Congo

okay.. when i just got out of the parking lot.. i found a stratch on my car.. it's like a hit and run type of stratch.. no dings or dents.. but left a mark... as i got home i cleaned the car with Meguiars Deep Crystal System Polish along with the wax combo and the cleaner combo and the paint is still dull.. it's not as shiny anymore... anyone know what polish product i should use to make the luster to the paint agian and make it shiny once more?








-ANdrew

wanabe

sounds like the result of an aggressive polish...

cure for that is to "step down" the polishes. i would probably do a light pass with a fine cut and then really work the area with a swirl remover or paint cleaner. that should bring the bling back...
then be sure to rewax cause polishes remove all protection.

Congo

what do you mean a fine cut with a light pass? im confused? i thought i should use a more aggressive polish since this one isnt bringing the shiny back so.. u are saying that i should use the cleaner first and then the wax and then the polish and then the wax again?... if so how many mins.. do i spend on each.. cuz i was like polishing for 1-2 hrs.. and still nothing haha

darkknight1999

I think you have it backwards.

An aggressive polish is 'rougher' and has a heavier grit to it. You want to start with that type of a product, and then work your way down to a very light polish (something much less aggressive).

I use Optimum Compound and polish and it will remove 2000 grit sand paper scratches with ease.

BTW what are you using for a machine? A PC or high speed?

So what you want to do to fix this is the following:

1. Wash the area
2. Clay the area
If you can feel the scratch with your fingernail you really should wetsand it first before you start to compound but that will depend on yourself and sanding you car
3. Compound the area with an aggressive compound and a wool pad
4. Compound again with a yellow foam pad
5. Switch to a polish and green foam pad
6. Polish the area again but with a white foam pad.
Then if the scratches are still there you'll need to go back and either compound or polish again depending on the type of scratches that are left.
7. Once you've completed the compounding and polishing you can began to wax with whatever wax or sealant you choose to use.


If you have any pictures I can tell you what speed you should start with.

Congo

i dont use a PC tho.. lol it's all hand labor

darkknight1999

umm... might be very hard to remove them without a machine. You might be able to do it.... but your arm will turn to jello

wanabe

darknight1999... you have the right combo to remove the scratch. i understood that the scratch was taken care of and all that was needed was the haze removal. haze is often caused by compounds and removed by fine cuts, which is where i was going with this.
and we agree about the pc. incredibly easier with the machine-
it is possible that i misunderstood the question... but now congo has the instructions for either case!

darkknight1999

wanabe... I wasn't disagreeing with you just adding on to what you said is all. He might have removed the scratch. But you really won't know if its gone until the paint is fully polished to the point that its not really dull any longer. It might not be fully polish but he'll be able to tell if its gone.

Either way, I was just writing out what I would do. He may have done some or most of what I typed already but just in case some one else takes a look

And yes using a machine to do this job is the way to go.

Ubetit

Optimum Compound and Polish is now my goto team. The 3m and Meguiars are on the back shelf.