Helping the New Guy

[civicfnatic]

Hey Guys....Im new to this forum and just wanted to ask you guys for your expert opinions.

I have a 2000 Honda Civic Si that i bought awhile back and even though the previous owner was good to it, the paint could definitely use a good detail, and I dont have a lot of experience. It has lots of little surface scratches everywhere and on the trunk lid and roof even deeper scratches. My question is, should i just use quik clay and scratch-x to remove these or do i need to get something a little more abrasive? You might think its silly but i have seen some fairly new cars, and heard the owners using some professional products on what seems to be minor surface scratches....im just confused. Ill try to get pictures up but here in VA there is a lot of storms coming our way. Thanks for your help!

[Kickin Griffin]

Are you planning on detailing by hand or machine?

If by hand, then I would recommend using a product with any more cut than ScratchX as it is very hard to generate enough heat break down more abbrassive polishes (such as Meguiars #83 or Meguiars #80) and work them effectively. By machine, the Meguiars Mirror Glaze line of polishes are definitely recommended for sorting out surface imperfections. But, by hand, I would try going down the route of chemically masking the swirls and filling them in order to hide them as by hand this will achieve easier results...

I would tend to go for the following applied by hand:

Wash - any good quality Meguiars car shampoo

Clay - Meguiars Quick Clay, use finger light pressure when using clay, work on small areas at a time and keep the surface well lubed with the accompanying Quik Detailer. Very often, knead the lay to a clean side. Wipe away the remaining lube with a microfibre towel. This will remove surface contaminants from the paint leaving it silky smooth, and polsihes, cleansers and waxes apply with more ease and better results to smooth paintwork.

Chemical Cleanse - Meguiars Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner, work this well into the paint with medium pressure on a sponge applicator pad, apply in circular motions. Don't let the residue dry on paint, so work on small areas at a time (half a bonnet tops) and remove the residue straight away. Apply this to the whole car. Then stand back and examine the finish - any areas that in your eyes require further treatment (more severe scratches), apply Meguiars ScratchX to - work this well into the paint as with DC Paint Cleaner above, and again remove the residue before it dries (though it says on the bottle to let residue dry, I find it a pig to remove when dry and easy when wet). Be prepared to repeat your ScratchX application a few times - but perservere with it and it will take the marks out, honest!

Fill & Seal - Meguiars NXT Tech Wax - contains mils cleaners and fillers which will further help to mask the appearance of fine scratches and swirls - apply a thin even coat of this to the whole car and allow residue to dry, then buff off with a microfibre towel. If you like, apply a second coat 24hrs later - this is mostly to ensure even coverage, you wont see much difference in depth and clarity of shine with a second coat, it just ensures even coverage. And at this stage, you could stop cause the paint is sealed nicely...

... But I would be tempted to top this with a "pure wax" like Meguiars #16 or #26 as the icing on the cake - both waxes leave a nice gloss behind and give a nice durable finish (last a couple of months in Scottish weather!). Apply like NXT - nice thin layer, allow to dry and buff off. I find #16 works best on light colours like white and silver, and #26 works best on darks like red and black.

Hope that helps a wee bit. If you're planning on applying by machine, then I will recommend a route by machine, just let me know!

KG