Scratches on mums BA, gone!

[buddy92]

Well had a HUGE storm couple days ago, mums car ended up with a close line on the roof and bunch of fairly big scratches, couple were pretty deep to. Took a trip to Super Cheap Auto today and got some Swirl remover for my car, thought I would try it on the scratches on mums car, and I'll let the picture talk for itself. This is Swirl Remover, not the ScratchX

Before

After

And the door, before

After


Also got a key mark out, awesome stuff.

[Mr G8]

That's some nice stuff you got there, might need to pop down to my local Super Cheap and get some, I've some unwanted markings on my G8 thanks to the quality parking by the elderly

[buddy92]

Yea its awesome stuff. And thats only swirl remover not the scratch X

[Nic85]

You could probably get the RIDs from the first pic out with some Ultimate Compound if you have a DA polisher, or a fair amount of elbow grease if not. Did you buy SwirlX?

[buddy92]

Yeah I'm gonna try get the rest out in the first picture. I could get it out with Swirl remover but would be there for awhile lol.

This is the stuff I used.

[Nic85]

That stuff is really, really mild. On that scale the Ultimate Compound is about an 8.5.

[BA-XT]

Originally Posted by Nic85

That stuff is really, really mild. On that scale the Ultimate Compound is about an 8.5.

As I'm detailing by hand, I Ultimate Compounded the whole car. Came up amazing! Can't rate that product highly enough.

[Nic85]

Yeah, I use Ultimate Compound when my Menz PF2500 won't touch bad marring. I use it on a DA polisher and I find it an excellent product too. Great cutting ability, minimal dust and easy to wipe off.

[2011G6E]

Might have to try that stuff...the "Edge" paint on our G6E is shockingly thin and marks if you look at it wrong...

[buddy92]

Yeah same as my Octane paint, it chips extremely easy.

My front bumper has been repainted twice.

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by buddy92

Yeah same as my Octane paint, it chips extremely easy.

My front bumper has been repainted twice.

Sounds like it.
I actually asked the Ford guys at the dealership about it, they checked, and the service manager said "that's normal with a lot of new Falcons". He went on tell me the biggest mistake he ever made was ordering his new XR6T in black. There was just no durability at all in the darker colours.

At least it saves a bit of money for the company...

I'll be going into Supercheap tomorrow at Emerald, so I'll have a look and see how much this stuff costs.

[mik]

well done , and nice close ups too ;).

[Chopped]

I can also get the same result in Photoshop :P


Swirl remover looks to have done a good job.
I take it that Swirl Remover 2.0 is better than Swirl Remover 1.9.

[Scudn64]

I have the swirl remover 2.0 but have been so scared to use it on the F6.
The front bar feels like there is almost no clear coat on some parts!
(Color steel)

Your pics look fantastic, I'll give it a go on the roof first.
If It comes up half as good ill be happy.

[superfly]

Why did you pick the swirl remover over the Scratch X. I've only used the Scratch X and have found it a very good product for removing light scratches. Is the swirl remover any better?

[buddy92]

Apparently the Scratch X is more abrasive ( spelling? ) then the Swirl X and I really got no scratches on my car, only swirl marks. I just tried the Swirl remover on mums car to see if it would remove a actual scratch, and it did.

I used it on my ICC facia where my girlfriend scratched it with her ring, removed that to without any problems.

[buddy92]

The scratch is just above the demister button

[Joshmcmillan]

I have used the scratch X 2.0 before on my EL to remove major surface scratches... works a treat.... just a warning though, my EL needed it reapplying every few months as the scratches would slowly come back (never as bad as originally).

I was aware that these products were completely non-abrasive, they work so well and very easily but don't last forever.

Also, good tip on the ICC! I'm off to try some on a slight scratch near my gear stick

[Nic85]

Scratches should never "come back". This would mean that the scratches are being filled in with fillers and not actually being removed.

Here is a compound chart of Meguiars products compared to other company products.



As you can see, Scratch X is a fair bit more abrasive than Swirl X. Also, don't be fooled by their names. Just because one's name would imply it's for "scratches" and the other "swirls", they're fundamentally the same thing - a polish - they just vary in harshness of polymers.

[Joshmcmillan]

Here are my before and half/half pictures:






After a few months with numerous washes using only meguires car wash with microfibre materials, it would return to original and need to be reapplied.
Which made me think that scratch x was indeed a fill in compound.

[Nic85]

Those scratches are terrible. I'd probably cut the whole lot back with Ultimate Compound and a DA polisher, then seal it with a quality sealer. If the scratches are coming back then the product you're using is definitely just using fillers instead of actually cutting back the clear coat.

[Joshmcmillan]

Yeah, still a good product but definitely fillers.

(and FYI, car has been replaced and the new owner crashed it shortly after)

[Nic85]

I don't mean to be a dick, but if it's using fillers then it's definitely NOT a good product. To me, that's the definition of a bad product. Fine for if you wanna go to a car show or something and just fill some light swirls etc, but otherwise, it's not really going to fix anything like a proper polish will.

[Joshmcmillan]

It would be good on anything lacking in layers of clearcoat... considering it is SO easy to apply compared to buffing with an abrasive polish (I originally thought it was abrasive and was surprised how quick it was to work)....

Not denying that there are better options, but it does have it's uses.

I'm glad to be in a newer, silver car and don't have to worry about all this any more :P

[Lightning Strike GT]

Used ScratchX on the FG pass door handle recess - the long fingernails and rings do the friggen damage - especially when her hand dives in hard to grab the pull handle

[Dave_Obsession]

Originally Posted by Scudn64

I have the swirl remover 2.0 but have been so scared to use it on the F6.
The front bar feels like there is almost no clear coat on some parts!
(Color steel)

Your pics look fantastic, I'll give it a go on the roof first.
If It comes up half as good ill be happy.

#9 Swirl Remover 2.0 is so ridiculously mild (especially when hand applied), you will have NOTHING to worry about....think of it more as a paint cleaner than a polish...#9 does have some light filling properties in it also due to the heavy polishing oils it contains...

Originally Posted by superfly

Why did you pick the swirl remover over the Scratch X. I've only used the Scratch X and have found it a very good product for removing light scratches. Is the swirl remover any better?

As has been pointed out, SwirlX is less aggressive than ScratchX 2.0.
Think of SwirlX more like a finishing type polish to use after something more heavy-handed, such as Ultimate Compound....or as a one-step hand-polish to do in between more major details.

Originally Posted by Joshmcmillan

I have used the scratch X 2.0 before on my EL to remove major surface scratches... works a treat.... just a warning though, my EL needed it reapplying every few months as the scratches would slowly come back (never as bad as originally).

I was aware that these products were completely non-abrasive, they work so well and very easily but don't last forever.

Also, good tip on the ICC! I'm off to try some on a slight scratch near my gear stick

I have made comments previously in other threads in direct relation to what you have said here Josh...in fact I think on a couple of occasions it was you who made a similar statement...

By definition, a POLISH contains abrasive particles which are used for the purposes of defect removal and/or gloss enhancement. Even the light finishing POLISHES such as #9 Swirl Remover 2.0 do contain very fine abrasives.

ScratchX 2.0, SwirlX, Ultimate Compound are all different grades of polish, and therefore are ABRASIVE.

Some polishes are very oily in their makeup - these products are the ones that can 'fill' - some are by design, some are not intended for this purpose but can also do it (especially if too much product is applied by the user) - technique is important here and often makes the difference to whether a product performs as it should or not.

FYI, any product called a 'cleaner wax' also contains micro-fine abrasives to smooth out the surface to allow the wax to bond properly to the paint surface.

As Nic85 has pointed out, if the swirls are coming back this is for one of two reasons:

1) The defects were merely filled instead of corrected - if the paint was not sealed afterwards, once the polishing oils wash out the marks suddenly re-appear;

2) The marks were removed, and now you have introduced NEW defects to the surface through your washing & drying techniques...

Finally, be VERY, VERY CAREFUL when polishing any interior surface - there is nowhere near as much paint/coating as on exterior painted surfaces so it can be a very risky thing to do - remember once the paint is gone, it's gone!!!

Originally Posted by Joshmcmillan

It would be good on anything lacking in layers of clearcoat... considering it is SO easy to apply compared to buffing with an abrasive polish (I originally thought it was abrasive and was surprised how quick it was to work)....

Not denying that there are better options, but it does have it's uses.

I'm glad to be in a newer, silver car and don't have to worry about all this any more :P

Especially on cars lacking in paint, the least aggressive method is always the best.

If a car is so low on paint that you really don't want to remove anything, then look at using a non-abrasive glaze (also known as PURE POLISHES - not to be confused with 'POLISH')

Something like Meguiar's #7 Show-Car Glaze, Prima Amigo or Chem Guys EZ Creme Glaze will help fill in marks to some degree. Some wax products such as Prima Banana Gloss are also designed to fill in marks as well...

[superfly]

Whenever I've used ScratchX, marks have not come back at all.

Guess I'll just keep using it when I get a scratch that the NXT wax won't remove.

[Joshmcmillan]

I'm not arguing, nor do I really care a lot. But, someone please explain how if this product was purely an abrasive repair how it returned slowly every time I washed the car?
Is it possible that it is a mixture of both?

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Originally Posted by Joshmcmillan

After a few months with numerous washes using only meguires car wash with microfibre materials, it would return to original and need to be reapplied.
Which made me think that scratch x was indeed a fill in compound.

It might be your washing technique that is scratching the car each time you wash it requiring further polishing.

[Nic85]

Originally Posted by Joshmcmillan

I'm not arguing, nor do I really care a lot. But, someone please explain how if this product was purely an abrasive repair how it returned slowly every time I washed the car?
Is it possible that it is a mixture of both?

I believe this question has been answered twice, by two different people.

Originally Posted by Dave_Obsession

1) The defects were merely filled instead of corrected - if the paint was not sealed afterwards, once the polishing oils wash out the marks suddenly re-appear;

2) The marks were removed, and now you have introduced NEW defects to the surface through your washing & drying techniques...

Originally Posted by Nic85

If the scratches are coming back then the product you're using is definitely just using fillers instead of actually cutting back the clear coat.

Think of it this way.

You have a layer of clear coat paint. Scratches form in that layer. Here you come with your product to fix them. Product A uses abrasive particles to strip back a very tiny layer of clear coat, removing the scratches in the process, revealing a faultless finish.

Product B uses a lot of filler particles, which instead of cutting back the clear coat of the paint, simply fills in all the tiny scratches in the top coat, creating an even surface, which gives the impression that the scratches are gone.

Over a period of time, through general washing, rain, heat etc, this top layer of fillers is eaten away, revealing the original condition of the paint before you started.

If you want those scratches gone permanently, you can probably do it by hand with a lot of elbow grease. Use some Ultimate Compound and a few high quality microfibre cloths. Otherwise, I would strongly recommend a DA polisher and probably an orange or yellow CCS pad, then after that, follow it with your finishing product for a nice shine.

And, the most important step, make sure you always seal the whole thing with some either some paint sealant, or a good quality wax.