Congratulations!! I'm glad that this solved your problem.

 

Not sure if people still check this but its worth giving my opinion in this topic since ive been doing this quite a while. A car wash will not remove swirls, neither will waxing. The mr clean auto dry kit will not remove swirls either. It might leave behind a layer of gloss that will hide the swirls. You will need halogen lights or the sun after youve stripped the previous protection of the car to see the imperfections.

On to the absorber. I used it for a while until I saw the damage I was doing in the halogens. The absorber will work great if you just blot the paint, but dragging it across the paint will scratch and swirl the paint. I saw the process first person. The best drying method would be using a waffle weave microfiber towel following a leaf blower. I use my craftsmen 265mph blower first to blow the water out of the nooks and crannies. Then I open every door and the hatch to dry the water there so it doesnt creep up when you think your done drying. After that gently go over with a waffle weave towel. I often find that when your almost done drying I always mist the surface with a quick detailer and dry again with a microfiber towel. This way I remove any moisture that mightve been left behind and also gives the paint extra gloss.

As for washing and upkeep just make sure you use 2 buckets with a grit guard. After each panel dip the microfiber mitt or sheepskin mitt in the bucket full of clean water to get rid of all the dirt particles that were caught in the mitt. If your only using 1 bucket then all of the dirt you picked up by the mitt you are rubbing back into the paint causing swirls/scratches.

 

I tried using a blower but mine was too weak. How much was the Craftsmen 265 MPH and what's the model # ? My BBP paint shows everything so scratch reduction is of the utmost importance! I already use most of the other techniques you suggested.

 

I have this. Craftsman 16-gal 6.5-peak hp Wet/Dry Vac with Detachable 265 mph Blower - Model 17066 at Sears.com Its a shop vac that has a detachable 265mph blower. Best 120 dollars I ever spent. Also can be used to vacuum the interior obviously and for work around the house.

Now be aware that leaf blowers will work best when they have a nice coat of wax so the water will just fly off. After you get most of the water off, mist with a quick detailer and wipe off the water/quick detailer with a microfiber towel. This will dry the car and also remove any waterspots you mightve gotten in the process.

 

Don't you just throw more dirt back onto the car from the ground? I would think a leaf blower would work in theory, less dependable in practice due to user error. At least the lower panels, you'd have to dry by hand.

I try very hard not to rub with my absorber, but use it like a big sponge, just blotting the water up. I do dry with the MF towels.

I'd love to keep my BBP paint pristine but I know that's just not going to happen.

 

juliane- i use a leaf blower to get water out of the nooks and crannies and
have never had a problem. most of the water sheets off during the final rinse
using contant rinse water (no spray). then blow the water off, finish off with
blot drying like you. this is the best approach from my experience.

now if you want to wipe dry the car (i do this on my FitS since it's a dd),
i use PrimaHydro (spray type wax) to give it lubricity while the car is still
damp right after the rinse. very minimal swirls even on my black legacy
which is also a dd for the wife. it's just faster.

this only works if the car is well cared for with minimal contaminants
and well waxed.

 

Supposedly you have do be pretty disciplined when using the leaf blower especially about pointing it at the ground (definite no no).

The BBP paint is beautiful but also a car care pain in the ass. It scratches no easier than the other colors but just shows defects SO spectacularly! I too thought I would maintain the BBP paint in perfect condition. Crapola!!!
I'm presently in the process of using touch up paint and a product called Langka's Blob Remover to attempt to fix all the chips in the front end. I've got 9300 miles on the Fit and there are at least one hundred chips in the front air dam and I don't tailgate. Anyway I'm trying work toward perfection but know it'll never happen! Good luck with your BBP. I consider paint care to be my new hobby and yeah sometimes I wish I'd bought SSM instead.

 

Its very hard to keep a dark colored car clean. But once you polish out the imperfections and give nice protection with sealant and wax it it'll be much easier to keep clean.

 

Feddup
where are you getting your touch up paint for the BBP??? My dealership never did call me back with a price...guess they can't find it =0/

 

I've gotten all my accessories from either College Hills or Bernardi Honda. Shipping may screw you if you order only the touch up paint. EVERY dealer should be able to get that! I'd bitch to the parts guy where you got the fit as they are usually fairly cool.

 

Call another dealer - I realize you are probably not close to a whole bunch of Honda dealers...but try another one if you can. I had no problem getting BBP touch up paint (go by the paint code because they call it Dark Violet or something like that). It cost about $10 a smallish tube but that will last me the life of the car. As with any other touch-up paint, the applicator brush SUCKS and the pen is useless. Get a very small paint brush and use it instead.

 

gunna do a quikie here, at my nieghbors computer, dont wanna be a burden lol long story about mines :P thats for next time anyways, i see scratch/swirls on the headlights, and thats plastic. i've been thinking about clay baring it, but im hesitant since im a noob to that, always depended on mechanical car washes lol and even that makes scratches ive bought a "de-yellow-er" which basicly removes the yellowish look that old cars have, but hey, i want it as blue as possible lol (yes im still a light addict, i flash my high beams at the other 4 HID cars in this area all the time lol as a sayin of hi :P) and ive bought a rain-x applicator that says it can be used for plastic, so hell yea but dammit, i want it as clear/best as possible, so clay bar to remove the scratches, and im a noob/amatuer/never-done-it-before at it. any product recomendations? advice? remedies? lol for right now, im going to do just the headlights, then when i find the time, within the month? -shrugs- ill do the body (is it normal to clay bar the whole car?) ill be back tonight or tomorow heh ---Light Addict---

 

Unfortunately a clay bar won't remove scratches. It removes contaminants that have bonded to the paint which washing won't remove. Although clay baring the headlights is not a bad idea. Just make sure to have plenty of lubrication (can be water or car soap) and with little to no pressure slide it over the headlights until they are smooth. You will feel and hear the clay bar picking up contaminants. Wash the car afterwards to get rid of the residue. Then I would follow with a polish such as plastx which will remove swirls on the headlights. Just work it into the headlight with medium pressure using a microfiber towel then wipe off when it starts to disappear. It might take a few passes to get it perfect. Again re wash the car to get rid of the residue.

If by mechanical car washes you mean drive through's do your paint a favor and never go to one again. They destroy your paint. Don't be afraid to clay bar, the absolute worse that can happen is you don't use enough lube and you'll drag those contaminants across your paint. But the clay bar won't move without lube so that's when you know you need more. If you drop the clay bar, its history, throw it out. If not you'll be scraping your car with all the dirt and rocks stuck to the clay bar when it fell.

This should help

http://autogeek.net/detailing-clay-bar.html

 

anything for the lights, i worship it was looking around about what "plastx" is, and i ran into this:

How To: PlastX Headlight Restoration (Step by w/ Pics) - Car Care Forums: Meguiar's Online

Do you recomend this? idk... sanding the lens sounds scary to me... but if a profesional says yes, then dammit ill do it lol

Havent read the tutorial on the clay bar yet, but when i do it, i want to be at the car wash, b\c this is the country [i hate it] and there tends to be dirt in the air, so as soon as im done with one process, its only 10 yards from the car wash heh. but being that drive throughs are bad, i guess ill use the DIY car washes (high pressure hose), question tho, can i just give it a rinse? then do another process if need be, then rinse again, then do a real/proper cleaning of the car? or does it need to be a thorough car wash everytime?

still in question: how much clay bar is enough for the whole car? and what clay bar is recomended? advices etc still listening --- heard about pinacle ultra poly clay, its a higher grade of clay bar and is used for monthly/spot cleaning, is it ok to use this?

 

Sanding is the absolute best way to get headlights looking brand new. Although I only do this on HIGHLY oxidized headlights, usually old cars are like this. If your headlights aren't so yellow that you can't see the bulb then you don't need sanding. IMO plastx would work just fine.

If your going to clay the car you need to thoroughly wash it beforehand. A rinse off after the clay will be good too, although a thorough wash will be better. A 2" by 2" size bar should be enough for the whole car. Just keep kneeding the clay to reveal a clean part when the bar gets too dirty. You'll know when your cars gonna have a lot of contamination if the air is as dirty as you say. Don't forget to rewax afterwards.

 

yea, i read all that in the tuturial you provided heh >.< guess i should have read before i asked :P sorry, as for waxing though, do you mean the wax that you would find in a car wash? or wax that would be applied by hand? im ready to clay bar ^.^ so what clay bars/brands do you recomend? and waxing products, if that's what you meant

 

I recommend ordering from online. Chemical guys has great products. I recommend this clay bar kit Clay Bar Kit With Acrylic Sealant and Elite Ultra Plush Microfiber Towels

It comes with a huge clay bar good for about 4-6 applications. Clay lube which is better to use than regular water and soap. It also comes with an acrylic sealant which you would put on after the clay but before the wax. Acrylic sealants last alot longer than wax and give it a nice layer of protection. Follow the sealant with a wax for looks. Wait a couple of hours for the sealant to cure and bond to the paint. If you want to order from one site Chemical guys also has a great affordable wax which is really popular on red paint:

HOW AND WHEN TO USE PASTE WAX

Wash, clay using clay lube, wash/rinse again, dry, apply sealant, wait 30 minutes or so before wiping off, then wait about 4 hours to let it cure, apply wax as normal, wait for it to haze and wipe off. Add another coat in a couple of hours if youd like. Do that and youll be good to go!

 

I use a line called Autoworks - High Performance Auto Care Exterior Car wash.
It's a highly concentrated product that you mix with water, save you $$ down the road. It rinses clean with a shine. No water spots. It's $29.63 usd + shipping. I order it online at kentho - Market America :: Built on Product. Powered by People., you have to click the US Flag on top. Whenever I m in need of something, I search at this site first, save me time to compare at the stores, while it gives me shipping cost and prices online from their partner stores. Also you get paid to shop and redeem high quality products for free.

 

I prefer smartwax for their wax, car wash, and smart dressing. Also their rim wax is excellent and it smells like bubble gum, but its such a pain in the rear to wax rims!.I'm not a fan of their smart gel, I still prefer extreme shine armorall.

 

When you wash the underside of the body during the winter time do you try to dry it by trying to stick a towel underneath it? or do you just let it air dry?