Advice on removing scratches / swirls

[swamper8]

Good afternoon everyone,
I came across this website and consider it the holy grail of information. Having said that I still haven't found the exact post/thread which will walk me step by step (tools/products/technique) through removing scratches/swirls from my car. I did watch the 5 youtube videos on colorsanding/buffing (machine buffing) but think maybe a DA will be better for me.
I recently purchased a 05' Altima, and the car has tons of light scratches/scuffs and swirls. Very few (if any) catch my nail if I run it over the scratch, so I figure these are just in the clear coat only.
From reading other posts, this is what I figure I need to do:
1.) Wash and dry the area where I will be working

2.) Possibly use a chemical to remove wax from the car? (I did not read this but it was suggested to me by a local automotive paint dealer)

3.) Clay bar the vehicle to remove surface impurities/contaminants

4.) Use DA or machine to remove swirls and scratches

5.) Glaze and/or wax vehicle to protect work

My biggest question mark is do I use a DA? If so what pads / compounds do I start with and which do I finish with? What is the step by step process to do this (I.E. do I need to clean the surface with a special cleaner between the polish stage and wax stage? or between the clay bar stage and cut/polish stage etc.)

I'm sure there's a thread somewhere that I haven't come across yet, there's just a HUGE amount of material to surf through on this site!

[Murr1525]

Re: Advice on removing scratches / swirls

1. Wash - Godo quality car wash, 2 buckets, quality towels/sponges ,etc.

2. No

3. Clay - Smooth Surface Clay kit

4. Clean - Using a DA, or working by hand is up to you. You dont want one of the $15 buffers from Walmart, so you are either going to want to work by hand, or look into a G110/PC7424 that is in the ~$150 range. There would be nothing wrong with going out and buying a bottle of Ultimate Compound and some applicators, and doing a test spot/panel. You might find your paint is easy to work on, or you might find you need a machine....

5. Polish - Using a pure polish or glaze is optional. #7 Show Car Glaze is pretty top of the line, though Deep Crystal Polish is pretty quick and easy to use.

6. Wax - 2 thin coats of wax are best. Nxt 2.0 is a good choice.

Here are some other random links, which hopefully will help. Yeah, there are a few new products, but the basic techniques remain the same.

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle
Step 1 Wash
Step 2 Clean
Step 3 Polish
Step 4 Protect
Step 5 Maintain

Suggested Products for Taking Care of a New Car

How to Wash Your Car Show Car Style

What it Means to Remove a Scratch

How To Remove Swirls By Hand

How To Remove a Bird Dropping Etching by Hand using M105 Ultra Cut Compound

How to correctly apply ScratchX to remove swirls and scratches

Rotary vs. PC vs. Regular Orbital Buffer

Recommended Products - G100a Dual Action Polisher

Using the G-100 to remove swirls with the Professional Line

1986 Ford Bronco II - Extreme Makeover

Each one, teach one... Ferrari Fiorano 355 F1 Spider

[swamper8]

Re: Advice on removing scratches / swirls

Wow thanks! That's good info. I found a little more myself. I will follow your steps. I've been eyeballing a 110 anyway, can you recommend pads and cleaner/polishers?

I thought maybe a M83 cleaner/polisher (I've got a lot of scratches), then move to a M80, then think about waxing? Would I need a additional step between the M80 and waxing? (like scratchX or something) If these are good substances, what pads would you recommend? Would a w-8006 foam pad work for both the M83 and M80? Do I need a more aggressive pad with the M83 and a softer pad with the M80?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Advice on removing scratches / swirls

Instead of using M83 and M80, maybe give our new Ultimate Compound and SwirlX a try instead?

You use them the same way and their available at most auto parts stores...

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Advice on removing scratches / swirls

Meguiar's always teaches,

"Use the least aggressive product to get the job done"

The key factor to a scratch is its depth. The way you remove scratches is to remove some paint off the surface until you level the surface with lowest portion of the deepest scratches.

From Hot Topics

What it means to remove a scratch out of anything...

So start with SwirlX and one of our yellow foam polishing pads and polish out a section about 16" square or so... then inspect your results in good lighting and see if the defects you're trying to remove have been removed as compared to the paint surrounding your test spot, and then make sure the paint is clear and glossy. If it is, you just dialed in a process you can successfully use around the rest of the car. If you're not seeing the results you want then post back here what you're seeing.

Be sure to read these,

How To use: G110 - G220 - G100 - PC/Porter Cable - UDM
If you're moving up to machine polishing, be sure to read the below thread before starting...
Tips & Techniques for using the G110, G100, G220 and the PC Dual Action Polisher
(These are all similar tools)

Using the G-100 to remove swirls with the Professional Line

Cleaning Your Pad On The Fly

Which products need to dry before removing?

How to tape-off a car

How to apply product to the face of your foam buffing pads

The Swipe Test

Final Wiping Techniques

How to maintain your car's finish in-between polishing sessions

How-To capture swirls, scratches, etchings and other surface defects with your camera

Then go do some of this -->

[swamper8]

Re: Advice on removing scratches / swirls

Instead of using M83 and M80, maybe give our new Ultimate Compound and SwirlX a try instead?

You use them the same way and their available at most auto parts stores...

OK thanks. Do you have pad recommendations for ultimate compound and swirlX? Which one is more aggressive (Which one would I use first?) Do I need to clean the surface between these products or just wipe down?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Advice on removing scratches / swirls

OK thanks. Do you have pad recommendations for ultimate compound and swirlX? Which one is more aggressive (Which one would I use first?) Do I need to clean the surface between these products or just wipe down?

A normal procedure would be to,

Wash & Dry car
Clay paint
Do Test Spot
Go over paint with Ultimate Compound
Go over the paint with SwirlX
Apply your favorite wax or paint sealant


Swirl and Scratch Removers
Ultimate Compound
SwirlX


Most aggressive to least aggressive -->



Washable 7" Soft Buff 2.0 Foam Pads
W8207 - Washable Foam Polishing Pad
W9207 - Washable Foam Finishing Pad

[Murr1525]

Re: Advice on removing scratches / swirls

The test spot Mike refered to would be Swirlx first, to see if it was enough to do the job. If not, then try Ultimate Compound. See what you need, before going over the whole car.

[swamper8]

Re: Advice on removing scratches / swirls

Ok, things are coming together for me. I went to walmart and bought detailer, car wash, ultimate compound & swirlX. (all meguiar's)

Questions:
1.) The two pads listed above. Can I use either pad for either compound or is the W8207 more aggressive (ultimate compound) and the 9207 less agressive (swirlX) ??

2.) Do I wipe down between using these two products?

[Murr1525]

Re: Advice on removing scratches / swirls

1. In 99% of cases, you would use the 8207 pad for both products, and the 9207 pad for the wax.

Just do a test spot to make sure. If you cant get it perfect, then you take some pics, and come back here and ask questions.

2. No, not really, unless you find you are working slow and the car is getting dirty/dusty.

[roger 668]

Re: Advice on removing scratches / swirls

Experience and patience.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Advice on removing scratches / swirls

If you are going to do the work by hand, try a regular foam applicato. Those pads in the picture are for a G100/110.

I

[swamper8]

Re: Advice on removing scratches / swirls

OK, well I Finally got around to working on my car last night. I used a G110 DA, W8207 foam pad and Meguiar's Ultimate Compound. I washed/dried the hood/front fenders, then clayed them. After that I taped off lights etc and had at it with the DA.

I wound up using almost a whole bottle of Ultimate Compound on just the hood and front fenders. I made many many passes over the area. And, while it looks 1000 times better, the UC didn't even come close to taking out even the most mild scratches. That's a noodle scratcher for me because even though I know the DA's don't work miracles, I figured it'd be able to take out some of the lighter scratches. Or perhaps I just don't know what a light scratch really is.

Anyways, is my only option now to move to a rotary buffer with cutting pads/compounds (suggestions welcome) or is there something else I can do with my DA?
Should I try applying either the UC or SwirlX by hand to the scratches in 5 - 10 applications, then go back over with my DA?

Thanks

[xantonin]

Re: Advice on removing scratches / swirls

Personally I'd try by hand because you can focus your pressure towards the scratch more.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Advice on removing scratches / swirls

And, while it looks 1000 times better, the UC didn't even come close to taking out even the most mild scratches.

Removing scratches mean removing paint, so what you're saying is you didn't remove enough paint to remove the mild and deeper scratches but you did remove enough paint to remove the lighter or shallow scratches?


Recently, a new member posted a video of him using the G110 for the first time and asked us to critique his technique which we did. Below is the link to the thread, watch the video and the read our critique, see if by chance you might be making some of the mistakes he made.


Critique My Technique