Hondas are known to have soft paint compared to other cars. They swirl/scratch very easily.

 

While I agree that swirl marks and fine scratches in the clear coat are hard to avoid over time, I find it inexcusable for any car to have them upon delivery. All it takes is one dirty sponge to wreak havoc on the clear coat. I agree with the previous input that darker colors show more scratches in direct sunlight, which is why lighter colors, especially white, do a good job of hiding blemishes, even after many years of wear and tear. That said, superficial marks in the clear coat can often be eliminated or reduced significantly by someone who knows their way around an obital buffer. Case in point: I have an Acura TSX (graphite) that was ravaged at the Acura dealer -- it looked as if someone had waxed the car with a Brillo pad. I nearly had a stroke, but did allow the dealer's paint manager to go over the car with an orbital polisher. I was shocked that the car looked as good as new. So I've learned my lesson the hard way -- never let anyone you don't have complete confidence in to wash/detail your car.

 

That's a good instructional video about how to properly wash your car. That is how I am doing it. I have a Blue Sensation Fit and I was surprised at the LACK of swirl marks. I also bought a lot of supplies to wash with. I may also get an orbital polisher at some time.

 

I fully respect your posts and realize by the depth of your posts you ponder things intensely (and of course that scary avatar). You know that your clear coat has a finite thickness and every time a polisher is used some of that thickness is depleted. I pondered the use and purchase of a DA or a rotary polisher. I've decided to do it all by hand. After some study and research I'm going for a "kinder gentler approach". I polish, by hand, with the finest polishes Menzerna offers (nanopolish). I'm not hoping to totally remove the scratches. Much like diamonds scratches have "facets" or sharp edges. I just try when claybarring and then gently polishing to "round" these facets so they don't reflect light as clearly. My theory and technique I'm sure is far from perfect. In my defense my BBP paint SHOWS EVERYTHING!!! It looks pretty damn nice. Do I have scratches? Yes! very few however!

 

Well, no paint is impervious to scratches, but the newer Hondas (all price points, including Acuras) now use water -based paint which is more susceptible to chipping.

 

First, thank you for your kind words. I, too, respect your posts, as they are always thoughtful, insightful and informative. You bring up a good point, which I overlooked, in that clear coat depth is finite. As such, orbital polishing shouldn't be a frequent event, rather it should be considered for large problem areas or for deep abrassions to the clear coat. However, I wouldn't imagine that orbital application of wax at a lower rpm would be problematic (that said, I'm the first to admit that I'm no expert here). I, like you, am somewhat of a traditionalist in that I prefer to apply wax by hand. Maybe it's the satisfaction derived from applying a little elbow grease -- or, simply, I'm too cheap to buy a quality orbital polisher. By the way, BBP is extremely rare here in Michigan, which makes it all the more desirable and attention grabbing.

P.S. Apologies for the scary avatar -- he, like me, is relatively harmless.

 

Yup! The fun of owning a Fit - the paint is crap. Make sure you never drive it through the local hand wash - they will make it look worse. Make sure to purchase quality microfibers even Auto Zones will scratch. Use two bucket method for washing and grit guard. Become familiar with Scratch X -

Cat :x

 

I've detailed professionally. I had to detail our BBP as soon as we got it home. However, using the PC7424 and a light polish/pad combo took care of all the spider webs/swirl marks. There were plenty but they weren't deep (thankfully).

I've done everything from wetsanding entire sides of cars to full rotary polishing restorations. Honda paint is soft, but there are ways to avoid inflicting more swirls once you get them out. A professional detailer or a PC7424 kit with pads and polishes will do the trick. Washing with two (or more) buckets, using a foam gun, being religious about your wash technique, using the proper towels and mitts and generally avoiding touching the paint as much as possible will help to keep these swirls away.

If you keep getting swirls and scratches, you're doing something wrong. Autopia.org is the source online for detailing information. Tons of great info there. A great place to start.

If you want a PC-based kit, check out autopia-carcare or autogeek. Use good towels, a good sealant/wax and keep your Fit looking new.

I sold my S2000 after nearly 9 years and people thought it was new. Remember that good exterior maintenance pays for itself. 1/3 of the value of a used car is in exterior condition.

 

My wife worked at a dealership where the "prep guys" set their buffers face down in the gravel when taking a lunch break. Same for the wash sponges and towels.

Can you see where the swirls come from? I never let the dealer wash or polish my cars!!!!

 

not true. porter swirled it during the delivery swirl enducing
'detail' process.

 

I know a guy who used to do prep detailing for a Honda dealer and he said that sometimes they DID come pre-swirled. :shrug:

 

That's hilarious!!!!! I was an UPS man for 13 years and I don't want to tell the stuff I saw! Chinese restaurants (award winning 5 star) where the employees had been peeling shrimp and then went on break to play frisbee in the parking lot. The FLIES were inches deep on the shrimp as I walked through the back! I think a general concept is in play here. If you want car done right DO IT YOUR SELF. If you want YOUR FOOD DONE RIGHT do it your self. There ARE good people in care care and food preparation! Maybe I'm too skeptical.

 

I guess one thing I didn't see when I was watching the video or even mentioned in the above posts was how do you guys take care of the bugs road crap and other foreign objects on your paint? I usually seem to have a big problem with that where I have to scrub forever and still cannot ever get it all off.

 

don't scrub!!!

use clay.

 

I have a clay bar that I used but was not sure if I was using it correctly. I guess I could always try again.

 

Sometimes a paint cleanser will work as well or better than clay. Something like Klasse AIO or Werkstat Prime.

 

cheaper car = cheaper paint. if you ever get the opportunity to really examine a bentley or rolls royce you can see the opposite end of the spectrum.

 

This is true - even the S2000 and ESPECIALLY Berlina Black was some crappy soft easily-scratched paint.

 

Although I've seen them I've never closely examined the paint on a Rolls or a Bentley. I read that they actually kept some of the hardwood used to build the cars interiors in case it was needed later. The batches of wood, usually walnut, were matched numerically to the car produced. That's care!! I know Honda paint is cheesy! I paid 16K and am thrilled by the results. Will all the details be "Bentley worthy"? Hell NO! Not even close!!! Was I clear enough on that? Hell no! It's not a Bentley! NOT EVEN CLOSE! by the way Bentleys get like 8 MPG!

 

haha! well I guess if you have a $300,000 car you can afford the gas right?!