2 Questions about paint scratches and exterior plastic

[New-newbie]

Do you guys think that the scratch X 2.0 will get these scratches out? I guess the previous owner had long fingernails. I assume they are just surfaces scratches.

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This is what it looks like on all four door handles.

My other question is what can I use to make this look right again. I guess these are hard water spots.
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[Daniel Kinder]

Re: 2 Questions about paint scratches and exterior plastic

to MOL

For the scratch's try the scratchX by hand, remember technique is everything and depending on how deep they are and how hard the clear coats is often times you have to apply 2 and sometimes 3 applications to remove the swirls or scratch's and try a couple applications with scratchX and if that doesn't remove them, the next step is to try the next aggressive product and in this case it is Ultimate Compound (UC). But it would be safe to say that the new scratchX 2.0 with the SMAT technology will get the job done and another great product to keep at hand in your arsenal!

Found you a great write up to not only show you how to remove a swirl/scratch but break it all down and explain it.

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?7011-How-To-Remove-Swirls-By-Hand&highlight=

And as for your water spots give this a read, should help clear things up and get you started and bringing your paint to the next level and you as well!

Any if you need any more info just ask we are all on here to help our fellow OCD buddies

[The Guz]

Re: 2 Questions about paint scratches and exterior plastic

If those area's are plastic some all purpose cleaner would be a good place to start to clean up the plastic or maybe something like M39. Then you can follow up with a trim dressing like ultimate black.

[New-newbie]

Re: 2 Questions about paint scratches and exterior plastic

to MOL



And as for your water spots give this a read, should help clear things up and get you started and bringing your paint to the next level and you as well!

Any if you need any more info just ask we are all on here to help our fellow OCD buddies

Thanks guys for the replies and welcome. I think that you may have forgotten to put in the link about the water spots. I am going to pick up some scratch x soon.
The guz- I checked on that m39. Those water spots are driving me crazy so theyll be first on the list of things to go!

[Murr1525]

Re: 2 Questions about paint scratches and exterior plastic

I'd just by the bottle of UC right away.... With door handles, often end up working by hand anyway, and can focus on the area at least. Just don't go with too much pressure on a tiny area, try to spread out a bit.

As far as that plastic, if it is smooth and not textured, can UC that as well....

[Detailing by M]

Re: 2 Questions about paint scratches and exterior plastic

Door handles, M105 on a MFT and your done
Plastic, M205, yellow polishing pad, see how it comes out. It usually works
Trim, dress it, over and over again until the oils are replaced

[Daniel Kinder]

Re: 2 Questions about paint scratches and exterior plastic

Thanks guys for the replies and welcome. I think that you may have forgotten to put in the link about the water spots. I am going to pick up some scratch x soon.
The guz- I checked on that m39. Those water spots are driving me crazy so theyll be first on the list of things to go!

Sorry buddy, here's the link on water spots.

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?4891-How-To-Remove-Water-Spots

Also the others have given good advice but give this product a try, I think it will correct your issues and be your go to for interior and exterior plastics. Remember technique is everything when it comes to getting the most from a product and Tim Lingor is one of the best at finding and sharing them with us!

***Lab Sample P = Ultimate Protectant***

Re: Tim Lingor's *New* "Lab Sample P" Review!

Morning,

Well, I wanted to post this as part of the original post to keep it congruent and professional looking, but here it is anyway...

Having spent some time playing with Lab Sample P, I have discovered a few interesting traits and have drawn a few conclusions though I still reserve my final judgement for long term durability until after I have observed it over a period of time.

As I said in my original review, the Lab Sample P did a terrific job on interior plastics, making them look clean without out the greasy feeling usually associated with dressings. However, what I have discovered is that the Lab Sample P can on certain plastics leave a little too glossy of a finish requiring a quick wipe down with a MF towel. So while on most plastics, it leaves a beautiful low sheen finish, on other plastics, it, like most dressings, leaves a little too glossy of a finish for my tastes. Therefore as I said above, this necessitates a wipe down with a MF towel. This is not a negative against the product but rather a heads-up so that a person does not expect one thing and then gets another as his/her vehicle's plastics may be the ones that allow a high gloss finish to occur. This means the amount of gloss is vehicle specific and there is no way to enusre a product can perform the same on each and every vehicle's interior plastics.

With that said, having used the Lab Sample P on may exterior plastics, here too I have found the same characteristics noted above, although a couple of other areas also showed themselves.

Because my truck sits outside 24/7, in extreme heat, extreme cold and because I use it for camping and fishing, the plastic inserts on my bumper are now a little weathered on my 1999 Ford Super Duty. I figured this would be a good test for the new dressing.

*Please note: I did not pre-clean these plastic inserts on the bumper prior to using the Lab Sample P. That does not mean dirty but rather was not thoroughly cleaned with a plastic cleaner first. So while they look severely weathered, alas they are not. Had I pre-cleaned them with APC+ or M39, they would have been a whole lot cleaner than in the photos!

I have received some comments and have read posts where people can not believe I would have something this weathered. Again, they were not cleaned first and to be frank, they look pretty darn good for a 10 year old daily driven truck that sits outside 24/7!

Part of any test requires that a product's characteristics be considered. In this case, I wanted to test out the Lab Sample P's cleaning and it restorative ability ofexterior plastics. In the below photos, you will see that the Lab Sample P did an outstanding job of both cleaning and restoring the plastic to a like new condition. The finish is clean, and again, not very greasy norslippery.

This last point I need to elaborate on. Because my truck sits up so high, I must step on the bumper in order to gain access to tie-down straps etc for my aluminum boat. Often after I have applied a dressing to the plastic insert, I have stepped up and almost broke my neck as my shoes skidded off the plastic! If your shoes are wet or there is water on top of regular dressing, it is as slippery as ice and a person must use caution in order to avoid slipping and falling! I have a nice dent in my shin bone from slipping off on one camping trip! But with the Lap Sample P, while it is not as greasy as regular dressings can be, you still need to be careful when stepping on dressed exterior plastics!

Like any product, certain dressings perform on some surfaces better than others. Hence the reason a company like Meguiar's offer so many different dressings. In the case of the Lab Sample P, though many other reviewers have tested it on exterior plastics without issue, I have found a curious result.

When applying it to non-precleaned (not dirty) plastic, it required a fair amount product in order to cover an area. So while on new plastics and on interior plasticswhich are not subjected to the outside elements, it spread easily, so was not the case on the non-cleaned plastic insert. I needed to apply multiple amounts to the foam applicator in order to get full coverage. So while that is not totally unexpected being that the Lap Sample P is so thick and is not greasy, I did use more product than I would have thought would have been required. My wife who was taking the photos also noted as I was applying it that I was using far more product than had I used Meguiar's All Season Dressing. Again I believe it was a function of the bumper insert being dirty and older which is why the other testers did not find this attribute. Therefore, I need to elaborate on this last point.

Unlike All Season Dressing which goes on incredibly easy, it is, however, a little greasy during application. This extra lubrication, for lack of a better word, allows it to cover and spread over weathered and/or non pre-clean plastics a little easier. However, perhaps the fact that one has to use more Lab Sample P product and must work it into weathered plastics more thoroughly, may in fact penetrate better and therefore last longer. This last fact will be tested and monitored as I am watching both sides of the bumper as one side has the new Lab Sample P while the other has my usual dressing, All Season Dressing applied to it. As I said, I am curious about the Lab Sample P's durability and if it lasts longer, remains less greasy or non slippery, especially when wet, I would not mind taking the extra time to apply more product as the benefits will be well worth it!

Here are the photos:

Non-Pre-cleaned plastic









Applying the Lab Sample P to the applicator and the final application to the plastic insert






*Note the cleaning ability on non-precleaned plastic, (again, not dirty plastic as noted above)






Finally, with the tape removed, the difference is quite dramatic!!!






I hope to bring further updates....


Tim

Tim Lingor's Product Reviews

Give these a read, He not only has a passion for keeping his vehicles clean he puts that same pasion into giving the BEST REVIEWS one could ask for!!!
Tim Lingor's Product Reviews

[Jarhead0754]

Just buy both. Like everyone else on this website ur gonna end up buying 1 of every product they make anyways as they all have a purpose somewhere. Plus it makes the arsenal that much more impressive. I don't know why it is. But that's how this OCD starts out. I just wish I had a little extra cash on me cuz I would buy the entire detailer line along with a bunch others. As I've come to learn that it will b used and its nice to have cuz in the middle of a detail u might need that one thing. I can only imagine what the meguiars reps garage arsenal looks like. Does anyone know if they get unlimited free product for personal use?

[New-newbie]

Re: 2 Questions about paint scratches and exterior plastic

Thanks for all the advice and resources guys! I got some good reading to do! My black plastic has been neglected for so long I got a job ahead of me but with these articles looks like ill have it top shape soon!
Jarhead- The OCD. It has begun. Ive got 4 detailing article tabs pulled up the computer as we speak. I want to be informed when I buy cause until you find that free supply I aint going want to be wasting any.

[synesthesia]

Re: 2 Questions about paint scratches and exterior plastic

Thumbs up on the Lab P. I use it also. It's a little costly but it does wonders.