"Soft" paint on the H3?

[psywzrd]

Does the H3 have a "soft" paint job? The reason I'm asking is because I'm starting to notice many tiny scratches on my black H3. I do take my H3 through the car wash (yes, I know it's a terrible thing to do but I don't have the time or the patience to hand wash this thing) but I've never had this problem with any of my other cars. I've had black cars before (my previous vehicle was a black Infiniti FX35) and I know they show everything, but I don't recall seeing scratches like this on any other vehicle I've owned. Any other H3 owners noticing this?

Also, I had my car detailed a couple weeks ago and it's got a nice coat of wax on it. Could I just be seeing scratches in the wax rather than in the paint job itself?

[psywzrd]

Does the H3 have a "soft" paint job? The reason I'm asking is because I'm starting to notice many tiny scratches on my black H3. I do take my H3 through the car wash (yes, I know it's a terrible thing to do but I don't have the time or the patience to hand wash this thing) but I've never had this problem with any of my other cars. I've had black cars before (my previous vehicle was a black Infiniti FX35) and I know they show everything, but I don't recall seeing scratches like this on any other vehicle I've owned. Any other H3 owners noticing this?

Also, I had my car detailed a couple weeks ago and it's got a nice coat of wax on it. Could I just be seeing scratches in the wax rather than in the paint job itself?

[FROGGY69ER]

Give this a try.

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r3/swirl-remover/

[psywzrd]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by FROGGY69ER:
Give this a try.

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r3/swirl-remover/ </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks for the recommendation Froggy - sounds like good stuff. The thing is, I'm not so worried about how to remove the scratches - I'm more worried about why I got them to begin with. Like I said, I never had this problem in the past and it kind of worries me that I'm seeing something like this on a car I've had for 2 months.

Logic would say to avoid the car wash, but that's just not realistic for me (nor should it be necessary considering all of my other vehicles did just fine in the car wash). Any fellow black exterior H3 owners care to chime in?

[H3ProspectKy]

It may not be realistic for you to avoid the car wash but, they are bad news, especially for black. I've had a couple of black cars and have found that auto car washes were the worst for fine scratches, and black just exaggerates any damage to the finish. This is one of the reasons I went with boulder grey on my H3, and haven't regretted it yet, although I won't subject my H3 to an auto car wash either.

[FROGGY69ER]

psywzrd

I feel your pain. I have black as well, and I am a fanatic about keeping it clean. I probably have every wax known to man, but I still get spider webbing. A lady in a $90,0000 lexus parked next to me yesterday, it was black and had an amazing wax job. I took a close , in the sunlight, and there were the same marks. After reading about them online, they are almost impossible to stop, but you can minimize them. From what I have read, get rid of as much as you can, and then be sure to keep a good wax on the paint. I am going to use that stuff l linked you to, I will tell you how it works. Hope it helps.

[psywzrd]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by H3ProspectKy:
It may not be realistic for you to avoid the car wash but, they are bad news, especially for black. I've had a couple of black cars and have found that auto car washes were the worst for fine scratches, and black just exaggerates any damage to the finish. This is one of the reasons I went with boulder grey on my H3, and haven't regretted it yet, although I won't subject my H3 to an auto car wash either. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I hear what you're saying about black. Boulder grey was my second choice (had a Denali in that color and it was awesome), but I went with black because I knew I would have black envy every time I saw a black H3.

Maybe a nice compromise would be that Mr. Clean AutoDry Carwash. Anybody here try it?

[H3ProspectKy]

I know what you're talking about re: black envy LOL, I thought that I would always kick myself for not getting black, but that's not the case. I had originally ordered black w/moroccan leather, even after my Dad tried talking me out of it, then went with a buddy of mine to the dealership to check them out and I saw the Boulder Grey sitting there and had 2nd thoughts. My buddy talked me out of the black for the various reasons mentioned in this thread, hard to keep clean, swirls, etc., and I changed my order to the Boulder Grey. I'm happy I did, although, I have to admit...NOTHING looks better than black (when it's clean)! PERIOD.

[psywzrd]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by H3ProspectKy:
I know what you're talking about re: black envy LOL, I thought that I would always kick myself for not getting black, but that's not the case. I had originally ordered black w/moroccan leather, even after my Dad tried talking me out of it, then went with a buddy of mine to the dealership to check them out and I saw the Boulder Grey sitting there and had 2nd thoughts. My buddy talked me out of the black for the various reasons mentioned in this thread, hard to keep clean, swirls, etc., and I changed my order to the Boulder Grey. I'm happy I did, although, I have to admit...NOTHING looks better than black (when it's clean)! PERIOD. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's exactly what I have - black exterior with ebony/Moroccon leather. I absolutely love it but for some reason it seems like it's harder to keep clean than the other black cars I've owned. I think water tends to get trapped in certain places (the outside mirrors come to mind) and then it kind of creeps out once you start driving. I'm getting the mud flaps installed to hopefully cut down on the splatter, but that's only part of the problem.

What color interior did you get with the Boulder Grey? I really do love that color and it hides dirt really well.

[usetosellhummer]

welcome to black, i have yet to see one that is scratch free

[H3ProspectKy]

The mud flaps are great, I think you'll find that they help a lot. I got the black/pewter piping leather interior, looks better than I thought it would. I didn't like moroccan with boulder grey, and cashmere would be hard to keep clean (has light carpet also). It's great, I'm really happy with my H3...not a complaint (knock wood).

[S2KtoH3]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by FROGGY69ER:
A lady in a $90,0000 lexus parked next to me yesterday, it was black and had an amazing wax job. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

$90,000 Lexus? There is no such thing. The most expensive Toyota/Lexus is $68,000 and thats the Lexus badged Toyota Landcruiser. Acura is the only Japanese manufacturer that sells a $90,000 car.

[FROGGY69ER]

Serves me right for listening to my friend. Whatever it was, it was beautifull. Anyway, it was BLACK, and had swirl/web marks. Can't wait to get rid of them.

[HumThree]

I have a black H3 with cashmere interior and wouldn't trade it for the world. I almost got boulder gray, but every car I've ever owned has been black a I just can't seem to get away from it.

As for the paint, So far I've been very impressed with the quality. I too am pretty fanatical about keeping it clean. I just put a coat of wax (Macguire's NXT) on it this weekend and did notice some of the fine scratches. Mine has never been through the car wash and they're still there. The wax helped out (I highly recommend that wax), but I've never had a car that did not show these type of scratches (BMW 5 Series, 4Runner, Jeep Wrangler). The paint on the Jeep seemed to be the worst.

That said, I certainly don't expect a pait job to be perfect. And compared to others I've owned and been around, I'm pretty pleased with this paint. But the real test will be how it looks in a year.

Hope this helps!

[psywzrd]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by HumThree:
I have a black H3 with cashmere interior and wouldn't trade it for the world. I almost got boulder gray, but every car I've ever owned has been black a I just can't seem to get away from it.

As for the paint, So far I've been very impressed with the quality. I too am pretty fanatical about keeping it clean. I just put a coat of wax (Macguire's NXT) on it this weekend and did notice some of the fine scratches. Mine has never been through the car wash and they're still there. The wax helped out (I highly recommend that wax), but I've never had a car that did not show these type of scratches (BMW 5 Series, 4Runner, Jeep Wrangler). The paint on the Jeep seemed to be the worst.

That said, I certainly don't expect a pait job to be perfect. And compared to others I've owned and been around, I'm pretty pleased with this paint. But the real test will be how it looks in a year.

Hope this helps! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks for posting HumThree - glad to see I'm not the only one with a black H3 that's having this problem (not that I'm glad you have scratches too but you know what I mean http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif). I had mine waxed about a month ago and you just can't beat the look of a freshly waxed black car. That being said, it's a bit** to keep clean. I wish there was an easier way (still thinking about that Mr. Clean stuff) but if you want a black car, you have to be willing to deal with problems like this.

[f5fstop]

I won't get involved in a black/white discussion, but I will say the Mr. Clean Auto car wash sucks in my opinion. Tried it a few times on my white Vette and my black Jeep, and then I sent it off to waste management to find its true role...being part of a landfill.

[psywzrd]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by f5fstop:
I won't get involved in a black/white discussion, but I will say the Mr. Clean Auto car wash sucks in my opinion. Tried it a few times on my white Vette and my black Jeep, and then I sent it off to waste management to find its true role...being part of a landfill. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

f5:

I'd be really interested to hear why you hated the Mr. Clean stuff so much. What specifically didn't you like? I have definitely read mixed reviews on it, so I'm certainly not surprised that you hated it. Were the results poor? Difficult application? Any additional info would be great.

[HummerNewbie]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by f5fstop:
I won't get involved in a black/white discussion, but I will say the Mr. Clean Auto car wash sucks in my opinion. Tried it a few times on my white Vette and my black Jeep, and then I sent it off to waste management to find its true role...being part of a landfill. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

What did you dislike about it? I would bet that it isn't the best out there but I sure love the spot free rinse. I am not so worried about the finish of my current SUV but the H3 will be another story so if there is a problem with the system as far a the vehicle finish I would love to hear what you know about it. Guess I am getting a little lazy with this SUV but will happily put more time into washing the H3.

[jp's-h3]

Car Wash detergents are very harsh on any paint.
I used 5-star shine on my H3, Used by the military. this stuff is great, when it's time to wash you just use water. no soap is needed. It is supposed to last for at least 150 washings. so far so good!
I also use cloth diapers, very soft and super absorbent.

[Webb70]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by jp's-h3:
Car Wash detergents are very harsh on any paint.
I used 5-star shine on my H3, Used by the military. this stuff is great, when it's time to wash you just use water. no soap is needed. It is supposed to last for at least 150 washings. so far so good!
I also use cloth diapers, very soft and super absorbent. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Where do you get 5-Star shine, and who makes it?

Thank you.

[jp's-h3]

you can find it at the gmhummer.com web site. you will see it at the right side, click on the link. All of their claims re. the product is true.. (so far that is)!