so what exactly causes scratching?

J

Josiah

New member
All this talk about different towels causing scratching, the CD tests, and whatnot, has gotten my curiosity roused. I am under the impression that most soft rags will not scratch. The hardness factor the paint is much harder than even a cheapo rag. It is the dirt that becomes trapped between the rag and the paint that causes scratches.



Somebody correct me. :D I'm sure I could be off base, and some rags could cause micro swirls.



Josiah
 
I think its pretty safe to say that ALL towels will cause some scratching, hazing or marring. The key is to select towels that will really minimize this effect. It is bound to happen when we rub towels over the clear coat. I can just hear Ron K. saying right now that if we were to get the 30X magnifier at Radioshack we would all be able to see this micromarring or extremely light swirling going on.
 
its not the softness of the towel...its how deep the pile is or how far down the towel pulls the dirt you wipe up....if it doesnt pull it down then it rests on the surface of the towel and you wind up rubbing it all over your paint....but even the best towel....will marr or microswirl....if you have the right lights on your paint youll see it......unfortunately....Don...the bit about Ron with the magnifying glass is so true....i miss that dood:(
 
The simple answer:

<font size=+4 color=red>EVERYTHING!</font>

Seriously, absolutely anything that comes into contact with your car, whether it is a car duster, a water balde, a wash mitt, a microfiber towel or other - can scratch your car if there is any dirt between the two. This dirt can be microscopic - but basically all you need is the dust that starts to fall on your car tghe minute you finish buffing out the wax. :(

I wouldn't have believed this until I owned a black car. I swear - the best thing you could ever do to improve your "detailing awareness" would be to take a piece of sheet metal to a paint shop and ask them to spray it and clearcoat it next time they fix a black car. Leave it outdoors so that it gets dirty - practice washing and polishing it. Find out how different lighting effects and viewing angles affect what you see. Make sure you use the best possible viewing conditions as you experiment with different techniques.

Now - before you get TOTALLY depressed - the fact is that if you're careful, you really can REDUCE the amount of scratching a lot.

Rule #2:

<font size=+2 color=red>Towels don't scratch your car. Dirt scratches your car. </font>

BUT

Towel choice is still important. Some towels lift dirt away and hide it better thatn others. More imoprtantly, some towels mop up the stuff ou put on, like wax or detail spray, better than others - so you rub less. I am a total microfiber addict. Terry never touches my paint any more, ever. I use my terry for interior jobs, glass, drying my hands. Good quality Terry is second best, but MF is simply better.


Rule #3

<font size=+2 color=red>To reduce scratching, REDUCE RUBBING! </font>

A great example of how to turn this principle into practice is a thread we disccussed a while back about how to dry your car: http://www.autopia-carport.com/forum/showthread.php3?s=&threadid=5120

We all make compromises - you just can't wash your car every 9 minutes, and washing/drying isn't rub-free so it isn't risk-free. For example, when my car has a light layer of dust on it, I will QD it and wipe with an MF towel. I am really careful to keep exposing new parts of the towel to the car so I don't rub already-collected dirt into the paint. This, all things considered, is a very "safe" thing to do. it is LIKELY you'll add a scratch somewhere - altough it will be very hard to spot in anything but perfect light. On the other hand, you're reducing the chance of something else scratching it even worse - so it is a good thing. If the car is a little too dusty though, I've learned to resist the urge. I wait until I wash it.

I've also stopped doing some things I used to do. I really liked the Calfornia water Blade, for example - if you do a perfect job washing and there is zero grit for it to drag down your paint, it truly doesn't scratch. Remember rule #2. But sooner or later, you're going to pick up a piece of schmutz you missed when washing. Happened to me. Nice, big, long, straight scratch down the entire length of my hood. I'm not talking about a dusty canyon here, but certainly something that qualified as a heavy "swirl" type scratch, and one that took some attention to getting out. SO - I don't use the CWB on my paint any more.

Does this help?
 
carguy, good answer.



Now I really can't wait to go out and rub a mitt and a towel all over my car. :rolleyes:



Ahhh, the joy of detailing. I love it. :D It is like success in a way... always striving for perfection, and yet there is always one little roadblock in the way that keeps you working your hardest all the time to get over it, and then there is another one. Which is what keeps you going of course.



Hmmmm... there are a lot of parodies on detailing and life. Just too late to come up with another one right now.



Josiah
 
why u disrespectin me dood....i gave a similar answer to carguy....and yet i get no props.......just............"good answer carguy'...........what the heck is that all about dood...;) :p :confused:...did i not mention the pile of the mf and how it would drag stuff around your paint.........thats it dood....im boycotting your threads...............:D
 
you know what causes scratching, <span style='font-size: 14px;'>You do!!!! ;)

The company's 2 year old black magic passat doesn't have a hair of swirls on it, but hey it's never been washed or waxed.

the good thing is not only do you cause scratching but you also can purposefully cause your car to shine like no other, so it's a welcome trade, IMO

Don't worry there flonester (did originally type flonster but that rhymes with monster :D) anyways, sometimes posting is a thankless job ;)
 
Yo Floni, dont be depressed. If you read carefully, you'll notice that "all" of these guys that use the best possible microfiber, perform the mythical CD tests, use only best "only cotton" chennile mits, etc, all seem to know an extreme amount of detail about swirl mark removal. Wonder why? ;)
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by RH [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>Yo Floni, dont be depressed. If you read carefully, you'll notice that "all" of these guys that use the best possible microfiber, perform the mythical CD tests, use only best "only cotton" chennile mits, etc, all seem to know an extreme amount of detail about swirl mark removal. Wonder why? ;) [/b]</blockquote>Hey RH,

What do you do about swirls? Do you not have any because of methods you use or have you learned to live with them? I'm just curious b/c I have a black car and dislike using abrasives.. I do the necessary prevention but it's never enough ;)
 
i love it doods...your all funny as hell!!:p ;) :up ...i wonder about all that ya knoiw......we all use the 'best" products...and still each one of us will eventually be posting about"how do i use SMR/FI-II"....i guess its just that we put off the inevitable longer than most people do....or the inevitable is alot less obvious looking on our paint...:)
 
well I start out trying to say something nice and then I get shat on ;)



If you can show me an object where something scratches a car but does not scratch a CD then I will abandon all recommendations for the CD test.
 
LOL Floni, very appropriate usage. No personal attack on the respected Mr. YoSteve.Com Sir, I just have a hard time believing there are many (if any) cars out there that have been driven or touched that don't have swirls.

I concur with <strong class='bbc'>FLONI[/b] about RH's comment; we're just delaying the inevitable. But we're doing a darn good job of it! :)

Hope some humor was brought to the early morning...I know I need it running on 2 hours of sleep.
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by puterbum [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>
Hey RH,

What do you do about swirls? Do you not have any because of methods you use or have you learned to live with them? I'm just curious b/c I have a black car and dislike using abrasives.. I do the necessary prevention but it's never enough ;) [/b]</blockquote>

I have swirls just like everyone else's daily driver. Then I get rid of them, then they come back. Repeat as necessary. I live with them for the most part, and only anal folks like us would even notice them since they are so slight. Avoidance techniques help, like high quality towels and mitts, but the point I'm trying to make is that they still come back, regardless of CD scratch testing. ;)
 
Get a color car that shows them less! It helps greatly with peace of mind and lessens the chance for head banging against walls.



Scratching is caused by a harder substance being moved against a softer substance in such a form to deface the said softer substance. Material is normally removed and or displaced when this occurs.



OR



Scratching occurs when "doods" play Records and move them back and forth on a record player making a Wahhh wahhhh sounds.



But I could be wrong??
 
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