green kitchen scrub pad used to remove bugs. Help!

J

Jsahr

New member
So my mom called me the other day and said she had a project for me once I get back home for thanksgiving. Im not sure if its one I can do on my own or what but here is what the issue is. She has a 2008 Honda Accord which she bought brand new and she washed the car herself and removed the bugs in a harsh way; she pulled out the green kitchen scrub pads. Yikes! I havent seen the car yet but she says that it has scratch swirl marks in many spots on the hood, front bumper, sides and basically the entire top of the trunk. She says its all just visible and cant be felt with the hand maybe in some spots on the trunk but not in too many areas, but some spots do now have discoloration. Would discoloration indicate that the clear coat is now worn off? I know the car is young and I too am new to auto detailing but have been working with a professional detailing business for about a month now. I was planning on getting a porter cable 7424 orbital for this job and the polish I have on hand right now is Meguiars Ultimate Compound and just some Turtle wax rubbing compound. Is this something I can do or should it just be taken in to a professional shop for repainting? If I can do it what else do I need and steps to take... type of pads, best polish to use, etc. Thanks in advance for the advice! I'll see if I can get pictures from her and will add when available.
 
Well, one option is to use the Turtle Wax compound and get the rest of the car to match the scrubbed spots....no, don't do that! It's possible it's a goner, but if it is, you won't hurt it by trying to recover it. I think the UC is probably a good starting point; I haven't used it or its professional sibling, so someone else will have to chime in with pads (although my gut tells me orange pad, follow up with Swirl-X on a white).
 
Yikes. Just the other day I saw a man with a Honda filling it up at the gas station. He grabbed the window cleaning squeegee/bug remover, dipped it in the cleaning "solution" that the station had and proceeded to scrub his whole hood with the bug cleaning part!!!



Hopefully, your mom's car can be saved
 
Plus 1 for the UC with a machine. Start with that on an orange pad, and work up in abrasive polish from there, if needed.
 
I have an 09 Accord coming in tomorrow that the owner did about the same thing. My plan is to start with a new LC hydrotech cyan pad with SIP via PCXP and follow up with the LC tangerine pad and FFII. I'll let you know how that works later on Saturday.
 
Wouldn't the discoloration be haze, kinda like when you're wetsanding? If so, it can (should be able to) be polished out.



If the damage is too severe to fix and it's everywhere, contact your insurance company and get them to pay for a repaint - I wouldn't have thought this type of issue would be covered (gross stupidity), but apparently it is.
 
Late model Hondas have pretty soft clear and if there is actual color changes in the areas done I'd really worry about cc failure. I'd inspect closely first, take a hand applicator with a bit of polish and see if you get paint color transfer. If so, the cc is gone and there is no use in doing anything but finding her a good painter.



I watched my uncle remove road oil from his car with a Brillo pad so these occurrences are not that rare.
 
Well - I finished my detail and here's my findings: with SIP, Cyan pad (4") and PCXP it took 2 to 3 passes to get it corrected. I followed up with FFII and the tangerine pad (5.5") and it was back better than new. Customer was happy and I'm probably getting some good referrals from her. Oh -and I did wash, apply Blackfire Wet Diamond too.
 
Well in just a few days Ill be heading to her house and I dont have anything other than the turtle wax, UC some scratch X and some Kit brand scratch out . Too bad you cant get any good detailing stuff at your local retail store. It seems like Meguiars 105 followed by the 205 with the PC would've been the best way if the UC didnt work at first. There's a lot to know in regards to polishes and waxes though! The PC cant be mailed to me in time for this project and all I have is um.. I hate to admit this.. is just a cheapo $30 10" polisher I got from Walmart at the last second to do an RV with. Thats what I got to work with but I don't know where to get a good bonnet for it. I just got advance auto, autozone and O'reilly's near me and of course walmart. The last time I used it I used a wool. bonnet to remove the wax on my chevy trailblazer which has a candy apple dark red color. The tag on the product said it was for a finishing buffer so I thought it meant to use the wool to remove the wax as a final step. I now have light swirl marks for the first time on my baby that has been meticulously cared for over the last 2 years. Thanks for all the advice. Junebug whats the SIP and FFII stand for.. I couldnt figure those out? I think I'll pass on the Blackfire since her paint color is just a blue tint sea green color. The sealant and wax I have on hand right now is the NXT tech wax and Meguiars yellow 23. I figured a coat of each should do the trick for the time being. Maybe later once I do get the PC I'll come back with something else if I do get it pretty again.
 
Personally I would just do it by hand instead of using the walmart orbital. I use the 6" versions regularly for wax application but they are pointless for any other uses, especially correction.



The orbital may save you some arm strength, but it isn't going to make the job any quicker or better.
 
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