Convience store incident

[Uptempo80]

After work I quickly pulled into a convience store for a few miniutes...I'm waiting in line at the checkout and I see a bunch of kids standing /having an 8 person get together party around my car! Oddest thing I've ever seen. There may have even been more than 8 ppl there. I just put down my items and walk out of the store because I saw a 12-14 year old casually sitting/leaning on my rear bumper!!! I noticed his backpack was touching the bumper as he's practically leaning on the bumper....and shout "watch where your standing" get away from my car or something along that line.(the younger kid who was leaning backed off). They All then back off and one of em has the nerve to say nice car by the way wtf. At that point I'm just pissing around getting into my car as they all back up and way from the car.

Granted it was raining and my car just came back all detailed and clean from it's professional air brushing/painting (paint chip repair) the previous evening. I take the 45 min home drive home from there pissed off and I pull into a car wash stop stall and go to town on my car with Meguiars Scratch X 2.0 (only thing I had on me) I cleaned the area with ONR and then noticed scratching(scuffing) on the rear taillight lens and on the top of the rear bumper below the taillight. I removed the scuffing on the top of the bumper, but the scratch in the rear bumper (from the kid's bookbag) is the worst issue. I took out about 3 MF towels and 5 cotton polishing white diaper cloths and spent about 2 hours working in the car

Results: I got out the top of bumper scuffing and even used the scratch remover on the taillight to remove some of the scratches.
I believe after a pass over with griots plastic polish, paint cleaner , polish and my porter cable (griots) buffer that the tailight area and top of bumper indications will be completely gone. - Results with my handy pocket-sized Megs Scratch X 2.0 yielded 98% of everything in that area GONE.

Now the the small scratch (and yes it is a scratch). The scratch seems to be medium in depth do to the Scratch X not taking it out 100%. Luckily it's not even 1 MM in length.
Results for the scratch: Removed visibly, but indentation is still there and if you stoop down and look..tilt you head around looking for it you will eventually find it.
---I Will follow up this post with a reply about my next attempt to completely correct this blemish.---

[Uptempo80]

Now onto this weekend: I'm going to try to perform a complete detail of the exterior with my griots porter cable buffer. I've never used it before and have the Griots machine polish 3 (light polish) I also have Megs Mirror Glaze Fine cut cleaner, Mirror Glaze Machine Glaze #3, Mirror Glaze #205 Ultra Finishing polish, and Mirror Glaze #5 new car glaze, Along with the very common Megs #7 Show Car Glaze.

In addition to those....ALL of em' are just confusing me...which is best to choose?
No idea. I'm sure I have something similiar to the simplified system of polishes griots sells, "Machine polish 1, 2, 3, 4...4 being the finest polish.
I wonder if I need an aggressive abrasive...this scratch is very small at this point but I think I can remove it. It's not visible at this point and is now considered a "hairline scratch". I know it can be removed.

I just need the right products.....and a glaze or sealant(with filler) to protect my wax finish.

*I'll be hand-applying Zymol's Atlantique Estate Glaze wax. prior to cleaning, some clay and 2 coats of Megs mirror glaze #7 polish. Zymol "Detail" Wax will be the second coat of wax. The "Detail" a flex agent wax for plastic painted parts, bumpers, etc.(ALL hand-applied). All will be buffed off with the porter cable buffer though.
NEXT maybe a quick sealant....glaze something. Do I need a sealant? Will a sealant hinder the clearity of a very fine wax finish...Does a sealant contain "fillers"? that hide small minor swirl marks??

Lots of ??s..

- I hope someone with a good knowlegde of polishes and such can provide me some quality insight as I tackle this annoying problem while performing the complete exterior detail. Any insight is greatly appreciated!

[sonicbimmer19]

Some people are just clueless when it comes to cars. They see cars as nothing different than a wall or a poll and they just lean on a car, inadvertently hit it with a bag (women), or even touch the car with their hands/nails without realizing what they are doing

[Uptempo80]

I think that was the case but it aggrevated me to no end. It actually looked like he was trying to purposefully mess with me by the way my car stood out like a sore thumb in the wide open parking lot...but the more I think about it he was looking at his friends talking to them while leaning against the rear bumper of my car.

I'm hoping I could get the blemish completely out. It's almost gone. & I just used a hand-applied scratch remover that I had in my glovebox..

[moosey]

Originally Posted by Uptempo80

Now onto this weekend: I'm going to try to perform a complete detail of the exterior with my griots porter cable buffer. I've never used it before and have the Griots machine polish 3 (light polish) I also have Megs Mirror Glaze Fine cut cleaner, Mirror Glaze Machine Glaze #3, Mirror Glaze #205 Ultra Finishing polish, and Mirror Glaze #5 new car glaze, Along with the very common Megs #7 Show Car Glaze.

In addition to those....ALL of em' are just confusing me...which is best to choose?
No idea. I'm sure I have something similiar to the simplified system of polishes griots sells, "Machine polish 1, 2, 3, 4...4 being the finest polish.
I wonder if I need an aggressive abrasive...this scratch is very small at this point but I think I can remove it. It's not visible at this point and is now considered a "hairline scratch". I know it can be removed.

I just need the right products.....and a glaze or sealant(with filler) to protect my wax finish.

*I'll be hand-applying Zymol's Atlantique Estate Glaze wax. prior to cleaning, some clay and 2 coats of Megs mirror glaze #7 polish. Zymol "Detail" Wax will be the second coat of wax. The "Detail" a flex agent wax for plastic painted parts, bumpers, etc.(ALL hand-applied). All will be buffed off with the porter cable buffer though.
NEXT maybe a quick sealant....glaze something. Do I need a sealant? Will a sealant hinder the clearity of a very fine wax finish...Does a sealant contain "fillers"? that hide small minor swirl marks??

Lots of ??s..

- I hope someone with a good knowlegde of polishes and such can provide me some quality insight as I tackle this annoying problem while performing the complete exterior detail. Any insight is greatly appreciated!

Sorry to hear about your car.

I'm not sure how the finish of your car is, but the general rule is to start with the least aggressive/abrasive process first and work your way up.

I can try and lend some insight into your prep products, but I've never used any of these.
- Both the Griot's #3 and Meg's #205 are finishing polishes (less abrasive). Meg's #2 sounds like an older variation on these products.
- It looks like you have some overlap with Meg's #5 and #7 as both appear to be non-abrasive glazes.
- Meg's #3 sounds more like a paint cleaner type glaze product, but not really an abrasive polish.

For your process, you'd want to get either your polishing/paint cleaning product (whichever you choose) done first. You'd then follow with a glaze (some of which contain fillers) and then wax with the Zymol (don't over-apply). There's really no need for a sealant as your wax (and a nice one at that) is your protection layer. You're right, some sealants do contain fillers. If you were using a sealant and a wax, you'd want to apply the sealant under the wax.

Hope that quick overview helps.

[Uptempo80]

Thanks...I was really confused as to if I need a sealant.

I'll try the polishes on that order...I'm confused about the Meguairs polishes I have as they are all similiar on their effectiveness. All are new-in-bottle and never were used. They all look like relatively new products.

Sometimes it is easier to just buy groits 1-4 polishes due to simplification.

I'll post photos of my completed work sometime soon...

[dorkdog]

Originally Posted by sonicbimmer19

Some people are just clueless when it comes to cars. They see cars as nothing different than a wall or a poll and they just lean on a car, inadvertently hit it with a bag (women), or even touch the car with their hands/nails without realizing what they are doing

"Some people are clueless when it comes to cars. They see cars as an extension of their personality or some kind of sick fetish and take it as a personal assault when someone so much as looks at it funny"

I'm always torn between parking close where I can watch it get scratched and parking far where I can't see it but it's less likely to get scratched. Nothing worse than standing in line watching an extended cab dually pull up with gramma grandpa and the kids right next to your car, then you see the old man push his car door against yours with his leg and pull himself, cane and all, out of the cab, watching as the truck's door slides 2" up the side of your car (under pressure) as his weight is relieved from the vehicle. Then has the nerve to sit his cane on your car's roof while he closes the truck door, then slides his cane along your roof to take it back. At least the kid in the back seat exited gracefully.

What's a guy to do?

[jkoral]

At the driving range, single row, plenty of parking spaces but of course a couple pull up and park next to me and the adult woman leans against my (previous) car wearing jeans while her husband is getting clubs out of the bag/trunk, etc.

I shout "Get off my car!" and I get a sarcastic "Excuse me" back. I'm like WTF.

I always park far away when there is a choice however. I do like window seats in restaurants where I can keep an eye on my car.

[dorkdog]

Originally Posted by jkoral

I always park far away when there is a choice however. I do like window seats in restaurants where I can keep an eye on my car.

It's funny though - I go to Lowe's or somewhere and park out in the distance - alone - and when I cone out there's some guy in a POS parked right next to me...

[sonicbimmer19]

Um, I always always park far and isolated from other cars (not isolated as in like no one around to see my car get vandalized or something)
That way, no one parks next to you and no one scratches your car.
If you park close to where you are, ok, you get to watch your car but what's the point? We're trying to PREVENT people from hitting our cars and not WATCHING people hitting our cars, right?
Normally in a plaza with people around, people aren't going to key your car or anything like that so I always just park "isolated." People are way more likely to key a car that's in their path. I don't think anyone goes out of their way to isolated part of parking lot to key a car and that stands the person out too so they are less likely to do it

[1911A145]

Some people are just too careless and have no respect for other's property whether it is a car or something else. I once was talking to a family member in my car on the bluetooth, parked, with the car running waiting to get off the phone and go inside for a school function. I see a car pull up behind me and two ladies get out. Both were chatting with eachother and as they walk up to the front of their car and behind mine she "cluncked" her purse on my truck while she ravaged through it to find her makeup or whatever and the other did the same. They didnt want to put it on there POS corolla from the 90s falling apart, they would rather use my brand new car.

Needless to say the look on their face when they found out someone was in the car was priceless. They couldnt even hear my car running because of the chicken head conversation they were having was far too important. I bitched at them and her purse did put a little scratch in my trunk. Stupid people are everywhere...

[pinmagic]

Yeah, it really sucks when people are thoughtless that way, but I gotta say that I take a very different approach from the OP. I love cars, and I love my BMW, but I also realize it's just a car, and it's gonna get dirty and it's gonna get scratched. In the OP's post, I see reference to:

- airbrushing/painting
- Meguiars Scratch X 2.0
- 3 MF towels
- 5 cotton polishing white diaper cloths
- griots plastic polish
- paint cleaner
- porter cable (griots) buffer
- Zymol's Atlantique Estate Glaze wax
- Zymol's Detail wax
- Griots machine polish 3
- Megs Mirror Glaze Fine cut cleaner
- Megs Mirror Glaze Machine Glaze #3
- Megs Mirror Glaze #205 Ultra Finishing polish
- Megs Mirror Glaze #5 new car glaze
- Megs #7 Show Car Glaze

...and hours and hours of time.

On the flip side, I met a guy one time who said that, each time he got a new truck, he took a ball-peen hammer and put a dent in the bumper, so he didn't have to worry about his first scratch. I guess I'm somewhere in the middle, between that guy and the OP.

To each his own, I guess!

[Section147]

Originally Posted by dorkdog

It's funny though - I go to Lowe's or somewhere and park out in the distance - alone -
and when I cone out there's some guy in a POS parked right next to me...

^That x 100.

[jkoral]

Originally Posted by sonicbimmer19

Um, I always always park far and isolated from other cars (not isolated as in like no one around to see my car get vandalized or something)
That way, no one parks next to you and no one scratches your car.
If you park close to where you are, ok, you get to watch your car but what's the point? We're trying to PREVENT people from hitting our cars and not WATCHING people hitting our cars, right?

Many parking lots you don't have a choice -- there is not far and isolated parking spaces like at big box stores. So in those circumstances, I'd rather park somewhere I can keep an eye on the car. I'd rather see the damage occur and get a license plate than come out to a unpleasant surprise.

[sonicbimmer19]

Originally Posted by jkoral

Many parking lots you don't have a choice -- there is not far and isolated parking spaces like at big box stores. So in those circumstances, I'd rather park somewhere I can keep an eye on the car. I'd rather see the damage occur and get a license plate than come out to a unpleasant surprise.

Ah, ok makes sense. Where I live, OC, California, there are always plenty of parking so I always just park isolated and minimize the chance of getting scratched, hit, etc.

[moosey]

Originally Posted by Uptempo80

Thanks...I was really confused as to if I need a sealant.

I'll try the polishes on that order...I'm confused about the Meguairs polishes I have as they are all similiar on their effectiveness. All are new-in-bottle and never were used. They all look like relatively new products.

Sometimes it is easier to just buy groits 1-4 polishes due to simplification.

I'll post photos of my completed work sometime soon...

You don't have to use every polish/cleaner you have, as there will be some overlap and unnecessary work. You're right though, sometimes sticking to one line makes things a bit simplier.

In reference to your sealant question, you don't need one. Typically, a sealant is synthetic and a wax contains carnauba. Both do the same thing, protect the paint. Therefore, if you're using Zymol, that's your wax/protection.