sigh...i bought this Cotton cloth and its label specified that it's for washing cars..so i went home and washed my beautiful berlina black s2k...after i dried it ..i noticed the car has sooo many thin scratches!!!!

man...what's going on...can anyone give me some tips on how to wash the car without scratching it?!?

 

yup, we sure can!!
sounds like swirls to me... maybe from the rag you used.
imo, dont cheap out on detail products-
you need a good quality wash mitt with good cleaning products.
good stuff here:
http://www.bettercarcare.com/articles.php?articleId=9

you also need some swirl removal tips to get rid of the problems on the car:
http://www.bettercarcare.com/articles.php?articleId=15

 

And the two-bucket wash program! Black is a beast.

Basically, two real lambskin wash mitts, two buckets, a mild car soap...
One bucket with the soapy water, one bucket with clean water. Don't press hard. Glide lightly!

Do 1/4 - 1/2 panel with a soapy mitt (use both sides, so 1/8-1/4 panel/side) starting on the top surfaces (hood, trunklid, above the trim line where a pinstripe would be). After each portion of the panel, rinse the mitt really well in the clean water and repeat for the next panel.

When you're done with top surfaces, move on to the bottoms with fresh rinse water (definitely) and fresh soapy water (if needed). Use a lot of soapy water - it's the lubrication to get the grime off the paint and not scratch the clearcoat.

Use a fresh mitt (that 2nd one I mentioned) if the other seems the slightest contaminated -- look very closely! the same fibers that help to pull the grime away from the surface can hold on to it too. Go around the car, working your way down. For the bottom edges/rocker panels, you may want to use an older mitt, as it WILL get extra grimey.

Rinse regularly, keep the clean areas of the car wet/rinsed if the water looks like it might start to dry - water spots are bad... Move on to drying with a large, high-quality waffle-weave microfiber towel, basically laying it over the surface and gently pulling it towards you to soak up the water without adding pressure... Very lightly go around the car and dry it up. Follow up in the door jambs, trunk and hood seals with a cheaper MF towel (it'll get grimey).

Black is hard to maintain and requires extra effort (some folks get extreme, with 8 buckets, chenille mitts with foam guns inserted into them and the lightest of pressure to prevent swirls), but reasonable measures like these I've listed here will help to keep it looking good with out too much extra effort or time.

A good polish once a year is all it might need if you keep up with proper washing. Also helps to have a good, long-lasting synthetic sealant (for protection and shine) with a carnauba topcoat (for depth), especially on black.

Good luck with it!

 

woo nice write-up !! thanks guys

sigh..i realized i made 1 BIG mistake..i didn't use soap or any form of shampoo!!!! ACKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK damn man..i feel so bad i want to kill myself..it's horrible when i see the swirls on the car under the lgiht ..dang

 

Awww... don't feel bad, man.. We all make mistakes.

Where are you located? You might look for a good local detailer to prep your paint and get you started on a good wash/wax regimen. You'll probably not take the swirls out by hand very easily, so a pro with a machine polisher is likely needed, followed by a good protection layer.

 

i always spot wash and then try to dry immediately.. depending on what previous product is on, depends on how bad the water markings will be..

i apply all product either by hand or by porter cable in a cool environment

 

I seriously doubt the swirls were caused by a cotton cloth and the fact that you didnt use soap. How could a wet cotton cloth possibly scratch your wet car! It doesnt make sense to me. What are you supposed to wash it with tissues or something?

 

Phantasea,
It most certainly can (and likely did) cause the swirls. If the cloth wasn't 100% cotton, if the nap on the cloth wasn't deep enough, and especially without soap (a lubricant and surfactant), essentially all it would have done is loosened and pushed the dirt around.

As it is, I don't use 100% cotton towels anymore - definitely the 2-bucket 2-mitt (real sheepskin) method for me and anyone else's car I wash.

 

NO WAY! Im not believeing that for a second. Ill agree that sheepskin is better, but there is no freakin way that the cotton cloth (100% or not) caused the scratches especially if they're near perfect swirl scratch marks. If it was caused by the cloth, the swirl marks would be uneven and there would be uneven straight line scrathes as well. Your over-reacting waaaaaaaaaaaay to much, unless you used a brillo pad of course.

 

Well, he didn't specifically describe the swirls/scratches, nor did he indicate if it was a brand new car, nor how much pressure he applies to wash it. Regardless, you take a clean, un-swirled but dirty black finish and use a cotton rag and water and let me know how your car looks afterwards. Even better, use a 50/50 cotton/polyester rag and do it.

I know from experience (unfortunately) that the rag does make a huge difference, as does the technique. Heck, even using a *relatively* but not totally clean sheepskin mitt will leave swirls and sweeps in black. Ask me how I know.

FWIW, I think it's less the composition of the rag and more the lack of soap/dirt in the rag that caused the problem in this situation.