How do you guys keep your black/dark paint mar free???

My poor paint is so screwed :( The spiderweb scratches are so bad it looks like someone scrubbed it with a papertowel.



I dunno why? I use the exact same routine I used on the GTI and mustang... the only difference is I now use blackfire instead of zaino and I got a new wash mit. Other than a few rock chips the GTIs paint was perfection... not a single swirl or spiderweb mark.... the mustang was much darker than the TT and after 8 years it only had a very few visible marks on it (it had never been polished though, just regular zainoing)



It makes me sick when I look at the TT.... I dunno if its something to do with the blackfire or what.... I got all new MF towels for the TT... same stuff from CMA I used on the GTI... just new.
 
It may be the hardness of the paint, but Audis are supposed to have pretty hard paint. I see a lot of really swirled up TTs though, now that I think of it an unusually high amount...



You say you got a new wash mitt, what kind? And new towels, did you wash them first? Do you use any kind of dry granulated soap powder to wash them?
 
Black sheep wash mitt (recomended for black/dark cars on their site)



towels were a new big blue drying towel, a pack of the green viper MFs and a pack of the white viper polish removal MFs (the ones with no binding), a new magic towel and a autopia CBT... washed them all before using in cold water, used ALL liquid detergent with no dyes or scents and dried on low with no fabric sheet.



I even swapped over to the two bucket method :(



It had a few swirls when I got it and last fall some of you will remember I polished those out with a PC and menzerna FP and then put 3 coats of blackfire on it... it eventually got 2 more coats for 5 total. :nixweiss
 
Right now, since it's raining so much here, it's hard to maintain my black paint. Your problem might be caused by something unique to your TTs time out than your Mustang. Around here, it won't stop raining. That's putting a lot of road grit all over the cars.



Around this time last year I introduced some microscratches into my paint becuase I got home, knew there was too much muck on the car, but hand washed it anyway. Now, I'll go to a spray booth and use the high pressure rinse to get about 80% of everything off.



I also throw out my chenille covered sponges when they get compromised. You might want to change out mitts or something.



But, it sounds like you're going into surface prep mode. It sounds like it won't be that bad a deal for you. At least the TT is small.



/my paint is soft, non-clearcoated "brilliant black" Mazda paint
 
BluHeaven- Sorry to hear about your marring, I know you put a lot into getting your TT all spruced up whe you got it. The "marred Audi syndrome" is something I find puzzling; the paint is HARD, as you find out when you polish it. Yet most Audis are all marred up :nixweiss



I've been able to keep my S8 marring-free, but I *REALLY* work at it. I never let it get too diry between washes, either. That seems to be a BIG factor...once the dirt builds up to where it doesn't just "slip off", you risk marring because you have to "scrub" it off. No matter how gently you do it, it's risky. One of the "tricks" is to just BARELY touch the paint with your mitt. Rinse it often, maybe even after every swipe (yeah, that's a BIG hassle!).



On the S8, I presoak with a shower-foam gun and run water/soap mix THROUGH the mitt, so it's constantly lubing the surface and rinsing away the dirt. And I STILL rinse the mitt several times per panel. I'll go through at least three mitts in the course of one wash- seems there's always SOME dirt that doesn't rinse out of 'em (thought- can you tell when the black mitt gets dirty?).



I dry by laying BBTs on the panels and then blotting with (even softer) gray WWs.



Heh heh, I go through a LOT of soap, mitts, and WWs and it takes me a LONG time to wash and dry that car. But I'll go years without having to polish out any marring. I'm not as careful with my wife's A8, and yep, it gets marred. Not badly, but *I* can see it if I really look under the right lighting.



I don't think the BFII is the problem. I used to use it on the S8. But maybe a product like the Klasse twins (with MANY coats of SG) topped with a "heavy" wax like Meg's #16 would give you a little more sacrificial layer-effect/protection against surface abrasion. But I think the real solution is to refine the wash/dry technique.



Good luck, get back with any more Q's. That's a nice car you have there, I can understand your desire to keep it pristine.
 
I don't know if this helps any but I switched over to DF Towels for QDing the paint. I feel most confident when using them because they are so soft. I do still use a traditional glass mf. I think several layers of SG certainly has helped prevent everyday marring. I also recommend a highly lubricant car wash and plenty of sheepskin mitts. I have some 1z Perls and Megs #00 to try out.
 
Dont drive the car ;)



Seriously - thats the only way for "perfection" on a black car. Once you even move the thing outside you're already down to 90% (dust, oxygen molecules, you name it - all are starkly visible on black)



-Tom
 
Bill D said:
I don't know if this helps any but I switched over to DF Towels for QDing the paint. I feel most confident when using them because they are so soft. I do still use a traditional glass mf. I think several layers of SG certainly has helped prevent everyday marring. I also recommend a highly lubricant car wash and plenty of sheepskin mitts. I have some 1z Perls and Megs #00 to try out.



Bill



what are DF towels??? thanks!
 
SuperBuick said:
Dont drive the car ;)



Seriously - thats the only way for "perfection" on a black car. Once you even move the thing outside you're already down to 90% (dust, oxygen molecules, you name it - all are starkly visible on black)



-Tom



Very True. Good point.:up
 
I drive mine but I average a good 1/2 hr cleaning it up religiously when I get home :D The DF Towels are great natural mf. DF Towel posts a lot on the forum. He's really great for addressing any questions or issues you may have with them.
 
How much truth is there to the idea that using high pressure water to remove dirt will scratch the paint? This sounds like a good idea, but I read somewhere that this spraying the dirt with such force can cause scratching. Come to think of it, I believe I read this on a site promoting the waterless car wash system. Figures.
 
I'm too chicken to try using a pressure washer on my paint. ( wouldn't ever need it any way) I agree with those who say to use a very slick car wash to float dirt off the paint because floating dirt off the paint is safer than blasting it off. In keeping safe, I would also wash a particularly dirty car several times if needed before I would consider using the pressure washer. I reserve it only for filthy wheel wells and undercarriages.
 
I took paint off the door jams of an escalade when I worked at cadillac using a pressure washer :( we had nothing else to wash with and there was tar all over the door jams :( i hate pressure washers
 
HMMM,That is strange!!

I have used high pressure washer for 20 years now

Never had any problems ,and i use it almost daily to clean my taxis.As long as you use it properly it should not be any problems at all
 
has any body had luck keeping swirls down w/ qew. sorry guys i cant relate because my car is white:nixweiss btw, everytime i see a car like mine in black, i kick myself for not getting it in black:rolleyes:
 
Bill D said:
I don't know if this helps any but I switched over to DF Towels for QDing the paint. I feel most confident when using them because they are so soft. I do still use a traditional glass mf. I think several layers of SG certainly has helped prevent everyday marring. I also recommend a highly lubricant car wash and plenty of sheepskin mitts. I have some 1z Perls and Megs #00 to try out.





I got the autopia cb towell and was oh so pleased at the softness when I got them. Then I did the cd test vs my jt internationals and my wal mart mfs. The cb towell was by far the worst(marring) of the three. Was very dissapointed.
 
I'm not sure how similar the autopia and DF towels are, if they are indeed the same/similar you may have simply gotten a bad one.:nixweiss

When I got my DF Towels I thoroughly washed them first and performed the CD test, passed. To be extra safe I will never use them without a very slick QD. Absolutely no marring from using them yet.
 
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