Paint swirls and scratched

[CbixlerM3]

About three months months ago picked up my new 2021M3. Essentially looked flawless at pick up.

Got it wrapped in Dyn PPF - front hood and front bumper.

Elected not to wrap the entire car or the back portion of the car due to a significant price.

Had taken it to a hand wash location several times and have noticed significant scratches on the back trunk as if they were washing the car with Sand laces chamois.

Is anyone else noticing this? I thought I was doing well to bring it to a hand wash location but it seems that the paint is too sensitive for even those. I’d rather not be responsible for washing my own car every week or two. Other than wrapping the entire car in PPF, is there a more simple solution? Perhaps it’s perhaps it’s detail/swirl fix follwed by ceramic coating? Although I understand this might be needed every 6-12 months to renew?

Would appreciate any thoughts or considerations on this as the scratches are about to make me cry?

- CB

 

[Jeremy3292]

Your local car wash is causing the swirls by using dirty rags. I hand wash my own M3 and haven't noticed any swirls. The swirls can be fixed by a paint correction at your local detailing shop. However, the only way to avoid the swirls in the future is to wash the car correctly or PPF the entire car. I don't think applying a ceramic coating will stop future paint swirls.

 

[OwnersprideBri]

Hey! Congrats on the new purchase.

Scratching happens, even with a strict washing procedures over time. The only real way to combat that is to PPF the whole vehicle and even the PPF can get scratched.

Getting a ceramic coating will help retain gloss and make the vehicle really easy to clean. You will still need to maintain the coating, hand wash it and top it every 6 months with a compatible sealant. This just helps keep the car looking excellent and hydrophobic.

Id check out Owners Pride coating, it comes with a 7 year industry leading warranty combating: Loss of gloss, bug stains, hard water and rail dust just to name a few.

Hope this helps. Reach out if you have any other detailing related questions.

 

[joebruin77]

You could take your Tesla to a touchless car wash. The problem with touchless car washes is that they don't clean as well and they often use soaps with high pH. The high pH soaps clean more effectively but they can also degrade waxes and sealants.

I would either hire a mobile detailer that you trust not to scratch your paint or wash the car yourself.

PPF will protect against scratches, due to its self-healing properties. But a whole car PPF can run $5-$6K.

 

[CbixlerM3]

Your local car wash is causing the swirls by using dirty rags. I hand wash my own M3 and haven't noticed any swirls. The swirls can be fixed by a paint correction at your local detailing shop. However, the only way to avoid the swirls in the future is to wash the car correctly or PPF the entire car. I don't think applying a ceramic coating will stop future paint swirls.

Figured. Thanks for the note. How do you “was the car correctly?” Any pointers? Specific soap, tools etc?

 

[joebruin77]

Figured. Thanks for the note. How do you “was the car correctly?” Any pointers? Specific soap, tools etc?

There are lots of helpful articles on how to wash your car without inducing scratches, such as:

https://www.cars.com/articles/how-to-prevent-scratches-swirls-on-a-black-car-1420681166234/

Best way to wash a car without scratching it - EDSC

Careless wash techniques are the reason why your car is covered in scratches and swirls. Learn the best way to wash your car without scratching it.

everydayshowcar.com

There are also helpful videos on youtube:

If your car is lightly to moderately dirty, you can safely do a rinseless car wash:

How To Use A Rinseless Wash, no rinse car wash, Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine, Detailer's Pro Series Rinseless Wash & Gloss, ONR

How To Use A Rinseless Wash - How To use a Rinseless Wash How dirty is too dirty to safely use a rinseless wash to wash my car? Great question and while every situation will be a little bit different you can safely wash cars, trucks and SUV's with ...

www.autogeek.net

Hope that helps,
Joe

 

[Jeremy3292]

Figured. Thanks for the note. How do you “was the car correctly?” Any pointers? Specific soap, tools etc?

There are many brands of products available, but I use Chemical Guys products. They have lots of pH neutral soaps and the appropriate microfiber towels and wash mitts, etc. They also have many YouTube videos available. Here is a good one below:

 

[CbixlerM3]

There are many brands of products available, but I use Chemical Guys products. They have lots of pH neutral soaps and the appropriate microfiber towels and wash mitts, etc. They also have many YouTube videos available. Here is a good one below:

Super helpful. Any idea how much it costs to fix the current scratches? Is it possible with a well done hand watch (correctly) that they come out on their own?

 

[CbixlerM3]

Super helpful. Any idea how much it costs to fix the current scratches? Is it possible with a well done hand wash (correctly done) that they come out on their own?

 

[Jeremy3292]

Super helpful. Any idea how much it costs to fix the current scratches? Is it possible with a well done hand watch (correctly) that they come out on their own?

Prices vary greatly by region and quality of detailer. Hand wash won't remove paint swirls. It needs to be buffed out and "corrected."

My local detailer charges $500 for the below for paint correction:

1. Professional Hand Wash
2. Decontamination Treatment
3. Clay Bar Treatment
4. Dual Action, High-Gloss Polish
5. Ceramic Pro “Sport” Protective Coating

 

[joebruin77]

As Jeremy3292, mentioned scratches and swirls need to be polished or corrected out of the clear coat with a machine polisher. Whenever this process is performed, it removes a very thin layer of the clear coat. I am guessing the Tesla clear coat is thin to begin with, so you can only correct the paint a limited number of times.

There is another option. Instead of using a compound to remove a tiny bit of the clear coat, you can use an acrylic glaze to fill in the scratches and swirls. For example, Xtreme Solutions makes a fantastic polishing acrylic glaze LVR 404:

LVR 404 HELIOS POLISHING GLAZE | Xtreme Solutions

Unlike a paint correction, using a glaze is only a temporary fix. But if you let the glaze cure and place a sealant on top of it, it will last for several months. And you won't remove any clear coat in the process.

 

[swills38]

Figured. Thanks for the note. How do you “was the car correctly?” Any pointers? Specific soap, tools etc?

Reddit/r/autodetailing

 

[ICE_Free]

As Jeremy3292, mentioned scratches and swirls need to be polished or corrected out of the clear coat with a machine polisher. Whenever this process is performed, it removes a very thin layer of the clear coat. I am guessing the Tesla clear coat is thin to begin with, so you can only correct the paint a limited number of times.

There is another option. Instead of using a compound to remove a tiny bit of the clear coat, you can use an acrylic glaze to fill in the scratches and swirls. For example, Xtreme Solutions makes a fantastic polishing acrylic glaze LVR 404:

LVR 404 HELIOS POLISHING GLAZE | Xtreme Solutions

Unlike a paint correction, using a glaze is only a temporary fix. But if you let the glaze cure and place a sealant on top of it, it will last for several months. And you won't remove any clear coat in the process.

I find this works really well and as said you can wax or sealant over it. Unlike regular glazes, this has some synthetics and carnauba, so on it's own it does have some beading and staying power. I've had good luck on darker cars with this by machine or by hand as needed. Street cars will always have these issues, but you can't always wear the clear down, so layering this is nice for fine marks.

https://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guys-Gap_618_16-Glossworkz-Glaze/dp/B00FK7AUYE/ref=asc_df_B00FK7AUYE/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198059306090&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6333900477761773605&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031317&hvtargid=pla-380382391810&psc=1