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| I have a black MDX (tan interior). This past winter, I used a plastic ice scraper to remove ice and snow from the hood of my MDX, much as I have used it to remove the same from my Odyssey. I have now noticed several deep scratches on the hood which are quite visible. BE WARNED!!! Could this be the result of a poor or hasty paint job? It has never happened to any of my other cars. Also, even though I can't prove this, I went to a carwash the other day and could almost swear another scratch appeared on the door. I would appreciate any feedback. Is there any way these scratches will "buff out"? Any other help? |
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Black cars show all defects.
Black cars show all scratches.
Plastic on a paint job, esp clearcoat, is a no no.
An automatic car wash, on any paintjob, is a no no.
See points 1 and 2 for the potential impact of 3 and 4.
How deep are the scratches? Can you feel them w/your fingernail? Are they down to the metal/primer. If not, then there is hope. You might be able to fill them with a nonabrasive scratch/swirl application, or polish or glaze. You might have to get it buffed out by a detailer.
I'd head straight to a detailer and get an opinion.
Or pose your question here:
http://townhall-talk2.edmunds.com/W...^2@.ee99476/995
if that link doesn't work for you, go here and then select "paint and body care":
http://townhall-talk2.edmunds.com/W...gmVW^2@.ee9203e
and here's one more (click the link, then select the Showcar and Detailing forum):
http://www.ls1.com/ls1forum/ls1_forum_main.htm
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quote:
Originally posted by TheWorm
Black cars show all defects.
Black cars show all scratches.
Plastic on a paint job, esp clearcoat, is a no no.
An automatic car wash, on any paintjob, is a no no.
See points 1 and 2 for the potential impact of 3 and 4.
Worm, what's your opinion on touchless car washes? I was using them back when it was too cold to wash by hand (24 F is my cutoff), and don't have any problems, but I do wonder about the 'protective' stuff they spray on with the deluxe washes. |
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Ghost,
I'm by no means a pro @ washing these things -- remember, I had a Heep GC for 3.5 years and neglected it so much that my neighbor was always amazed when he saw me wash it every 6 months or so (it was gray and didn't show dirt). I'd drive it through the miniwash @ Shell (free with fillup) on occassion, and never waxed it (it was a lease, of course).
Now that we've got a nice, car/truck (:)) I've been reading a ton over in the Zaino and Car Care forums on Edmunds since our black mdx has wicked swirlmarks from the dealer (dirty rag, probably) so I'm just regurgitating what I'm gleaning from over there.
My impression is that, obviously, touchless is better than the kinds with the brushes (dirty and abrasive). One concern the car care folks in the other forums have is whether the car wash recycles water -- in which case the water cleaning the car isn't really clean. The primary concern that comes up again and again is using clean, 100% cotton, make in USA towels (I've seen that so many times it hurts my eyes!) Obviously they're not using totally clean towels @ the washes.
Dunno about the protectant they spray on (like the "hot wax protector" special). It probably depends on what type of work you want to do yourself. The Zaino users hate anything but Zaino on the car -- including the car wash protection. The wax people seem not to mind as much. Most of them seem to agree that the level of protection is minimal, and no one claims any damaging effect -- pretty much everyone points to damage from abrasives/dirt or non-100% made in USA towels.
Since your MDX is silver you'll have a heck of a lot less trouble with scratches and swirls than those of us w/black and emerald. |
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