Cars Paint

[is200 Newbie]

From what I have read there are a few types of paint - some cars have "soft" paint, some have "hard" paint - the "soft" paint is easy to mark but easy to remove small marks from. The "hard" paint is harder to mark and harder to remove marks from...

Lexus has the soft paint (so I believe)..?

I do wash my car regularly and also use a wax - I usually use a carnuba wax, Dodo Juice is the one I have used with really good results.

A few weeks ago I washed and waxed it but found it hard to get some water marks off it - it was a hot day so the water drops had dried before I got to them to wipe off. I have washed it since and used the Turtle Wax ICE which is a nightmare product - went on ok but when wiping off it just moved around the car like vegetable oil leaving smears, will never use this again!

Anyway - I was thinking to get the water marks off I would t cut the car and then go back to the wax I was using

Anyone had any experience of this and have any recommendations. I had followed the thread of claying a car which I think is another option..

[janey]

I'd say claying is your best option as you don't as such get the abrasive factor as you would with most other products

p.s. edited the title for you :winky:

[is200 Newbie]

Thanks Janey

[Mouser]

In theory it's soft paint, but certain areas will probably have been resprayed at some point, so don't put much stock in that. Nothing you're talking about would lead to it being an issue anyway/

How are you washing your car at the moment? What steps / resources do you have? (Power washer / microfibre cloths / car shampoo / snow foam / wash mitt / ...)

Claying is worth doing if it's needed. Do it in very small (~1sqft at a time) patches, in the late evening in a garage ideally. Use lots of the right lube e.g. this one, and really take your time. Unless you buy a strongly abrasive clay, have poor technique or don't use enough lube (more lube!, MORE!) then the hardness or softness of the paint isn't going to be of any real concern. Test whether it's needed using a very thin (like the free ones for veg at a supermarket) plastic bag. Put your hand inside the bag and run it over the surface after you've washed it. If it does not feel smooth then it's worth claying that area. Repeat the test once you have clayed the area, to see if you've done enough. Have a look at this video for more guidance.

If you're only able to wash your car outside in the sun, then using an air dryer is advisable - a leaf blower will suffice if you've got one with an intake filter, although it's quite large.

[is200 Newbie]

Brilliant - Thanks Mouser

As it stands at the moment I washed it again at the weekend - it wasn't as hot this weekend and I managed to clean it early in the morning before the sun blasted it. It came out better but the following day the water marks were still visible but not as bad. I could do the clay routine in a garage but at the moment its a bit full of garden bits. I do however have a garden vac that I could use if going down the route of doing it outside.

I do have a power washer but don't tend to use this but maybe I should give it a go.

I usually wash it with washing up liquid (not the best idea to start with I guess) dry with a chamois and then rub down with a micro fibre cloth (I don't tell my wife I do this !!) At this point I have used a carnuba based wax - usually the Dodo brand which does give good results. Having used the Turtle Wax with no good results I would not use it again.

I think the issue is the washing as the marks are in the shape of water drops as if they have dried on the paint.

I will have a look at the video link and see wwhat my next step should be - the bag idea is a good one.

Thanks for the info - I will re-post when I have done with the results

[PhilipK]

I'm not sure that washing-up liquid is a good idea, as you say - I have read that it contains a lot of salt. Even a reasonable brand of car shampoo (e.g. Autoglym) shouldn't cost too much.

Is the water very hard in your area? If so, it may be worthwhile rinsing the car with distilled or softened water before chamoising it (a dehumidifier is a great source of cheap softened water) - my experience is that hard water always leaves drying spots.

[rayaans]

Washing up liquid is not harmful to the paint. Its harmful to the rubber and plastics on the car hence you shouldnt really use it because it dries them out just as it dries your hands out if you use it too often.

The problem with washing up liquid is it strips any protection from your car. Wax, sealants, whatever. It will shift it but your car will be unprotected afterwards.

You may have seen some plastics fading to grey or possibly the tyres going slightly brown due to the washing up liquid. Use a shampoo. I use triplewax, its cheap as chips and gets the job done. No point in spending extra on a car shampoo really, the higher the price, the better the experience but its not worth it as they dont do a better job. The expensive ones just sud more and smell of cherries. Some people think the more suds you get, the better it is but thats untrue. Its the lubricity that counts and triplewax offers that. Triplewax is very good and yes, I have used some very expensive shampoo's including Meguiars and Autofinesse.

If you have a decent wax on the car, use an open ended hose and the water should just sheet off rather than bead reducing drying time significantly.

Another product you could use is Autosmart Tango. You can get it off eBay for £5 for 250ml. Dilute it 1:10 in water and after youve washed the car, spray on the whole car. Then rinse it off and dry the car. Its a very good drying agent and can also be used to brighten up alloy wheels and as a quick detailer as it contains glossing agents and wax. Its a very very good product to give your car extra bling. Makes blacks look blacker and reds look redder.

[Mouser]

As rayaans points out, washing up liquid will remove everything. The water that remains is going to be sitting directly on the paint with no wax, so it's going to dry there and leave water marks. Using proper car shampoo will save you time and work a lot better.

If your garden vac has a blow mode, and blows clean air (no grit!) then that'll cut down the amount of work you need to do. A drying towel is what you want to get the rest off. Start at the top and work downwards - the dirtiest grittiest bits are at the bottom.

As far as soft / hard goes, yesterday I used a DA with Meguiars 105 and an orange hex logic pad to take out some small scratches, swirls and marks, and I'd not say the paint is soft. It took a normal amount of time and effort to get the job done. German finishes are usually hard, but having dealt with several panels, I'd class ours as medium.

[rayaans]

As rayaans points out, washing up liquid will remove everything. The water that remains is going to be sitting directly on the paint with no wax, so it's going to dry there and leave water marks. Using proper car shampoo will save you time and work a lot better.

If your garden vac has a blow mode, and blows clean air (no grit!) then that'll cut down the amount of work you need to do. A drying towel is what you want to get the rest off. Start at the top and work downwards - the dirtiest grittiest bits are at the bottom.

As far as soft / hard goes, yesterday I used a DA with Meguiars 105 and an orange hex logic pad to take out some small scratches, swirls and marks, and I'd not say the paint is soft. It took a normal amount of time and effort to get the job done. German finishes are usually hard, but having dealt with several panels, I'd class ours should as medium.

Aah the trusted hexlogic and Meguiars 105/205 combo. Never used it myself but I recently found that the Lake country CCS pads are great with Menzerna polishes