Where automotive paint surface damage comes from.

When it comes to your paint and exterior surfaces of your vehicle, it can get abused if not properly cared for. A well maintained vehicle will always look better and the paint will last longer. The scratches and damage that happen to your paint come from many different sources, even the careless people that brush up against your car in the parking lots. I hate those people.

There are some common things that you should watch for when washing and detailing your own vehicle, unfortunately, many of the scratches you see on your car may have come from you. Here is a list of common causes of scratches to your paint surface.
• Dusting your car off with a car duster and using too much pressure will cause damage to your paint if there is too much dust and dirt. Use very light brushing, or don’t use a duster at all. I personally don’t because if it catches a single grain of sand, it will scratch the paint.
• Wiping a spot of dirt / dust with your hands or finger when you are inspecting the surface. What you are doing is pushing the dirt into the surface with your hand. If you do need to clean a small spot, keep a small micro fiber cloth handy, use a bit of water and wipe it off. Never use your finger, hand or shirt.
• Car-covers. If you put a car-cover over a very dusty / dirty vehicle or the inside of the cover is dirty, you are essentially rubbing the surface with a dirty towel. This is almost like a sandpaper effect over the whole car and you may not notice it right away, but you are putting lots of fine little scratches into the paint surface.
• Wiping the surface with a dry cloth. Again, same problem with the car cover, dry on dry surface does not agree with each other.
• While washing your vehicle and you do not rinse the brush or wash mitt when washing vehicle enough. By rinsing the wash mitt often, it loosens and removes the dirt particles that are caught in it. By removing those particles you prevent the scratches you get from them
• Almost all automated car washes with brushes or using an unsuitable brush to clean the vehicle, remove snow, etc, will all put scratches into the paint surface.
• Using towels or cloths that are in-appropriate for painted surfaces, such as a bath towel, etc. Micro fiber cloths should be the only cloth you use.
• Placing or dragging any object across the surface. Placing your purse on the roof to open the door, trunk, etc. Although you do not intend to drag it, you inadvertently put scratches into the paint. My sister does that all the time, places her purse on the trunk lid, then wonders why her trunk is all scratched up.
• Rinsing your car thoroughly of road grime before drying will prevent scratching when you dry it. If you don’t rinse properly, you leave the contamination behind and rub it into the paint when you dry it off.
• Washing your car with soap that is not real car wash soap, such as dish soap, hair shampoo, etc. those don’t suspend grit / dirt. A proper car wash soap will suspend the dirt particles as you wash it to prevent scratching the surface.
• Mis-use of a water-blade. A Water-blade is like a small squeegee used to dry the surface. You must rinse and wipe off the blade after each pass. I personally don’t trust water-blades and prefer to use a proper drying towel.
• Using insufficient lubrication when using automotive detailer’s clay
• Using a dirty towel (dirt / grit trapped in fibers) or towels and / or applicators that contain polyester (plastic) threads
• Improper tools used when washing paint surface. This is the most common cause of surface scratching.

Most Auto Detailers tend to categorize scratches as "swirls" or “Marring”. Technically, a scratch is a scratch, regardless how they got there, the removal of scratches usually involves a lot of work and some skill.

Later, I will be posting some information on how to properly polish and wax the paint on your vehicle. Detailing the paint is not a one step process, although you might see commercials on TV that tell you it is possible. I am telling you that it is not. Proper paint correction starts with proper tools and techniques and paint correction is usually a multi-step process.