Good polish or compund?

[kingrob]

I recently picked up an SC2 Saturn. The paint is in really good shape, a dark green color. However the rear spoiler has three dime sized oxidation marks where the clear coat is gone. The underlying paint is still fresh but I was looking for some sort of polish or compound that I could hand buff in to blend the bad spots.

I noticed that Wal Mart has some liquid Turtle Wax polishing compound as well as rubbing compound for about six bucks a bottle. Both lables say that they're mild enough to not damage clear-coat, however I was under the impression that any kind of compound is fairly serious business when it comes to strippind off paint.

Any recommendation for some kind of strong polish or mild compound that a novice like me could use to blend the bad spots with? Nu-finish (my normal polish) just isn't cutting it.

 

[ryan2022]

As far as an easy to find, user friendly polish, I've had a lot of luck with meguiars fine cut cleaner. Its about 8-9$ a bottle, and should last a while. Its about as agressive as you want to get without a rotary buffer. Its new formula is suitable for use by hand or with an orbital.

Meguiars will tell you, always use the lightest compound that will do the job. I've tried the turtle wax rubbing compounds and they can scratch badly if your not carefull.

Good luck!

 

[demarpaint]

3M makes some good polishes and compounds as well. Just go real easy with any of them.

Frank D

 

[kelpie]

I have a tube of McGuires scratch-X that works really well for stuff like that.

 

[Patman]

Originally Posted By: kelpie
I have a tube of McGuires scratch-X that works really well for stuff like that.


I agree, their Scratch X works very well at removing minor swirls and scratches on my black Corvette when I use it with a white Lake Country polishing pad and my UDM dual action polisher (same as a Porter Cable but with more power) What I love about Scratch X is that it's very easy to buff off, so I can get the job done a lot quicker than with other compounds which are tougher to remove.

 

[kingrob]

Thanks guys. The Meguiars Fine Cut, I've looked all over for it and can't find any. Between the Meguiars Scratch X and the comparable 3M product, which would be the stronger? I want to get these fairly big blemishes out but I don't want to go down to the metal. I tried the Kit Scratch Remover, that did nada.

 

[bretfraz]

Most of the scratch removers sold at retail are about the same. All are formulated for hand application and are clearcoat safe. None will take the paint down to metal by hand; you'd end up with damaged ligaments in your arm before that happened.

Most are going to require several applications and a good bit of elbow grease to get results. If you want to try some of them, the ones recommended above are good as is Mothers Scratch Remover.

A product like Meguiars #2 Fine Cut Cleaner might work but will leave serious swirls when done. It's a product specifically made for a rotary polisher on solid, non-clearcoated paint. If you use it, hang onto that Kit product as you'll probably need it to remove the damage the Meguiars left behind.

If you're in the ATL sometime soon I can hook you up with a couple small samples of serious polishes. Just today I detailed a Dodge Viper that needed some aggressive hand polishing around the nose area. Of course I had to follow it with several rounds of milder polishing and some machine polishing, but it came out nice. It can be done, you just need a process and some correct product.

 

[ryan2022]

Fine cut cleaner is actually pretty mild on their abrasiveness scale. You might be thinking af the medium cut. I havent had any issues with a few years of using it with a cheapy simonize orbital, but if you really aggressive with it and a rag, maybe it would cause issues. I dont think there would be any problem using it on clearcoated finishes.

If you cant find it meguiars scratch x is supposed to be great stuff!

 

[97prizm]

Kingrob,

Like mentioned above the Meguires fine cut cleaner in the tan bottle works great when using a buffer. I've even used the Meguires Medium Cut cleaner, but be forewarned the medium cut cleaner leaves dust behind like no other. Cutting compound is very abrasive, so I wouldn't go that route. One you get the spoiler polished I would go one of two routes. Clean the spoiler after the polish, dry it, and spray a lacquer based clear coat to seal up the spoiler. Let it dry and give it a good coat of wax.

 

[Islandvic]

If the clear coat is gone on those spots, no amount of compounding or polishing will help those areas. All it will do is thin down the clearcoat on the edges of the spots and may make the paint fail quicker in those areas.

Do what 97prizm said, polish then spray aerosol clear coat lighlty on it. Clay bar the spoiler first.

Wet sand it and put a few more coats on.

After a month, apply wax or sealant.

Good luck.

 

[kingrob]

Thanks guys. Well I've been at it for about a week. I've tried the Kit, Meguiars and Turtle Wax scratch/haze removers and no luck. I'll probably end up resorting to wet sanding and putting some new clearcoat on. I have to touch up a few other minor scratches anyway, so no biggie.

What's a good aerosol clear-coat? I've tried the duplicolor brand and it seemed like I had to use about six or seven cans just for a small area before it began to blend into the surrounding factory clearcoat. Any good reccomendations?

 

[nicholas]

I have used Poor Boys SSR2.5 - With some amazing results.
I used an orbital polisher, and some back and forth motions - I have never used a product like this before and my results were professional.

Kind of a pain to buff off..... - that is the only down side.

 

[Saturn_Fan]

Duragloss products are tops IMHO. And they aren't even a lot of money.

 

[Mr Nice]

The only problem with DuraGloss, its sometimes very hard to find.

 

[Saturn_Fan]

Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette
The only problem with DuraGloss, its sometimes very hard to find.


True. When I buy it, I get two bottles of it and its companion "bonding" agent to justify the 5-8 dollar shipping fee.

 

[Mike-in-Orange]

Something to think about regarding clear coat failure: it occurs where the color coat and clear coat meet, so the failure is working from the middle out, not the top down as many think. Plus, once it's started it's almost impossible to stop, even if you shoot some new clear over the area. Since the failure is already happening between these two layers, a fresh coat on top is just a nice cosmetic patch at best. Of course, that may be all you need/want so it may be worth a shot.

 

[Audi Junkie]

I was just on the phone today w/ Meguire's to ask if I needed heavier polish than Fine Cut for my light swirls in the new Honda soft red paint. They said no, since the paint is soft, but I also have some machine buffer marks and de-nibbing type stuff. Meg's said to get some Scratch-X for the heavy stuff, *it is a heavier polish*. I also have some of their plain paint cleaner, they said use that for the lightest stuff. The Fine Cut, like the #26 Hi-Tech wax I like is from the Meg's Professional line, harder to find, but cheap for what it is. The best thing about meg's polish is the diminishing and buffered abrasives.

I'll see how well it comes out. I basicly had one side of the car swirled and the other sorta clean. This hopefully will repair and even-out the finish for the pro glaze I was provided by the at-fault dealer paint shop.

As for canned clear-coat, anything high-temp works well, engine paint. Since it's just a spoiler, I'd respray it w/clear myself.