Help choosing product for hazy scratches

[KonaStang]

Hey Guys,
Brand new to this forum and read some really good information so far as far as abrasiveness and what the products each accomplish, I also printed the 5 step process as there's a lot of information there, but I wanted to get some suggestions based on my situation.

Background Info: About a month ago my GF and I ordered some Italian food at a local place, and they covered their homemade Italian dressing with some aluminum foil and a rubber band (awesome...) when getting out of the car my gf put the bag on the top of the roof for a second and some of the oil from the dressing got on the roof. I didn't realize this until the next day so It had some time to set in. I'm not sure if the oil softened the clearcoat, but when I cleaned it off with a soft sponge it left tiny scratches and made the area look hazy. I tried just some of the Meguiars GC Carnauba wax to see if it would fill it in at all and it's not enough (not for my liking). Since spring is coming I want to do a really good clean on it anyway, it's my first 'grown-up' car so I want to do it right.

I was going to wash and clay bar the whole car, and then was thinking of using some ultimate compound on the roof (I would just do the whole thing for uniformity) followed by ultimate polish, and then a coat the of GC carnauba wax. Does that sound like a good order and selection of product for the mess? I can try to get a picture if the sun ever decides to come out here..

I wasn't going to UC/UP the whole car as I don't think there's much cobwebbing, and I wasn't sure about using UP on the whole thing as it isn't listed on the 5 step guide as a pure polish or a cleaner polish, so I wasn't sure if it would be worth it and if it would fill any minor cobwebbing. I will be doing this all by hand as I already have the soap, clay bar kit, and wax so I just need the UC and UP, otherwise I'd buy the whole kit that comes with the DA drill attachment and go to town.

Thanks all for taking the time to read!

[Murr1525]

Re: Help choosing product for hazy scratches

The UC and UP products might have come out after the newer guide version was published, not sure.

Yeah, those would be good products. You can also start off gentle with the UC, and then work it in with a little more passion if needed.

And UP on the whole car before waxing would be a good idea.

[KonaStang]

Re: Help choosing product for hazy scratches

Thanks for the quick response Murr, I thought they sounded like they would do the job for me. I haven't been able to watch the video on UC application yet, so not sure how easily either of those goes on by hand, I know you have to work the UC in a little though.

How daunting would using UP by hand on the whole car be? I'll have to look for an application video for it. Does it have any cobweb/swirl reduction properties? If so I'd definitely use it on the whole car, might as well smooth and bring out that beautiful color on the whole thing

[The Guz]

Re: Help choosing product for hazy scratches

First off, welcome to MOL.


Since you are doing this by hand, using UC on the whole car is not a bad idea. It will clean up the paint. As Murr stated use a little more passion for those stubborn spots. But not to hard you don't want to have this happen.

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?56576-Avoiding-quot-cheetah-spots-quot-or-quot-Look-what-this-compound-did-to-my-paint!-quot&highlight=cheetah+spots

Following with UP will refine the finish and then you can follow of with gold class and finally sit back and enjoy how good your car looks. It will take a more time doing it by hand so I would recommend you take your time and work on one area at a time. For example, start on the hood, clay it, apply UC, apply UP and wax. Then you can move on to the next area and repeat the process.

[Murr1525]

Re: Help choosing product for hazy scratches

Depending on how sensitive the paint is, the UC may need worked in a little or a lot... or mildly or with some passion. Cant really say without trying.

UP by hand is really just for the polishing oils, and bit of dirt removal, so worked in a little more than a wax, but not worked in a lot like UC.

[KonaStang]

Re: Help choosing product for hazy scratches

Great information guys, I really appreciate it. I'll take a real close look at the paint and see how it looks, I plan on taking a whole Saturday for this anyway so I may just do everything and have a really slick look.

Guz- Thanks for the post regarding cheetah spots and the like, I used to hold the pads like that, now I know definitely not to. May even see if they have that ergonomic hand applicator or may look around for the DA drill system on sale. I plan on looking at the videos for all the products and technique both by hand and with the DA system.

Murr- Thanks for the tip on the UP, looks like the combo of the UC and the UP would be the best overall. The car is my daily driver so it gets beat by the nasty northeast conditions, plus my area likes to load up on the salt, so wouldn't hurt to do the whole thing.

Thanks for all the help so far, any other tips always appreciated. Definitely going UC/UP/GCCW on the roof and will evaluate the rest of the car, I have a feeling once I see how the roof turns out though, I'll want to do the whole thing!

[Murr1525]

Re: Help choosing product for hazy scratches

After winter, something like TRIX for a pre-wash could be nice, but might be hard to find locally and need ordered.