Finish damage from too many brush carwashes

[Gene in NC]

Almost embarassed to seek advice for brush type car wash damage on finish from this site of immaculate e34s. Just bought bronzit '89 525 5s for my son. Everything is excellent except for those brush marks.

We have no experience in restoring or improving paint finish but can follow advice and instruction. Hopefully at least some improvement is possible.

[Rory535i]

Almost embarassed to seek advice for brush type car wash damage on finish from this site of immaculate e34s. Just bought bronzit '89 525 5s for my son. Everything is excellent except for those brush marks.

We have no experience in restoring or improving paint finish but can follow advice and instruction. Hopefully at least some improvement is possible.

depends how deep they are. if you can afford it, take it to a body shop and ask them to machine polish the whole car or if you'd rather tackle it yourself, buy some rubbing compound from an auto suppliers and let rip on it. this won't take out deep marks though. if you take this route i'd also buy some finer polish like 3M final glaze or whatever they call it. it puts a great shine on the paint after a cut. then just wax as usual. I'm sure someone else here will have other advice for you.

[Robin-535im]

There is this mysterious place called "the roadfly detailing forum" that I've never visited... but people say that all your detailing questions and more can be answered there. :)

HTH

Robin

[liquidtiger720]

www.autopia.org is your friend.

If you can not feel any of the swirl marks (use your nail, if you can feel it, or your nail can go into it) you will most likely not be able to get it out. If you need any specific help, you can PM me.

[Jose]

If you never machine polished before, it' s best to take it to a professional. If you' re not aware of the sensitivity of the paint you will easily burn right through. Seen this a lot of times at the bodyshop.

[liquidtiger720]

If you never machine polished before, it' s best to take it to a professional. If you' re not aware of the sensitivity of the paint you will easily burn right through. Seen this a lot of times at the bodyshop.
Or, you can buy a Dual Action orbital (random orbital) like a porter cable 7424. It might take longer then a rotary, but it's much safer.

[Ted K]

Check out Griots garage. They have good information and products for the do it your selfer.
http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?L1=L1_1000&L2=L2_1004

[pundit]

Almost embarassed to seek advice for brush type car wash damage on finish from this site of immaculate e34s. Just bought bronzit '89 525 5s for my son. Everything is excellent except for those brush marks.

We have no experience in restoring or improving paint finish but can follow advice and instruction. Hopefully at least some improvement is possible.
Being a metallic bronze it will have a clearcoat over the top. I would take the advice of the others and have a professional look at it. Cutting through the clearcoat (even if you don't go right through the color underneath) will expose the metallic bronze and it will oxidise and deteriorate rapidly.
Hopefully the brushmarks can be safley removed and then avoid auto carwashes in the future. Automatic car washes with those great flapping rollermops are excellent for stuffing the finish on your car! I use the DIY car washers if I'm away from for a week or two. ;)

[ScottyWM]

Mine is bad too. Don't have the Bronzit, but my Cashmere Beige is very close. I've taken it to 3 or 4 places - all said they can't do anything that would permanently help. A good polishing only last about a month. I've talked to some other bronzit and cashmere beige owners, most have the same problem. One runs a very reputable dealership selling used bmw's and he said he could wet sand it, but it still wouldn't be right. He had one that he ended up repainting. So rather than have to worry about keeping it sparklling clean and shiny, I've decided to channel it into keeping everything working and running great!

(where in NC are you?)

http://216.77.188.54/coDataImages/p/Groups/96/96274/folders/53276/637207MyBaby@Cdga3.jpg

[Smitty]

I'm intrested in this too. My paint is as old as the car, (1994) and I have tiny tiny scratches and scratches from rocks hitting it on the front hood and grill. I'll ask this guy and tell you what I find out.

Smitty






Almost embarassed to seek advice for brush type car wash damage on finish from this site of immaculate e34s. Just bought bronzit '89 525 5s for my son. Everything is excellent except for those brush marks.

We have no experience in restoring or improving paint finish but can follow advice and instruction. Hopefully at least some improvement is possible.

[Jeff N.]

...unless you have a very good idea of what you're doing, don't EVER use that stuff. Playing with fire.



depends how deep they are. if you can afford it, take it to a body shop and ask them to machine polish the whole car or if you'd rather tackle it yourself, buy some rubbing compound from an auto suppliers and let rip on it. this won't take out deep marks though. if you take this route i'd also buy some finer polish like 3M final glaze or whatever they call it. it puts a great shine on the paint after a cut. then just wax as usual. I'm sure someone else here will have other advice for you.

[632 Regal]

I take mine to the wash all the time and there arent any marks. Is it possible that the paint isnt original?

[angrypancake]

wash? car? hell i dont even shower.

[dternst]

www.autopia.org is your friend.

If you can not feel any of the swirl marks (use your nail, if you can feel it, or your nail can go into it) you will most likely not be able to get it out. If you need any specific help, you can PM me.

www.detailersclub.com is another site than can give you some assistance.

[liquidtiger720]

www.detailersclub.com is another site than can give you some assistance.


http://www.meguiarsonline.com/ is another.

[mholbrook]

Please note that Rubbing Compound is a pretty harsh substance and it is really easy to burn through the paint. It is best to sneak up on the problem. Swirl Remover is pretty mild, followed by Polishing Compound and then maybe Rubbing Compound. A random orbit polisher is nice to have for waxing the car but using any buffer with a compound substance without experience is not a good idea. I think the professional will charge you around $100 - 200 for a good job. Then you can wax it up and stay away from car washes with brushes. Touchless is the only way with car washes.

I work part-time at a carwash in Meridian, Idaho, and I've seen the difference on customer vehicles.

[liquidtiger720]

A random orbit to wax your car? I think not.

In all honesty, a porter cable dual action polisher isnt TOOOO dangerous (like I said earlier). Just take it really slow the first time you go at it. Research the different technique and products, and make sure you know how it works and what it does. For the $200 you spend for a professional detailer, you can buy all the tools and polishes yourself, and do the same job (although, not at the same level the first time) multiple times.

[Qube]

Spend a little time with a clay bar on the hood. If that ends up nice, then do the whole car and then polish/wax/seal. If there is little to no change, then seek professional help :)

[zhandax]

I have the same problem Took mine to a dealer body shop to see if they could do anything. They polished a sample area, and wet sanded another. There was not much difference, and they suggested just polishing and waxing. It will not get all the scratches out, but does make a big difference with the small ones. In the next couple of weeks, I plan to take the car to them for the polish, and will have them apply Collinite Insulator Wax after that. Will let you know how it turns out. This is a Honda dealer that my buddy has used and I know they do good body work. They get $125 for a full detail including polish.

[E34 530]

I have the same problem on my car. A hardcore BMW mechanic I was talking to a few months back said it was a common problem on many gold and silver BMW's. When it gets warmer out, I am bringing it to a kid in my area who details and restores paint. I have a feeling that it may be too much damage. I also think the clearcoat is cracked and I need a respray :( . I can wax the car and it will look great for about 2 weeks, but then the ugly marks come back again. The paint looks great from about 4 feet away, but if you get up close and examine it, you can see the swirls marks all over the place. Is this how your paint looks???

This is how the paint looks unwaxed...
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a314/ripcurl530/2007_0330Image0023.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a314/ripcurl530/2007_0330Image0021.jpg
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a314/ripcurl530/2007_0330Image0013.jpg

[E34 530]

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a314/ripcurl530/2007_0330Image0012.jpg

[632 Regal]

looks more like cracked clear coat than scratches to me. This sometimes occurs if someone sprayed incompatible clear or too much. I have also seen it on BMWs and the owners clain it was never resprayed. Paint is a science and if messed with you get bad results over time. Of course it looks great rolling out on the body shop lot tho.

Only suggestion after a professional rubbing compound fails is to dust the clear off and redo.