compound - scratches

2012paddy2012

Is there any compound that works on metallic- tried some before - useless-

For light scratches


Thks

Curran

Do you mean by hand??

Meguiars Scratch X isnt too bad on light scratches

You wont do too much to improve damage by hand...machine correction is the only permanent solution.

2012paddy2012

Curran wrote: »

Do you mean by hand??

Meguiars Scratch X isnt too bad on light scratches

You wont do too much to improve damage by hand...machine correction is the only permanent solution.

Do you mean electric buffer

MetzgerMeister

Not an electric buffer but an electric polishing machine. There is a huge difference believe it or not

opinionated3

Try menzerna.... Their compounds are fantastic. Available at cleancar.ie. contact them first outlining the scratches in detail and they should recommend the relevant menzerna coded bottle for the job.

Curran

Menzerna is of no use without a machine.

opinionated3

Oh of course. Apologies. Thought the op had a machine

2012paddy2012

opinionated3 wrote: »

Oh of course. Apologies. Thought the op had a machine

Very interested to know about " machine"
Can I get one cheapish in say halfords -- to do the job? Scratches are thin - thks

opinionated3

2012paddy2012 wrote: »

Very interested to know about " machine"
Can I get one cheapish in say halfords -- to do the job? Scratches are thin - thks

Machine polishing is the best way to get your car looking its best. There are 2 types. .. dual action and random orbital. I do believe halfords sell some sort of polisher but I'm not sure how good it is. Car detailing is addictive. You might get rid of the scratches tomorrow but next thing you will be trying out different polishes to achieve different finishes and trying expensive waxes to protect your finish. Compounds when combined with machine pads are very effective but you need to be careful not to remove too much of the paint microns. Experimentation is the way forward. Not sure what type car you have or how car proud you are but detailingworld is a fantastic forum if your really interested

2012paddy2012

opinionated3 wrote: »

Machine polishing is the best way to get your car looking its best. There are 2 types. .. dual action and random orbital. I do believe halfords sell some sort of polisher but I'm not sure how good it is. Car detailing is addictive. You might get rid of the scratches tomorrow but next thing you will be trying out different polishes to achieve different finishes and trying expensive waxes to protect your finish.
Compounds when combined with machine pads are very effective but you need to be careful not to remove too
much of the paint microns. Experimentation is the way forward. Not sure what type car you have or how car proud you are but detailingworld is a fantastic forum if your really interested

Many thks for your reply- the missus has a new car about 8 weeks old - iwas coming home last windy evening a tree came down on road as I passed a branch caused a couple little scratches- a chap into detailing had told me before than you shoukd treat new paintwork with some sort of polish to keep it right i am thinking that i might get it waxed and polished and
See if he can get rid of scratches while he is at it - nany thks

opinionated3

A good compound will erase the scratch and provide a good even shine. The wax will protect your finish against the elements. Hope you get sorted

2012paddy2012

opinionated3 wrote: »

A good compound will erase the scratch and provide a good even shine. The wax will protect your finish against the elements. Hope you get sorted

Thank you- was reading the backs of a few tins in woodies - metallic seems to be not covered for some reason ! Will keep looking thks for advice

jayc12

Would ye use a different compound for metallic and non metallic paint?

opinionated3

Any compound I've used has been on metallic paint..... hard German paint as found on audi vw etc. Couldn't comment on non metallic

Curran

No difference between polish used for metallic and non-metallic paints....however every paint is different with regard to how much paint will be removed when using the pad and polish. For example, using the exact same, machine, pad & polish on BMW factory paint will remove less than that of a Toyota factory paint, as BMW paint is much harder.


Getting back to your scratches 2012paddy2012;
Judging by how you described how the damage occured, Id say that you will need to have the area machine polished, but the good news is that all the scratches should come out...assuming that the branches havent really dug into the paint work.
Polishing is the process for correcting paintwork; so it will remove swirls, scratches, bird etchings, water spots, oily hand prints, etc.
Protection is the step once correction is done; so waxing or sealant. Varying different options from protection...waxing gives between 3-4 months depending on the wax, sealants are more durable. Then there is extra durable options from nano sealants. It is possible to protect a car for 1-2 years with some of these options, but these are expensive, and need to be applied in controlled environments on properly prepared paintwork.

jayc12

For protection would you apply a sealant or a wax first and how many coats would you apply?

Curran

If applying both, then its sealant and then wax. Two coats of each would be ideal.
You dont have to apply both; you can do one or the other, also.

There are lots of things to consider when choosing paint protection; colour of paintwork, budget, durability (within that the roads you drive & mileage), appearance, ease of application & removal, etc, etc

Waxes generally look better on darker colours; sealants on lighter colours
Sealants are generally more durable than waxes, but dont give a nice warm glow that waxes do
Certain sealants / waxes are a pig to apply and buff off
How often you are willing to top up or re-apply protection - some love doing it every 2 months, to others, once a year is too much!

Another thing to consider is the manufacturer of the polish you have used (if applied by hand). Its best to stick with a sealant/wax from the same manufacturer. Same applies if you are layer a wax on top of a sealant. Appying a sealant, will hinder the bonding of a wax, so you wont get the recommended durability from the wax, but at least the sealant will be under it.

So as you can see; many factors need to be taken into account when deciding of you want to go with just sealant, just wax, or both!

jayc12

Thanks for that information Curran. I just started using a das6 with the menzerna polish pack on the cars at home. I'm happy enough with the improvement I made on the cars only the water beading doesnt last too long on the cars afterwards. I'm applying collinite 476 afterwards.

Curran

OK, so machine polishing is different to hand polishing. With hand polish, there is fillers in it to help hide swirls and scratches. This is different to machine polishing, as with machine polishing, you are actually correcting the paint work. The oils in polish for machine polishing will hinder bonding of any products applied on top of them. Once you have finished doing your machine work, be sure to give the car a good wash down with an APC to remove the polishing oils. Dry the car, and then apply the Collinite in thin layers. Two minimum, but three would be nice. Collinite should give some very nice beading, and is durable, so Im guessing something is not quite right!

jayc12

I know where I'm going wrong now I never washed the car after finishing with the machine. Thanks curran