Scratch X = Polisher?

[Infinitevisi0n]

Ok people..this forum is a little confusing to me since I am pretty much new to this and I do not know how to check previous threads that I have looked at. I just got my soft buffs through the mail and I was wondering whether scratch X is the same as polishing your ride? I know there are four steps..washing, claying, polishing, and waxing. So Im guessing stratch X is the same as polishing but just to make sure I need some clearification. thanks guy!

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Scratch X = Polisher?

Have you carefully read this? It explains what the cleaning step is and ScratchX is a paint cleaner. It remove defects.

Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle
(Posted in the The Information Station)

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Scratch X = Polisher?

How about this one from Hot Topics which is also in the "Information Station"

The words Clean and Cleaning as defined by Meguiar's terminology


Words: Clean, Cleaning, Cleaners
Products: Compounds, Paint Cleaners, Cleaner/Polishes and Cleaner/Waxes



In Meguiar's terminology,

Cleaning means removing defects like swirls, scratches, etchings, stains and oxidation, it doesn't mean to wash the car.

Since 1901 Meguiar's has pioneered the use of diminishing abrasives to clean or remove defects out of paint coatings with the idea being to remove the defects without leaving behind defects at the same time.

Over the course of automotive paint polishing history, most of the companies that offered some type of product to remove a defect offered products with names like rubbing compounds or polishing compounds. Some were for machine application and some were for hand application but in simple terms were talking about, rocks in a bottle,( or a can).

While these products will remove defects, the problem is they will at the same time leave swirls and scratches behind in the paint. When clear coat paint technology came along in the 80's these other polish manufactures were forced to look for better ideas for removing defects because the clear layer of paint made it very easy to see the swirls and scratches left behind by other companies compounds and customers would not accept these kind of results.

Meguiar's was already way ahead of the competition because they took a different approach to the polishing process since the time they first entered into this industry.

Starting with Meguiar's first product a F01 Furniture Cleaner for cleaning lacquer, varnish and shellac finishes, Meguiar's used diminishing abrasives that cleaned or remove defects gently to enable people to clean the coatings on their furniture without scouring and scarring the finish.


Meguiar's Mirror Bright Furniture Cleaner and Furniture Polish





When Meguiar's transitioned from manufacturing furniture products to manufacture automotive cleaners and polishes, they continued with this same practice of using diminishing abrasive and the same philosophy of creating products that remove swirls and scratches without leaving them behind in the process.

Early Meguiar's Automotive Polishes




We've come a long way since those days but we continue to create and offer products that will clean automotive finishes and when used correctly they won't leave behind more scratches than they remove. This is called the cleaning process, the removal of defects.



* Cleaning means removing defects using some type of paint cleaner, this means removing paint.

* Washing means removing loose surface dirt using car wash soap and water, washing doesn't remove paint.


All throughout this forum you often see us recommend to our members that they clean their car's paint as a part of their detailing process, so just so everyone is clear, when we type a recommendation that tells the person that they need to clean the paint, we mean they need to use a product that will remove below surface defects, not washing the car.



we talk about cleaning paint, we're not talking about washing the car.

Hope this helps...

[Infinitevisi0n]

Re: Scratch X = Polisher?

oh i see so i still need to pick up some polish..i only bought one foam polishing and one foam finishing pad. I was wondering if any of these pads are washable along with reusable. Also would it be harmful to use the same polishing pad for scratch X and polishing?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Scratch X = Polisher?

oh i see so i still need to pick up some polish..i only bought one foam polishing and one foam finishing pad. I was wondering if any of these pads are washable along with reusable. Also would it be harmful to use the same polishing pad for scratch X and polishing?

You want to dedicate your pads to the product you're using them with until our washable pads become available in November.

So...

ScratchX dedicated to a W-8006 foam polishing pad
Polish dedicated to a W-8006 foam polishing pad
Wax dedicated to a W-9006 foam finishing pad

What are you working on?
What are you trying to accomplish?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Scratch X = Polisher?

Here's the polishing portion of the 5 Step Paint Care Cycle.

Note Meguiar's always states that polishing is an optional step, that is you don't have to do it. It's a personal preference. On older paints it will tend to make the paint look better by restoring clarity and adding gloss.

With a BRAND NEW CAR, assuming the BRAND NEW PAINT on the BRAND NEW CAR is in excellent condition which it should be if it's a brand new car, then realistically it shouldn't need anything... except a coat of wax or a paint sealant.

Here you go...

Step-3 Polishing



Meguiar's offers two types of polishes, Cleaner Polishes and Pure Polishes. Cleaner Polishes are for removing very light or fine defects while restoring a crystal clear, smooth high gloss surface. Pure polishes are for finishes already in excellent condition and are for the purpose or creating brilliant high gloss with deep dark reflections.

If you look in Webster's Dictionary under the word polish, one of the definitions they include reads like this:

"A preparation that is used to produce gloss, and often color for the protection and decoration of a surface."

This definition best describes Meguiar's Pure Polishes. Meguiar's pure polishes are designed to create brilliant high gloss while preparing the surface for the application of a protective coating. Meguiar's pure polishes accomplish this without the use of abrasives.


Another definition found in Webster's Dictionary for polish is,

"To make smooth and glossy by friction."

This definition best describes Meguiar's Cleaner/Polishes. Meguiar's cleaner polishes are formulated to very gently abrade the surface with Meguiar's Diminishing Abrasive TM and Buffered Abrasive TM technology to remove the finest defects and create a perfectly smooth, high gloss finish.

Depending on what type of paint you're working on, traditional paints like lacquers and enamels, or catalyzed clear coats, Meguiar's has the products specifically designed to work on both types of paints, not to mention many other surfaces such as plastics and polyester resins (Fiberglas Gel-coats).


Meguiar's Trade Secret Polishing Oils
The trade secret oils Meguiar's uses in both types of polishes are unique to the industry and to this day have never been surpassed for creating deep, dark reflections and brilliant high gloss by any of our competitors in over 100 years.

The oils Meguiar's uses are also important in maintaining the original condition of the paint by filling in the naturally occurring microscopic pores and surface imperfections thus preventing detrimental substances and elements as simple as water, or worse, acid-rain, from entering into these pores and microscopic surface imperfections thus causing oxidation and chemical etching. These oils act to replace the original resins as they wear away through natural processes.

When paint is new, it is the most impermeable it will ever be, this means it is a very smooth non-porous, continuous film. With age, exposure to the environment and micro-scratching caused by day-in, day-out wear and tear, your paint develops micro-fissures in the surface along with other defects. These micro-fissures and other defects act to make the continuous film or coating of paint more porous. As this happens, your car's finish becomes more vulnerable to corrosive elements that will attack and degrade your finish.


Remember, waxes, synthetic or otherwise, are meant to be Sacrificial Barriers with the intended purpose sealing the surface, while blocking those things that would attack your paint, from coming into direct contact with the paint.

"Waxes protect your finish by sacrificing themselves so that your paint doesn't have to"

An analogy is your skin. In the same way you can clean, polish and protect your skin, you can clean, polish and protect your car's finish. Soap can be used to clean your skin and remove dirt from the pores. Skin lotions can be used to moisturize your skin, conditioning it and making it more clear and beautiful. Protection products like lotions used to protect hands from exposure to chemicals and UV protectants can be applied to help protect your skin from the things that would attack your skin if these harmful things could come into direct contact with your skin.

While human skin and automotive paint are very different, the analogy is very similar. With Meguiar's, you can:

* Wash your car's finish to remove unwanted and accumulated dirt contaminants
* Clean your paint with our special paint cleaners and cleaner/polishes
* Polish your paint with our pure polishes to create unequaled beauty
* Protect your paint with our advanced paint protection products
* Maintain your car's finish using our fast and easy to use maintenance products.


The unique thing about Meguiar's highly specialized trade secret oils is their ability to restore and maintain the Optical Clarity of both single stage and clear coat paints in a way that waxes alone cannot match, (both natural and synthetic), the results of which are demonstrated in side-by-side comparisons.


Note: Meguiar's Compounds, Paint Cleaners, Cleaner/Polishes and Pure Polishes don't need to dry before removing them. The idea is to apply them, work them against and into the finish and then remove them. Only Meguiar's Waxes need to dry out of all the paint care products in the Meguiar's Line of products.

[Infinitevisi0n]

Re: Scratch X = Polisher?

Im just tryin to get rid of some swirls along with making my car look nice..however my girl wants me to do her ride too so I was wondering if I could use the same pads to detail her car too which includes scratch x, polishing, waxing. I only have two pads right now and I dont plan on detailing her car today, only my car today.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Scratch X = Polisher?

Read this,

Tips & Techniques for using the G110, G100, G220 and the PC Dual Action Polisher

And this,

Cleaning Your Pad On The Fly


Then do a test spot,

Look at what these two threads say about test spots...

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25888

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27011

Then after washing the car and claying if needed, do a test spot, that is do your best to make one small area look GREAT!

If you can do that, then you can do the entire car. If you can't make one small area look great then stop and post back here and we'll help you tweak your technique...

[Infinitevisi0n]

Re: Scratch X = Polisher?

Wow the tips and techniques were very helpful..lol wish i read them before I used the DA polisher. Any who, today I washed my ride then I applied some scratch X to my polishing pad. Hooked it up to my G110 and began working on my trunk which was immensely covered with swirls. Took me around 2 hours to wash, prep, polish, and wax my trunk but everything turned out good. I was able to remove 98% of the swirls yay! However..im not such a fan of the deep crystal polish -.- After applying the scratch X and removing much of the swirls, I applied this polisher and it was not helpful. It seems to have placed more swirls on my car..but then I did another round of scratch X and the scratches were gone. Gave the polisher another go and then waxed it with NXT 2.0. Didnt take before and after pics..but things turned out great.

[Markus Kleis]

Re: Scratch X = Polisher?

Wow the tips and techniques were very helpful..lol wish i read them before I used the DA polisher. Any who, today I washed my ride then I applied some scratch X to my polishing pad. Hooked it up to my G110 and began working on my trunk which was immensely covered with swirls. Took me around 2 hours to wash, prep, polish, and wax my trunk but everything turned out good. I was able to remove 98% of the swirls yay! However..im not such a fan of the deep crystal polish -.- After applying the scratch X and removing much of the swirls, I applied this polisher and it was not helpful. It seems to have placed more swirls on my car..but then I did another round of scratch X and the scratches were gone. Gave the polisher another go and then waxed it with NXT 2.0. Didnt take before and after pics..but things turned out great.

Did you make sure to use a finishing pad, and NOT a yellow polishing pad with the Deep Crystal? The Deep Crystal is not intended to actually remove scratches as it contains no abrasives; it is intended to add depth, clarity, and shine with essential oils for the paint.