Hey all, I just became a proud new owner of the 2010 G convertible. Currently I am happy and angry at the same time because my 3 week old car is covered with fine minor scratches (only visible under direct sunlight). I think it was caused by the "free washes" that my dealership gave me. I am thinking of either polishing the car or taking it to a detailer. I would like to know if polishing an almost brand new car is a good idea because to my understanding, polishing means grinding a layer of clear coat off the car. And what kind of polish would be ideal for minor scratches. Any insights would be appreciated.

 

Always skip the dealership car washes. Always.

The head mechanic at our local dealer completely understood me when I asked for them not to wash it. He said he wouldn't trust those kids washing his car either.

 

Ya I've learned my lesson. I assumed that it would be a quality wash since it's an "Infiniti" dealership but I was totally wrong. Next time they offer me a free wash I'll tell them to @#$% off.

 

You'd encounter this at BMW dealerships as well. It's nothing they make a profit on, so they won't go the extra mile with it.

 

Mike,

Put your location in your signature. And theres nothing wrong with polishing a new car, it happens. If its ultra fine scratches, just use a very light polish that cuts just enough to take them out, put a coat of sealant on your car, and re-assess in 4-6 months.

Depending on your location, people might be able to give you a recommendation on a detailer or provide help. I know if there was someone in my area who needed a detail, Id give them a good price as long as they helped me out to cut down my time.

 

Thanks philter for your recommendation, I just updated my info. Is there any specific brand of polishes that you recommend that are very light and least abrasive?

 

get some Zaino

 

^^^zaino, otherwise a well known small down detailer is the best. They have low volume of vehicles so they take their time and do EVERYTHING right because they want the "word of mouth" advertisement of how well they did.

 

I think all new cars need some prep work. They are always in need of some clay, most of the time some sort of polishing, and always in need of a solid layer of protection.

Zaino, although imo in amazing product, is not a polish and will do nothing about the marring. It will however create a great layer of protection and a hard candy appearance.

If you search through this section(or any other site for that matter) you will find as many opinions on polishes as people. My personal preference is the Menzerna line, but there are lots out there to try.

 

I own Menzerna and Meguiars polishes. Both work fantastic. It really depends on how minimal the scratches are, but Meguiars M205 is a pretty versatile polish which can do small to medium scratches.

Or as recommended above, see if theres a detailer in your area who does mobile detailing.

If the scratches are very very minimal, like swirl marks, you could probably do them by hand and then put a coat of sealant on your car and have it protected for 4-6 months.

But if you think you want to try your hand at detailing, hit up detailed image for a starter kit with a buffer. The price of the starter kit is probably ballpark to what you would pay a local mobile detailer, the only difference is you would own all the equipment to do it yourself for the next 10 years and it will recoup its cost if you use it once a year.

Depending on what path you want to go, let us know because we could recommend some good starter packages.

 

zaino does have a polish as well as swirl/scratch removers.

 

Z-AIO All in one is a less abrasive product that contains gloss and durability, while Z-PC offers no protection and is more aggressive. For minor oxidation and surface debris cleansing, use Z-AIO. For more serious surface imperfections, Z-PC should be used.

Most 'finishing' polishes will remove minor swirl marks

 

Thanks for everyone's reply. I have decided to get my car detailed by a pretty well known detail shop in my area. They told me they would do a 1 step polish which would take 7 hrs. I've never had my car detailed before so does $260 sound reasonable for this type of service?

 

Yep, usually detailing does cost that much.