Using Paint Cleaner Bad???
 

Hey everyone, I have a concern that I would like to address. First of all, the other day when I was getting some scratches out of the trunk of my car, right around the license plate, I used 3M rubbing compound and I think I kept the buffer on that spot a little too long, because the paint on that crease started to come off, so I took off the clearcoat there. I know that if you use rubbing compound too much, it will take your clearcoat right off your paint so I probably won't be using that stuff anymore in fear that I could do alot more damage than just that one little spot around my license plate. This kind of made me wonder, I used meguiars 3 step every month. On a monthly basis, will the meguiars paint cleaner wear down my clearcoat in time to a point where I don't have one anymore?

i use meguiars like every other month. i am sure there three step is clear coat safe.
make sure that the rubbing compound that you are using is clearcoat safe aswell.

Was the rubbing compound clear coat safe? If it wasnt then you may of removed the clearcoat...and there is no way of repairing that with store bought materials. You can use 3m clear coat compatible rubbing compound on the paint, I do it all the time and never had such a problem. Are you sure the rag was clean? There may have been some dirt or sand on the cloth that caused the clearcoat to be damaged.

As far as using a paint cleaner on the paint...I wouldnt recommend using it all the time but you can use it once or twice a year. What I usually do is after the winter, I wash the car...and then clay the car....and then use a body scrub on the paint. I recommend Meguires or Mothers when it comes to ease of use and quality of product. After I go over the whole car with Meguires #7 glaze or Mothers sealer glaze...and then I finish up with a quakity carnuba wax..for long lasting shine....Some of the best products that I use are:
Meguires Gold...Comes in a black box...Liquid or creme
Mothers Yellow Gold.....comes in a red bottle with gold label.....Liquid or paste
Kit wax....comes in a yellow bottle or a yellow can......Liquid or creme
Gliptone carnuba wax.....NOT THE TEFLON WAX......Use to be in a white bottle, but I think they have changed the bottle color....The was is also green in color....

As far as anything else.....Search the board...There is plenty of useful information here.

no, the reason it wore off was because I had to use some nail polish remover to take off some super glue in that area. That is what took the clear coat right off, but I didn't know that until it was too late. The rubbing compound is clearcoat safe, so I don't think that did it. Just wanted to make sure that the meguiars paint cleaner that I use isn't going to bite me in the A$$ sometime in the future. THanks!

I highly doubt nail polish remover too the clear coat off. It was most likely do to the rubbing compound and you staying in one spot too long. Rubbing compound is too harsh. I think you should of started with like a 3 coat polish system. The ruffest one is not nearly as ruff as rubbing compound would be.

BUFFER was/is the problem. Just keep wax on that spot. Stay away from that buffer too...lol

Also, if you are waxing every 3 months, I wouldn't clean the paint but once a year, 2x at the most. I would wax every couple months and polish when you get the whim to do so.

Buffer=Bad....unless you are a professional

I use an orbital buffer, not a high speed buffer, which will mess up your paint if you don't know what your doing. The orbital buffer wouldn't take the clearcoat off like that, I know since I have been using one for almost a year.

Use a clay bar, rubbing compound :eek: on clear coat.

An orbital will burn the paint also. Easily burn the paint if you don't know what you are doing.