Which Cleaner should I use?

[andorucojp]

I'm sure the answer to this question is on the forum somewhere I just can't find it. I have an old 1991 VW Passat. It is silver with some medium scratching but no seriously deep ones and no swirls. Th paint still looks shiny on most of the car (sides and roof and trunk) but on the middle of the hood there is a 6 in by 6 in condensed area of bubbles in the paint?

I'm wondering which cleaner I should use on a car that is in this condition. And, if there is anything that can get off these raised bubbles or if the hood is too far towards a paint job.

By the way, I already have QC.

Thanks in Advance

[F-150]

pictures?

[andorucojp]

no sorry. nop pictures but the best i can describe it is in "good" condition. Moderate scratches here and there but no deep ones and no swirling. The bubble on the hood looks like little bumps that have actually discolored the paint slightly.

[Top Down]

Have the bumps always been there? If so, it sounds like orange peel.
The poll is unnecessary since the items on them have very very different uses. It's not like your wax and polish poll where the same process occurs and you use the same technique to accomplish the goal. With that kind of poll, the best end result is a matter of opinion.
Paint cleaners on the other hand are successful depending on many factors and it is not a matter of opinion, but a matter if you corrected it or not. DC1 and ScratchX are to be applied by hand (new ScratchX will work with machine) while medium and heavy cut is meant only for the rotary. DC1 is one of the mildest by hand while ScratchX is most agressive by hand. They all have different cutting ability so they would be used for different situations.
To really answer your question, we need to know what tools you have. If it is orange peel, sounds like you will need to wetsand and then remove the wetsand marks with a rotary; both processes are not recommended for a beginner.

PS Medium Cut number equivalent is #1

[andorucojp]

I was ill informed I thought they could all be used by hand. I do need an opinion from the people who have tried the products and can tell me which one I should use but yeah i guess the poll is unnecessary. But they are kinda fun.
Then I guess my options are even more limited than i thought. I should use either DC1, ScratchX or Fine Cut Cleaner but not the other two. If i don't want to go to harsh but think i'll need more than DC1 than should I go for the Fine Cut cleaner?

Btw, i dont know what orange peel is. In fact never heard of it. So yes, obiously i'm a beginner and shouldnt fix that part myself.

thanks, i think im starting to understand a little better now.

[andorucojp]

They wouldnt let me edit but i forgot to add that my only tools are towels applicators and hands.

[andorucojp]

Can you tell a difference between the DC1 and the #9 swirl remover 2.0 ?

[the other pc]

I voted for ScratchX for the overall cleaning. It's has the most capability of the "by hand" products for scratches and other defects. I always reach for ScratchX first. If it works, it works. If it doesn't I know I'll need a machine.

DC1 is very gentle. I'd only use it for stains, dirt and very light oxidation not scratches or swirls myself. #9 is also very gentle but has more cut. IMHO it's still too gentle to use by hand for any significant scratches or swirls. I only use #9 by machine.

To see what we mean by "orange peel" take a look at some (clean) cars' paint and have a close look at the reflected images. If the paint were perfectly smooth you get a perfect reflection. Factory paint on cars pretty much always has a slight ripple in the image. Some have a lot, some have less. That ripple in the image is caused by the paint having a very slight texture, much like the skin of an orange.


The bubbles are probably some kind of damage. It may be rust beneath the paint pushing up from below. It may be caused by bird droppings or some other aggressive chemical attack. Normally the only way to fix it would be to sand it down, repair any damage to the base metal and shoot new paint.

Getting a spot repair to match adequately is possible but difficult. Most body shops will only repair whole panels.


PC.

[andorucojp]

On an old car that probably has never seen any type of wax polish or cleaner before, which cleaner can I use on the entire car? ScratchX i've heard is only for spot cleaning beacsue it is so strong. Is that true?

Is scratchX more abrasive than #9 or Fine-Cut Cleaner? Which one should I use for the entire car that is not the most abrasive by hand and yet preferably more abrasive than DC1?

[andorucojp]

I went over to Kragen and the man there was able to see the condition of my paint. He said the bumps on the hood would probably be permanent without wetsanding or repainting (just like you said PC). But he said he didn't recommend DC1 or scratchX (they didn't sell #9). He recommended buying their #2 and just to use it once every eighteen months on the whole car.

I found an abrasive scale (if you search "scale" on the forum you'll find it) and it said that #2 was really abrasive. I use everything by hand so it shouldn't be as abrasive as the scale said. I found a website

http://www.miata.net/garage/meguiars.htm

that says to START with the #2 and use by hand OR machine. He seamed really informed. Then again if you google #2 everyone including amazon says NOT RECOMMENDED BY HAND.
I ended up saying foy with it and bought their #2, #7 and #26.

I LOVE THEM!! They all went on easy and off easy and made my car look Amazing! like i had never seen it before! The cleaner was not too abrasive, it was just slightly more abrasive than the DC1, which is exactly what i wanted.

Thanks to Everyone who responded!

[andorucojp]

Originally posted by F-150
pictures?

YES! I got pictures, only two but it shows the bumps i'm talking about.

[andorucojp]

It's seriously enlarged though. The actually blotch of bubblies is about 6in by 8 in.

[the other pc]

Are the "bubbles" perfectly smooth to the touch or can you feel their edges? Do they flex if you press on them? Does the clear appear to be peeling up at all? Is there a difference in texture between the inner areas of each bubble vs. the areas in between them?

The pic looks like clearcoat failure to me, sorry.


PC.

[andorucojp]

They feel bumpy. They feel upraised slightly and maybe a little rougher on the inside of each bump the they do on the outside but each bump is very small. Most except for the longer skinny loking ones are smaller than a pencil eraser and they are upraised about the height of a third the width of a penney, enough to feel like psoriasis if you rub the back of your hand over it. You can see the blotch of bumps from within about 20 ft of the hood and it doesnt look appealing.

I've never heard of clearcoat failure before?
Is there a way to fix it without a body shop?

[andorucojp]

Fianlly! More pictures.







They arent very good pictures but at least they are something.

Most of the car looks pretty good for a 1991 . It's just that one spot.