[wulbert]

My new '97 2.3 CSE Anniversary has very fine swirly scratches all over the paint which I think have been caused by car wash use and the fact that previous owner lived next to an open cast mine ( lots of dust) .

You can only see them when you peer at the paint close up, they don't look like they would need something as agressive as T-cut for example. I've read all the threads I can find on polishes etc. and a lot pf products look possible. Not sure what to go for though. I looked at the Swissol range but their paint rubber, cleaner and wax was going to cost £90. !! ( They even do a personalised wax for £1,280 a throw)

I was thinking of the Meguiars Quick Clay, followed by PS21 Cleanser, followed by PS21 Canauba wax , total £38 .
However these swirly scratches are not specifically addressed in the blurb for these products.

Any expert opinions out there?

Wul

 

[billj]

Not an expert, sorry, but when I bought my 1990 CD the original owner had obviously taken it through a car wash regularly. The dark blue metallic paint showed these scratches and it was especially visible with the sun shining on it (so not very often ).

Anyway, I did use T-Cut, the metallic formula which is very mild. This mostly got rid of it. From then on I used blue colour-coded car wax after every wash for the next few washes and thereafter every now and again. Be careful not to get that stuff on the plastic trim, though, as it will stain it

Anyway, by the time I came to trade it in for my Aero, all the salesmen at the various dealers commented on how well-kept it looked. They all raved over its appearance, then offered me a fraction of what I'd paid for it 18 months earlier

Still, it looked good

 

[philcrombie]

any cutting compound will remove the scratches - especially if they are only in the laquer coating.
T-cut metallic will be ok and for bad areas you can use a stronger T-cut (comes in a tube with a red top). As long as you are careful you can use most good brand names but I imagine the weaker ones (eg. T-cut metallic) will take eons to grind out a scratch.

 

[tomrothwell]

I have used Auto-Glym renovating polish, which contains fine metalic powder to 'cut' the surface back a little. It worked OK, but I was only removing the oxidized surface and winter grime, so I was careful not to press on too hard. I also 'watered' it down with Hafords fast wax, which is more liquid and appears to contain a lot of solvents - good against grime.

Be careful with coloured polishes as they stain the clear lacquer reducing the metalic effect. Having said that, I sometimes use it on the 'stone chipped' part of the bonnet as normal polish leaves lots of white dots in the holes !

 

[StephenA]

Originally posted by BillJ:
[qb]From then on I used blue colour-coded car wax after every wash for the next few washes and thereafter every now and again. [/qb][/b]

The only problem with the colour-coded car wax is when you stop using it and it starts to fade.... there are still patches on my K reg that look lousy.


Steve

 

[MatthewClement]

On a related note, I've managed to brush against a branch and put a scratch down the length of my car. T-Cut (or its Autoglym equivalent) will be the first line of defense, but I suspect that the scratch is a little too deep for this to be totally effective.

Short of having the entire side resprayed, what are my options? Is there a 'Scratchmaster' equivalent of 'Dentmaster'? I thought I read somewhere about a guy who could airbrush the scratch out reasonably inexpensively?

Thanks in advance

 

[wulbert]

Thanks people.

I was hoping to "fill" the scratches rather than abrade them away. They are only very slight ( but numerous) and in the laquer itself, rather than the paint.
I spent 1 hour per door T-cutting my last car and I am lazy and not keen to repeat this.

I heard mention of a "machine polish" , what's this? If I thought I could pay a veletter, say £30 ,to bring the paint up to show room finish then I would. I could then ponce about with a light polish every other Sunday and drink more beer in my free time.

 

[PHudson]

Originally posted by MatthewClement:
[qb]Short of having the entire side resprayed, what are my options?  Is there a 'Scratchmaster' equivalent of 'Dentmaster'?  I thought I read somewhere about a guy who could airbrush the scratch out reasonably inexpensively?

[/qb][/b]

ChipsAway can do this, I'd assume DentMaster people can too. Or some non-franchise equivalent that isn't trying to pay back a £25K franchise fee

 

[andy law]

Thanks for the "chipsaway" reference Soulhand. Some muppet keyed the rear quarter of my 9-5. Found the nearset chipsaway centre 1/2 mile from where i live

 

[djtaylor]

Sorry Wulbert but £1280 is just lightweight supermarket shopping when it comes to expensive wax:-

http://www.vertar.com/product.asp?numRec...chFor=&PT_ID=89



David.

 

[colinC]

I have used Brasso to remove small deep scratches, works quite well and seems to be about twice as strong as T cut I would advise anyone to try some on the some hidden paintwork first though.

Col

 

[StephenA]

Originally posted by ColinC_2.3T:
[qb]I have used Brasso to remove small deep scratches, works quite well and seems to be about twice as strong as T cut I would advise anyone to  try some on the some hidden paintwork first though.

Col [/qb][/b]

Hmm - I wonder if duraglit would have the same effect, its very good at removing "fatal" scratches from CDs.

Steve

 

[billj]

Originally posted by StephenA:
[qb]I wonder if duraglit would have the same effect, its very good at removing "fatal" scratches from CDs.[/qb][/b]

Now that's interesting. I have a load of CDs belonging to a friend who likes to leave them rattling around the car and I was going to try T-Cut. Duraglit it is, then. Does it still come in an orange tin?

 

[StephenA]

last time I got some it came in a blue tin.

Steve

 

[Zip]

Hi folks - I'm the big fan of Swissol. Ok £90 is a lot of money, but it will last you several years, and the car really only needs the paint cleaner once every 6 months at most, and I only do it once a year. Wax once a quarter, with a refresh of the leading edges of the bonnet and bumper every wash during the summer to leep the bugs from adhering.

When the car is your second most expensive investment after a house, I don't see £90 over 3 years as too much to care for the damn thing. How much do you spend cleaning a house over 3 years......?

Buy Swissol - you will not regret it. The clay bar is simply amazing, and the paint clean genuinely makes the paint squeeky to the touch. Fabulous products.
Zip

 

[wulbert]

£90 for a wax kit, hmmmmn. I can see your point about protecting the "investment". This would be one purchase that would need to be on a "need to know" basis from my wife!

The cheapest Swissol wax is £40, Is it really four times better than rivals?

Also Meguiars do a clay bar for a lot less.("Quick Clay" £11.99)

Recently opened a joint account which has made extravegancies like this more tricky to justify to myself.

 

[djtaylor]

Duraglit tin colour depends on whether it's Brasso or Silvo as far as I remember.

 

[Zip]

Trust me - it's 10 times better than rivals. No stained plastic, no dust, very little effort, very long lasting blah blah blah...

Autoglym polishes are absolutely appalling in comparison. If I had an Aston Vantage (as in all the nice magazine adverts) I wouldn't put Autoglym anywhere near it.

PS: Best Autoglym product is the alloy wheel cleaner - excellent stuff, and gives Wonder Wheels a beating IMHO.

Zip

 

[rhino2.3t]

Originally posted by wulbert:
[qb]£90 for a wax kit, hmmmmn. I can see your point about protecting the "investment". This would be one purchase that would need to be on a "need to know" basis from my wife!

[/qb][/b]

..just be sure to leave enough spare to remove those unsightly marks on the cooker, and everyones a winner be sure to have an answer like 'i bought them online, i must have misread the price (shocked face) i would have sworn it was only £9, oh well its here now...