over it. it's very annoying. i just had the dealership put the "solarshield" on that says it's supposed to prevent streaking and swirls, yet there are swirls and straight "scratches" all over. help!!!

 

Sounds like their high school drop out make ready guy got a little carried away and used a buffer (this is the voice of experience speaking :angry: ).

A good professional detailer should be able to buff the swirls out, unless he went all the way thru the clear coat (this is the voice of experience speaking ).

 

ab

[akirby]

Definitely human error. They probably sealed in the scratches, too. Find a good detailer - they'll fix it.

[bulldog]

i've got the black edge and i have found that the black paint is the worst paint i've seen on a vehicle. i have an old 87 irocZ parked out back for years that has better paint job than this New car. i've used quality clothes to wash/wax and it just doesn't do the job. i use the same items for my black motorcycle and it cleans up perfect.

 

so far i've found Nothing that gets the paint looking any where near new, and i've tried quite a few things. the wife failed to clean off a dead bug, and left over bird **** and it really did a number on the paint. i got most of the bird **** out but not all. the dead bug spot kinda bubbled the paint. VERY disappointed in the quality of paint (not my first post on the subject either) other than that the car is great.

[DJ Nap]

As a detailer, I've learned alot about cars and their paint over the past 10 years. Black is the most reflective and shiny when cleaned....when you're looking at the paint in the shade or at night. Look at any paint in the direct sun and 99% of all cars will have the spiderwebs. Spiderwebs are caused by poor washing/drying. Ever dried your car with a towel? That's the #1 cause. Ok, so you use a chamois. What about the dust that has settled on your car when you drag your chamois across it? it scratches. Dirt in your rag or in the bottom your wash bucket causes them too.

 

My professional advice? Wash using ONLY microfiber rags or microfiber sponges. Wash from the top down and use a different rag to wash the bottom behind each wheel well and the wheels. NEVER, I repeat, NEVER hand dry it. I don't care what color you have. Invest in a Mr. Clean spot free system or call your local water place and have deionization tanks delivered. My tanks ($120) last 3 months and I wash cars nearly everyday AND our water here is some of the hardest in the Country. For your once weekly car wash, they should last you a loooong time, stretching that $120 out over half a year or more. A small price to pay to never put another spiderweb in your paint...and yes, a good detailer can remove them if they know what they're doing with a machine. I don't use them. I'd rather turn down a machine buff job then have to repaint someones car. nothing beats a spot free rinse. No lint or scratches AND you're done in 1/2 the time. :hyper:

 

oh yeah, for those stubborn stains like paint scuffs and tar, try Goo Gone Xtreme.

Edited November 20, 2008 by DJ Nap

[bulldog]

thanks DJ Nap, i'll gry the Goo Gone Xtreme. question: on the microfiber rags/sponges. how long til you replace them?

[DJ Nap]

thanks DJ Nap, i'll gry the Goo Gone Xtreme. question: on the microfiber rags/sponges. how long til you replace them?

 

 

As long as you wash them separate from your cotton towels and they don't have any hard grit embedded in them, they should last awhile. When I wash cars, I use a microfiber rag (12X12) folded twice and a clean bucket. Don't dip your sponge/rag all the way to the bottom of the bucket, that's where the dirt is. Use whatever you like, as long as it's microfiber. About the goo gone, you should see the amazement on peoples faces when I remove paint (as in "I bumped the garage when pulling in") off of their car in one swipe. That stuff is the sh**. It does all sort of things....also, if you have hard water spots on your glass, use a clay bar and then chrome polish.

[jeneedominique]

As a detailer, I've learned alot about cars and their paint over the past 10 years. Black is the most reflective and shiny when cleaned....when you're looking at the paint in the shade or at night. Look at any paint in the direct sun and 99% of all cars will have the spiderwebs. Spiderwebs are caused by poor washing/drying. Ever dried your car with a towel? That's the #1 cause. Ok, so you use a chamois. What about the dust that has settled on your car when you drag your chamois across it? it scratches. Dirt in your rag or in the bottom your wash bucket causes them too.

 

 

Thanks for the advice! I haven't even washed my car myself yet. It's been at the dealer because everytime i've taken it in they f'd it up, new scratches on the paint, new dents. When they put some "chemical" on it to "remove the waterspots" they ruined all my windows so those all had to be replaced. So far it's been a nightmare, I just want it to look like it came off the show room floor atleast once! since that's how it should have looked the day i took it home.

[akirby]

Wouldn't a wool mitt work better than a microfiber towel or sponge since it keeps any dirt particles away from the surface (or has a better chance than a flat microfiber surface)? I understand the microfiber itself would work great but it seems like it would trap surface contaminants just like a regular sponge. If you've used it successfully, especially on black vehicles, I guess that proves it. Just curious.

[akirby]

Thanks for the advice! I haven't even washed my car myself yet. It's been at the dealer because everytime i've taken it in they f'd it up, new scratches on the paint, new dents. When they put some "chemical" on it to "remove the waterspots" they ruined all my windows so those all had to be replaced. So far it's been a nightmare, I just want it to look like it came off the show room floor atleast once! since that's how it should have looked the day i took it home.

 

IF you want to do it right, get some wax stripper/degreaser and clean the entire vehicle including the windows. Follow that with a clay bar to remove anything embedded in the paint. Follow that with a hand polish (using clearcoat safe polishing compound) and seal that with a protectant (wax, polymer, etc.). For the polish I'd test it on a less noticeable area until you get the hang of it, and do it by hand.

 

If your paint has lots of orange peel you can get rid of it by wet sanding, then polishing but I wouldn't recommend that unless you've done it before. But the results, especially on a black car, can be amazing.

[DJ Nap]

IF you want to do it right, get some wax stripper/degreaser and clean the entire vehicle including the windows. Follow that with a clay bar to remove anything embedded in the paint. Follow that with a hand polish (using clearcoat safe polishing compound) and seal that with a protectant (wax, polymer, etc.). For the polish I'd test it on a less noticeable area until you get the hang of it, and do it by hand.

 

If your paint has lots of orange peel you can get rid of it by wet sanding, then polishing but I wouldn't recommend that unless you've done it before. But the results, especially on a black car, can be amazing.

 

Like this Rolls that I maintain weekly.

 

 

 

My advice above is for vehicles that are regularly maintained. You're right about the polish, you can f some paint up if you don't know what you're doing, but you'll still have spiderwebbing, unless you get a reaaaaal good detailer to buff it, like this guy here in town. He does amaaaaaaazing work. Check him out here..Never used a wool mit. The bottom of my bucket has a dirt/grit trap, so shaking my rag off in the bucket after every panel seems to work fine.

[jeneedominique]

Like this Rolls that I maintain weekly.

 

 

 

My advice above is for vehicles that are regularly maintained. You're right about the polish, you can f some paint up if you don't know what you're doing, but you'll still have spiderwebbing, unless you get a reaaaaal good detailer to buff it, like this guy here in town. He does amaaaaaaazing work. Check him out here..Never used a wool mit. The bottom of my bucket has a dirt/grit trap, so shaking my rag off in the bucket after every panel seems to work fine.

 

 

see! why can't the get mie to look like that? eeerr! anyone know a good detailer in the socal desert area? between palm springs and indio?