i was washing my xB today. then when i was drying, i notice scratches were at the weirdest place. am i a victim of a vandalism? heres the pics:

long scratch on the hood...






the scratch went from the hood to the fender...



scratch on the fender, right behind the left headlight...


i dont know are these were actually scratches, i kinda believe its just dried gum. but its a pain in the butt to get it off...



scratches on the top...



my bro said to just buff it out using wax...what do you guys think?

 

ouch....

retrace your steps....

i think a wax might get them off...

 

Ouch!!!

 

Are all of the scratches a gummy substance or are they scratches where the paint was scraped
off? The patterns don't look like someone keyed it. Use a clay bar if it's gummy and stuck on. A
nice wax on wax off should do the trick. Good luck!

 

Hmm... those actually look like a bad paint job in some ways. They didnt add enough of the "flex" part to it so it looks like it cracked. I'd think it would be pretty hard to get scratches to look that jagged and perfect at the same time. You might want to look at it a little closer cause it could be a paint defect.

 

looks like gum to me

 

mammoth- well, i just went outside for a moment and found out that the scratch is pretty deep into the paint. so i guess those aren't gum...any ideas what kind of wax should i buy?

Silencei2- the scratches wasn't there last time i washed the xB. what are the signs of a paint defect?

 

looks like it's on the plastic grill too. if so, i would think it'd be some kind of substance on top, not a deep scratch. i don't think a scratch would show up white on the black plastic grill.

 

yeah, its on the grill too. i just cant figure out what kind of substance it is (other than the scratch). cant be gum because i had gum on my xB before and it was easy to clean it off...

 

Looks like key marks to me. I have the same ones on my hood... Freakin haters. Looks like gum as well...but like you said its not so try wax and it that doesn't work, and it bothers you that much, go to the body shop.

 

I have had this stuff on my xb also. It is a glue substance of some kind I think. It is rather hard to get off but it does. It first appears to be a scratch but if you feel it, it lays on top of the paint. Just get some Meguires Scratch X or KIT scracth remover and that should take it off.

 

If it is gummy feeling then it is the adhesive line from the shrink wrap line from transportation. It will wax right off.

 

some compound will take that right off.

 

Bah!!!

What the HELL are you guys talking about!!

YOU DON'T WAX OVER PROBLEMS!!!!

Wax is for protecting paint!!!

You need to clean the paint, polish it, THEN WAX!!

READ READ READ READ READ READ READ!

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums...&threadid=2409

You can even watch videos!

http://www.adamspolishes.com/videos/

Just please don't protect a scratch by waxing over it.
FIX THE PROBLEM, then wax to protect your paint!

 

Unfortunately, you may have ____ed someone off somewhere in your travels. We live in a world of imaturity, it's painfull to see something like this. Get some body work done and move on my friend.

 

Actually i got this stuff on my car somewhere too. I had to sit down with a razor blade real careful at some places. I think it was some type of road filler goop. But don't quote me on that.

 

Are you "sure" you didn't drive thru something and it spread?? Those don't really look like scratches and my scratches on my fender part are black underneath. Come to think of it the ones on my hood are too. Even my rock chips are black under.

I wouldn't suggest waxing them off Id try GOO GONE first and see IF that helps then move on to another option. Wax is to protect and I dont think you want to protect that right?

GOOD LUCK!! :D

 

I would bring it down to a local body shop for a FREE ESTIMATE.

They would know best if its's gum, sap, road crap, whatever..

If it's anything but a scratch, they will tell you what to use to remove them.

If by chance they are scratches, get an estimate for the repairs.

The damage might be covered through your auto insurance if you want to go this route.

Good luck, and let us know what caused it........

 

Lonely Raven- thanks for the link.

LVScionGal- i heard of GOO GONE before, do you think its safe on the paint?

i will try both of your recommended products and hopefully those will work.

on the waxing part, yeah, i was wondering the same thing when my brother told me to buff it out with wax.

if all else fails, i guess i will take it to a local body shop for a free estimate. i could just drive around with that scratches on, it doesnt hurt my feelings...

 

I used Goo Gone when I debadged the rear of my xB. I used it to take off the residual 3M adhesive. It worked like a charm and didn't damage my paint at all.

I'd say take it in for a free estimate. I can't help but think that it's gum, simply because if goes through the grilles and everything. Best of luck.