Have you seen/removed this? (pic)

[radkonn]

I bought this car last December and didn't notice any of these paint defects. Now, they are all over my front bumper. Is it cracks in my clear coat from road debris? I thought they were bug guts at first, but I can't remove them. I tried some bug remover with no luck. I read off another forum to use old dryer sheets. I tried it on one of them (scared that it would scratch paint) and it removed most of it. Is there anything else I should try? I'm planning on doing the following steps.

Clay Magic
ScratchX (only on certain spots)
DC#1
DC #2
NXT tech wax

[radkonn]

Resize

[Don]

Looks like a combination of rock chips and bug splatters that turned acidic & ate through the paint, I don't know about the clay magic, but the Scratch-X may help.

[radkonn]

I'll try the scratchX on them and see what happens. Is it normal for bug guts to eat through the paint so quickly? When I bought the vehicle in December, I didn't notice any paint defects. Now, they are all over the front bumper. I'm guessing scratchx would be a more aggressive approach than any bug and tar remover. Thus, should I try another bug and tar remover for a less aggressive approach? I'm guessing if the paint is already damaged there isn't much I can do.

[radkonn]

Originally posted by Don
Looks like a combination of rock chips and bug splatters that turned acidic & ate through the paint, I don't know about the clay magic, but the Scratch-X may help.

I agree with you on the bottom long defect. I took a look at it closely and noticed it was pretty badly damaged. The other stuff is all over the front bumper. I was reading on Autopia that bug guts will cause etching. Is that what I have? Does scratchX do anything for paint etching?

[Don]

It might level it out some, make it less noticable

[radkonn]

need further assistance

Here are the steps I did to the bumper so far.

Bug and Tar remover
Clayed (Clay Magic Blue)
ScratchX
DC1
DC2
NXT

The bug and tar remover removed a lot of it to my suprise. The clay didn't do much to it, and the ScratchX worked well on the small blemishes. I got pretty good results, and I was just going to leave it until I read that you some people put 8 applications of ScratchX on. Also, I can feel the etching with my fingernail. Is there anything stronger than ScratchX that I can use? I used about 3 or 4 applications of scratchx and didn't see any more of a difference. I used a terry cloth which I thought would be more aggressive than a foam applicator. Is this correct? I'm thinking I can make it a lot less noticable with your help. I just need someone to point me in the right direction.

Thanks


This is another pic of the problem before I started anything.

[benhui86]

HEY!!! i know that photo looked familiar from somewhere hahaha that was the same truck from the frontier forums

[radkonn]

Yeah, it is a Frontier, and I still have the same problem. Can anyone help?

[benhui86]

try scratch X... if that dont work... try some touch up paint then rub it down w/ rubbing compund.... then use scratch X to get rid of the swirls left by the rubbing compound

[radkonn]

After ScratchX

Here is what the bumper looks like after I applied Scratchx. It actually took a long time because I worked the product in aggressively. After about 8 applications to the defects, I didn't see a noticable difference between applications.







Unfortunately, it is still noticable. Is there anything more aggressive that I can apply by hand? If not, should I invest in a PC and try another Meguiars product? I don't think I'll be able to correct it totally, but I was hoping I could do better.

[radkonn]

Now, the defects are really starting to bother me. Can someone give me my next best step?

Should I

1. Buy a PC and a more aggressive Meguiars product.
2. Take it to a professional detailer.

OR

3. Take it to a body shop and get an estimate on repair.

Would a PC do a better job than ScratchX by hand or would it be a waste of time and money?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.