best scratch remover and polish and paint process ?

[polsta]

next up is to get my paint work the very best i can, wondered what the best scratch remover stuff is ? and generally the best steps to take to get paint best i can, the paint comes up nice and shiney as it is, but want better

going to get some scratch remover, and a clay bar kit (never used one on it) and some sort of polish ?

just wondered any paint work gurus could help with a list of good products and steps to take

cheers

[m8782538]

are you doing this by hand or with a rotary/ da polisher? the process is similar but different products.

[polsta]

by hand

was in halfords this arvo looking mas its 3 for 2 on car care stuff at the moment, but theres so many products and brands, merigulars,auto glym, the people who make g3 stuff, turtle wax, the lot

bought some g3 scratch remover 1st step, just for a cple of light scratches here n there, worked excellently i found

so what next ? the paint is good anyway but just want to get it to the very best i can myself, i want to clay it, and theres all sorts of renovator and paint detox n god knows whats, aswell as polishes and all sorts of wax produicts, so its what order/steps to take next and whats the best stuff to use, diamond scwartz metallic paint

[beemerbird]

Polsta - did you take any before and after shots? I am watching this thread with interest

[polsta]

il take some tomorrow, as all ive done so far is use touch up paint on any chips etc, and the g3 compound, which is amazing stuff,gets rid of tiny scratch marks and blemishes you can only see when right up close 6 inches from the paint in detail mode

also - i has a scratch that was 3 inches long, not really deep as to metal, but deeper than scratch remover would work on- last week i nervously painted it with the touch up paint with a very fine artist brush tip, to just fill it, made it hardly noticable at a glance, but in looking you could see it and the color wasnt perfect in all lights, niggled at me, but better than it was, today i went over it a few times with the g3 stuff, and the end result was superb, as with other touch up marks- the g3 sort of t cuts/blends the touch up paint in and gives for a superb result, very very happy with myself doing that , tomorow im going to give the car another wash, then go round the car again with the g3 stuff looking for more , like just mentioned not for big noticable scratches but in getting in to detail just real light fine scratches you can hardly see but are there, it 90%-completley gets rid of them, all round the lock areas and lower boot lid by the badges and all scratch prone areas on a 20 year old car

if you saw the car cleaned,polished and waxed it comes up really shiney and nice, last waxed around early november just before winter, so its worn off now, and i never did all this last year- so once its all done best i can, im hoping it will come up even better and look a lot better in close detail aswell, just want it the best it can, last year was spent getting all the parts i needed and getting it running perfect etc, now ive got pretty much everything and its running nice and doesnt need anything- so its fine detail stuff now

[beemerbird]

Sounds good

[m8782538]

G3 is farcela, thats for rotary polishers, needs to be used with water.

Meguars is good stuff, as is autoglym.

car wash i use Zymol (excellent stuff and a bottle lasts ages).
Then try:
Then autoglym deep shine polish (for dark cars really)
Autoglym extra gloss protection
Then a wax, plenty to choose from.

Alternatively try to meguars 3 step system (brown/burgundy bottles) Paint cleaner, polish, then carnuba wax.

Recomend getting the meguars quik clay box too.

Wash
Clay
Paint Cleaner
Polish
Wax

[brettE30cab]

I believe the 'G3' he's refering to is a brand name and not g3 compound polish normally used for rotary polishers. I may be wrong though? Those clay kits are amazing though used one for the first time last week and the finish is unreal once polished and waxed.

[polsta]

G3 is farcela - yes thats the stuff, i used it with a little bit of water, has instructions on it saying use with a cloth or their waffle pads and has instructions for by hand on the back, and just used it on small scratches and worked excellently, they have the paste tubes, and the bigger bottle liquid format-which is what you would use with a machine ?, but either way the stuff worked excellently by hand for small scratches and in areas youd not get a machine (like the long thin strip between rear bumper and under the number plate surround)

m8782538..

Wash
Clay
Paint Cleaner
Polish
Wax

thanks mate, im on it ,il buy rest of the stuff i need and a few more little things i need to do before i can polish and wax it, i looked at the meguars stuff, the wax says extreme durability etc- last year i used simoniz caranuba wax thats in the gold round tin, proper wax, harder/more effort to apply than a bottle liquid wax, but am i right in thinking that a tin wax like that would be more durable/better protection and be a bit thicker on than a liquid type ?? there was also a turtle wax tub of metalic paint wax, that i opened looked like a thick grey gel/slodge type stuff,so many types of wax and brands , its hard to know what to use

for a daily normal/quick use last year, i used demon shine spray stuff, which i stocked up at asda £2 for a couple of litres, which i find after washing gives a really nice shine easy to use

[m8782538]

i have used the Simoniz hard wax too and its not bad at all, yes a bit more effort is required but the result is better so evens out.

I can recommend meguars foam applicator pads too. about £1.99 for a pack of 2.

paste wax generally is better, but most people would probably not notice the difference to be honnest. Generally it is more durable too.

The Meguars 3 step is liquid but its very good (for liguid wax etc) and the final step is a carnuba wax. Its not hard to use and results are impressive for what it costs.

Autoglym HD wax and cleanser it good stuff too, but it does cost more. The HD wax contains carnuba and other oils etc comes with an applicator and microfibre cloth.

If your budget can stretch, try the Meguars quick clay, then autoglym HD cleanser, then HD wax. its a good combo and should notice quite a difference one you have finished.

[polsta]

ok mate nice one, i infact picked up some of the foam waffle pad things today

would you say the HD wax is better than the simoniz tin stuff ? does it give as strong a repelant coat and finish durable wise ? if quite not how long does it last ? does it feel as waxy ? i found simoniz to be very durable and last quite a long time wash after wash and you could feel/know the good protection on the paint and a really nice shine,so once done with that, all it needed for weeks n weeks was a quick 10 min hand wash once/twice a week and a blast with the demon shine after and came up very shiney and nice

ive not bought a clay kit yet ,but i bought some of the famica paint renovator stuff as it was 3 for 2, so il get the meguars clay kit (is that the best ? halfords had 3 or 4 for the same sort of price all under £25)

just checked the prices- £44 for the auto glym wax and £25 for the hd cleanser !! wowsers, il leave the wax (its not like i have a mint m3) , but il get the cleanser+clay kit=£50, then leaves me to get something for £25 for free ,which works out a good deal, possibly one more of either of those to keep , how many applications of the full car would each kit do roughly ? ie what one would be good to double up on ?

[m8782538]

Autoglum HD is good stuff, in a test the only stuff that beat it was Zymol, Swisvax and the like, which is very expensive stuff. (good Zymol stuff for BMW is about £180 a tub) and it has to be applied by hand (literally) i have used zymol before and it is outstanding. I think the Autoglym HD was effective for about 4 months which is enough for most people, plus its only £40 a pot.

I have always used the Meguars clay, there are various grades and lubes you can use some one which i will be experimenting with in the summer.

i would personally only use the HD cleanser and wax together, autoglym stuff tends to compliment each other very well.

I would go with clay, meguars polish then Carnuba wax (meguars or simoniz) it will work out cheaper than AG HD range.

Be carefull with Farcela Paint Renovator its is actually quite abrasive. i would have said use meguars scratchX instead as its good and pretty safe to use.

If my rotary hadn't blown up (quite litterally, i have the nerve damage in my arms to prove it) i would have offered to get that on it with some polish and then hand wax it but not an option until i can afford to replace with a new rotary.

Also my mrs said something about Meguars going cheap on a website, not sure which one but maybe worth having a quick google search.

[polsta]

ok mate all taken in nice one

think il probably pass on the hd stuff then, dont really want to pay out £100 on more products, it gets expensive paying £5,8,10 a time for various things, start using £40 wax and you wont want to ever use anything else i bet lol

il give the meguars stuff a go then i think, im wondering as people use multiple coats of wax- would it be possible/wise/give a good finish to use the meguars liquid wax then the siminox tin wax over it for double durable protection ? or is that a no go ?

how much is a machine polisher ? something i might look in to myself once the cars finished, as have 3 cars one would come in handy lol

[beemerbird]

Great thread this, chaps.

[polsta]

after having my front lip and valance painted few months ago, ive got a few little cracks in the rear bumper, little bit of bubbling at the bottom join bit, decided today im going to get rear valance and bumper painted, and bite the bullet and pay £100 for a new set of bumper trim for it , also got a pair of wing mirrors im going to get him to re paint while hes at it

taking it up to see him tomorrow morning and discuss a deal,il get him to buff the whole car over aswell, and 2 minor easy press out dings in the lower doors you can hardly see, sod it i just aswell have it all done

[m8782538]

can get a silverline rotary for about £50.00, heard some good things about these. Rotaty polishers are more effective than DA Polishers, but can damage your paint if used incorrectly.

Kestrel DA polisher is about £70+

You can use 2 coats of wax no problem, i would use 2 coats of the same wax though, it doesn't really offer much extra protection but it will deapen the shine you achieve which is always good.

I have loads to do on mine. New wing, welding, interior, brakes, more rust treatment, dents to pull out. Plus i have to spray the wing, my new boot lid and a spoiler. Plus need to detail the car once all the painting is done.

[polsta]

£50-70 seems reasonable, i do have a few old car panels in my garage that i could practice on, is it easy to learn how to do ? /easy to mess up if done wrong ? , any sort of guides about and dos and donts ?

mines pretty much there now, 2 real small barley noticble dings in lower areas i need to get pushed out, paint lower rear valance, odd trim bits i want to get, i have a set of wheels currently being re furbed im waiting to hear back on when done (bbs gold with polished lip) , newly painted front valance, is lip,tech 1 rear spoiler,which il put on sat same time as wheels, im, going to get the rear lower valance re painted and bumper and wing mirrors for good measure, once the paints done il do the polishing and wax on a mission, and put all the bits on-and shel be looking very very nice, interiors finished and just bought a map light mirror i need to get finished-last finishing inside touch, fitted an rpm strut brace the other day which looks and makes the drive super and tight , i just lok foeard to the day i look at the car and think yes im happy now - then it will be on to engine and engine bay,haha never ending

[m8782538]

all the spraying on mine i am doing, trying to keep the looking half decent and put off the full re-spray for as long as possible.

Rotary polisher get a better result but can burn your paint (this is an extreme)-


DA Polishers are Dual Action, basically they oscilate do don't build up as much heat, it takes longer to get the same result as a rotary but is the prefered option for lots of people.

I will fit fr and Rr RPM braces if i can afford it onces everything else is done. Probably got about £1000 work of work still to do, hence why the re-spray is waiting until the very last possible moment.

I am looking to getting a silverline Rotary and Possibly the Kestral DAS-6 (its a copy of the Meguars G220 but about half the price, its identical but more reliable)

One the painting is done, remember to give is a month or so before going at it with the polish and wax, really make sure it cures and hardens really well. Then clay bar the car first, it makes a huge differnce, you can actually feel how much smoother the bodywork is afterwards.

Cleaning is a bit like painting, its all in the prep.

Clay
Polish
Seal (optional)
Wax
Wax again (optional)

[polsta]

nice one mate, do you have your own spray booth then ? or just by hand aresol painting?

after the paint was done i took the lip and tech 1 off the car and put in my garage for winter, to let cure and harden and keep away from winter weather, so they are minty mint, it will only be the lower rear valance and bumper that has new paint so i just wont polish or wax them for a while

cars not been driven in rain for 5 months, its raining now so im just debating weather to go see the paint man now or wait till its dry

il look in to the polisher once current bits are all done (a costly time at the moment for the car), once wheels are back im then going to need tyres

when you say seal (optional) what sort of seal is good to use ? i thought the wax was the seal stage ?

[polsta]

just got back, shes going in monday for paint and last finishing touch up bits to the body had a cracking price

[m8782538]

You can use a paint sealant and a wax.

IE: AG Super Resin Polish or Ultra Deep Shine (for dark cars like my black one)
AG Extra Gloss Protection
Wax of your choice

It is basically just and extra layer. The AG Extra Gloss protection is a liquid, apply with a polish applicator pad over the paintwork (don't need to rub in) and leave for 30-40mins, then just buff with a microfibre cloth.


Just Clayed bared mine with Meguars Quik Clay Kit and a quick polish with AG Ultra Deep Shine. car looked almost a dull grey prior, now gloss black.

[polsta]

nice one mate

stopped off at halfords earlier and picked up an AG clay bar kit same price as the meguars had a £3 off i think, as when pricing up seperate bits included it was a good deal, and its got AG super resin polish included and 500g detailer and 2 cloths, also got some AG interior vinyl treatment cleaner stuff, and the meguars liquid extreme durability caranuba wax, the famica paint rejuvinator stuff says it doesnt harm paint work, so once back in the week with the new paint (i wont do the fresh bits) im going to clay it, rejuvinator it, then super resin polish, then you say you can use extra gloss protection before waxing ? (il get some) , then wax it

going to try the meguars liquid wax and see what i think and how it lasts etc compared to the simoniz tin stuff

il take before and after pics and post them up, very interested to see what it comes out like

some fella in halfords saw me looking at the clay kits and said "use blu tac" and said he swears by it , i was like well even if it does work im not touching my bmw with it

question- the actual clay bar, would it be the same and same quality bar in the meg,ag,turtle wax , kits ? like just the actual bar be the same sort of thing and none betetr/less quality than the others or what ?

notice the meguars 50g clay bar, was £9.99 , 100g included in the meg and ag kits so good value really with all the other bits, turtle wax kit was £16.99 with 100g

[m8782538]

Auto Clays are specifically made for a reason, wouldn't touch blue tac or white tac for that matter.

Most clay bars in kits are pretty much the same quality, specialist details outlets sell different grades but i have always found the kit ones fine.

Megs and AG is the stuff i use by hand, and normally megs with a rotary or DA polisher. (handy my brother in law works for 3M who technically own Meguars so i get 15% off a lot of meguars stuff via him)

AG Vinyl treatment is good stuff, works wonders on dashboards, it can take a couple of cleans and a bit of rubbing if dirt is really ingrained) vinyl, plastic, interior and exterior, all good (its not bad on the instrument cluster clear plastic either), headlining, basically an interior cleaner (just not leather).

the Megs Liquid Carnuba wax is good stuff, easier to apply than a paste was and with megs stuff you don't have to wait for it to dry to a haze either, just apply, rub it in a bit and wipe straight off with a microfibre, easy to work with.

Bit of a pain you are not closer, i could have done it for you as i have everything here apart from the liquid wax as i am trying some other liquid carnuba wax i found in a local parts place, seems pretty good and smells nice too

In a way i wished i hadn't done mine, i can now see how paint the paintwork really is, its not good at all

[polsta]

ok cool nice one, i did wonder about the actual clay, as i nearly bought the meg clay bar for £9.99 and the ag detailer £7.99 , before then realising that it was 50g bar and the kits have 100g bars, plus the ag kit has 2 cloths and the resin polish aswell, so a good deal for 25

im just ithcing to get on it, monday morn the car will be dropped off and weds/thurs il get it back, and get cracking, the paint looks nice anyway and shiney, even right now its a bit dirty up close with water marks from the rain yest,and iced over last night, and still shines away, so interested to see just how nice it comes up

yeah its a shame your not closer, always good to meet people and chat cars

interior is all nice and clean anyway,so no deep dirt or anything, just needs a clean for the summer where its been sat all winter, seats cloths nice , although im contemplating getting them proepr wet vaced/valeted and carpets shampooed etc to get it really clean

[beemerbird]

Great information appearing here. Much appreciated. M8782538, can you suggest any good products / procedure for a Royal Blue metallic E30 that's been lightly 'keyed'? It currently has fine White lines on it from this, but I live in hope that it doesn't need a respray!

[polsta]

Great information appearing here. Much appreciated. M8782538, can you suggest any good products / procedure for a Royal Blue metallic E30 that's been lightly 'keyed'? It currently has fine White lines on it from this, but I live in hope that it doesn't need a respray!

do what i did above with the g3 stuff £7.99 halfords, and see how you go, if its deeper get touch up paint from paints4u.com for £10,handy to have some, and lightly and carefuly fill just the mark,leave a week or 2, and then g3 it and it all but dissapears, unless pointed out it was there,worked amazingly for me, youl soon find like myself you get the knack and be all over your car up clsoe getting rid of tiny scratches you never noticed before, and just go over/do them again a bit the next day if need be to get t better,its not hard to do and £7.99 for the results and satisfaction is pittance

[beemerbird]

Brilliant. Cheers

[m8782538]

scratches can be hard to get out without using a rotary or DA polisher, with one of those use Meguars #83 Dual Action Cleaner Polish, its not too abrasive and will cut back those scratches (provided they are reasonably light) It works by hand too but you have to put some effort into it. Plus it's not cheap stuff (1lt is about £36.00)

You can also use Swirl Remover 2.0 (professional Bodyshop grade stuff) its £10.49 direct from Meguars, good for darker colours like yours.

if its all over the car use the above, if its just small patches, use ScratchX or something along those lines.

Cheaper option is to try using AG Super Resin Polish (much cheaper option) failing that AG Paint renovator if Super resin doesn't remove them.

I would wash and dry the car, clay it first to make sure the paintwork is glass smooth, then you can really see how bad the scratches are, easier to make an educated guess at what products to use.

I could do it but i am Swindon so not exactly local, lol. Sorry.

I could give you some instructions when you decide what you are going to try, i;ll help where i can.

[beemerbird]

Cheers for that. I have some AG SRP in 'stock' so I'll get some clay, then give that a go. Sadly I'm better at buying cleaning products than using them

[polsta]

try the g3 stuf, back and forth motion by hand, and fine line of touch up paint in any deep scratch

look on poaints 4u.com at the hand touch up kit-includes paint and a small tube of g3 , so it must be good to use, im pretty certain that ag resin polish and the like above, wont be too good for proper getting rid of scratches like ive done, amazed myself

[m8782538]

have you ever used a clay bar before? The Megs Quik Clay will be fine, its what i use, plus its only £10.00

when applying the SRP, use moderate pressure and work in small circular motions.

[polsta]

crikey, all afternoon i was on it, washed the car then..

auto glym clay bar+ ag detailer, worked brilliant, on thew box says go back and forth not circular ?

then wiped it clead with dry cloth- looked superb just like that,what a difference in look/feel

then farclia paint renovator+ waffle pad , again looked great and worked well

then AG super resin polish- came up a wonderful shine and smooth

then meguiars extreme durability caranuba wax (bottle)

what an awsome finish its done, the shine is fantastic

took me hours to just do the roof,bonnet,boot

then auto glym vinyl and rubber care spray stuff - round the screen rubber seals and inside boot seal, and that worked superbly, and then got any residue/polish etc out from around the seal

a lot of effort but very satisfying results, and feel very pleased, the paint looks and feels,and you know , its all clean and nice as can be , and the shine is showroom , for 20 year old paint too, splendid

both sides to do tomorrow, il take some before and after pics , which will be easier to show with the sides panel next to panel

hoovered and cleaned interior yesterday, simoniz foaming dash cleane, then the milky auto glym stuff- sprayed it all over the interior vinyl and plastic (looked like a gang bang bukkake porno was filmed ih there hahah) and then buffed off - fantastic results, best interior stuff ive used yet for the car,again showroom look and feel

feels like my arms going to drop off

[polsta]

and wish i had another garage space and a cover,i could of just rolled it in to, hope it doesnt rain tonight

[beemerbird]

Good work, Polsta - looking forward to pictures. Him indoors is away for a couple of days next week, so am planning to get stuck into mine. He thinks if I do more than throw a bucket of water at it I'm mentally fragile

[polsta]

hahaha

after i cleaned it- i stood there thinking, it looks nice, it shined and looked splendid in the sun, i did wonder the difference it would make, and im very happy with it

im not too sure how the camera will show the difference mind, wel see, but its when you know your own car and clean it, and have spent the hours detailing it like that, and the different stages, that the difference,and understanding, sort of comes in to play, its the smoothness and new sort of rejuvinated look smoothness and feel, and detail cleanliness of it, that it really does, that pics might not show so well , same as pics dont show the detail blemishes and chips etc as well either if you get me

the clay bar is fantastic, on some areas you can really feel it, when it hits a patch, the boot looked lovely as it was, but this was one of the worst areas for bits, you can feel and see it, then work up the smoothness, and after towards the end of the claying, your sliding it over and thinking fantastic that feels super

get the bits bought and get it done, take your time, i did 1 panel at a time with all processes, diff applicators,and buff cloths, for each one, microfibre cloths and some polishing cloth , and its superb

would really love a garage for the car im thinking now, may have to rent another one lol