Which way to go UC.Scratch X

[cartandpeg]

Hi,
Its been near on two years since last post and I have got back into looking after the car again.

Last time I used UC by hand then with a DAS-6 Orbital Polisher on a yellow Menzerna pad.I learnt a lot from my previous questions as well as hands on with the buffer,so I am familiar with that side of things.

This time I have Lake Country Pads,orange and white. As I have used UC twice now, would it still be safe to use it again on the orange pad followed by UP on the white,or should I play it safe by going for the Scratch X on the orange pad, followed with UP on white pad. I will be using my polisher.

I am looking at only one of the above mentioned as the good lady of the house says I spend far to much on my aquariums and can not go spending too much money on other hobbies.

I have very faint scratch marks and swirls.I am not looking at total removal of the swirls, as to be honest it does not take long for them to come back.

Paint work is in very good condition as I still continued to wash,wax etc.

Thank you.

[Don]

Re: Which way to go UC.Scratch X

If you have Ultimate Polish, I would just use that on a polishing pad (I don't know what the color of the meg's pads stand for). You say you only have very faint scratches and swirls, so you don't need or want to go too aggressive so like it's always said, 'use the least aggressive method to achieve your desired results."

[Murr1525]

Re: Which way to go UC.Scratch X

Yeah, UC and UP would be the 2 products to have. ScratchX is almost just a smaller package of UC....

And yes, assuming you used UC correctly before (working over a broad area, not focusing down on one location with a strong applicator), then UC can certainly be used again if needed.

[cartandpeg]

Re: Which way to go UC.Scratch X

Thank you Don and Murr, I did think about just using Ultimate polish,rather than Ultimate compound.Then after looking at the car last night,I will have a crack at the swirls,I was surprised on the amount I could see in the right light. Murr last time I used UC I was cautious when I used it,probably why I did not get most of the swirls out on my previous attempt.The lakes Country Orange pad is listed as a light cutting pad,I was just unsure how aggressive the UC would be using it again. Many thanks for the help guys.

[The Guz]

Re: Which way to go UC.Scratch X

How are you washing the car? Swirls are going to happen on a daily driver but they can be minimized with proper washing techniques. It is also possible the car has soft paint.

[davey g-force]

Re: Which way to go UC.Scratch X

Hi Andy,

As you know, I have a Commodore of the same vintage as yours (albeit black, and an SSV), so I doubt it would have soft paint (mine is on the hard side).

UC/Orange pad followed by M205/white pad is the winning combination for my car to get rid of moderate swirls. Then again, I generally go for 95% swirl removal, which I believe is not the case for you. (M205 is pretty much the same as UP by the way.)

The thing to do would be a test spot with just UP first, and see if that gives results you're pleased with. If not, do another test spot with UC then UP and see if/how the results differ from the first test spot. Make sure you're examining in the sun (or another good light source) and from different angles. Once you've dialled in a combination that you're happy with, you can repeat over the rest of the car.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

[cartandpeg]

Re: Which way to go UC.Scratch X

Guz I am doing the two bucket wash,lambs wool mitt,microfibre dry etc. As Davey said the paint would be more so on the hard side.Lots of dirt this way Guz,so it only takes a bit of wind and it whips it up,so that probably does not help to a degree.All country highway driving,no dual roads so the car gets sandblasted at times if the trucks etc tend run to close to the road edge. Driveway is all dirt so I have to pick my days to wash or soak the driveway prior.Joys of living in country towns.

G/day Davey,I suppose I am trying to go with what I have got,I ordered two LC orange pads and one LC white, I did this with doing what I thought was sufficient research,the more I look into it the more the options can change.

So I am committed to the pads that are on their way.

If I was to go with UP could I use the orange pad with that?

I have no problem with doing the orange with UC and the white with UP I just have this fear of going through the clear coat. I suppose I tend to read too many horror stories of people doing that. Hence why I did not get most of the swirls out the first time I did it,I tended to err on the side of caution.

How many times have you done your combination on your car?

Thanks for the info Davey.

[cartandpeg]

Re: Which way to go UC.Scratch X

Guz I am doing the two bucket wash,lambs wool mitt,microfibre dry etc. As Davey said the paint would be more so on the hard side.Lots of dirt this way Guz,so it only takes a bit of wind and it whips it up,so that probably does not help to a degree.All country highway driving,no dual roads so the car gets sandblasted at times if the trucks etc tend run to close to the road edge. Driveway is all dirt so I have to pick my days to wash or soak the driveway prior.Joys of living in country towns.

G/day Davey,I suppose I am trying to go with what I have got,I ordered two LC orange pads and one LC white, I did this with doing what I thought was sufficient research,the more I look into it the more the options can change.

So I am committed to the pads that are on their way.

If I was to go with UP could I use the orange pad with that?

I have no problem with doing the orange with UC and the white with UP I just have this fear of going through the clear coat. I suppose I tend to read too many horror stories of people doing that. Hence why I did not get most of the swirls out the first time I did it,I tended to err on the side of caution.

I am still really learning here I have to google M205 and the likes to understand what it all means.

How many times have you done your combination on your car?

Thanks for the info Davey.

[cartandpeg]

Re: Which way to go UC.Scratch X

There you go you can read my post twice.......goose I am.

[The Guz]

Re: Which way to go UC.Scratch X

I ask because sometimes people ask why they have so many swirls and it comes down to the wash technique. It seems like you are washing it properly so we can rule that out. I'm sure your drying technique is also fine. You could try the blot method instead of wiping down or even introducing ultimate quik wax as a drying aid. Just a couple of tips picked up along the way.

It is quite possible that UC didn't get all the defects out. If it is on the hard side like my Camaro then microfiber is the way to go with D300. I had to go that route after UC and M105 did not give me the correction I wanted with orange lake country pads. From the initial correction with a compound I now only use M205 as I learned how to properly maintain the paint. I did the same thing with my dad's Camaro. I did test spots to tell me what the paint was needing.

You can use UP with the orange pad. It will give you slightly more cut due to the pad. M205 is a finishing polish that UP is derived from. The difference between the two is the M205 offers more correction while UP offers more polishing oils.

Try a test spot with UP and see what works (orange vs white pad). If you need more correction than you can try a test spot with UC. You may need to do more passes with if the paint is hard.

[cartandpeg]

Re: Which way to go UC.Scratch X

Thanks Guz for the info I was just reading an article by you with someone asking a similar questions,appreciate the input.The more I read the more I am learning and the more it becomes confusing at times lol.I suppose as I have these pads and only these compounds/polishes,that is where I am mainly focusing my research.Cheers mate.

[drumdan]

You might be surprised by how effective Ultimate Polish can be, especially when paired with a microfiber pad! I was able to remove fingernail door handle scratches out of a sonic blue 04 Mustang.

My favorite initial pad is the Hex Logic green. It's a light cutting / heavy polishing pad, and is really versatile. While I use it as my primary cutting pad, it's also potent with a product such as UP. Lake County's pink CCS pad is of a similar design/function.

[davey g-force]

Re: Which way to go UC.Scratch X

Andy,

I have corrected mine with UC fully twice. Plus I have done various isolated spots (where there may have been a deeper scratch etc) several times.

I wouldn't worry about going through the clear coat, since the amount of paint you're actually removing is negligible.

[cartandpeg]

Re: Which way to go UC.Scratch X

Thank you drumdan its good to be reassured of what others have done,I think my problem is I tend to over think things and once I start I am fine. Thanks for that Davey,I reckon I will be good to go then,as your correction would have been more intense than my previous one.Pads etc rocked up today.Ok thanks again everyone for the input and reassurance.Will post at later date to give results.