Removing scratches by hand.

[ocmdiaz714]

I have a black car which I wash weekly using 2 5-gallon homer buckets without a grid guard, gold class wash and a Meguiar's microfiber wash mitt. To dry it I use eight small vroom microfiber towels. The scratches are hard to see as I am left with a good looking reflecting finish, yet the scratches are all over the car under direct sunlight. I used a thin layer of ultimate compound on the entire car using a generic microfiber foam applicator and didn't see notice any differences. I've read that 4 applications or so of the Ultimate Compound will give better results yet I don't know how to apply that; do I apply a thin layer, wipe off with microfiber towel and repeat the process right after or is there another way of doing it? I only have 2 foam applicator pads and 1 supreme shine microfiber towel.

The car is a daily and not garaged. I have it under a canopy during the summer and collects way too much dust Here's my plan out for tomorrow:

Gold Class Wash - ColorX - Ultimate Compound - NXT Wax - QD

And here are some pictures of the scratches. The pictures are a month old and there are more scratches now.

[Murr1525]

Re: Removing scratches by hand.

1. Obviously, a few more applicators, and quality products will help. Some good quality drying towels will help in the future. It wont help if you make the car perfect, and then add all the scratches back.

2. You are going to have to do more than wipe on the product. It really would be better for you to try SwirlX first, since it is milder. But, you are going to need to pick about a 2x2 foot square, and fous on that. Dont worry about the whole car, unless you can get a part looking good. Spread the UC over that square in a thin layer, then work it in evenly with some passion.

Ideally, your process would be:
1. Wash
2. Clay if you havent
3. UC
4. ColorX
5. Nxt

[Markus Kleis]

Re: Removing scratches by hand.

Before you get started on the scratch removal- have you tried feeling those with your finger nail?

If so, can you feel them? It's hard to tell from that 1 picture and angle, but they look to have a moderate amount of depth to me...probably more than can be safely removed. More pictures would help, plus the results from the "finger nail test."

[the_invisible]

Re: Removing scratches by hand.

Hey, those scratches look pretty deep, and they seem as if they have been buffed out. The edges of the scratches look very smooth.

You can try buffing those spots by hand using some aggressive products, including ScratchX 2.0 and Ultimate Compound. But doing so would not completely remove the scratches. When using Ultimate Compound, work the product in through the pad with some passion, one small area at a time. Do not simply apply the product, work them in.

So your car has finally passed smog?

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Removing scratches by hand.

Hey, those scratches look pretty deep, and they seem as if they have been buffed out. The edges of the scratches look very smooth.

Yes, that is exactly what they look like - not fresh scratches but defects that have been worked previously. Definitely do the finger nail test that Mark Kleis suggested because if you can feel these with your finger nail, and we suspect you can, then you won't be able to remove them completely as they're much deeper than you might think. As the_invisible noted, they even look deep in the pictures, and that's saying something.

Sometimes there comes a time when you just have to live with a defect as the amount of paint leveling required to eliminate them would remove an unsafe amount of clear coat. A scratch does not have to be down to the primer to be too deep to safely remove.

[ocmdiaz714]

Re: Removing scratches by hand.

Today I went out to discover horrible white scratches on the driver's door and right away did the "finger-nail test." I felt that the scratches weren't deep and felt relieved as I had already a mind set on a paint job. I didn't have a chance to try and take care of it as I washed the car shortly after this hot summer Cali' sun was setting down and didn't have time to use the ultimate compound. Well just now at 11:00pm I couldn't stop thinking of the scratches so I went out and applied 3 applications of the ultimate compound, the results were amazing. The scratches seem to be gone but I'll be sure to check thoroughly tomorrow under the sunlight. As for the scratches I posted about earlier, they are deep and doubt I could repair them.

The scratches on the driver's door were caused by a cheap plastic canopy I found in the attic; which must had fallen down because of the wind. Now I'm definitely going to be buying a car cover. Do brand and material matter? I'm looking at this one on eBay: Cadillac Fleetwood 4door 1989-1994 Car Cover u5:eBay Motors (item 170367172408 end time Aug-31-09 15:52:49 PDT)

[Murr1525]

Re: Removing scratches by hand.

I have a car cover from Covercraft. Seems quite well made, and I actualy got a set of fabric samples sent to me.

[ocmdiaz714]

Re: Removing scratches by hand.

Last night I used the ultimate compound on the entire car. One panel at a time with a micofiber towel and was left with a horrible holographic finish. Should I use the gold glass and just wash it? Thanks.

[sanddrag]

Re: Removing scratches by hand.

What did you work the Ultimate Compound with? I have never seen it leave a hologram. Are you sure you have removed all of the product from the surface? I typically wipe first with a towel, then hit it with a little quick detailer and wipe again with the clean side. You need to apply some pressure when wiping to get it all off.

Also remember, a little goes a long way.

[ocmdiaz714]

Re: Removing scratches by hand.

What did you work the Ultimate Compound with? I have never seen it leave a hologram. Are you sure you have removed all of the product from the surface? I typically wipe first with a towel, then hit it with a little quick detailer and wipe again with the clean side. You need to apply some pressure when wiping to get it all off.

Also remember, a little goes a long way.

I applied it with a yellow microfiber pad. I am pretty sure I removed it all using my supreme shine microfiber towel. I wiped it off without using any QD. I did apply pressure as some of the paste was difficult to remove. Should I just run the QD or wash it?

[Markus Kleis]

Re: Removing scratches by hand.

I applied it with a yellow microfiber pad. I am pretty sure I removed it all using my supreme shine microfiber towel. I wiped it off without using any QD. I did apply pressure as some of the paste was difficult to remove. Should I just run the QD or wash it?

Well, firs thing to point out is that this is an example of why Meguiar's religiously preaches the use of a test spot before doing large areas. By a test spot, we mean to try the product and technique and then check the results under several sources of lighting before proceeding. Someone someone with "test" a product in their garage, think it looks great, and proceed to do the whole vehicle and THEN pull it out into the sun to find it was leaving holograms or some other defects.

Now that said, obviously you are beyond that point, the next step is to address your technique and see if there is room for improvement there. The amount of down force being used can be important, and sometimes it can get a little tricky. For example, some hard paint may require considerable force to begin with, but then one must make the last couple passes with decreased pressure to "back out" the damage. That technique *may* resolve this issue.

If not, you should consider trying something like SwirlX. Every now and then a product simply won't play nice with a particular surface and you just need to try something else. Also keep in mind that Ultimate Compound is a COMPOUND, which is very aggressive and can't be expected to finish 100% wax-ready every time. (The fact that it can most of the time is amazing in itself).

Hope this helps.

[ocmdiaz714]

Re: Removing scratches by hand.

Well, firs thing to point out is that this is an example of why Meguiar's religiously preaches the use of a test spot before doing large areas. By a test spot, we mean to try the product and technique and then check the results under several sources of lighting before proceeding. Someone someone with "test" a product in their garage, think it looks great, and proceed to do the whole vehicle and THEN pull it out into the sun to find it was leaving holograms or some other defects.

Now that said, obviously you are beyond that point, the next step is to address your technique and see if there is room for improvement there. The amount of down force being used can be important, and sometimes it can get a little tricky. For example, some hard paint may require considerable force to begin with, but then one must make the last couple passes with decreased pressure to "back out" the damage. That technique *may* resolve this issue.

If not, you should consider trying something like SwirlX. Every now and then a product simply won't play nice with a particular surface and you just need to try something else. Also keep in mind that Ultimate Compound is a COMPOUND, which is very aggressive and can't be expected to finish 100% wax-ready every time. (The fact that it can most of the time is amazing in itself).

Hope this helps.

I did do a test spot and it looked great so I'm guessing I messed up by not wiping off the product completely. The holographs seem to have gone away on their own now and the car is now covered in light dust. Do I dust off now with a microfiber towel and continue with the ColorX and later Wax and finish it off with QD or should I wash it first? Thanks for the help!

[ianrayburn]

Re: Removing scratches by hand.

Still trying to get my head around this scratch removal stuff so I need some advice with this particular situation. I have a long (18" approx.), perfectly straight scratch on the trunk of my Accord. I can feel it with my fingernail so I know ScratchX etc. will not do the trick. Can I prep. the area using all the right methods, & here comes the question: can I then mask the whole trunk & other areas, leave the scratch exposed, & spray it with a custom mixed colour bomb that I just purchased? It just seems that it would save time rather than brush the paint on. I know it is not about the time involved, but I am just wondering. Hope this makes sense.

[THERAPY]

Re: Removing scratches by hand.

hi! look here! it was made by my hand & Scratch X

http://ffclub.ru/topic/16063/jump_2080/

p.s
the car was scratched by 1500
sandpaper
and prepared under painting.
i like it.

[THERAPY]

Re: Removing scratches by hand.

Автомобиль был поцарапан 1500

наждачная бумага

и подготовлены под покраску
Я использую X царапины от моей руки только
Свою работу!!

___