nuraman00

I noticed this last week:

https://i.imgur.com/u4jVMrx.jpg

Why is this happening to a car that was only 21 weeks old when I noticed it? How did this happen? I've never had this issue with previous cars.

And anytime I see bird poop or something, I spray it with water and wipe it with paper towels. I've been doing that for years.

I usually don't park near another car during most commute days. But I can't always guarantee that.

I used NuPolish for the first time a few days before that. If I didn't wipe all of it away properly, could that have done something?

Unlike the paint chip from last month (Did someone chip my rear driver side door?), where I felt bare metal then, this feels smooth.

So this should be able to be fixed with touch up paint.

If I get a fine art brush, how do I apply it so it looks natural, and not like I'm painting over something? How do I blend it in to the rest of the car so I won't be able to tell that something was there? I think a drop or two of paint is all I need for these.

lesz

It is impossible for me to tell for sure from the pictures what is going on, but there are several possibilities.

First, the paint could have a small nick in it that would likely have been caused by being impacted by something like a small piece of gravel that was thrown up against the car by the tires of another car. However, if it is a nick/chip in the paint, you should be able to feel it by running a finger nail over the surface of the paint in that area. If it is a chip in the paint, using touch-up paint would be appropriate, and, with your obsidian color, using touch-up paint with proper technique should result in a repair that could only be noticed if you were looking at it from a few inches away. On the other hand, if you can't feel a chip in the paint, you definitely don't want to use touch-up paint because that would only result in what would look like a squashed bug that was permanently affixed to the paint.

If you can't feel a chip in the paint, it is likely just a minor scratch/scuff in the clear coat, and you should be able to remove it by using an appropriate polish. My preferred polishes would be those made by 3M. They are used by many body shops and detailers. I would start with 3M Machine Glaze. You would put about a quarter-sized amount of it on a microfiber clothe and, then, gently rub the surface in the area where the scuff is. Then, use a clean spot on the microfiber cloth to remove any remaining polish from the surface. Then, I would follow the same procedure with 3M Hand Glaze, which is a less abrasive polish that will remove any minor polishing swirls that might have been caused by the slightly more abrasive Machine Glaze.

If you aren't sure about what you are seeing, I'd suggest taking the car to the shop that repainted your door recently. They should be able to look at your car and tell immediately whether you have a chip in the paint or whether it is a scuff or surface scratch in the clear coat.

Also, if you are removing bird droppings, tree sap, or other contaminants from the paint, spraying it with water is a good idea, but using a paper towel to dry it off is not a good idea. The paper towel can be somewhat abrasive. Wiping the surface of the car with a paper towel can cause surface scratches in the clear coat, and that could even have been the cause of what you are seeing and asking about. I would suggest never using anything but a microfiber cloth to wipe the painted surfaces on the car.

nuraman00

You can see the white part that I marked in red in the pictures, right? I just want to make sure that others can see what I'm seeing.

I am looking at your post from 4 years ago about the spray bottle and paper towels. Because I got the idea from you:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/es-...ml#post8703008

I now see you also say there to be careful with paper towels. The paper towels are soaked when I use them.

I recently got some microfiber towels, I'll keep one or two in my car and try to use that first, when cleaning bird droppings, in the future.

What's the difference between NuPolish and 3M Machine Glaze and Hand Glaze? Because I used NuPolish after a car wash a few weeks ago.

I see it would cost about $51 to get both 3M products.

No, I can't feel the chip.

How does the 3M polishes help remove the scuffs, that can't be done with water or something?

lesz

Yes, I can see what you have circled. I just can't tell from the pictures whether they are just surface scratches in the clear coat or whether they have penetrated through the clear coat.

In that post, I did say that I would only use a paper towel on the car if it was thoroughly soaked. I also said to be especially careful with dark colors. The nice thing about the obsidian is that, if you need to have paint repairs done, whether major or just touching up a small paint chip, it is the easiest color for which to match the paint. The bad thing about the obsidian is that it will show polishing swirls and surface scratches more readily than other colors, which is why I'm especially careful about what I wipe the finish with on my obsidian ES (or my black onyx GX).

I'm not familiar with NuPolish, but the 3M products are especially designed to remove surface scratches and polishing swirls. While they are expensive, a bottle of the Machine Glaze or Hand Glaze will last you for many years. I've had the bottle of Machine Glaze that I currently use for over 20 years, and the bottle of Hand Glaze that I currently have is almost as old. Both still have well over half of the bottle left.

The reason why the polishes work is that they have very mild abrasives in them. Those abrasives remove a very small amount of the clear coat and even out the paint, which is what removes the scratches or swirls. If you just use water, you can't "wash away" the scratch or polishing swirl. The only way to remove a scratch or swirl is to take down a bit of the clear coat, which is what the 3M polishes do.

As I also said in the post that you cited, if what you have is, in fact, a surface scratch, any body shop or detailer should be able to remove it, and it shouldn't take more that 5-10 minutes. If you are not confident in your ability to use the polishes, I'm sure that somebody at a shop would be happy to do it for you, and giving him/her a $20 bill would be sufficient.

nuraman00

Thanks. I'll have a body shop or detailer evaluate it. Depending on what they then say, I'll either have them remove it, or I'll buy those 3M polishes.

How often have you used those 3M products yourself? Or when was the last time you used them?

lesz

There may be a couple of times a year when I find a surface scratch on one of the two vehicles, and that is when I use the 3M products. That is why a bottle of each lasts for a long time. They also work quite well if you get some stubborn tree sap, bird droppings, etc., and they will remove them easily, which I why I keep a bottle of each in the trunk of the ES (along with a few microfiber clothes).

The Hand Glaze has very mild abrasive qualities, and it will often be enough to remove very minor surface scratches by itself. If the scratch is a bit deeper, I'll start with the Machine Glaze, which is a bit more abrasive (but still only mildly abrasive). Then, I'll finish with the Hand Glaze.

nuraman00

@lesz: Just to follow up, here's the Nu Finish I was talking about:


How do you think this compares to the 3M products?

nuraman00

Would using a polish ever cause such a scratch, like I pictured, by removing the clear coat?

I am wondering if using the Nu Finish could have done something like that.

lesz

I believe that the intended purpose of the NuFinish would primarily be to restore shine to the car's finish. The 3M products are better suited for removing surface scratches.



The only way that polishing the car would be likely to cause surface scratches would be if the cloth that you are using to polish has dirt/grit on it, and the scratches would be caused by rubbing the grit into the surface of the paint. Other things that can cause surface scratches include trying to remove dust from the car with a dry cloth/rag or even rubbing up against or leaning against a dusty car. In that case, your clothing can rub the dust into the finish and can cause scratches.

nuraman00

Thanks. That was a helpful post in understanding different uses of polishes, and what could cause scratches.

Mike728

That looks like normal wear and tear to me. After awhile, you stop looking for them.

nuraman00

Normal, after 21 weeks? (Now 22 weeks.)

Mike728

Yes, it could happen anytime you drive it.

nuraman00

I texted a detailer I used in 2014. He had my run my fingernail over the area in the first picture. Since my fingernail stopped and went into that area, he said I needed touch up paint.

If I bought the touch up paint kit from the dealer, he estimated ~ $70 for him to fix it.

Does anyone think a polish would still work?

I'll probably go to a dealer in October and have them look at it. Then again, since their body shop person is only available on weekdays, and I really don't want to go there on a weekday and create a hassle in my weekday schedule if I don't have to, they probably won't be able to tell me anything since I'll probably be going on a weekend.

lesz

Like I said much earlier in the thread, if you can feel it with your fingernail, that means that the the scratch/chip has penetrated through the clear coat, and that means that it will not be able to be polished out.