[AddictedToBavarian]

Sometimes I feel like because my neighbors know I'm anal about my car, they go into my backyard and put fine hairline scratches on my car. I just don't get it. It's like every single time I take a very close look at my cars paint I see scratches. Being alpine white also makes everything pop out at you if you're looking. I've been told that BMWs clear coats are very sensitive too.

Sometimes I can get them out with rubbing compound, one I had wet sanded and polished and came 70% out, and so on...

I mean don't get me wrong you have to be looking very very close to find these things, but am I the only person that notices this stuff?!?!

[Sara504]

Is your car outside? A bird resting on it can scratch it. Scratches are going to happen, we just have to learn to live with them and minimize them best we can.

[krazyking]

Sadly, no. I get VERY upset when I see that someone has dinged my car in some spot. And get upset when I see scratches or chips on the paint of my car when I'm playing Sherlock and inspecting from top to bottom. I wish it didn't bother me as much, but because I love her so much it does..

[AddictedToBavarian]

Originally Posted by Sara504

Is your car outside? A bird resting on it can scratch it. Scratches are going to happen, we just have to learn to live with them and minimize them best we can.

It is outside, but the areas where I see the scratches wouldn't make me think it can be from a bird or something. I even have a car cover on when I'm not lazy. I drive it only Thur-Sat. Wtf are the chances.

[Dark_Knight_335]

Get yourself a bottle of Meguire's Scratch X 2.0. You'll thank me for it! Stuff is a freakin miracle in a bottle for fine scratches!

Alpine White?? Try having a Black Sapphire car bro

[SWFan]

Just putting the car cover on and taking it off could easily cause hairline scratches in your clearcoat. Even washing your car, even being very careful, usually causes hairline scratches in clearcoat.

To start, stop parking your car outside. Second, there is no way not to get hairline clearcoat scratches. You live with them and once a year do a complete polish on your car to buff them out.

If you look closely, most brand new cars will have hairline scratches and swirls on them, simply from improper cleaning by dealer personnel.

[AddictedToBavarian]

Originally Posted by Dark_Knight_335

Get yourself a bottle of Meguire's Scratch X 2.0. You'll thank me for it! Stuff is a freakin miracle in a bottle for fine scratches!

Alpine White?? Try having a Black Sapphire car bro

Never gave that a try.

[VNeBLOB42]

Originally Posted by SWFan

Just putting the car cover on and taking it off could easily cause hairline scratches in your clearcoat. Even washing your car, even being very careful, usually causes hairline scratches in clearcoat.

To start, stop parking your car outside. Second, there is no way not to get hairline clearcoat scratches. You live with them and once a year do a complete polish on your car to buff them out.

If you look closely, most brand new cars will have hairline scratches and swirls on them, simply from improper cleaning by dealer personnel.

I got em, and I hate em, I use MicoFiber cloths, not sure if that's bad. But MicroFibers towels/cloths are notorious to attract lint and debris, so be sure to look them over before washing/drying your car.

[spanner1751]

Originally Posted by SWFan

Just putting the car cover on and taking it off could easily cause hairline scratches in your clearcoat. Even washing your car, even being very careful, usually causes hairline scratches in clear coat.

+1 You have to decide if the hairline scratches are worse than damage from bird droppings, atmospheric pollutants, or damage to your interior from the sun. Personally, I use a cover when parked outside at work (no covered parking is available). I have hairline scratches in my paint, but consider it a fair tradeoff.

[Dark_Knight_335]

Originally Posted by AddictedToBavarian

Never gave that a try.

It's amazing stuff. Give it a try!

[003]

Originally Posted by Dark_Knight_335

Get yourself a bottle of Meguire's Scratch X 2.0. You'll thank me for it! Stuff is a freakin miracle in a bottle for fine scratches!

Alpine White?? Try having a Black Sapphire car bro

+1. or 3.

It's just a cleaner wax but is pretty good for what it is. Venture over to the "Wash, Wax, and Detailing" section of the forum if you wanna find out how bad your car really is...

And how good it can really look!!


And yeah, my next bmw will be white. I can't keep my black clean long enough. Within 12-24 hours of washing it it looks dirty again, even if it's just parked outside overnight. And the cleaner it is, the more dirt and dust and stuff stands out. Viscious cycle.

[DASHOCKER]

i dislike my neighbors. they are too damn nosey and peep out the window like norman bates when i start my car in the morning.

[gatoman39]

You can't polish out swirls and micromarring on modern BMW clearcoats by hand. The long term solution is to have the car completely corrected then have a permanent coating like Optimum Opticoat 2.0 applied on the car. Since you are in northern Jersey have you seen these guys who post on the other site all the time?

Detailer's Domain: Busy BMW Day - M5 Paint Correction / M3 Detail

[AddictedToBavarian]

Originally Posted by gatoman39

You can't polish out swirls and micromarring on modern BMW clearcoats by hand. The long term solution is to have the car completely corrected then have a permanent coating like Optimum Opticoat 2.0 applied on the car. Since you are in northern Jersey have you seen these guys who post on the other site all the time?

Detailer's Domain: Busy BMW Day - M5 Paint Correction / M3 Detail

Yea, I've been to them. They do a great job. However, don't be fooled by pictures. They are very expensive and the pictures make the car look perfect (so did mine) but it definitely isn't perfect. Unfortunetly not everything can come off.

[Sara504]

Originally Posted by Dark_Knight_335

Get yourself a bottle of Meguire's Scratch X 2.0. You'll thank me for it! Stuff is a freakin miracle in a bottle for fine scratches!

Alpine White?? Try having a Black Sapphire car bro

Try Jet Black!

[003]

Originally Posted by Sara504

Try Jet Black!

Once you go jet black,....




Oh, yes I did.

[cmyk]

Yeah, Jet Black is definitely the worst. I had a full corrective detail done in March and the car was absolutely flawless, save a few rock chips on the hood that will have to be painted. Since then, I have been hand-washing with Optimum No Rinse and generally being super anal about my paint. Took the car in to the dealership last month for a Vanos issue and specified NO WASH with the SA....watched them pulling the car out of the crappy drive through brush wash anyway. Now I'm right back where I started.
Jet Black is a full time job.

[Dark_Knight_335]

I miss my space grey
Only when it's dirty

[Wires]

You'll get those scratches just from dust blowing in the wind. There really is no way to avoid it....

[CJ421]

No way to avoid those tiny scratches and I'm more than careful (see my full detail thread here: http://e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=667117).

Some glaze will fill them in and make it mostly unnoticeable (see my thread above).

[JR_1979]

The majority of fine scratches in the clear coat are caused by washing/drying with cotton. If you're prepared to spend some bucks and time, you can correct and avoid it. Invest in some real microfiber towels, like Cobra. They have assortment packs that will give you everything you need. Also pick up a couple good microfiber mitts for washing. Always wash microfiber with microfiber, no fabric softener - as another member stated, they're notorious for attracting lint.

There's a few good enhancers and protectants out there but to be honest you won't find any of them at Pepboys. Check out Autogeek or even Amazon. Wolfgang is a top notch brand. Swirl remover - Polish Enhancer - Sealant. Stay on it every 3-4 months and you should be in good shape.

I should note that paint that has been seriously neglected may need to be machine polished to properly restore. You would want to find a reputable paint or detail shop to do this though, it's not something that should be performed by an amateur. It's a big job that you'll pay for, but sometimes it's necessary. Simple fine scratches in the clear coat can be corrected by hand.

[Philz BMW]

I take my car through an auto carwash 90% of the time. Sometimes I spray wax it, sometimes I don't.

I'm too busy with more important things to worry about that sh*t