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Light Scratches


Adie
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It seems every time i clean my car i seem to notice more and more very light scratches/marks on the paint work. My colour car is granite sky, so even an extremely clean car in sunlight looks like scratches or dents.

Does anyone know a good cleaning process that will remove light marks??

My car was cleaned with diamond brite when i bought it second hand from a large second hand store ( car supermarket). I am only cleaning it with the diamond brite shampoo and protecting wax solution then using shammy to dry at the moment, so will this matter / affect using something else?

Also i seem to get bird muck on my car EVERY DAY and wash it off with a cloth and water but it does no favours for the shine of the car, ( water marks) especially this time of year.I have seen spray wax / polish for just this thing like small areas. Does anyone know a good spray polish or wax to rebuff these small areas quick and easy?

Many thanks for any contributions guys

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Meguairs Scratch-X is meant to be good for getting rid of minor scratches and swirl marks, so may be worth your while trying to get some.

I also use the Final Inspection spray/polish stuff they do and it brings the car up a treat. I would think it would add to your diamond brite finish?

For Meguiars stockists, do a search here and it'll bring up the links...

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Mine's the same.

It could be (in my case) a number of things.

1) Wash & wax putting a softer coating on that is prone to minor scratching

2) Using a Vileda Window Cloth instead of a proper chamois (I just don't get on with them)

3) Cleaning the car with a hand brush instead of a sponge

?

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  • 2 weeks later...

Okay, here goes.

As Claire put, Meguiars Scratch-X is good stuff for removing minor scratches (it's about £8.99, but does last a lonnnnng time). Check the scratch first by rubbing the tip of your nail against the length of the scratch....if your nail catches in the scratch, it has gone beneath the coat of the lacquer and would be impossible to remove....if your nail just glides over the top, Meguiar's Scratch-X should cure it. When attempting to remove any scratch, polish across the scratch, and not along - this makes it easier to remove. If the scratch is deeper than the lacquer you will still be able to minimalize it by using an abrasive polish like Scratch-X - it will then look more like a hairline mark.

If you do have the cash, go and buy a buffer. The rotation of the heads of buffers make the job alot easier than by hand - if you can imagine what 3500rpms by hand is like you will understand why it's a good idea to use a buffer.

Dump the chamois. For how much they cost nowadays, they are not worth it. Go and buy some microfibre terry towels. You can actually buy them from a couple of quid to around £10. They are much more durable than a chamois, and you won't get those irritating little bits of leather sticking to your car in the summer !

Bird muck can be a bitch to get off especially if it dries. The only way I know is keep an eye on your car - as soon as it lands on the paint, get it off !! If the bird has been eating berries, it will be dumping acid on your paint. If you remove the crap and there is a mark left behind, try polishing it out first. If it doesn't come off, you will need to use a claybar (again, Meguiar's do a claybar "kit").

If you do have quite a few of these scratches on your car, a good method is to use a claybar over the entire car. I've tried and tested it on my black car, and it comes up a treat - you can run your hand over it and it just feels like glass.

Just one last pointer - remember that whenever you use a polish or scratch remover, you are actually removing any wax protection that was on your paintwork. So always wax the car after you have done your repair / polishing work. This will prevent further scratches and paint chips.

Ahhhhh (deep breath). That's about it. It probably sounds like I'm a sales rep for Meguiar's, but I can ensure you I'm not - it's just that I have used their polishes/waxes/cleaners/buffers.....and am totally impressed with the outcome.

Happy cleaning !

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the clear coat does appear to be very soft compared to other cars, something which causes great problems if u notice all the little marks.

the quickest and easiest solution i have found is to use a random orbit polisher and a small amount of the turtle wax scratch & swirl remover, which is in my opinion much better than scratch x .

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  • 1 month later...
Cheers guys. I've bought some of the turtle wax scratch and swirl remover so will try that when the weather picks up. As for the Orbit polisher how much do they cost and where could i get one from?

You can pick up an Orbital polisher from Halfords, or Motaman for about £30-£40. I bought the Meguiars one for £100, cuz I ain't anywhere near a plug socket. It comes in handy when you don't have to worry about where that lead is lying (especially when doing the other side of the car).

The other thing to remember when buying these things is that you need a brand name as you might have to replace the polishing pads in the future. That's another reason why I spent the extra and went for Meguiar's.

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