Glaze or Car Polish to fill scratches?

[kevindn5]

Hi, I'm new to all this, but I was hoping someone could help me. I've had my car for about 2 years now, and in that time, I've only been hand washing her. Recently, I've noticed very very small swirl marks that are barely noticeable if you look at the car at the right angle. Also, I see fingernail marks underneath the door handles that are a bit more noticeable. I thought about using SwirlX to get rid of the marks. I know that these products work by leveling and smoothing out the clear coat of the car, but even though the SwirlX isnt very abrasive, I'm not sure I want to do that to my clear coat yet if the marks aren't that bad. I'll probably use SwirlX once the scratches become more noticeable. But I was wondering if I could use something to at least temporarily "fill" in the scratches like some kind of glaze or car polish that is nonabrasive. Any ideas on what I should do? Thanks in advance.

[The Guz]

Re: Glaze or Car Polish to fill scratches?

Welcome.

A little info for you before I answer your question.

You will have no problem using swirlx on the car. We all know clear coat is thin. But you have no worries about polishing the paint by hand or DA (swirlx is a polish). The abrasives are not going to remove the clear coat after one time. The problem occurs if you compound a lot. Compound removes more clear since it is more aggressive than a polish. If you are compounding 3-4 times a year then there is a significant problem in one's wash technique. It is less aggressive compounding by hand than by machine. So don't be afraid to use the products.


Onto your question about swirls and scratches. I would recommend you pick up some ultimate compound and some ultimate polish. Also pick up some foam applicators. For those scratch marks under the door handle start with some ultimate compound and a foam applicator. Once you are happy with the results you can either proceed to adding some protection (your favorite wax). If you want to refine the finish a little more follow up with some ultimate polish. Dark colored cars really benefit from a polish. It's what gives the paint it's gloss.

If you use a glaze, the effect is temporary. M7 is a glaze. It will last you a couple weeks or a few washes and you are right back where you started. You can follow up with a wax to seal it in a little longer.

I highly recommend you watch these videos so that you can have the proper technique.

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?41790-Meguiar-s-Quik-Tips-Video-Series-Washing

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?42524-Meguiar-s-Quik-Tips-Video-Series-Claying

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?43209-Meguiar-s-Quik-Tips-Video-Series-Removing-Swirls

[kevindn5]

Thanks, and a quick follow up question. If I use the ultimate polish, how long will it last (how often should I apply it)? Do I need to wax after applying?

[The Guz]

Re: Glaze or Car Polish to fill scratches?

If you don't seal a polish with a wax of some sort it will be removed when washed. Polishes offer no protection. So it is recommended to apply a wax to lock in the gloss. A wax will protect your paint and all of your hard work.

Now to confuse you a little more. There are two types of waxes from Meguiar's. Traditional carnauba waxes and synthetics. The difference is the synthetics last longer than a carnauba. The typical time frame for a carnauba is 1-3 months and a synthetic 3-6 months. Really depends on the environment. In saying this I can't tell you how often to apply. It's different for everyone. You will have to inspect the paint and determine if you need to polish again. One good indication is that when your detail spray starts to feel grabby it's time to reapply your wax. Claying helps the longevity of a wax as well by removing surface contaminants. Google the baggie test. That will tell you if you need to clay or not.

For example, I polish my car with M205 and use ultimate wax (synthetic) on my daily driver. Of course after claying. I see proper washing techniques which limits the amount of swirls that will happen along with a maintenance product such as D156 (which is the bulk version of ultimate quik wax) to extend the life of ultimate wax. In doing so I get an average of 6 months protection. So I polish with M205 every 6 months. I do this using a dual action polisher.

You are in California and you should see some really good durability since the weather is not that extreme here.

I highly recommend a dual action polisher if you are planning to get a little more serious about maintaining your car. It gives much better results than doing it by hand. Plus it saves your arms from falling off .

To add a little more.

There are also cleaner waxes which are also known as an all in one product. Meaning it will clean, polish and protect. These are used for those quick details for when you don't have time. Just remember that a dedicated product for a specific purpose will out perform a cleaner wax. If you are looking for a real good cleaner wax that offers really good cleaning ability check out white wax. It is carnauba based.


It is important to do a test spot with the least aggressive combination. Let the paint tell you what it needs.

There is a lot of information but don't hesitate to ask.

[Jarhead0754]

Great explanation mike! Very informative and clear. Definitely not confusing for a beginner as u broke it down step by step.

And Kevin guz is very knowledgable with this stuff so value his opinion, he won't steer u wrong. Don't b afraid to use the search engine on MOL and don't b afraid to ask anymore questions if ur still confused!