So I'm really **** about both my Ex's.

The '02 started its life as a Hertz rental in Miami. While it is in great condition having been in Florida prior to me, the exterior is a little abused from all the car washing. The sides/hood are very scratched and it bothers me. They're all light scratches though. I think it's mostly a result of two years/24k miles of automatic car washes all the time.

When I bought it, it was incredibly water spotted and scratched. I was able to find some stuff to remove the water spots. I don't even remember what it was because I remember trying so many different things until one worked. Even though the spots are gone, now I still see the scratches.

I really don't know what to do now. I've heard of some things in the past, but I'm afraid to try anything if I have no idea how it'll work. I think it needs professional stuff now. I haven't actually waxed it in a while, but I spray wax it often and use car wash soap that is supposed to not take wax off when I can. When I have waxed it before though, the most recent time using the ICE synthetic wax, it didn't do a single thing for helping to hide the scratches, even for a day or two.

Any suggestions? This is just for the black paint. It doesn't show on the cladding paint. I think if the black were a metallic, it would hide more. I was just looking at it in the sun the other day when the scratches show best. It it scratched straight across the doors and then past the wheel well, continuing straight on the rear quarter there before curving a bit upward before the taillight. I don't wash going like that, so I know it isn't me. Looks machine done.

I'd like to do something about it now that the weather is warmer. Making it so rain streaks don't show below the rear quarter windows would be a plus too.

I do have an orbital buffer to use, it's a Turtlewax one IIRC.

Thanks,
Jon

 

You will need to buff the vehicle out to remove all those fine scratches.

I have a friend who is really into showing cars... and he is **** about prep. Uses two buckets for washing (rinse wash mit in one, then to the soap bucket, then to the car. repeat), device that produces spot free water, a soap foamer to soap down the car, etc.

He has a couple of Meguiar's buffers, a whole slew of different polishes.

We did my 2010 Detonator Yellow Challenger ... that I thought was in pretty good shape... and WOW did it pop.

The real question you have to ask, do you want to go to that level of effort on such a large platform?

I bet Meguiar's has a lot of information on how to do all this.

 

Well, when you put it that way...

I'm not that particular. I use one bucket, wash the wheels with the same water (at the end, if it isn't too dirty), and I dry it with a California Water Blade. I always dry the doors particularly vertically, and there's no scratches that way, so I don't think that's a problem.

It looks very good from a distance, I just want it to look decent up close. I guess if I had to put a time estimate on it, I'd say I'm willing to spend maybe 4-6 hours on it to get it looking nice.

 

Well... we spent 16 man hours (2 of us for 8 hours) washing, buffing and polishing the Challenger... and the hood on the car is matte black so we didn't have to do the hood. Doesn't need that level of detail every time. The two bucket method isn't hard... just setup a separate bucket... and try and remember which order you are going in. The idea is to get the grit on the wash mitt to rinse out in the first bucket so you don't carry it back to the car.

All the other preparation... is a once or twice a year thing depending on the car. But the Challenger doesn't see the road conditions that the X does.

 

Detailing can be a crazy process and it really depends on what your plans are at the end of the project. A car show will require a higher level of attention vs. just doing the basics to clean and preserve the truck. I had a detailing shop for years and still do some for select customers - problem is the time invested is more than what you can usually justify charging.

The Ex really isn't that big of a platform to avoid doing a good detail. The roof doesn't necessarily need the same attention as the rest but it does require protection. I use a Milwaukee high speed buffer with Meguiar's foam pads. If you haven't used a high speed buffer before than it's not something for the feint of heart. I'd recommend a good quality dual action random orbital polisher - Griot's Garage has a good one and so does Bosch.

If the scratches are minor (can't catch a fingernail in one) and are primarily from washing then you can go with a very mild polish with the polisher to remove them. I'd recommend the 3M Finesse It II - very mild, wont add any scratches and is easily worked into the surface and removed. The trick is to a small area at a time - half a panel at a maximum so the product doesn't dry too quickly and you don't feel rushed trying to hit a large area. You can usually remove most imperfections with one pass but if it has been a while - go over each area twice while you have everything out. I just did a friend's Excursion and it took my 6 hours to do the entire exterior - his was steel blue and pretty neglected.

After a machine polish you need to seal the paint - a lot of choices out there. Carnauba Wax is probably the most popular but takes time to apply correctly and remove and it leaves white residue dust and do not get it on trim. Meguiar's Ultimate Wax is really good and lasts a little longer. Turtle Wax Ice is actually a decent choice since it can be done in direct sunlight, last for a decent amount of time and is extremely easy to apply and remove. This last step is just to protect the shine you have already created so you want something with no abrasives and you want to use clean micro fiber cloths to remove the product.

There are a lot of products out there - I tried to reference the ones I know work decently and are available at most auto stores. 3M, Meguiar's Professional, Mothers Professional and others make a lot of great products.

 

If you talk to people that detail cars for a living, like for holly wood or for big car shows, they will tell you you need a separate bucket, sponge, etc for each car you have, and at minimum for each color car (especially a black one). Black will always show scratches and imperfections more than any other color.

I've tried buffing out scratches and I can tell you that it takes a lot of practice, a steady hand, and a lot of patience. I would not want to do the whole side of an excursion! You won't be able to hold your fork above the table at dinner that night. beyond that, you can actually burn through the paint pretty darn easily. I'd think about taking it to a detailer with experience and letting them go at it. If the scratches are through the color, though, no amount of buffing or rubbing will get em out and you would need to repaint.. for the price of quality compound and a good buffer and all that stuff, you could pay a detailer to do it. Of course, if you get your own stuff you can use it over and over, on multiple vehicles.

Black is my favorite color for the ex, but my mineral gray does do a much better job hiding the scratches... when I see a shined up black one like that texas girl's, I think "damn I shoulda held out for a black one," and then when I walk outside and see the scratches on mine that only I notice, I think "man.. I'm glad I didn't get a black one..."

 

I just tried to get a couple pictures of what I have. Thanks all for the help.

I do have some imperfections already, aka deeper scratches, so I'm not too worried about car show quality. Just want it to look like a deeper black than showing all the scratches.

Most of what is seen in the pics can't be picked up with a fingernail. Maybe one or two in each picture, if there are any in these. There were a couple on the hood I tested, but I'm not sure if I actually got it in this pic or not.

Hood, left side edge, looking toward windshield:


Driver's door, looking up. (see the pinstripe in the upper right corner?):


I should add, it is relatively clean right now (wheelwells aren't up to standards though) and spray waxed, so spray wax wouldn't help get rid of these temporarily.

 

Totally agree about Mineral Gray. I've found a few in it, but they seem to be pretty light (haven't actually touched them though), but considering I've never once waxed that truck, it's great. Hopefully some day I can do some work on that, but I've washed it using the same process and kept it up very nice from new. The paint feels like it's waxed, even though it did have a couple washes with soap with wax in it a couple years ago.

 

What you are showing in the pictures is exactly what the detailing with a good compound etc will remove.

The equipment I was using and the type of compound are designed to keep the idiot from burning through his paint. I have taken a car (years ago ) to a detail shop and they had some monkey on a highspeed buffer and he burned the paint off an upper body lines and damaged some trim as well.

That shop's insurance company was NOT happy having to repaint the car... even if it was a little old GEO Metro!

 

I feel your pain...

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-buff-out.html

 

I have one of the turtle wax buffers too. Sorry to say but it's not going to do the job. You'll need a polisher and one that is affordable and highly rated is the porter cable 7424. It comes with a polishing pad that is ok but for more difficult jobs, there are other pads that you can get. There are also a ton of polishes that are available. I use maguires ultimate polish. It works fine but I'm not into show quality type of work either. I highly recommend practicing with the polisher on a lighter color. Black is by the the hardest to get right. http://www.auto geek.net is a great source for tools, polishes, and information.

 

Autogeeks sells a bunch of products, but the big help for me is their videos. Here is a great reference with videos at the bottom: Auto Detailing Facts, auto detailing Tips, How to detailing Guides, how to polish, how to wax, DIY detailing, do it yourself guides

 

Haha you were a little quicker than me.

 

I found this big beast in the garage... I think it'll spin faster than the turtlewax one. I forgot all about this one, buried in a drawer.

 

Put it back in the drawer. That is "old school". You will want to use a RO (random orbital) buffer in order to get rid of the scratches or you will be fighting swirl marks instead. LOL I can picture the detail guys cringing right now looking at that thing.