Clear Coat Scratch

[cmp]

My 2002 Black Garnet ES300 has many light scratches in the clear coat. The dealership has buffed them out, but they are starting to return. My opinion is that the clear coat is too soft. Our other vehicles (non-Lexus) are subject to the same conditions but do not have any of these kind of scratches. Does anyone else have this problem? Any suggestions on what to do?

[bbsal]

ok first question is were do you wash your car?do you do it yourself?if you wash it at a car wash that uses brushes then you will get plenty of swirl marks.if your doing it yourself then what are you using to clean it with and dry it?

[SW03ES]

We have the same color, and its not that the scratches are coming out, its that the dealer didnt remove them.

They were probably put there by the dealer in the first place when the car was prepped, dealers are notoriously bad detailers. Then they used a glaze that temporarily fills them in to cover it up. They did the same thing again when you took it back, and now the glaze is washing away.

You have two choices:

1: Invest some money and get yourself the materials to detail the car correctly, you'll need 1 Porter Cable Orbital Polisher, 3 pads, yellow white and grey, a swirl remover like 3M SMR for Dark Colors or Meguiars #9, a polish like P21S Gloss Enhancer, and a good wax. SMR with the yellow pad, buff, polish with white, buff, wax or seal with the grey, buff and the scratches will be gone. Really gone this time, not covered up. You can buy everything you need from www.properautocare.com, www.autopia.com and you can get the polisher at any hardware store. Once you've removed the swirls, then proper washing and drying using only Microfiber towels (www.pakshak.com) and a good sheepskin wash mitt will keep you from introducing new scratches.

2: You can find a good, reputable detailer that will do it for you, get references.

Either way, NEVER let the dealer touch the paint again, dont let them wash it, wax it, wipe it, or clean the windows. They'll ruin all your work.

Its not the paint, I assure you they used a glaze. In fact I find the paint is quite durable.

[amanda]

hey, steve, i don't want to bother with all that equipment. is it possible to just use clear-coat safe rubbing compound and a lot of elbow grease?

my finish looked very good too, but i think the minor scratches must have been glazed by the pesky dealer who sold me the car. no swirls though, so that's something to be thankful for.

[SW03ES]

You probably do have swirls (most people do) but they're just not noticeable on the gold paint. Since it is gold you can probably get around to using a swirl mark remover by hand on the scratched areas that bother you, polish and seal the whole car by hand. You'll still need some good microfiber towels. I'd reccomend 3M Swirl mark Remover for Light Colored Cars, a polish like P21S Gloss Enhancing Paintwork Cleanser or equivelent , and a sealant like Klasse. poorboys, Zaino etc.

Also keep in mind that if you're using Klasse or Zaino, you'll need to dawn wash after the SMR and Polish steps to ensure that the finish is free of fillers.

[GSspeed]

i have the same prob, mines a 99 gs300, and i think that the clear coat is gone, when theres a bird droping and i go to clean it up, the paint has already been damaged, so i think that the clear coat is gone, is there any way or removing those swril makes, i tryed by hand but did not work, and repainting is my last resort. as far as chips and stuff, i read all the posts an theres only 1 product that might work buti have so many that it will take my days, to fill it in, so if there are any ideas it would be appreciated.

[SW03ES]

The clear isn't gone trust me, if it was you would know it. You know those old Chrysler vans that look like the roofs have excema or something? Thats clear coat failure. Actually if your GS is black it may have never had a clear coat...

Problem is that the paint isn't adequately protected. All clear coat is is a coat of paint with no pigment.

[GSspeed]

so could clear coat be applied to existing paint, or does it have to be new paint, would buffing then clearcoating be a good option.

[SW03ES]

It could be, but there'd really be no point. When you used the Scratch X did your rag turn black?

[GSspeed]

yep thats exactly what happened

i got scared

so i called meguires, and asked them and they said its okay

but im not sure about that

they said it was the dirt

so what should i do...

[TOGWT]

Quote: CLEAR COAT SCRATCH, SOFT CLEAR COAT

~One mans opinion / observation~

As SWO3ES says, your paint is ‘single stage’ (i.e. no clear coat) plus black paints has a Moh’s number (hardness, but in this case should be a ‘softness’ number) Carbon Black (black paint pigmentation) number 2 talc has a hardness number of 1

Try ScratchX (hand applied) and see if it will remove the oxidation, if not you need to step up to something more aggressive, like Meg’s DACP, and this may entail using a rotary or an orbital buffer.

~Hope this helps~

Experience unshared; is knowledge wasted…/

justadumbarchitect * so i question everything*

[SW03ES]

Like TOG said, whenever you see color transfer to the towel you're using you've simply got single stage paint. Whenever you're removing swirls you're abrading the paint, only difference is with a clearcoat the paint that is transferring to the pad is clear and you can't see it.

[GSspeed]

thanks for the info, i tried it out and turned out great, i was afraid at first, but then i used clay, paint cleaner, scratch X, swirl remover, glaze, wax, turned out great, but if i could now just get the remaining swrils outof there then its perfect.

is that even possible.

[SW03ES]

Sure, but you're going to need a buffer to do it.

[GSspeed]

okay then, thanks, so thats what ill be looking into within the next couple days, thanks again

[SW03ES]

We sell the Porter Cable here at Lexus Car Care and it comes with three high quality pads. Its a little cheaper elsewhere, but it doesn't come with pads and they can be $15 or so a peice. I think we have it and all three pads for $199...

[SW03ES]

Yeah here it is http://www.lexuscarcare.com/dual-action-polishers.html