In car detailing terminology, we call scratches, swirls, orange peel, water spots as paint defects because they cannot be washed off and normally need to be polished off. Dirt that can be washed off, iron particles, tar spots, and the rough feeling of a surface prior to claying are called surface contaminants because they can be removed via washing, chemical cleaners and claying.

Sorry for the misunderstanding as the term defects is used abit differently in car detailing. U can consider scratches as man-made defects.

Rightfully they shouldnt charge, because they should have removed it before applying coating. However, there is a possible argument that the scratch was done after it left their shop, so guess this is a point of negotiation also.

That is one probability. The other one is that rain trails most frequent at car edges, door handles being one of them. To know for sure, try use your water hose to spray your car and see where water trails.

PlastX is a way to try, but handle with care. Test spot first and dont gungho. If it doesnt remove your swirls/scratches then it possibly will add more.

If not mistaken Plastx is a Diminishing Abrasives Technology (DAT) type of polish, which means the longer u work the polish, the more the abrasives will diminish to nothing left, which maybe can restore to piano finish or very close.

As douglas_tong mentioned, pencil eraser is one common method. This is especially useful for smooth surfaced plastic/rubber. For fenders that are rough textured plastic/rubber, then a combination of pencil eraser for first pass, then follow up with a medium bristle toothbrush with APC of your choice. This is because for textured plastic/rubber, the pencil eraser can only clear the surface top layer of wax residue, and the embedded wax cannot reach.


For this particular picture and this particular problem, one way I find effective in somewhat reducing and also probably masking such defects is to clean thoroughly with APC, and then apply an exterior protectant. That should even out most of those hideous spots.

Locally, u can contact Osren/SGCB for what they have to offer. Another local alternative is to visit places like Mount Explorer in Subang (https://www.gadgetworld2u.com/) to look for quality torchlights.

If order from overseas, u can try this place:

https://www.fasttech.com/

For light recommendations, generally the best light would be daylight type of bulb/led light, which falls around the 4200k range. 3500k is considered warm white or yellow based on your interpretation, and 6500k is cool white or white based on your interpretation.

Personally I think anything beyond 500 lumens is too bright for detailing, as the light reflection shining back to your eyes would most probably blind u and unable to properly see defects. As I know the original Rupes pen light is only about 100 lumens, and the scangrip ones are 650 and above (which I kinda think overkill but maybe I'm wrong).

Feel free to buy a small variety based on your budget, and test them against your existing cars to know which one works and which doesnt.

I believe many DIY detailers will start off with hand polishing in the beginning. If your interest continues to build from there, then u can consider a machine to increase your detailing efficiency.

One tip that I would like to give in hand polishing, avoid pressing harder on the pad in thinking to remove deeper scratches. It doesnt work that way. As with claying, polishing is also about consistent but lighter pressure and persistent motion over the same area and let the polish do the work.

Also, be mindful of pad cleanliness as u progress. Considering hand polishing pads are usually small, 1-2 sections of 1 panel can start overloading hand pads with residue. If possible have more than 1 pad (4-6 pads ideally), so that can wash the old one and let dry while using a new one.

From my experience with my wife's black car coating (I applied it myself after doing a complete compound/polish), honestly I would prefer to recommend for u to go for sealant/wax instead of coating. The biggest issue I experienced with black car is the obviousness of water spots very early into the coating life. Over time it just becomes more obvious and worse. Dont get me wrong, after 2 years my wife's car coating is still there, the water beading is still great, but water spots are far more obvious if compared to lighter coloured cars that are coated.

As for intervals, it really depends on the durability of your sealant/wax. Typical spray wax last about 1 week, liquid paste wax could last between 1-4 weeks, all depending on your car use, your parking and weather conditions. The only way to know for sure is u need to keep and eye on the hydrophobic/hydrophilic level of your car (common term it means water beading (hydrophobic) and water sheeting (hydrophilic)). U could consider topping up your wax once the hydrophobic properties are gone.

Hmm, from the picture it looks like a possible clearcoat failure, so this isnt something washing or chemicals can do much about in terms of removal. U could try to DIY compound a spot and see if it can be removed, if can then u could consider sending to a car detailing center to compound/polish the entire car. If DIY compound doesnt remove it, then it becomes more likely that the clearcoat is failing and probably the best option would be to respray.

Just to have a better understanding, do u park your car under hot sun regularly?

Mmm, if polishing didnt work the last round, this most likely means that the clearcoat on your paint is failing. What this means is that your clearcoat is drying up and cracking or hazing or even peeling off. This is the common case when your car is left to bake in the hot sun too frequently. From the edges of your picture, your headlights are also yellowing, confirming this theory.

Unfortunately, polishing would not be able to help you further. The minimum case scenario for your car now is to attempt wetsanding to remove the top layer of your clearcoat that is hazed and dried, then re-attempt compoundind/polishing process again to see if that helps. However, this would be a trial and error method. The best thing in my opinion for your situation unfortunately is to respray your entire car.

Not yet, plan to do that soon. However, I would suspect by using acid to remove watermarks on the car paint, it would strip or degrade the coating as well, yes?

Well, the big issue is definitely the watermarks on the entire car (including windshield, windows and side mirrors), however I am unsure if etching had happened already or not.

On some past discussion with fellow forumers here and from other forums do confirm that ceramic coatings are watermarks magnet. Since my wife’s car was coated with Camui coating by myself 2 years ago, I am assuming the same issues apply.

I had the GEX 125-1 before, honestly, not worth it for polishing, very limited work done. GPO950 on the other hand is a vertical rotary, so when it comes to compounding and polishing, it would be more of an advanced class level.

Perhaps u could visit Osren, or check out ShineMate or SGCB and see what they have to offer.

U coul try doing a spot compounding first to see if u could level it down. If that doesnt work then using maybe 1000 grit sandpaper or above to wetsand it should do the trick. Just remember after wetsanding u will need to compound and polish to bring back the shine again. Be gentle during wetsanding so that its easier to compound after that.

Yup. Commercial car detailing is often about hype mostly. Coating was a hype for the last few years.

Perosnally I still find the traditional wax still more effective protection. Other less known protection stuff like synthetic sealants are also actually very good. If I really wanted to do a “water wax” method, I think Meguiars latest Ceramic Wax seem to be the much better bet.

Erm, maybe I should clarify first, compound/polish is the act of removing swirls/scratches/other defects of your paint. Waxing/sealant/coating is the act of adding protection to your paint. These are 2 different activities. One removes a thin layer of your paint permanently, the other adds a thin temporary layer to your paint.

With regards to intervals of compounding/polishing it really depends on your car condition at that point in time. If u dont see much defects, then polishing may not even be necessary. A general idea (not hard and fast rule) is to consider polishing once a year to restore the gloss and shine. However, if 1 year time u find your car looks okay, then polish isnt necessary.

When it comes to waxing, then it depends on the durability of wax. Any protection (coating, sealant, wax) generally has 2 indicators to show if they are still on your paint or not, which is water beading (hydrophobic) and water sheeting (hydrophilic). Water beading means how the water beads up into little balls on your paint and rolls off the car, water sheeting means how good a flat sheet of water rolls off your car. For most ppl, once water beading is significantly reduced or totally gone, then they will wax again. Some have to do it every week, some do it every month, and some even do it 2-3 months once. So it depends on the wax of your choice.

Actually, all cars can be prone to swirl and scratch with improper washing techniques. Your issue is because your car is black colour, swirls and scratches will be more visible or obvious compared to other car colours. There is a higher probability that a car wash shop may cause swirls on your car because very few car wash shops practice proper washing techniques due to time constraint and their need to chase for volume. As many of us are enthusiasts here, we prefer to wash ourselves at home.

If u are interested to get stuff to start off your detailing life, u could consider dropping by Osren.

Youtube is quite good learning resource. There is no harm in starting off with waxing, as polishing is generally only done on a need-to-do basis. Rest assured, it isnt as scary as how ppl might portray it so long as u follow the right steps.

The 2 bucket wash system is generally best practice. Apart from the buckets itself, what is important is also your wash mitts. Do some research on good wash mitts to buy for your needs.

Considering that u are staying in a condo, I would suspect it would not be convenient or practical for u to rinse, foam, rinse, scrub and rinse again. The purpose of the best practice of the initial rinse foam and rinse is to remove the heaviest grime on the car first, so that the next round when scrubbing with soap and washmitt, u will have far less heavy dirt. However, from a practical standpoint (or lazy man's standpoint), the ideal process may not be convenient for everyone. Hence, u can also just rinse and scrub then rinse, but u just need to clean your washmitt more regularly to remove the dirt from it and pickup fresh clean soapwater and go in again.

Meguiars hyper wash shampoo isnt exactly available at retail shops off the shelf, as this product was targeted for car wash business use. I would suggest u trying something from the shelf first, such as Meguiars Gold Class or NXT Wash.

In terms of waxing, U can go for the products suggested. Please remember to get a reasonable amount of applicator pads (maybe 2-3 at least) and microfiber towels (4-6 at least). My personal practice for microfiber towels:

1 large size towel for exterior drying after wash
1 small towel for wiping door jambs, under skirtings, engine
1 small towel for interior
1 small towel for windows (both sides of the windows)
3-4 small towels for buffing off waxes.

Hope this helps.

Is it dust or lint u are having trouble with? If after wiping u still see dust-like particles, then it should be lint from your microfiber towel.

As I have done DIY home car detailing for 20 years and professional shop car detailing for 1 year, my care for my car isnt as intensive as it used to be. My wash intervals are roughly once every 2 weeks, wax intervals are once maybe every 3-6 months.

However, before u think I am not practicing what I preach, I wish to clarify first that my car paint had been DIY polished to the best of my ability within the first month that I got my car. That way, maintenance is generally easier for me even though I tend to laze with the protection aspect.

Also, as now I generally work from home and my car is parked indoors most of the time, I worry less of dirt and dust having a permanent cling on my car. When I do wash my car, it is very thorough and I even open my front bonnet to wipe my engine area clean. When I do wax my car I will do a complete thorough claying session before waxing.

Oh and referring to your other question, I do use Meguiars endurance tire gel. The gel itself is great, but the applicator pad u use preferably should be kept solely for the gel. Dont bother trying to wash off the gel residue from your applicator pad as it requires alot of detergent.

Most all purpose cleaners should clean them just fine. If its more stubborn, u cal also try bug, tree sap and tar combo removers, they are easily available in ACE hardware stores in the car detailing section.

I got an additional idea to secure the bucket. Use the stretchy rope with hooks on each end and loop over the bucket and hook on each opposing side of the trolley. The rope is commonly used by those ppl sending cooking gas tanks on their motorbikes.

Just random idea, hehe...