Light scratches.

[Joe R26]

Hi people, Looking for some advice here.

I gave the 182 a good clean today (first time since I bought it) and over all the body work is pretty good. The only thing is on the passenger side theres quiet a few light scratches, asiff the car has been driven past hedges etc.

Whats the best way to try and remove these?. Im sure T cut would do it but ive been told so many times that T cut is nasty. lol

Any suggestions please?.

 

[martijn_b]

Do they trap your finger nail?

Get some pics up, most light scratches can be removed or at least 95% been taken care of with a machine polisher.

This is what i did to a car that
got keyed:

 

[JD]

As above, can you catch your finger nails in the scratches? If so, it might require paint.

If they are very light, correction can be achieved, or as good as possible with machine polishing.

From;

View attachment 49237

To;

View attachment 49238

From;

View attachment 49239

To;

View attachment 49240

This was done pre-sale for a client (my father lol). All with easily available products. Or get in touch with a local detailer.

 

[Joe R26]

Thanks for the info, I dont think you can feel them with your finger nail. Their very fine and light but still noticable when you look along the panels. I might take it to a body shop and see what they can suggest. Its nothing major, just one of them things that annoys you!.

 

[martijn_b]

Alright, choose your bodyshop wisely or see if there is a real detailer near Sussex.
Some bodyshops will attempt a quick-fix, and when they use the wrong techniques (which very often happens) it can result in buffer trails:

 

[JackJack]

^Thats bad.

 

[TheEvilGiraffe]

JoeGT .. get to halfords .. get some Meguires ScratchX and give that a go.

Please leave the t-cut in the shop haha !! No need to take it to a bodyshop if it's what I think it is !

Did you just give the car a bath with some suds ? Plenty of info on here how to clean and protect the car .. wash / polish / wax etc. You might find a coat of BlackHole wil cover most of the marks anyway.

Good luck !

 

[Joe R26]

JoeGT .. get to halfords .. get some Meguires ScratchX and give that a go.

Please leave the t-cut in the shop haha !! No need to take it to a bodyshop if it's what I think it is !

Did you just give the car a bath with some suds ? Plenty of info on here how to clean and protect the car .. wash / polish / wax etc. You might find a coat of BlackHole wil cover most of the marks anyway.

Good luck !

Thanks, I was reading about scratch x last night. So maybe I'll give it a go. I've read many guides for cleaning the car. I pressure washed it and then cleaned it with auto glym shampoo and a lambs wool wash mitt.

 

[RS200Lew]

oooof, thats a proper job on that vectra. Tbh Joe, rather than buy scratch x your best off either buying an all in one polish for an extra few quid for more and better product. Or buy 250mm handy size bottles of an extra fine and ultra fine polish and see how you get on with them, Lew

 

[Joe R26]

oooof, thats a proper job on that vectra. Tbh Joe, rather than buy scratch x your best off either buying an all in one polish for an extra few quid for more and better product. Or buy 250mm handy size bottles of an extra fine and ultra fine polish and see how you get on with them, Lew

Can you recommend some?.

 

[martijn_b]

Joe, I think Lew means the Menzerna products. Im not into Menzerna since we don't sell it in Holland, but take a look on polishedbliss.co.uk
Use a orange and light green hand pad to apply it. (orange = heavy cut, green = low cut).

 

[RS200Lew]

I do use menzerna as ive used it since it came out but more often than not i use the 3m products inc their pads which correct a large range of paint finishes. Fact cut plus is a heavy grit (green bottle top=green pad) extra fine is medium grit (yellow bottle top= yellow pad) and then there is the ultra fina se for refining and very light marks ( blue bottle top= blue or black pad) I got the 250mm bottles of each from elite car care for roughly 25 quid. Using these by hand pad also rewards good results if your not going to bother getting a da/rotary/pads etc. http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/3m-perfect-it-iii-250ml-polish-sample-kit.php?cPath=27

These 3 should see you through for a long while even though the size is quite small. Hope this helps, Lew

 

[Joe R26]

Thanks for all the info, I might give them a go. I'll do anything on the mechanics side of things, but when it comes to fine stuff like paintwork etc I'm too scared to attempt messing with it! lol.

 

[JD]

It is easier than you might think, but, as with everything, experience is paramount. I wouldn't change the Haldex oil on my car because I don't know how to. But I can still learn with the help of someone more experienced.

 

[Joe R26]

I'm thinking I'm going to order those 3M products soon Lew so I can get rid of these scratches. They're only quiet fine scratches so I don't think I'll need to use the heavy grit. So obviously I'm going to wash the car, after that do I polish the whole panels or just the scratched areas?, Whats the best way to apply it by hand? I'm guessing not in circular motions. After I've finished polishing what do I seal it with?. I usually use autoglym super resin polish?. I'm not up to scratch with all the different waxes and polishes. I don't even really know the difference!?.

 

[yellowbelly]

My mate brought round his Mrs' Ford Ka the other day after some tw#t had decided to etch 'C#NT' across the entire width of the bonnet, think they must have used a key and pressed down proper hard - needless to say i could not get it to budge.

Nice shiney bonnet now though lol

 

[martijn_b]

Circular motions are fine, apply moderate pressure. Also, clay beforehand

 

[RS200Lew]

If your doing it by hand, i would just do the visible affected areas mate, unless you have a lot of time on your hands. Start with the least abrasive first (ultra fina se) and work your way up if it doesnt work to extra fine. Use an oval hand foam pad if possible and work it in circular motions. You will get used to the pressure the more you do it. If extra fine does the job better, remember to go back over the same area with the ultra fina incase the heavier once has left any marks behind which you usually get from compounds (heavier polishes). After this, you could put on 2 coats of your super resin to try and hide a few more of the finer scratches. You could then put a wax over this to give the final protection coat if needed. Hope this helps mate, just pm me if you need a bit of guidance . There are many other stages which can be included to enhance the detail which i can send u some info about when your ready. Lew

 

[JD]

I still disagree that SRP "layering" has any effect. From experience, the minor abrasives polish out the fillers left behind by the first application. So you are doubling your work load.

Also SRP offers no protection whatsoever! So wax/sealant IS required. People always mistake the beading of SRP for protection.

Wash, clay, wash, dry, polish, protect. Always.

 

[RS200Lew]

Hence why i stated that there is many other stages that can be used. Im basically telling him where he can apropriately use his product without wasting it and putting it to some form of use seen as though he wont be purchasing a da or rotary and going the full hog. Claying the car with his basic knowledge will end up marring the paint and leaving him to deal with a full car by hand, in which SRP deals with hollograms. We both know is very time consuming and serious effort is needed but as he stated, he has a few marks visible here and there. SRP does contains light protection of roughly 2 months (recommended to reapply upto 8 times per yr). Due to it being lightly abrasive and contains fillers, it would only break down quicker than a wax or sealant during washes, which is why the Extra gloss was added to the collection to hold in more of the fillers. You could still glaze, wax and sealant over the SRP and still have no problems with beeding or sheeting, although any protective product doesnt need to bead in order to protect. In most cases after polishing, i will always use a glaze to act as a perfect foundation for products to key to each other and add a bit more depth to the finish, as other people would rather IPA the full car to remove polishing oils and look specifically for the true finish.

 

[JD]

Sorry chap, but SRP does not contain any protection, whatsoever. And to give it two months is just madness. You will be undoing all of the work you have put in to start with!

And again, not can be used, must be used. I refer you back to my previous method log of wash, clay, wash, dry, polish, protect. Always.

 

[Gally]

SRP makes me feel a little dirty inside.

It has it's uses, like my exhaust but apart from that i'm not interested.

Listen to JD he's forgotten more than I know.

 

[JD]

I'm not trying to be argumentative, Lew, which I'm sure you understand. I think we are both aiming at the same goal

 

[richy22]

I still disagree that SRP "layering" has any effect. From experience, the minor abrasives polish out the fillers left behind by the first application. So you are doubling your work load.

Also SRP offers no protection whatsoever! So wax/sealant IS required. People always mistake the beading of SRP for protection.

Wash, clay, wash, dry, polish, protect. Always.

+1...makes no difference.

 

[richy22]

JoeGT .. get to halfords .. get some Meguires ScratchX and give that a go.

Please leave the t-cut in the shop haha !! No need to take it to a bodyshop if it's what I think it is !

Did you just give the car a bath with some suds ? Plenty of info on here how to clean and protect the car .. wash / polish / wax etc. You might find a coat of BlackHole wil cover most of the marks anyway.

Good luck !

Il be shot for this...T-cut does have it uses "sometimes" When my old Monaco had some nasty scratches, caused by some dozt bint pulling into the side of me whilst I was overtaking her (beside her) and coming out with the classic "I put my indicator on"! , I resorted to some T-cut help with some fairly deep scratches that nothing in my product collection would touch. Obviously its last resort but it "can" be useful

 

[JD]

T-Cut is also useful for CDs and radio facia. If these are scratched, T Cut will bring them up like new.

 

[richy22]

^^^ As will SRP...I proper FCUKED one of my mates Xbox games (i was fixing his xbox and forgot to turn it off before turning it on its side ) left a nice deep scratch in the disc. Had to buy him a new game FFS! Still I took the old buggered disc and took SRP to it with one of the green sonus polishing cloths..after about an hour of frantic barm bashing the bad boy worked

f**k Yeah

 

[JamesWilson]

Wash, clay, wash, dry, polish, protect. Always.

Sound Advice, I find that if i wash, dry, clay, polish, wax. That after claying the quick detailer leaves holograms and then so does the polish, the wax gets rid of most of it. Best thing to do is as JD said.

 

[richy22]

Sound Advice, I find that if i wash, dry, clay, polish, wax. That after claying the quick detailer leaves holograms and then so does the polish, the wax gets rid of most of it. Best thing to do is as JD said.

Ermmm no!

 

[JD]

Richy, I love that you've edited for a spelling mistake, and then spelt "innit" wrong in the edited section!!!! x

 

[richy22]

inntentional

 

[JD]

Inbred x

 

[Joe R26]

The shear amount of products available is just confusing me here. I was planning on washing the car, then claying it with meguiars mirror glaze mild clay. I read a good guide on detailing world and polished bliss about claying. From what I gather, keeping it well lubed is the main thing. So I wash, clay and polish it (would like to do the whole car, is it really that time consuming by hand?).

So then after all that I need to protect the paint. What products should I use for this? I dont want to spend silly money. as said I was just gonna use ag srp and finish it with extra gloss protection but that seems like its out the window now!.

 

[RS200Lew]

I understand where your comming from JD, but everyone has their own views to products they use and still to this day i will say there is a some form of light sealant in SRP, but i did say to add a wax on top (EG protection). Using SRP correctly, multiple coats can be applied without the abrasives clearing the last coat of fillers if you have the time and patience to use such a cheap yet useful polish, which most detailers wont bother doing as there are products that would simply out perform it with one coat of something better. As for your washing log, that would be your advice to give to others as many other detailers log would be different depending on circumstances, or which products they think will perform the best. Cleaner fluids, IPA wipedowns and glazes are part of my prepping work but who am i to say it has to be done? Your log is correct and so is mine but thats the way detailing is.

 

[RS200Lew]

The shear amount of products available is just confusing me here. I was planning on washing the car, then claying it with meguiars mirror glaze mild clay. I read a good guide on detailing world and polished bliss about claying. From what I gather, keeping it well lubed is the main thing. So I wash, clay and polish it (would like to do the whole car, is it really that time consuming by hand?).

So then after all that I need to protect the paint. What products should I use for this? I dont want to spend silly money. as said I was just gonna use ag srp and finish it with extra gloss protection but that seems like its out the window now!.

Why should it be out the window? you have a budget as much as anybody else has. If you was to wash, clay, wash, SRP then EGP, why would it be wrong? If you think SRP is no longer suitable for your needs then dont add it into the detail. That was a little advice instead of polishing the full car by hand. Polish the visible scratches by hand and then use something else to do the full car and fill very fine swirls. Poorboys blackhole, Ez Creme Glaze are both good products but myself for one would not use these as a masking product, only as a foundation or to enhance the look of a certain paint finish. If you didnt want to hide imperfections, polishing the full car by hand or possibly picking up a cheap rotary polisher between £30 - £40 and give it a whirl. Watch a few videos and guides and learn the basics.

 

[JMR]

http://www.autoglym.com/enGB/product-proddetail.asp?v06VQ=HD&Range=1

"...Autoglym Super Resin Polish is the ultimate easy to use combination cleaner, polish and sealant...."

I know people say it offers NO protection but this is what the AG site says.
Agreed you will get FAR FAR superior durability in using a specific sealant or wax though.

Jeffs Werkstatt Acrylic Jett Trigger [sealant] is a piece of cake and very fast to use.
I'm b0llocking on Raceglaze #55 wax at the moment - love it. [not cheap though]

 

[Joe R26]

The only reason I said it was out the window Lew as JD said it was pointless!? lol. I'm quiet happy to use SRP I've used it on my vehicles before and have been overly impressed by the shine it gives. But I've never put anything on top of it.

At the end of the day we could go through so many different procedures but I'm no professional so I need to stick with fairly basic stuff. The paintwork in general is pretty good, it has very very light swirls which you can see in the sunlight (not half as bad as my old cars) in-fact they don't even bother me that much. So all I'm looking to do is refresh the paint a little and get rid of the fine (but noticeable) scratches on the passenger side.

So back to basics really, I'll wash the car, clay it (as Ive noticed quiet a lot of them tiny tiny small black bits of dirt embedded in the paintwork which washing doesn't remove. So I guess all I need after that is to polish out the light scratches on the passenger side, then seal/protect the whole car with SRP and extra gloss protection?.

I think your right, it doesn't warrant going over the whole car with the 3M polish you recommended to me as like I said the paintwork as a whole is not bad at all.

The main thing I'm aiming for is a nice high gloss finish with the fine scratches ironed out and the paint fairly well protected.

Does my plan sound OK?.

I appreciate all the help Lew, I now at least have a slight idea on freshening the paintwork up.

 

[RS200Lew]

Your plan of action is good, some the tar spots on the car could be removed with some tar remover before claying to keep marking the paint down to a minimal. clay will remove them but a few of the thicker spots (if any) might marr the paint so just be gentle with no hard rubbing. Extra gloss would fit the bill nicely as your then combo'ing with the SRP. Providing your not that factuated with super beeding and sheeting properties all the time, you will be happy with the result.

 

[Joe R26]

Excellent, a question about the clay though. I was going to use the meguiars mirror glaze mild clay, but then I noticed meguiars do a non abrasive clay. Which should I go for?.

 

[richy22]

My opinion would be the least abrasive possible