So I very proudly used my new car as part of the wedding car procession. I even spent ages cleaning it on Friday and on Saturday morning I put the ribbon on and it looked like this...

Now the day went really well but this morning I went to remove the ribbons from the car and found this...

Due to the weather today I have been unable to check over the whole of the bonnet properly or the mirrors but its fair to say that I am a bit gutted

I have tried a quick go with some AG SRP and it has cleared some of the lighter marring but there are some definite scratches. I will have to try something a little bit more abrasive when its not raining! I really did not expect ribbon to be able to damage paintwork- its relatively soft, the sort that you can buy at a florist.

I guess I am just posting this as a warning to others and to rant.

Been there done that

It is when the ribbon buffets in the wind that does the damage, what you should have done is place a thick piece of sponge under the front to lift the ribbon off the paint and then tied the ribbon to the roof rails… again making sure that wherever the ribbon could touch the paintwork was protected.

I doubt whether SRP will remove them it has fillers in it so they will appear to have been reduced, but once the SRP has been washed off the scratches will reappear.

Ideally you need the bonnet polishing by machine.

I doubt SRP will get rid of that either, but pretty sure a DA or rotary machine would polish that out.

As above. SRP will just hide some of the scratches rather than remove them (it does remove some I give it that), put your going to need something without fillers so you know where you stand with them. Do you have any other polishes. P1 with a tri-foam pad would remove these easily.

I also have experienced that recently - my uncle used a different ribbon that was actually cotton with no issue.

You will need to polish polish polish and it WILL come out - I used black color magic followed by PoorBoys Black Hole then some Collinite - gone!

HTH

Machine polish or DA will be the easiest way to remove those marks, you will have them not on on the bonnet but also on the A-Pillars and around your wing mirrors.

Good idea at the time maybe.........:(

Machine polish or DA will be the easiest way to remove those marks, you will have them not on on the bonnet but also on the A-Pillars and around your wing mirrors.

Good idea at the time maybe......... :(

+1

It's a more common problem than you think.

It could have been much worse. You can't believe how much damage polyester-based ribbons can do when they get wet or if the roads have been gritted, they can turn into sandpaper :( 

sorry for a silly question but i love using AG.SRP so what is "fillers"..? :think:

Slightly off topic, but the car looks lovely!

sorry for a silly question but i love using AG.SRP so what is "fillers"..? :think:

Fillers act like womens foundation make up, they fill the ridges or the scratch, often with a very fine silicone softening the look so it looks smooth. However fillers can breakdown over time or evaporate with sunlight or even be warn away with rain. I find it okay as a temporary measure until you can get it removed properly.

Slightly off topic, but the car looks lovely!

Thanks-It did look good at the time but I am still steaming about the damage now!

Damage doesnt look to bad to be fair it would be easy to get out by a fine polish.

Big thanks to svend for sending me some p1 and p2 so that I can try and fix this. I really appreciate this and soon as its dry enough to give it a go I shall post some pictures of the results. Svend, After what has been a particularly difficult week for me you have restored my faith in human kindness. Thank you

No worries fella. Sorry to hear you've had a difficult week.

Hope it comes up well because it looks stunning! Great work all round

Edited 23 March, 201313 yr by Dexter619

Looks fixable, which is good! A good machine polish should whip that off with no issues.

Like previous answers, a little machine polish will remove the marks with no issues.

Problem is I don't own a machine polisher, nor have I ever used one. I've been reading up on the detailing world forum and I have to admit that I'm a bit lost as to what to buy. I know that everyone has their own opinions and I guess as long as @he end product looks good, it does not matter but there are soo many products and everyone seems to offer differing advice. Svend very kindly sent me some samples of p1 and p2 that I was going to try by hand first. I have to admit that I have always wanted to machine polish to be able to correct other paintwork. I'm in the process of restoring 2 classic minis and both could do with a good polish!

P1 by hand with a tri-foam pad gives great results, can be hard work but really worth it. A machine polisher both rotary or dual action can be of help but if your only going to be doing your own car may not be worth the expense of the machine and the array of pads needed.

Quick hand polish, about 5-15 minutes per panel (depending on panel size).

Forgive me, Svend, but I cant tell which side has been done and which hasn't. (They both look fabulous!) What is the blue tape for?

Left side Mike

The masking tape is to stop polish from damaging the plastic trim

Left side Mike

The masking tape is to stop polish from damaging the plastic trim

Thanks, Chris.

Forgive me, Svend, but I cant tell which side has been done and which hasn't. (They both look fabulous!) What is the blue tape for?

That was a quick two minute hit on a Sapphire Black BMW X3 front nearside wing to illustrate the benefits of polishing a car, the benefits of P1 by hand and the damage that car washes do to a car. But cheers for the comment.

Wow, I had a chance to get out today and what a result. The P1 that Svend sent me has removed all of the damage by hand using a foam applicator. I am seriously impressed with the results and very grateful for Svend sending me the product. So much so that I have splashed out and become a freedom member (I know that does not give anything back to Svend but im really impressed with the friendly atmosphere on here). Thanks for your help

Welcome to the slippery slope of car detailing.