Jas5

So I have the dark blue color and any scratches show up very easily. Much easier than a white paint.

On friday I washed my car, dried it off, then waxed it using shop towels like these, since I have a bunch of new ones laying around



They are textured but are 100% cotton, so surely there's no way they can cause micro scratches? I used two clean ones, one for wax on, one for wax off. I think all of the swirl marks might be from previous owner going through the drive-thru car wash or using a harder brush

Jeffk

I'm fighting those same scratches on my Vista Blue GT too ( I used Microfiber clothes and wash mitts) . I think that the edges of those shop towels might be the culprit in your case though.

Nick@Autogeek

They call them shop towels for a reason.

Invest in some quality microfiber towels, they're much softer and are designed for delicate painted finishes and not for removing grease from axles.

Microfiber Products

scottybaccus

Yep. Cotton can be very abrasive.

I buy the blue terry cloth microfiber towels for drying after a wash and any kind of polishing and buffing. You can get 30-40 of them for $10-$15.

Jeffk

Yeah, a lot of the detailing supply vendors have bundles of microfiber for pretty cheap.

If you've never felt microfiber before you will definitely see/feel the difference once you get your hands on some.

Jas5

Thanks guys, I'm going to order me some microfiber towels...
I was waxing without thinking about the texture of the towel

But looking through some of these posts, it looks like you can always remove those tiny hairline scratches.

edit: i just did a test with the shop towel and yes it does cause the scratches. I cant believe it. Repairable? When I waxed using shop towel, the paint already had a coat of wax from dealership.

Nick@Autogeek

If what you're seeing is minor toweling marks, you can use a medium grade hand polish to remove them such as Meguiar's Scratch X or if that doesn't do the trick Ultimate Compound works well.

Jas5

thanks, i'm going to do that. also claybar.

Jas5

ok i'm about to order on auto geek...but my head is spinning

I'm nixing the scratch-X because of the poor reviews... and the ultimate compound isnt even listed on the strength chart but i'm guessing its a 7-9 strength. I'm scared to use something that strong on my paint.,....but then again i'd be unhappy if I get a weaker product and it doesnt even work

Leaning towards the #80 (strength: 4) speed glaze because it sounds like the #9 swirl remover (strength: 3) is a bit weak by reviewers. But it's weird that people say scratch-x doesn't remove the scratches yet its listed as "4" strength.

Also plan to get Meguiar's #6 wax/sealant

Nick@Autogeek

Go with the Ultimate Compound, it features SMAT abrasives, is easy to use and finishes great.