Michelangelo

Well, if you have a 2009 you have the "scratch shield" clearcoat, which I have seen work quite well--for example, yesterday morning I noticed a small scratch on the hood of my car. I could even feel it when I ran my finger over it. Yesterday was a sunny day here and the car was out in the sun all day. By about 5:00 PM the scratch was gone--completely vanished. The "scratch shield" worked exactly as advertised.

I also notice if I put a little mark on myself, by maybe not being careful enough wiping something off, it usually goes away in a day (or two if it's cloudy).

On the flip side...my car has 900 miles on it and there are already two or three really deep chips in the paint on the hood...from rocks kicked up on the freeway. Other dark-colored cars I've owned don't seem to have taken chips like that.

Or, perhaps just as likely, I just didn't CARE as much if they did...

redshift1

Limited freeway miles for me any long treks and I'll rent something from Enterprise.

Former USMC

Greetings,

I've had my black G37S for 13 months with no swirl marks. It has been hand washed at least 70 times - yep, I love to do it myself.

Here is the secret to properly washing/waxing your new G37 (or any other car for that matter).

Begin by rinsing the car with plenty of water - with a powerful stream of water, most of the dirt and grime should come off. I always spray the water in the same direction as the wind moves over the car. In other words, I spray water from the front of the hood towards the windshield.

Second, use a micro fiber washing mitt/glove and automotive soap. Do not use dish washing soap.

Third, many recommend the two bucket approach - I don't. I use Griot's Garage Multi-Pattern Nozzle and Car Wash Dispenser loaded with either their car wash soap or Costco's Turtle Wax ICE car soap. I fill the container with soap and spray the entire contents on the car. I then use a micro fiber mitt to gently remove any remaining dirt and grime. I move the mitt in the same direction as the wind moving over the car. Do this gently. If you're applying a lot of pressure, you may want to wax your car more frequently. I use a similar approach to cleaning the windshield of my airplane - it greatly reduces swirl marks.

Fourth, remove suds and any remaining soap with water. If you have access to soft water; that's even better.

Fifth, when drying the car, I take one soft micro fiber towel and gently place over the car and pull the water off the car. Yes, place the towel on the car and pull the water off the car. You will be surprised how much water you can pull off. I do not recommend using a squeegee.

Sixth (and here's the best tip), with the remaining water on the car and another dry micro fiber towel, I spray either two products over the wet car. The first product is from Griot's Garage, Spray-On Wax.

The second product that works great for black cars is Triple-M Clearcoat Magic with Teflon. You can buy this from Martin Distributors in Van Nuys, CA. The Triple-M product is made up of a combination of paste wax, polymers, and polishing compounds. You can use this product by itself as a great wax/polish for your car, however, I mix this product with water (30/70) in a spray bottle. Thirty percent Triple-M and 70% water (use bottle water or soft water).

Either product works great, however, the Triple-M was developed for black cars and works fantastic. Spray either product on your wet car and gently dry/polish with micro fiber towels.

Seventh, your G37 will continue to drip/weep/cry water after you dry it, however, the waxes and soft water will eliminate most water spots. Be prepared to dry it again, especially after a quick trip around the block. If you have access to an air hose - use it, you can blow most of the water out of the cracks and crevices. Especially the outside rearview mirrors.

I have personally tried a lot of products and have found the Triple-M to be a great wax/polish for any color, but especially black cars.

And finally, if you have any towel or light-medium swirl marks, I might suggest you use Griot's Garage Random Orbital ($129). I have personally hand waxed my cars since I was 16 (that's 35+ years). I was very reluctant to use any sort of machine polisher, until recently. I purchased Griot's Random Orbital and was fearful at first (remember, it's a black car), but after the first time - I was literally amazed. I'm sold on using a random orbital (remember, this is not a polishing wheel, but a random orbital).

To remove those nasty swirl marks, Griot's sells machine polishes ranging in grit from very,very mild (for towel marks) to medium (for heavy oxidation and scratches). They also sell a fine hand polish to be applied by hand - don't use a machine for this hand polish. The hand polish works great for removing light towel marks and bird crap and tree sap.

No, I don't have stock in Griot's, nor am I an employee - they just have great products.

Good luck with taking car of your car. And by the way, I would never take my car to a commercial car wash regardless if its touchless or hand washed. Unless of course you're driving a Chevy Vega (okay, my first car...please stop laughing).

Semper Fi,

Black G37S with 275's in the rear, light tinting, chrome stock wheels, grounding kit, and no swirl marks.

WhiteGhost

I felt bad because I thought the same thing, sounds like it's been fixed though. Why did it look like that? Why so many scratches?

WhiteGhost

What have you done to "correct" the paint on your G37?

CEELOSG37S

iTrader: (20)

soap smears is not that bad. Whats bad is someone that has nothing to do actually egged my car about two weeks after i bought my car. Now i got a nice, big stain on my hood. The egg actually ate up the clear from the paint. Didn't want to but im going to have to get a cf hood and paint it the color of the car

lmulion03

I agree that clearcoat is soft on the car. If it makes anybody feel better, all the detailers that I have talked to, Maserati and Aston Martin have softer paint than we do.

Black Betty

iTrader: (60)

A couple of dealership washes (that I asked them not to do) and a "professional" wash and wax once when I was going to a meet and in a hurry. Big mistake to allow anyone but me or a real pro to touch my car. The thing is, with 1500 watts of halogen lights on the surface, a lot of black cars will look like that.

To correct the condition shown in the photo, I compounded in a lot of areas that needed it because of deep scratches (like the one shown int h pic - don't know how it got there), cutting polish, finishing polish, glaze, seal, wax. I just got finished doing my spring detail this week and it looks amazing but its raining cats and dogs outside right now.

I'll try to post some pics the next time it's sunny because she looks as good as she ever has.