i have noticed some fine fingernail scratches on tip of hood what to use?
There are some good videos on the web about how to polish a car to remove scratches. This one is a good primer: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYed_Hnrql4]Paint Correction on 1958 Porsche Speedster - /DRIVE CLEAN - YouTube[/ame] After that you might try more specific questions like: What tools do I need? (ie: Dual action polisher) What products are available to me? (3M, Menzurna, Swissvax, Griots Garage) What method(s) do I want to try? (least aggressive - most aggressive) If you can get a picture of it and post it up you can get a good start.
Meguires Swirl-X may do a good job. It has fairly mild diminishing abrasives. What that means is, the abrasives get finer and finer as you buff/work the polish. Once the marks are out, just top it with your favorite polish. If the marks are too deep (obviously into the clear coat), you may need Meguires Scratch-X, it starts off a little more abrasive than Swirl-X. If they don't come out with Scratch-X you may need a random orbital buffer with polish to do the job. If the damage is completely through the clear coat, down to the paint, you will have to touch up the clear. If the scratch is through the clear AND the paint, you will need to touch the paint up first, then the clear. I get the impression from your original post that you have very minor damage that should come out with Swirl-X, but obviously can't tell without photos or a better description. Please post a picture of the damage for the most accurate advice.
I am not a fan of Griots, to me they are rebadged products. However..There is one exception..their polishes. I bought their 2 sizes of DA polishers..both are rebadged porter cables... Nice but not as reliable as my right hand. I bought all 5 grades of polishes, coarse to ulta fine and about 100 micro fibre clothes. The clothes are more important than the polish.. 1 grade at a time I went through the grit grades over the entire car till I reached ultra fine.. Nothing I have ever done myself has come out this good.. if you want it done right, do it yourself, by Hand! my 2 cents
I agree with most of what you said, but not all. I also love the Griot's Garage polishes and have used them a lot. One thing I don't agree with is using a polish by hand that is designed for machine use. The diminishing abrasives need friction to diminish properly. If you use them by hand, they may work ok, but if you use a proper DA buffer, you will get much better results with less work. The polishes need the speed of the buffing wheel to build up a little heat. When it comes to applying a top coat of wax, I have to agree with you, nothing beats a meticulously hand applied wax. One word of advice (to those that don't have polishing experience), if you are not a professional, NEVER use a regular buffing wheel! You can burn the paint! As a DIY'er, using a DA polisher is totally safe and gives great results.
Griot's Garage actually manufacturers all of their own polishes, waxes, etc... They purchased a chemical company years ago and took all production in house. The Griot's polishers are not rebadged PC's. They are a similar design, but have much stronger "motors". PC's are made in Mexico, Griot's in China.
Todd is correct, Griots polishers are not PC's in a better looking red casing. As far as by hand, all you are doing is filling the scratches. You cant generate enough heat or diminish the abrasive in any compound/polish via hand polishing. If you do, you are going to take FOREVER to accomplish that and want to reach for the DA from then on! Either buy a griots DA, some polishes, pads, towels, etc and do it via machine, or find your local detailer and have him do it and then you maintain it from then on. My two cents
Uhhhhhhhhh.. Sorry, DA's do not generate heat on surface of paint, if they do you are applying too much pressure.. Buffers do, which one are you referring to? I do agree the diminishing particle bit....which is why the hand rubbing effectiveness is accomplished in the last few seconds of rubbing , you just feel the final cutting as it happens.. I am no pro , just a few concours trophies.. But this is my recipe.
This is correct. They do need friction to break down though. And yes, the standard orbital buffers do create a lot more heat and work quicker, but they can also be very dangerous in inexperienced hands. They are VERY aggressive. I wouldn't dare attempt to use one on my car! And yes you can use most diminishing abrasive polishes by hand, but you will work much harder and not have as good results...your choice. The biggest advantage of using it by hand, as you stated, is that you can feel when the polish breaks down to a very fine polish. After getting some experience with the machine, one can actually hear, feel and see that the polish is fully broken down. Apparently doing it by hand works for you, and that's perfectly fine. I always had show cars as well with many 1st place and people's choice awards, and while I do most polishing and waxing by hand, if there is any "paint correction" necessary, I reach for the Griots Garage DA polisher. I' not a professional, just an enthusiast so my info may not be 100% correct either.
Here is a tip I got from a pro detailer: The trick to not pushing too hard with a DA is to make a mark on the pad or holder and as long as it is spinning around slightly you are not pushing too hard.
That's a good tip, I always mark my pads. I just write what polishing level I'm using on the side of the pad and use one pad for each level. It takes a little practice to use the DA, but once you get the hang of it you can get great results with the Griot's Garage polishes.
....really? heat is caused by friction. in order for defect removal you need the friction of the abrasive and pad on the paint, hence the heat build up. Can you burn paint with a rotary, yep! Can you burn paint with a DA, yep! Can you burn paint with a waxer, NOPE! nice job on the concours trophy, what category were you in? I have won a few myself...on cars I didnt even know were being entered!
It would be VERY difficult to damage paint using the DA. It is designed to slow down if too much pressure is used. There is no direct link to the motor like a rotary machine. Take a look at this video, this guy completely abuses the Corvette to show that it can't cause damage. It made me cringe, I almost smacked him through my monitor! LOL It's an interesting video, but start it at approx. 5:39 if you want to witness the part where he abuses the paint. Apparently you would have to actually TRY to damage your paint with a DA.....Probably would have to try for a long time too. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XAqpOe9Zt4]How Safe is the PC-7424XP? - Part 1 - YouTube[/ame]
He's Funny, probably does great work.. I forgot one more secret in my recipe. A week before I do a hand rub out, I start a creatine regiment in my Diet.. Works every Time!
Porter cable 7424xp, 7424xp, Porter Cable 7424XP Dual Action Polisher, Porter Cable polisher, car polisher, buffer, sander-polisher There are several places that have it. A google search gives good results.
Thanks Chris. There is nobody that carries anything good locally. So I purchased the Harbor Freight model. I know, it may not be perfect, but all the reviews were actually very good and for $55 (after coupon) I figure I would give it a try. The MB has been neglected for 3 years and REALLY needs attention. So this rainy weekend, I figure I would work on it in the garage. I will report back on how it goes.
You have to trust me regarding the following...... Take the polisher back to Harbor freight and get your hard earned money back!!!! then order the griots garage polisher. The griots cost a little more than double, but its definitely worth it. For starters, it has a life time warranty! You buy it ONCE. Also, if you don't like it, there is a 100% satisfaction guarantee. I can guarantee that the motor will be stronger and more reliable. The stronger motor will help you work much easier. On the HF one, I would be afraid that the motor would shoot bearing material on the car. Plus GG carries all the proper pads that Velcro on. There is the special pad for polishing, and a softer one for waxing. They also have GREAT machine polishes that I've had very good luck with. Machine polish 1 through 4 is available. 1 is course for poor condition finishes and 4 is so fine, its used for a basically new car that was washed improperly. Most cars need polish #3. 3 works great if there are swirl marks and minimum rain damage. If there is any real damage, 2 or even 1 may make your job easier. Its safer to use #3 and just polish it a few times, instead of choosing a more aggressive polish and trying to finish in one shot. Watch all the griots garage online videos to see the recommended procedure. if you have any questions, they have great tech support as well. What I'm trying to say is that you basically can't go wrong with the griots garage system.
You have to trust me regarding the following...... Take the polisher back to Harbor freight and get your hard earned money back!!!! then order the griots garage polisher. The griots cost a little more than double, but its definitely worth it. For starters, it has a life time warranty! You buy it ONCE. Also, if you don't like it, there is a 100% satisfaction guarantee. I can guarantee that the motor will be stronger and more reliable. On the HF one, I would be afraid that the motor would shoot bearing material on the car. Plus GG carries all the proper pads that Velcro on. There is the special pad for polishing, and a softer one for waxing. They also have GREAT machine polishes that I've had very good luck with. They have grit 1 to 4. 1 is course for poor condition finishes and 4 is so fine, its used for a basically new car that was mistreated. Most cars need polish #3. 3 works great if there are swirl marks and minimum rain damage. If there is any real damage, 2 or even 1 may make your job easier. Its safer to use #3 and just polish it a few times, instead of choosing a more aggressive polish and trying to finish in one shot. Watch all the griots garage videos to see the recommended procedure, if you have any questions, they have great tech support also. What I'm trying to say is that you basically can't go wrong with the griots garage system.
you can burn edges easily with a DA with the more aggressive compounds/pads available...surbuf and 105 come to mind here, MF pad and M100 will do it too! it takes work to burn paint with a DA, you have to try really, but it can be done. Its it going to happen often, absolutely not. Can it happen from time to time, yes but its more than likely you are working an area TOO much and over thinning the paint
Griots is not available where I live, but Meguiars has a good local distributor. Meguiars sells their own DA polisher. Does anyone have any experience with those? Many thanks, Andy
where do you live? Order the griots from Detailed Image - Premium Auto Detailing and Car Care Products I would definitely get the griots over all over the rest, except for the RUPES (hands down the best)
