I have had my car one month and took the time to give her a good wash, dry with chamois and waxing but today the paintwork looks great ( but for some odd reason not as good as when I picked it up - I used ArmorAll Car wax ) but when I run my hand over it it feels like it is engrained with tiny sand particles, what the heck could they be and how the heck to I get rid of this "bumpy-feel" to my paintwork? Thanks in advance.<br><br>01 ZX3 2575km

Use NuFinish wax next time alot better and comes out like showroom finish and then wash it once a week and everyday (if you get a chance to) wipe it down with a wet leather chiamos

to get the grit off go get a clay bar form pep boys, ask for one and the yguys there should help you, teh grit is from when your train was carried cross country on a train, it's the fallout from the journey and stuff :)the clay bar should take it right off iwth some elbow grease.

The Fallout is actually stuff kicked up by the train. Either very small shavings of iron from the train wheel and the rail, or other stuff. It settles in the paint ( still soft from the factory)<br>Many new car makers apply a plastic sheet to the car before shipping ( like plastic wrapping a frozen leftover ) and then ship the car. This helps but not completely. One interesting thing is that the cars shipped from over seas have the same problem and they come by ship. Who knows.

Could someone tell me what a clay bar is exactly and will this add swirls if my car should have this same problem?<br>Thanks in advance!<br>=o)<br>~Chelly

If you need touch up paint, you can also buy that at a Ford dealer - in their parts department. I would rather buy the exact paint that the dealer uses, instead of some other competitive brand.

ok.... the 1.9 tranny in auto is crap. there are soooo many things it could be. mine did the same thing and i changed the 2 box looking realys on the passanger side that are mounted to the fire wall. they are right on top. one is for the a/c and the other is for the tranny. i don't know which is which but just play with them. also sheck all the wires on the tranny, my car...if i get the motor wet the tranny slips just cause those wires start to short out. also try changing the oil and addind an oil additive (i used lucas) and is great. well hope this helps. if u do need a new tranny i don't recomend a rebuild cause i did that on my first tranny and it only lasted me 6 months.

I have a 91 escort lx automatic. I am on my third tranny. not really because the trannys are crap, just because of the idiots who own them. When I first bought the car the tranny went out after about a month of driving. it turns out that the transmission fluid had never been changed and the inside of the transmission was destroyed. so I had a rebuilt one put in, after about a month of driving that one went out. I took it back to the transmission place because it was under warranty. it turns out that they had hooked up some of the lines wrong. so I got a free factory rebuilt tranny and instalation and have put on about 15000 miles since then with no problem.