Product question to remove light scratches

[Brad777]

I noticed that there are some really light scratches on my white 2008 F350 with a few that seem slightly deeper. I'm quite certain I know where they have came from...I'll work to eliminate future problems immediately. None the less, I started working them out last night, beginning with some Scratch X and a bunch of effort...no luck. I stepped it up to a rotary, yellow pad and some swirl remover...no luck. I then went to the red cutting pad and swirl remover...with a lot of effort I began to see results, but still a bunch of work. The light scratches were not coming out easily. I then cleaned the pad and used some fine cut cleaner. Much more effective than the swirl remover, but still seems slow. As a Meguiar's fan, I have some medium cut cleaner, but am somewhat reluctant to start with the cutting pad. I'm thinking the yellow pad may be a better starting point with this product choice. Unfortunately, I've heard a lot of good stuff about 105/205, but don't have any yet. What do you guys think? Any other recommendations? I know patience is key and can appreciate this. I can also appreciate doing test sections to see if the product(s) are effective for the application.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[Tuck91]

Re: Product question to remove light scratches

Might want to pick up some SwirlX and Ultimate Compound and give those a try.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Product question to remove light scratches

Are you saying you went from hand application of ScratchX right into a rotary buffer with M09? Just checking because that's quite a jump, but if you don't have a D/A then, of course, you didn't have a lot of other choices on hand.

What speed were you running the rotary at and how much, if any, pressure were you using? Your observation that M02 Fine Cut Cleaner was more effective than M09 Swirl Remover 2.0 is spot on as M02 is a good bit more aggressive. Obviously M01 Medium Cut Cleaner is going to be a step up from M02 - really about an equal step up to what you've already done. We wouldn't go quite so far as to say you're dealing with hard paint as thus far your approach has been relatively mild. But you have been taking small steps and gaining results along the way, which is a good indicator.

By all means, step into the M01 but start with the yellow pad, at least for a test. Keep your speed around 1500rpm or so and only use light to moderate pressure, erring on the light side. You can generate a lot of heat pretty quickly with a foam pad, especially a foam cutting pad. And keep that pad as flat as possible!

Keep in mind also that M105 will offer a huge step up in cutting ability. While it's a fantastic product, odds are you won't need it to remove the defects you're dealing with right now. But M205, as a finishing polish to bring up a lot of clarity to the finish....... you might want to consider picking up some of that sooner rather than later.

[Brad777]

Re: Product question to remove light scratches

Are you saying you went from hand application of ScratchX right into a rotary buffer with M09? Just checking because that's quite a jump, but if you don't have a D/A then, of course, you didn't have a lot of other choices on hand.

What speed were you running the rotary at and how much, if any, pressure were you using? Your observation that M02 Fine Cut Cleaner was more effective than M09 Swirl Remover 2.0 is spot on as M02 is a good bit more aggressive. Obviously M01 Medium Cut Cleaner is going to be a step up from M02 - really about an equal step up to what you've already done. We wouldn't go quite so far as to say you're dealing with hard paint as thus far your approach has been relatively mild. But you have been taking small steps and gaining results along the way, which is a good indicator.

By all means, step into the M01 but start with the yellow pad, at least for a test. Keep your speed around 1500rpm or so and only use light to moderate pressure, erring on the light side. You can generate a lot of heat pretty quickly with a foam pad, especially a foam cutting pad. And keep that pad as flat as possible!

Keep in mind also that M105 will offer a huge step up in cutting ability. While it's a fantastic product, odds are you won't need it to remove the defects you're dealing with right now. But M205, as a finishing polish to bring up a lot of clarity to the finish....... you might want to consider picking up some of that sooner rather than later.

The reason I went from Scratch X to M09 was due to my lack of products in between. I gave away my M80 to a neighbor and am waiting for my replacement to arrive in the mail. However, the paint does seem really hard so I thought I would give it a shot using the yellow pad to minimize the cut. However, I'm using a speed of about 1500 rpm and some substantial pressure to get any results. I always keep my product shaken up really well and my pads clean after every other product application or so. Hence, my desire to possibly step up to Med Cut Cleaner.

Lucky me, I'm taking half day off vacation today. The weather in Salt Lake is absolutely spectacular today. The current temp is in the low 70s with clear blue sky and no wind. It just doesn't get much better than this. I'm looking forward to getting back on the truck and maximizing it's paint clarity and shine. I will see if someone has some 205 I can get on my way home. Thanks for the advice!