Hairline scratch removal

[clay]

Hi Experts:
I am working on a 2000 Volvo V70R (nautique blue with a clear coat). The car has always been garaged. Last winter I went through some pretty foul snow conditions for about 8 hours. I had a bra on the front and some foreign materials got between the bra and the finish. The result is that I have hairline scratches in the clear coat finish. I was able to remove most of them by hand (pre-PC 7336), however, some are still there. They are visible under the right light conditions and I can see them when I use a loupe (what you use to magnify a photographic slide). The scratches don't appear to have gone through the clear coat

I am working in about a 3' square area using a 7006 foam cutting pad and have gone to progressively coarser products. I started with #7, went to #80 Speed Glaze, then to #2 fine cut cleaner. I have even tried Meguiar's Step 1 paint cleaner. I am letting the weight of the 7336 do the work and am working the glaze/cleaner's until they are beginning to dry.

I haven't had much success removing the scratches. I am afraid of going too much further without your advice. Needless to say, this is very frustrating, especially when I know how beautiful the finish is/was.

Is there something I am doing wrong or do I just have to live with the scratches?. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Clay

[DocVoxel]

Re: Hairline scratch removal

Sounds like you need to use some more pressure with the DA. Photos of the scratches would also be helpful. If you can truly only see these with a loupe, they shouldn't be too difficult to remove. Try #80 with an 8006 with some pressure behind the DA.

[clay]

Re: Hairline scratch removal

Hi DocVoxel:
Thanks for the quick reply. I was using the loupe to gauge how deep the scratches were. Actually, I can see them under strong light. Some are going away as I buffed, then re-buffed with stronger compounds.

I will try a little more pressure and let you know what the results are. I was just afraid of going through the paint.

I just finished using #80, then #7 and finally #26 on my 85 maroon volvo (original paint). Results were spectacular. That's why this is so troublesome.
Clay

[clay]

Re: Hairline scratch removal

Hi DocVoxel:
Your recommendation to increase pressure definitely helped. Most of the real small ones are gone. There are still some deeper ones, but I think I'll wait until I can post some pictures before going any further.
Thanks
Clay

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Hairline scratch removal

First off, starting with #7 will get you nowhere (as you've already discovered) because it has no cleaning ability at all. It's a pure polish.

Second, using the W7006 cutting pad will most likely leave you with some hazing of the paint. That's fine as long as you're aware of the situation and are willing to work to correct it. Fortunately, correcting that is normally pretty straightforward.

I would recommend at this point, even though I haven't actually seen the defects, that you step up to the W8006 polishing pad and couple it with M80 Speed Glaze. Lay a roughly 1/4" wide bead of M80 near the outer edge of the pad, perhaps 1" in from the edge. Set the machine on speed 5 and apply enough downward pressure to almost stop the pad from rotating. If you use a Sharpie pen to mark the back of the backing plate you'll easily be able to tell if the pad is still rotating rather than just oscillating. You need this pressure in order to break down the diminishing abrasives in M80 and get the most out of the product.

Work it until it turns to an almost clear, oily looking film then wipe it off with a microfiber towel. Don't work an area any larger than 2'x2' - your 3' square section is twice the real estate with the same amount of product. You're really pushing the limits there!

Having said all that.......you said you're using a loupe to view the scratches. Can you catch your fingernail in them? If so you will most likely only be able to minimize them with the PC and compatible products. Sometimes you just have to live with some of the marring, or learn how to use a rotary or even, gulp, wetsand. For now though, let's just stick with the PC!

[clay]

Re: Hairline scratch removal

Hi Mike:
The scratches are not so deep that I can feel them with my fingernail. After reviewing some of the scratch posts, especially the guy that took his new truck off road and got brush scratches, my problem is minimal. I think if his scratches could be taken out, mine should be no problem.

I can see my scratches with a bright light. I took DocVoxels' recommendation and used more pressure on my buffer. Most of the very small scratches came out. Ran out of time last night, so I couldn't finish the job. I will try your suggestion and increase pressure on a smaller patch of real estate. I'll let you know .

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions and expertise.
Clay

[DocVoxel]

Re: Hairline scratch removal

Glad to see it worked out for you.

[clay]

Re: Hairline scratch removal

Hi all:
Just a quick note of thanks to all of you that took the time to help me with my problem. It took me about 16 hours, but the finish is flawless. No swirl marks, etc. The NXT final coat really was icing on the cake. I actually had a couple of people stop me in the grocery store parking lot and ask me who detailed the car. It blew them away that I did it.

Thanks again. Meguiar's products are incredible
Clay

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Hairline scratch removal

Glad to see our forum was able to see you through to success...

This is what's so cool and powerful about a discussion forum. You can post your questions and explain the problems you're having and then enjoy the wisdom and input from many others that are willing to invest their time into helping others out.

Great job everyone!

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Hairline scratch removal

Hi DocVoxel:

I just finished using #80, then #7 and finally #26 on my 85 maroon Volvo (original paint). Results were spectacular.

That's why this is so troublesome.

Clay

Hmm... a 1985 Volvo with original paint that it was easy to remove the defects out of yet a 2000 Volvo and the swirls are more difficult to remove using the same process.

Quick question... when you worked on the maroon Volvo... did you pull color as in maroon paint onto your pads?

[clay]

Re: Hairline scratch removal

Hi Mike:
Yes I did (and still do). The hood is most prone to picking up paint on the pad. Actually, the paint is getting pretty thin on the hood, so I try to minimize the abrasives. I really wish I had known about clay bars years ago. I did it by hand, using lots of heavy duty cleaner to get the fine particles that were stuck to the paint off, then gradually went to finer and finer compounds. If I had known about clay bars, I would not have taken so much paint off.

The sides are still really good.

Hope this answers your question
Clay