Strange Scratches, so hard to see, what to attack with?

[mb911]

Well, I don't know why I haven't seen these before. Either they were always there from the dealership and I was never out in the morning light where the sun comes in sideways across my car, which is the only light I can see these in, or I've put them in over time.

However, *all* over my hood I see all types of scratches. Again, you can't see them 99 percent of the day, and you can't see them if you look directly down on the paint.

However, at this extreme angle with sun on it, you see them. They are all over. Some are straight, some are a bit circular, but the hood looks covered.

Also, it is a ceramic clear coat paint, so the paint is very hard I guess.

I don't have my G110 yet, but I think after this I really need to order it.

Can you guys tell me what products to get with it?

Should I start with like 83 and then 80 over the hood? If those didn't get rid of them, what would I need to use after that?

Finally once I get rid of those, is there something else you guys use, when it's just a random paint cleaning and no defects, or do you guys use 80 for example every single time you detail. Is that safe?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Strange Scratches, so hard to see, what to attack with?

Also, it is a ceramic clear coat paint, so the paint is very hard I guess.

Never make this kind of assumption. You don't know if the paint on your car is going to be hard or soft, or a better term coined on this forum is polishable or unpolishable until you go out into your garage and actually attempt to remove a below surface defects.

I've only worked on a few CeramiClear paints and from my experience after working on thousands of different paint systems, I have found the CeramiClear very easy to work on. So despite all the generalizations you'll find on this topic on other forums, on this forum we don't assume a specific type of paint is hard or soft until we work on it.

Make sense?

I don't have my G110 yet, but I think after this I really need to order it.

Can you guys tell me what products to get with it?

Should I start with like 83 and then 80 over the hood? If those didn't get rid of them, what would I need to use after that?

In case you haven't seen this in a post yet, here it is... it's sage wisdom Meguiar's has been teaching the industry for as long as we've been in business...


"Use the least aggressive product to get the job done"

That means you need more than one product in your collection so you can test the least aggressive product, (in your collection of products), to see if it works.

The entire reason for this sage wisdom is this,

If you can remove the below surface defects with a very non-aggressive product this will leave the most paint on your car for the future. This is so important because factory paint is thin to start with, there's no reason to remove more paint than necessary to remove the defect.

That said, here are a few products everyone should strive to have in their collection that will enable them to tackle anything that comes their way...

M82 or M09 - These are both very, very light or non-aggressive cleaner/polishes

M80 - Probably one of the most versatile cleaner/polishes in the Meguiar's product line.

M83 - The most aggressive cleaner/polish in Meguiar's product line. Please keep the correct perspective when you read the word aggressive in the previous sentence, compared to a true compound, M83 is very non-aggressive, just ask any painter that wet-sands, cuts and polishes paint for a living. If you're an enthusiast, or Newbie to machine cleaning and polishing your perspective might be M83 is very aggressive but relative to this industry all our cleaner/polishes are very non-aggressive when compared to a true compound.

M105 - The most amazing compound ever introduced to the refinishing and detailing industry. Amazing is the best word to describe what Meguiar's chemists have created in the laboratory here at our Corporate Office. This aggressive compound is powerful enough to remove #1200 grit sanding marks with a wool pad on a rotary buffer and finish out to look like you just waxed the paint AND you can use it just as effectively by hand. While it's not officially recommended for use with any type of DA Polisher at this time, it has proven to be very effective when used with DA Polishers. (Including my own experiences).

D151 - Our brand new cleaner/wax that utilizes the same type of Super Micro-Abrasives used in our M105, M95, and M86

And of course it's a given you'll want to have a quality wax or paint sealant to finish the job like M26, M21 or NXT Tech Wax and no Meguiar's Purist would be without a bottle of M07 Show Car Glaze.

So get a G110 and some pads to start with and then start adding some of the above products to your tool chest, yes that's right "Tool Chest". Just like a mechanic has a good selection of tools to tackle any mechanical job that comes his way, as an enthusiast detailer, and especially a professional detailer, your pads and products are tools and in order to tackle anything that comes your way you needs a selection of quality tools in your tool-chest.

Hope this helps...

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Strange Scratches, so hard to see, what to attack with?

Finally once I get rid of those, is there something else you guys use, when it's just a random paint cleaning and no defects, or do you guys use 80 for example every single time you detail. Is that safe?

What Meguiar's teaches applies whether its the first time you detail your car or when maintaining your car...

1. Evaluate the finish
2. Choose the right product
3. Use good technique

The above in conjunction with the below

"Use the least aggressive product to get the job done"


Is a recipe for success.

After you work your car's finish up to a level that pleases you, then pay attention to how you "touch" the car. Wash it carefully, dry it carefully.

Don't put scratches back into the finish if you can avoid it. Normal wear and tear will instill light scratches back into the finish over time unless you really stay on top of in-between car washing and car waxing maintenance.

So it's possible you could use a light cleaner/polish, (see above), or a cleaner/wax to remove any light swirls in the future.

[VonLego]

Re: Strange Scratches, so hard to see, what to attack with?

If you're looking to get by on an immediate chest, try ordering 80/83, a good wax, and clay (if you don't already have it). Make sure to order multiple pads aswell. Anything more i suggest to grab some 105-- it sounds like a miracle in a bottle but I have not used it (shipping though!)

[mb911]

Re: Strange Scratches, so hard to see, what to attack with?

Thanks Mike and VonLego,

Sorry I assumed ceramic clear coats are hard paint, I actually got that impression here, so I will put that to rest and never assume anything about any paint again. Good tip.

Great . Sounds like I was probably on the right track is wanting to try 80 and 83 first, and maybe like M82 for regular cleaning. I'll get 105 in case 80 and 83 weren't enough in trouble area.

In terms if waxes/sealants and polishes, I already have plenty, so I'm ready to go there.

Thanks so much.

[mb911]

Re: Strange Scratches, so hard to see, what to attack with?

Today I tried again with Scratch X by hand, just to make sure I couldn't make an impact on them. Did a very small area, like 15 x 15 inches, and really put the passion behind 4 goes at it, but it didn't change anything.

I did it in the hour right before I have the light that tells me, if they are still there.

It's so silly really. I mean it's about 1 hour each day that I can see these scratches, and you have to look with the sun's reflection right on the area, or you can't see them. Plus, it blinds me for the rest of the day, not healthy I'm sure. ha-ha. This is why I suspect a lot of them could have been there since the dealer.

Before I get my G110, might I go ahead and try 105 by hand with a foam applicator and see if I can make an impact that way? It would be ok to do the entire hood with 105?