Moonstne Grey & scratches

[Alip1977]

Afternoon

Anyone else had any issues with Monestone Grey and scratches? I have a number on my bonnet (5 week old car!)  Cant feel them on the finger nail test but wont shift with hand or machine buffing. The paint seems quite soft and possibly looks more like an indentation then a scratch.
Any idea guys?
cheers

[JoeGTI]

I think the paint is generally soft, no matter what the colour. Its a complaint people generally have with most modern cars. I've a couple of stone chips on the front of mine, only 3k kms in. What can you do, other than not drive it...

For scratches like you describe, it sounds like they may have been inflicted while washing it. Be very careful when washing - i.e. avoid swirl and shine garage car washes.

[fredgroves]

Can't say I've noticed any chips on my moonstone . On my mk7 it was terrible, could see white undercoat all over the bonnet. Looked like a plasterer's radio!

[valentino]

My Mk7.5 in Black was terrible, and i vowed never to have another Black car. My Moonstone Mk8 looks ok at the moment. Never use a sponge, always use a wash mitt

[SRGTD]

I think the paint is generally soft, no matter what the colour. Its a complaint people generally have with most modern cars. I've a couple of stone chips on the front of mine, only 3k kms in. What can you do, other than not drive it...

For scratches like you describe, it sounds like they may have been inflicted while washing it. Be very careful when washing - i.e. avoid swirl and shine garage car washes.

Historically, VW’s paint had a reputation for being quite hard. However, I read on a detailing forum that modern water based paints take a few months to fully harden - I don’t know if that is the case but if so, the paint may be more susceptible to damage in the early months.

I agree - always avoid the scratch and swirl garage car washes; my car is only washed by me, using a safe wash technique. I also avoid the many hand wash car places that tend to use quite harsh products to help remove dirt quickly - time is money for them, so a quick turnaround time to wash cars = more £££’s earned. Another one to avoid is the VW dealer complimentary service wash, unless allowing your car to be subjected to the dealer’s free scratch and swirl treatment by their ‘car cleaner’ using a gritty sponge and bucket of dirty water is your thing .

[JoeGTI]

I think the paint is generally soft, no matter what the colour. Its a complaint people generally have with most modern cars. I've a couple of stone chips on the front of mine, only 3k kms in. What can you do, other than not drive it...

For scratches like you describe, it sounds like they may have been inflicted while washing it. Be very careful when washing - i.e. avoid swirl and shine garage car washes.

Historically, VW’s paint had a reputation for being quite hard. However, I read on a detailing forum that modern water based paints take a few months to fully harden - I don’t know if that is the case but if so, the paint may be more susceptible to damage in the early months.

I've heard this theory before too and maybe there is something in it... I always seem to pick up a nasty stone chip or two early on in a new car's life and not very many again after that. Or maybe its just that the first one or two annoy the most and you just don't pay much attention once the new car smell wears off...

[Adam T7]

Only person who cleans my car is me, rinse, foam, rinse, wash with two bucket method and a mitt, dry and a wax with meguiars quick wax, so far, so good, no swirls or scratches.
Modern paint is soft and does take a while to fully harden, so maybe my 4 month WLTP caused delay has had one benefit😀

[simonwhite2000]

Only person who cleans my car is me, rinse, foam, rinse, wash with two bucket method and a mitt, dry and a wax with meguiars quick wax, so far, so good, no swirls or scratches.
Modern paint is soft and does take a while to fully harden, so maybe my 4 month WLTP caused delay has had one benefit😀

This. I use a citrus pre wash first then rinse before foam. I also decontaminate once a month using dragons breath or iron x. A good quality microfibre drying towel is also a wise move.
Basically get the car as clean as you can before actually having to touch it and wash from the top down rinsing out the mitt often.

[Adam T7]

Wife bought me a cordless leaf blower for Christmas to avoid over use of microfibre drying towels.Dragon breath and wax on the wheels as well.

[SRGTD]

Wife bought me a cordless leaf blower for Christmas to avoid over use of microfibre drying towels.Dragon breath and wax on the wheels as well.

Blow drying works very well, and minimises the risk of paintwork damage.

I have a Metro Vac Sidekick Blaster and I’m able to pretty much dry my car without touching it, only needing to use a drying towel to mop up a few remaining water droplets not blown away by the Sidekick Blaster. It took a couple of times to perfect the best method of blow drying a car and it works best on well waxed paintwork (easier to blow away water beads than water sheets), but IMHO it does a great job. When I first started using it, I got some funny looks from the neighbours but their used to my car cleaning regime now .

The Sidekick Blaster is also really good at blowing water out of all those annoying water trap areas that can continue to drip after you think you’ve finished .