Paint Question

This has been an issue for some. From my understanding the Prius has "an eviromentally friendly paint" which seems to be softer and more prone to scratches. A lot of us notice more scratches and chips then other cars. My 05 had alot of stone chips on the hood from little rocks but once I got it painted at my local body shop (after a big piece of ice landed on the hood) there were noticably less chip marks on the hood afterward. You can try to complain to the dealer but don't be surprised if they tell you it's normal wear and tear. But if you really make a stink and bring in evidence (like all the complaints and postings here about the "soft paint" and say it's a known problem and Toyota should have fixed it by now maybe you'll have some luck.

Keep us posted how you make out.

 

Swirls can indicate a bad car wash. IE sand stuck on the spinning brushes or on towels used to dry it. A good hand wax and buff should get most of it out.

 

I think car paint (not just Toyota's) is a lot softer and more scratch prone than in the past. The last three cars I have had scratch easily in car washes, for comparison I have an old Chevy pickup that has been through hundreds of car washes and doesn't seem to scratch at all.

I wash my own cars now and if I use a car wash it is one of the touchless quarter snatcher kind.

There are some products that seem to work for getting the scratches out if they are not to deep, Meguiar's ScratchX for example.

 

You'd be surprised at the amount of swirls on several brand new black Lexus sitting at my dealer's lot, and they have close to 0 miles.

 

Never let the dealer wash your car--you're just asking for trouble. No manufacturer warranty covers scratches/swirls, but you may be able to convince the dealer to pay for a professional detailing.

 

I suggest that you Clay the car. Go to your local auto store and get any of the Clay kits which have a piece of clay and some kind of spray on detail. You just spray the car with the detail spray and rub the clay over the small area you have sprayed. Doesn't take long and gets rid of scratches, water stains and any pollutants on your paint. I do this on both cars once a year and use a buffer once a year. I do a two bucket hand wash first, using one with soap the other to rinse out my washing mop so I get no grit on it to scratch the paint.

 

You can't be serious. They'll never admit it, especially on a black car. They'd just point to the white or silver car on their lot and say "See, this went through our automated wash and look, no scratches."

 

Clay does not remove scratches/swirls. It removes surface contaminants, such as tree sap, rail dust, over spray, etc.

 

Actually, I am serious. Years ago I had a dark blue car (never again...), and the dealer washed it after a servicing, even though I told them no to--and guess what, swirl city. I pointed it out to them, and they paid for a professional detailing. Can't hurt to ask.

 

From what I understand, clay will remove impurities and overspray but it will not remove even small scratches. It works by attaching itself to minute particles and taking them along into the surface of the clay. That is why you have to keep the surface lubricated and keep turning the clay onto itself to bury the impurities that have been removed.

It is not abrasive and should not be expected to remove scratches, swirls or things like that. Don't misunderstand me, clay is wonderful and very useful once a year or so to remove impurities you don't even know you have, but it is not suited for that. If you think you removed a scratch, you probably didn't have a scratch, you had something on the surface of the paint.

You will have to actually use an abrasive. The weakest one which will get the job done. Start with a mild scratch removing polish, escalate to a liquid polishing compound, then a polishing compound, then to a rubbing compound. Stop when the scratches are gone and then go back down the ladder, ending with a totally clean and polished finish. After the scratches are gone, then make sure you protect the finish with a polish or wax (or polymer).

OR you might be a lot better off having a professional detailler do it. I would.

 

No exactly--a professional (or very experienced DIYer) detailer, with a buffer and the appropriate products, can remove swirls and scratches, provided they aren't too deep. The dark blue car I mentioned above was perfect after the professional detailing--and it wasn't just a matter of the swirls being filled in with wax, because they didn't reappear later.

 

Yeah, I'm keeping up with the swirl marks with Z5 and not worry about taking it to a pro for this reason. I've seen some pretty horrid orbital buffer marks on a number of Mercedes and BMWs as a result of their owners taking them to a "professional."

 

This is why I recommend that the car's 1st trip is to get VentureShield film applied. If you are in the "area" go to Armortec as Reno does an excellent job. I've found ScratchX helps.

 

It is the wash mitts or towels that are used. Do not use anything but 100% cotton. Some of the new polyeser towels are killers. When you wash, Rinses off the car with pressure to knock of any sand or mud. Use plenty of soapy warm water and a cotton mit with very gentle pressure. Just let the mit or towel glide across the surface. If you press too hard, there is abrasives on the surface and you come out with scratches.
There are several products that will remove swirls and light scratches.
good luck

 

You are correct, I never used clay to get rid of swirl marks. Twelve years ago when I too delivery my car had a lot of swirl marks on the hood, I phoned Mcquires and told them I had a new black car with swirl marks on the hood, the sold me a product to remove them, don't remember the name, it was twelve years ago, it was a cream color and came in a 16 oz bottle which I have thrown out by now.
I used this product with my buffer and it took out the swirls, then I polished and waxed it with the buffer and to this day I have had not had any more swirls.
Sorry if I have miss led anyone to thinking that clay would remove swirls or scratches.

 

You need to understand what scratches and swirls and treatments for them actually do. Most detailers "eliminate" swirls and small scratches by using polish to smooth the edges down. This eliminates the visual effect that you see as swirls. They then continue this with wax or sealant which again smooths the edges. Bad washing with harsh chemical (like some carwashes) removes part of this layer and you see swirls again. Obviously darker paints show the effect more than lighter. Plus a lot of the delar car wahses use a common bucket for multiple cars including the wheels (brake dust). techniques like this cause more scratches and swirls.

 

I am constantly amazed by the number of people who take their cars to the dealership and have them washed and are then shocked when they do not look like new. Have they ever watched the minimum wage washers the dealerships employ do their job?

No offense to the employees, they are paid next to nothing and asked to wash cars all day long. You get what you pay for. Never ever let them touch your car.