Paint Scratches

Hi Alan
I prefer to cll the scratches we tend to collect as 'characterlines'. I use a polish called 'T-CUT' it is in liquid form and is available in various colours to match your vehicle colour. I've found that it will remove nearly all bar the severest of scratches. You can get it from most Auto Accessory places, I got mine from Repco in Bibra Lake. Aother scratch prevention method I use is called 'Scratch-Pro', its a water soluable latex based liquid applied using paint roller, I got mine from Opposite Lock in Welshpool
Cheers
Mike

The cloudy finish is just from lack of effort... No other reason...
I went through the same thing when i owned a Dark Green Patrol.
I persisted with the different grades of polish and with craploads of hard rubbing and hours later the end result was like a showroom finish...
You just have to polish out the scratches till they are totally gone.... Thats all the cloudy area is...

The answer is simple.........use a quality polish.......it takes some effort cos it requires you to put 3 different coats of stuff on.........but it will work.

Meguiars Deep Crystal system.........spelling may not be perfect.

Be warned, its expensive but it is brilliant.

Most car enthusiasts I know of who do shows use it.

Problem is that you wont be able to stop at those small patches........you will end up wanting to do the whole car.

We normally do our good cars once a year with it. Takes a couple of hours all up for a whole car thats in good condition.

The shine it provides is unlike any other I have ever seen........its extremely deep and almost as if there is a pane of glass over the paintwork.

have fun.

Thanks, i will try again this weekend.

There is a polish called t cut and you get for the colour of your vehicle (white, blue etc) I have found that does a reasnable job at polishing out marks and hiding small scratches while leaving a shiny finish

Hi Alan,

Like Topcat I can vouch for the quality job you'll get by using Meguiar's product. They have a product called scratch-X which I find does an excellent job of getting the 4by scratches out, and it's clear coat safe too.

The latter point is a broader question to the more experienced folks out there, particularly anyone in the panel business. My understanding is that most vehicles these days have a clear coat protective finish and that not all polishes (particularly cutting compounds) are clear coat safe. How likely is it that cutting compounds, etc will wear through the clear coat, and if so, then will this lead to accelerated base paint deterioration?

Hugh

Alan,
Maguires for me is the best product, I've used the Scratch X product it's really good, no probem there. I also use Turtle Wax colour cure, it comes with scratch stick for persistant scratches, I find this really works I've used it for years. You buy the polish that matches your colour and rub it on, this polish adds and doesn't take any paint away, cutting the paint as T-Cut does always removes paint, you can see it on the cloth after you've applied it, you will eventually come through to the primer. The Turtle Wax product doesn't take any paint off, check the cloth. Maguires is a really good product in my opinion, not cheap, maybe that explains why it's good. Mother's products are also pretty good by all accounts plus a couple of the Kitten products but you have to be choosey some do more damage than good. Again all my opinions & experiences.