[lx93]

I picked up this gorgeous, flawless LBB at Performance Center last Wednesday. It rained last night, and after I pulled into my garage, I stupidly decided to dry the car with a squeegee and totally forgot it was covered in dirt and dust from all the highway driving back home. This morning I woke up and found my car like this.



Many of the scratched can be felt with just my bare finger (not even fingernail).

No one to blame but myself. Cant believe I did this to myself, and now have to live with the consequences, a brand new car with major scratches on front fenders, rear fenders, rear bumper, trunk lid and front hood.

[O Haiii]

Ouch sorry to hear. But going forward, you should never dry your car with a squeegee even if the car is clean.

[No Boost]

You don't have to live with it. Take it to a professional detailer. All will be well again.

[Chako]

Damn, hopefully a lot of it can be polished out and then protected with a ceramic coating

[No Boost]

Originally Posted by O Haiii

Ouch sorry to hear. But going forward, you should never dry your car with a squeegee even if the car is clean.

Way to rub it in. Did you know we're putting cover sheets on all TPS reports? I'll make sure you get a copy of that memo.

[M2Nebula]

My heart just sank to my gut here, sorry man, hard lesson. Take a break and relax and then go talk to some of your local body shops/detailers and see what they think. Much of it may be able to be buffed out, but it is hard to tell from the pics.

[kevlee23]

Yeah never use a squeegeee gotta use air dryer like a master blaster

[M2Nebula]

Wtf guys, he knows that now! He made a mistake, lapse of reason, we all do it. Give him a fuckin' break will ya....

[hoyasaxa]

Originally Posted by Stage IV

Way to rub it in. Did you know we're putting cover sheets on all TPS reports? I'll make sure you get a copy of that memo.

I think many people don't realize things like that, and it doesn't even have anything to do with whether the car had been driven on the freeway.

Similarly, many people at touchless car washes will use the foaming brush to clean their cars. That, too, is scratching the shit out of paint.

It might seem obvious to us enthusiasts who always do 2 bucket (or 3 bucket!) washes, but it's good to get the info out there for everyone else.

Sorry to OP about what happened. In this case, though, hopefully it'll buff right out!

[MineralGreyMetallic]

Damn man, I feel for you. I've definitely made similar mistakes in my years of learning how to DIY.

Like others have said, find a reputable detailer / paint corrector and see what he can do. You'll be surprised what a good polish will do to a lot of those scratches.

Good luck and report back!

[BAN_M2C]

Hnnnnnng man I am sorry to see this. Hopefully they can take care of it for you. Check for the best retailers around you! Good luck!!

[alexc93]

A good detailer should be able to get 99% of that out OP.

It's a shame, but it can be made right don't let it get you down.

[akkando]

Originally Posted by O Haiii

Ouch sorry to hear. But going forward, you should never dry your car with a squeegee even if the car is clean.

I took mine to get tinted and they said it was a little dusty so they would spray it down. Took out a pressure washer sprayed it down, then busted out a squeegee thing to dry it off. In my head I was like "these are professionals, they know what they are doing....."

Now I am going to have to go over the car for squeegee scratches.

[O Haiii]

Originally Posted by Stage IV

Way to rub it in. Did you know we're putting cover sheets on all TPS reports? I'll make sure you get a copy of that memo.

Geez someone's on their period. Not rubbing it in. Helping him not do it again even if the car is clean.

[Motivate]

Looks like most of it will come off with a bit of wet sanding and polish. But it will thin the paint in those area a bit. Consider doing some paint protection after.

[rouxeny]

Ouch. That hurts. Painful lesson.

I agree a good detailer will make most of that go away. Find somebody who knows what they’re doing. Not necessarily the local McCheapie.

Might as well spring for a ceramic coating too while you’re at it.

[S1monQc]

A squeegee?????

Don't touch your paint with anything more than a microfiber!!

[M2Nebula]

Never forget leaving my friends place one night in a snow/ice storm with my '78 Saab EMS. I had just bought the car from a fanatic client and it was nicer than new....only 38K on the clock and he had done some nice upgrades, inluding switching to the Turbo wheels.

Anyway, shortly down the road I can barely see a thing. Defroster cranking, squirting out fluid, and wiping before it froze. Not long after I ran out of fluid and had to stop. It was late and nothing was open, but where I had pulled in was a huge snow bank from where they had plowed.

Thinking quickly, I grabbed handfuls of snow and threw them on the partially warm window. Remember watching it slowly melt and run down in streaks. I smiled and went inside the cabin and turned on the wipers, joyed with the outcome of my newly cleared window. I drove away and made it close enough to home where it didn't matter.

Randomly I parked the car in the half shoveled driveway and wobbled in for the night, hoping not to wake anyone. Next morning, or closer to afternoon actually, I went outside to finish clearing the drive and the cars. I jumped into the seat so I could move the car and immediately saw a series of radial scratches in front of my eyes. I immediately realized what I had done. In the end it is just a car, but a larger part of our life.

[DoggieHowser]

That sucks.

Picking up 3 major stone chips on the first weekend prior to my Xpel wrap was similarly painful.

Here?s what I suggest.

Do a proper clean first and try some of those turtle wax scratch removal on some surfaces to see if it helps.

If it doesn?t, try Dr Color Chip. I was investigating that before I went another path. Touch up paint never looks the same but the Dr Color Chip seems to work better. That said, LBB is a pain of a color to get right. Because the color changes with light.

Both options are cheap enough to give it a try.

And if all else fails, I?d suggest a color wrap

Maybe a Frozen Blue which was what I was considering.

Good luck.

[M2Nebula]

Yes, a fine polishing compound in a small indiscrete area first. By hand unless you know how to use a mechanical buffer. They can do damage if not careful or have minimal experience with one. You may require that in some spots, but start small and careful.

Also, I have some LBB touch up already mixed. Let me know if you need some, think I have enough to spare.

[carl44]

Sorry, but the good news is the paint has never been polished and therefore full thickness. Understand full thickness is only 4-5 thousands of an inch.That includes primer/color and clear coat. Not safe to go under .0003".. A human hair is .0003. If your going to try on your own buy or borrow a rupes 21 orbital they are safe also buy a paint gauge they have come down in price to less than$150. If you do take it to a detailer make sure he has a paint gauge. He needs to take and record the thickness on each panel.On my white m2 the paint is 3.9-5.3 thick they vary by panel .Good luck .carl

[MineralGreyMetallic]

Look I don't want to sound like a jerk but I would advise against attempting anything on your own. I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that you don't know much about proper paint/clear coat care if you made this mistake in the first place.

My suggestion is to hand it over to a professional, and don't be cheap. Find the most reputable guy that works on the best cars. In the meantime do yourself a favor and start reading about proper DIY car maintenance.

I'd hate to see you back on here asking for more help because the DIY solutions made things worse. I've also been there myself and always regretted not taking it to the pros.