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  1. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    4,614
    #1
    our dark dark gray Accord is filled with visible, shallow hairline scratches from years of cleaning with overused flat cloths. every square inch of the car is filled with these scratches... against a light, there are swirl marks everywhere....

    what's the best way to remove all of them? would something like 3M Finish Restorer be enough, or is something heavier-duty like 3M scratch remover called for?

    thanks!

  2. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    400
    #2
    A Meguiar's 3-step will do a lot in restoring your Accord
    to its former glory. I did it on my 96 Civic. I got a lot of
    raves on it. Mukhang bagong pinta daw....

    I maintain the shine by using Meguiar's Cleaner
    Wax for light scratches and swirl marks and then finishing
    it off with Meguiar's Gold Class Liquid wax....

    Nothing really compares to Meguiar's. That product is
    really amazing...

  3. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    121
    #3
    Start with the least aggressive solution, then work your way down to the more aggressive ones.

    But I think the true secret to swirl mark removal is in the polish.

    Start with a polish. Zymol HD Cleanse has worked wonders for me. Meguiars is pretty good too. I think they have 2 (or maybe more) polishes available. The level of abrasiveness is how the Meguiars polishes are differentiated.

    For stubborn scratches, you can try products like Meguiars Scratch X and 3M scratch remover. These products are a bit more aggressive though, and should be used with care.

    After polishing, then you can get to worrying about which wax to use!

    And then after that, you can worry about which drying towels and instruments to use to avoid future scratch/swirl marks!

    Good luck!

  4. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    13,415
    #4
    There you go, e46 said it all...

    There are two basic ways of making swirls disappear, remove them (through rounding off or removing a little paint), or filling them with glaze. The former solution will yield a more consistent and lasting result, compromising paint thickness, the latter will yield a less consistent result and will not last beyond several washes/downpour (if you don't reseal the surfaces enough)...

    Meguiar's have around 8-10 polishes/compounds to handle scratches and swirls... some can be used by hand, but others only with a rotary... Ask your detailer nalang what suit your needs...

    Off the shelf, your choices include (not limited to)

    3M Finish Restorer
    3M Scratch Remover
    3M Finesse It and Perfect It line of polishes
    Eagle One Finish Restorer
    Eagle One Scratch Remover
    Mother's Step 1 cleaner and Step 2 Sealer and Glaze (does not remove swirls, it covers them)
    Meguiar's Deep Crystal line Step 1 and 2
    Meguiar's Mirror Glaze line (too much to mention)
    Simoniz, Turtle Wax, Soft99, NuFinish all have their own versions as well.

    Remember, shop by results and need, not by brand.

  5. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    4,614
    #5
    theveed, e46boi,

    okay this is what i have in my closet:

    autogard carnauba car wax (which is crap)
    meguiar's deep crystal step 2 (polish)
    meguiar's deep crystal step 3 (carnauba wax)
    zymol cleaner wax
    3M finish restorer
    turtle wax zip car wash
    a brand new large cannon bath towel :D
    turtle wax rain away

    i intend to do an amateur 3-step on the accord... but which should i use as my step 1? the zymol or the 3M finish restorer? could i, or should i, use both? if so, which should i apply first?

    theveed,

    btw, do i need a microsoft passport thing to become a member in your detailing forum? hanggang lurking lang ako dun kasi lagi akong niriridirect to this microsoft passport page :?

  6. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    121
    #6
    mbt,

    I think that the first step in a thourough 3-step process should be claying your car. It's simple enough that even an amateur can do it. It just takes time, and you certainly have to commit yourself to doing this, if you want to do the 3-step process completely.

    Paint cleaning clay should remove surface contaminants and prep your car for step 2 - polishing.

    The 3M finish restorer and the meguiars step 2, (and to a lesser extent, the Zymol, although I'm a little skeptical that the zymol can both polish and wax at the same time) are both polishes, so its up to you as to which product to use.

    If you decide to skip the paint cleaning clay, you should still be fine if you want to start out with the polish. I know some people who skip the clay and jump directly to the polish. The results are still quite good, especially for daily drivers. Don't forget to top everything off with a good coat of wax! Oh, you'll love how it looks afterwards....

    Good luck!

  7. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    4,614
    #7
    i was searching high and low for a freaking clay bar... but the only one i found was a soft99 clay bar, but it came in a bundle with cleaner wax and carnauba wax and sponges that jacked the price up so high...

    there was also this mother's clay bar, but it was also bundled with a lubricant and a wax... and they were selling it for P1000 :?

    does the 3M finish restorer merely cover-up the scratches (yung nagrereappear when the wax thins out), or remove them entirely?

    so, basically, should I:

    1) wash, shampoo, and dry the car
    2) apply the 3M finish restorer to get rid of the all the scratches
    3) cleaner wax it (zymol)
    4) polish it (meguiar's step 2)
    5) wax it (meguiar's step 3)

    ? hehe i've been wanting to do that car for a long time now... it's almost white from all the scratches :mrgreen: (well not quite)... besides, i'm just bumming in the house :lol:

  8. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    13,415
    #8
    MBT: Based on what you have...

    Wash
    clay (kung wala, forget it)
    3M FR
    Meg Step 2
    Wax

    Maintain with Zymol

  9. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    1,084
    #9
    Ako sa experience ko, iba talaga kapag na clay ang auto. Dati di ko mapaganda ang hood ng CRV ng bro ko. I tried the Deep Crystal 3 step pero di rin gumanda. Aba, nung nag clay ako tapos Deep Crystal 1,2 and Meg Cleaner Wax, pati si misis ko nagulat. Ang ganda daw. Parang bago. Wala akong ginamit na machine. By hand ito. Kaso nagka trangkaso ako sa pagod. hehe. I wasn't a believer in clay dati kasi i never saw or used one. Pero after theveed showed us during our EB, i tried it and definitely recommend it na.

  10. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    4,614
    #10
    really? hmm i'll look some more for clay then...

    pwede kayang gumamit ng modeling clay as a clay bar? :oops:

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Removing fine scratches