What am I doing wrong

goherd90- I've used all three types of mitts and I generally prefer either sheepskin or MF (watch that the MF ones don't retain dirt, sometimes it sticks to them). I used cotton chenille for a long time before deciding that the others are superior.



Yeah, "marring" is a catch-all term for all the "gouges" in the surface of your paint- the swirls, scratches, etc.



NO way to exaggerate how much wash solution I'd want on the paint when washing (that's why I use a foamgun...I literally *flood* the surface with sudsy soap mix). The lubrication and flushing are pretty much the only things preventing the dirt from scratching your paint (other than using minimal pressure). I use a "dislodge and flush" approach, where I use the minimal force necessary to dislodge the dirt and then let the foamgun's output flush it away. Heh heh, considering what a 300 costs, I wouldn't choke up at the cost of buying a foamgun if it'll save your paint ;) I'd buy from Bob at http://www.danase.com/ . He's a member here and an all-around good guy.



goherd90 said:
Last question - when these minor clear coat scratches are noticed. Should I immediately try to get out with PC? It would seem like I'd be pulling the PC out every weekend or every other weekend to get the FEW scratches out. Is this too much and detrimental to the clear coat/paint?
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At some point you have to live with some imperfections. I keep a few of our vehicles as nice as I can imagine *anybody* doing it in the real world, and they aren't perfect. If you keep constantly correcting every flaw you'll run out of clearcoat. But as mentioned, once you get the wash/dry regimen sorted out you shouldn't need to polish very often. On ours, I seldom even polish once a year and I'm pretty particular so it's not like I live with flaws that are obvious.



Note that with 4" pads (or by working by hand) you can address individual RIDS (Random Isolated Deep Scratches) without affecting large areas. This should also be a very infrequent thing, but hey, [stuff] happens.
 
If you have powerwasher already you need to contact superbee about his foam cannon connection. It cost more than the others but DAMN it works way better in my opinion.



GREG
 
I was having the same problem with my black corvette so I took Accumulator's advice and bought a foam gun. Honestly, it was the best thing I've bought and like many of you, I've bought alot. Here's why: not only does it flood the car with super slick foam that reduces friction, but that lowered friction reduces marring because your hand literally glides across the foam yet still cleans the surface. I thought it was just another yuppie gimmick until I bought one. It was the single best item I have ever purchased for my car. More importantly, it actually makes washing the car fun the same way that using a squirt gun was fun when I was young. But here's the best part. Not only does it prevent the marring that you're trying to avoid but you can fill it up with body wash and hose down your girlfriend. And I'll have fun, fun fun till my daddy takes my foam gun away!



Patrick
 
Does a foam gun make washing go faster? In other words can you just foam up, wipe, then rinse rather than spraying, wiping, and rinsing one panel at a time? Can it be used in the sun?
 
Accumulator said:
goherd90- I've used all three types of mitts and I generally prefer either sheepskin or MF (watch that the MF ones don't retain dirt, sometimes it sticks to them). I used cotton chenille for a long time before deciding that the others are superior.



Yeah, "marring" is a catch-all term for all the "gouges" in the surface of your paint- the swirls, scratches, etc.



NO way to exaggerate how much wash solution I'd want on the paint when washing (that's why I use a foamgun...I literally *flood* the surface with sudsy soap mix). The lubrication and flushing are pretty much the only things preventing the dirt from scratching your paint (other than using minimal pressure). I use a "dislodge and flush" approach, where I use the minimal force necessary to dislodge the dirt and then let the foamgun's output flush it away. Heh heh, considering what a 300 costs, I wouldn't choke up at the cost of buying a foamgun if it'll save your paint ;) I'd buy from Bob at http://www.danase.com/ . He's a member here and an all-around good guy.







At some point you have to live with some imperfections. I keep a few of our vehicles as nice as I can imagine *anybody* doing it in the real world, and they aren't perfect. If you keep constantly correcting every flaw you'll run out of clearcoat. But as mentioned, once you get the wash/dry regimen sorted out you shouldn't need to polish very often. On ours, I seldom even polish once a year and I'm pretty particular so it's not like I live with flaws that are obvious.



Note that with 4" pads (or by working by hand) you can address individual RIDS (Random Isolated Deep Scratches) without affecting large areas. This should also be a very infrequent thing, but hey, [stuff] happens.
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You are right and I did not know there was a difference between the foam cannon and foam gun. I did not want to have to go and purchase HP gun for the foam cannon. I just did a read up and it appears the gilmour foam gun attaches to a standard hose and seems to do a decent job.



I will be making my purchase as I think this will help out on the marring?
 
ptaylor_9849- Glad to hear the foamgun's working out so well for you. With a black 'vette the last thing you want is to mar it up when you wash!



Less- Using it the way I do, it'll only make things go quickly on a vehicle that's not too dirty. Used with a BHB you can pretty much let the foamgun rinse out the BHB while you wash and that can go fast. But again, this will only work on a vehicle that's already very clean.



I consider the time savings from a foamgun to be a matter of not having to polish out marring. My actual washes take a lot *longer* than they used to before the foamgun, in part because I'm being careful and deliberate about everything I'm doing.



goherd90 said:
I will be making my purchase as I think..[the Gilmour foamgun] this will help out on the marring?
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I believe it will, if you use it properly. There are a lot of little tricks to using it and I haven't ever gotten around to puttinge everything together on my "Accumulator's Non-marring Wash Technique" thread in the Hall of Fame forum.



Try to keep a flow of sudsy foamgun output (I don't like to call it "foam") flowing between your wash medium and the panels. Keep that "dislodge and flush" idea in mind. If something won't wash off with minimal "scrubbing" (oh man, that's a dirty word in my book!) then I use Sonus green clay to remove it (and I do this very carefully). As soon as you bear down on wash media (and thus on whatever's between it and the paint...namely the dirt), you risk marring.



Remember the whole problem: something abrasive gets pressed against the paint and is then moved. Avoid that. Simple concept, not so simple to do ;)
 
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