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Removal of Fine Sunlight-Only Scratches

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  • #1

    Removal of Fine Sunlight-Only Scratches

    Hello, this is my first post here, but I've been using Meguiars products for years now, but I'm rather new to detailing.

    A couple of years ago, I purchased a Porter Cable 7424XP, and since then have taken a real interest in car detailing. I'm mostly using consumer Meguiars products like Ultimate Compound, Ultimate Polish, SwirlX, NXT Liquid Wax, and the Clay Bar Kit. I also use Show Car Glaze on my details before waxing.

    My problem is that even after having lots of success with detailing past vehicles, and the vehicles of family and friends, I cannot seem to get my own personal car looking great. The problem is that it has many, many fine scratches in the clear-coat that only appear during a bright, sunny day, especially in direct sunlight. On a cloudy day, or at night, the car looks great. I'm guessing the previous owner tried brushing snow off the car with a dirty push broom, as the scratches are mostly on the horizontal surfaces of the car. Nothing a nail could ever catch on, though...

    I've removed bonded contaminants, used Ultimate Polish, Ultimate Compound, and even SwirlX on the paint, and nothing seems to cut through the fine scratches. I originally bought the Dual Action to remove the scratches on my car, but I eventually gave up thinking that only a high-speed buffer and some mud would cut through the scratches.

    I haven't tried any of Meguiar's professional liquid compounds, like Ultra-Cut or Speed-Cut as I thought they were for high-speed buffers only. After reading the website here, I see they can also be used with Dual-Action Orbitals, too.

    I'm sure I could wet-sand the car and go from there, but I'd rather use a compound if I can achieve the same outcome. Any ideas about compound selection with the equipment I have? Will anything help me out?

    Thanks,
    Nick
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: Removal of Fine Sunlight-Only Scratches

    Not saying there's something wrong with your technique, but did you use the same technique/pad compound combinations? Or could it be that your paint is on the soft side and after a short period of time the oils in the compounding/polishing steps were removed and revealed some marring that may have occured but not noticed initally?

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    • #3
      Re: Removal of Fine Sunlight-Only Scratches

      The new meguiars MF da system might do the trick. Rotary results with a da!

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: Removal of Fine Sunlight-Only Scratches

        I'm open to new ideas... I think the issue I've had is that the paint on the vehicles that I've detailed was in better shape than mine. No one's paint was as scratched as mine was, so their cars looked great after compounding, polishing, glazing and what not, but that same routine wasn't enough for my paint. My car has had these scratches ever since I purchased it; I just haven't found a way to effectively remove them.

        By the way, I have the Porter Cable DA Orbital, and I use Lake Country CCS Foam Pads.

        Thanks Omega! I will definitely look into that microfiber system.

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        • #5
          Re: Removal of Fine Sunlight-Only Scratches

          Some photos would help.

          You should be able to remove the swirls using your UC via DA.

          The first thing would be to check your technique with the UC. Tell us a bit about how you were appying it.

          If your technique was fine, then it could be that you have either:

          - Very hard paint and the UC doesn't have enough cut to level out the swirls; or
          - Very soft paint and the UC is marring your paint (leaving swirls of its own).
          Originally posted by Blueline
          I own a silver vehicle and a black vehicle owns me. The black one demands attention, washing, detailing, waxing and an occasional dinner out at a nice restaurant. The silver one demands nothing and it looks just fine. I think the black vehicle is taking advantage of me, and the silver car is more my style. We can go out for a drive without her makeup and she looks fine. If I want to take the black one out, it is three or four hours in the "bathroom" to get ready.

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          • #6
            Re: Removal of Fine Sunlight-Only Scratches

            Thanks, I should be able to snap some close macro shots tomorrow.

            With the Ultimate Compound, I worked in 2' x 2' squares, spreading the compound (about the size of a quarter on the middle of the pad), and slowly working in straight lines up and down the panel. After finishing in one direction, I went perpendicular to the previous passes, continuing until the compound was translucent. I would put moderate pressure on the polisher, and it was on speed 6. Is there a better way of working with the UC?

            This is General Motors factory clear-coat paint. The scratches are ALL linear... They run in the same direction (which, I think, is why they are so noticeable). There's almost no swirl marks to mention, as the first polishings that I performed on the car removed them.

            For now, however, here's my Light Antelope Olds (98K miles) (the car in question), and Polo Green Caddy (117K miles). I also detailed the Black Currant Accord (148K miles). Both the Caddy and Accord came out beautifully, but didn't have anywhere near the paint damage as the Olds. I will post pictures tomorrow of the clear-coat scratching, and the difference that a bright sunny day can make.









            Thanks,
            Nick

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            • #7
              Re: Removal of Fine Sunlight-Only Scratches

              Hmm, sounds like you've basically got the technique with the DA right, although what was your arm speed? You need to slow it RIGHT down for defect removal.

              Oh, and probably shrink your work area down to more like 1' x 1'.
              Originally posted by Blueline
              I own a silver vehicle and a black vehicle owns me. The black one demands attention, washing, detailing, waxing and an occasional dinner out at a nice restaurant. The silver one demands nothing and it looks just fine. I think the black vehicle is taking advantage of me, and the silver car is more my style. We can go out for a drive without her makeup and she looks fine. If I want to take the black one out, it is three or four hours in the "bathroom" to get ready.

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: Removal of Fine Sunlight-Only Scratches

                Yeah, slow down, shrink down... and maybe a little more product. Try a bead around the edge of the pad, not a dot in the middle.
                2017 Subaru WRX Premium - WR Blue

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                • #9
                  Re: Removal of Fine Sunlight-Only Scratches

                  Sure thing! I'll try putting the compound around the edge, and slow my arm movement down.

                  Here are some pictures of the paint I took today. I could only get the scratches to show up if I looked at them with the sun to my back. When the sun is shining towards me, the scratches can't be seen well. Boy, do these pictures exaggerate the scratches!













                  Like I said, none of these scratches can be felt after claying the car, and certainly won't catch a fingernail. That is why I thought I should've gotten at least some success with the Porter Cable.

                  Thanks for the help,
                  Nick

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                  • #10
                    Re: Removal of Fine Sunlight-Only Scratches

                    Woah, they do look nastier than I imagined.

                    They almost look as if you should be able to feel them with your fingernail, although you say you can't. I wonder if they're underneath the clearcoat?
                    Originally posted by Blueline
                    I own a silver vehicle and a black vehicle owns me. The black one demands attention, washing, detailing, waxing and an occasional dinner out at a nice restaurant. The silver one demands nothing and it looks just fine. I think the black vehicle is taking advantage of me, and the silver car is more my style. We can go out for a drive without her makeup and she looks fine. If I want to take the black one out, it is three or four hours in the "bathroom" to get ready.

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: Removal of Fine Sunlight-Only Scratches

                      Originally posted by davey g-force View Post
                      Woah, they do look nastier than I imagined.

                      They almost look as if you should be able to feel them with your fingernail, although you say you can't. I wonder if they're underneath the clearcoat?

                      Exactly, but unfortunately that's not the case... These are very light scratches, but they are going in one direction, and not like a swirl... That's why from certain angles the sun reflects off of them and they become so noticeable.

                      I purchased the car on an overcast day... I didn't even see a quarter of the scratches.

                      Nick

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                      • #12
                        Re: Removal of Fine Sunlight-Only Scratches

                        Looks to me like car wash brush scratches.....
                        Black......the ONLY color!

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                        • #13
                          Re: Removal of Fine Sunlight-Only Scratches

                          Originally posted by SVT Lightning View Post
                          Looks to me like car wash brush scratches.....
                          Hmm. Never thought about that, but it's certainly possible. With all the snow we get up here, I thought it was someone brushing snow off the car with a dirty push broom.

                          I might try the UC again on the hood or roof, but only doing a small 1 foot section at a time, and see if it's worth doing the whole car again.

                          Nick

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                          • #14
                            Re: Removal of Fine Sunlight-Only Scratches

                            The reason I say that is because they all run in the same direction as a rotating brush would. Are they more pronounced on the roof than the hood and trunk?
                            Black......the ONLY color!

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                            • #15
                              Re: Removal of Fine Sunlight-Only Scratches

                              That's true, but what kind of car wash could do this kind of paint damage??? I can see a few scratches, but it's like they were spraying the car down with mud, and then washing...

                              The hood is the worst. Then it's the roof, tops of the front fenders, trunk lid, and then the doors (very slight, they aren't as noticeable because the door is vertical.)

                              I'm going to be selling the car, so I am trying to get the paint looking nicer beforehand. Unless, that is, I am supremely lucky, and I can make the sale on a cloudy or rainy day!

                              Nick

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