[loburon]

Hey all, I noticed when washing my car the other day that there are a ton of scratch/swirl marks in the paint. They must have been put there by the porters or whoever prepped my car at the dealer because it was a touchless car wash I went through. I went back to the dealer and he said I could come back and they would buff them out for me.
What I wanted to know is if the buffing will be wearing down my clearcoat and if I should take care of the scratches myself? Thanks

 

[schris35]

Swirl Marks....

If you don't know by now, black is the worst color for showing swirl/scratches.
What you are probably seeing is micro surface scracthes. The thing is if you have the dealer or anyone else polish them out, they will be back sooner or later.
If you use an agressive compound to remove the abrasions yea you are removing a little of the clear coat. The key is to keep lots of was on the car once the imperfections are removed. I like to use any paste wax that is carnuba. I believe Turtle wax has one, remember "carnuba". I have owned a few show cars and have been a professional refinisher for many years. The wax will protect your finish from minor scratches. I know it's a lot of work but you gotta love the Saab.
Good luck.
Chris

 

[jackal]

saab catalog say 9-2x has double clear coat?!

is that the reason 9-2x tend to have get swril mark easy?

 

[Guy1138]

www.autopia.org

Best detailing site on the freakin' planet.

And schris 35 is right that Carnuba wax is good stuff, but I like to put a polymer wax on as a basecoat and then layer carnuba on top when I have the time. Carnuba is a natural wax witha GREAT shine, but tends to wear off quickly, so you have to apply it nearly every week to be on the safe side, but with a quality polymer wax (I like meguires NXT) you can get away with a month between waxings, easy

 

[00taffy]

i've read on saab92x.com too that swirl marks seem to be a common issue on our cars - probably because they all sat at a lot before gm decided to bring in the discounts. my car was built in june 2004! my blue metallic has tons of swirls from day 1. ;oops:

in addition, i think the paint quality on our cars isn't so great to start with. already picked up a few scratches...

thinking about polishing + waxing my car eventually.. but it's alot of work (or money)...

 

[pianoman72]

Just wax it. We washed it and TONS of swirl marks. Waxed it -- none.

 

[jdmpartstx]

If you want REALLY good wax with an optically perfect reflection - www.zainobros.com

Great stuff.

 

[todzilla]

If you want REALLY good wax with an optically perfect reflection - www.zainobros.com

Great stuff.

+1 for zainobros...

 

[Siper2]

No wax is the primary reason you're seeing all the swirls.

Second up is the fact that it's black.

Lastly... Subaru paint is notoriously poor. Very thin, and chips extremely easily. Well maintained, it'll last just like anything else. But that doesn't change the fact.

=S2=

 

[loburon]

Thanks for all the info guys, sorry you're all having the same problem and I feel kinda guilty that that makes me feel better cause I know I'm not the only one;oops: . I'm currently using this stuff called Klasse all-in-one to polish my car. Do I still need to put carnuba on top of that? Thanks again in advance.

 

[Aero Slaab]

Use Microfiber towels

Many of the scratches and swirls you see were put there using terry cloth towels. The fibers in terry cloth are too abrasive - even with really good terry towels. Use microfibers for drying and removing polishes and waxes/sealants. Some of these scratches were also caused by washing the car - a good sheepskin or chenille mitt should be used, and rinsed frequently - either in a 2nd bucket, or hosed off very well. This will minimize the risk of additional scratches.

There are a large # of products available for polishing and protecting your paint. Check out the autopia website link above for detailed info on a wide variety of detailing topics and products.

Loburon - Klasse AIO is a very good product for cleaning and polishing, and should be topped with a good sealant or wax. Klasse Sealant Glaze is the product of choice since it was developed specifically for this purpose, but you could use other products like Meguiars NXT, or a good pure carnauba wax (p21s or s100). And never use a cleaner wax on top of a sealant - you'll and up removing mos, if not all, of the sealant.

Good Luck!