I feel like a failure

[JeepZJlover]

I have a 96 grand cherokee limited its black and the darn thing is so full of scratches swirls and every other friggin problem possible and to add to the list of problems tonight i went to the carwash manual way and the stupid overhead swinging hose thing the hose rubbed on various spots of the paint and put scuffs in it ive tried proffesional swirl remover and scratch x to no diffrence other than just putting in more scratches. I tell ya im just downright sick of this detailing crud ive tried and tried and i just always have bad results who knows maybe its because its black i really dont know but im just about to start using towels and a brush to wash it. Unless someone can help me.

[manueljlg]

Could you post a pic ?

[Lt1Corvette]

Ok,
First take a breath, I have been in your situation and there is hope. First thing we need to do is break this down into very small steps. First we need to find out exactly what you were using that was causing more scratches.
Step one; make sure the surface is clean of all dust or dirt using some form of a quick detailer.
Step two, clay the section (you need to have a clean and oxidation free surface to polish on).
Step three; Try applying scratch x with a clean meguiars applicator pad in a horizontal direction. Make sure you keep working it till it goes clear, if you don’t the abrasives won't break down and polish themselves out and you will be left with more scratches. You may have to repeat this step three or four times, this is in your interest because you can take off just as much paint as is necessary to remove the scratch with out taking off more than you have to.
Step four, see if step three worked.

I would recommend giving this a try, keep us posted. If you’re not through the paint already, the jeep can still be saved.
Joe

[rusty bumper]

Originally posted by JeepZJlover
I have a 96 grand cherokee limited its black and the darn thing is so full of scratches swirls and every other friggin problem possible and to add to the list of problems tonight i went to the carwash manual way and the stupid overhead swinging hose thing the hose rubbed on various spots of the paint and put scuffs in it ive tried proffesional swirl remover and scratch x to no diffrence other than just putting in more scratches. I tell ya im just downright sick of this detailing **** ive tried and tried and i just always have bad results who knows maybe its because its black i really dont know but im just about to start using towels and a brush to wash it. Unless someone can help me.
Have you tried a PC yet?

[Mike Phillips]

Hi JeepZJlover,

Lt1Corvette hit the nail on the head when he said,

Originally posted by Lt1Corvette
First we need to find out exactly what you were using that was causing more scratches.

Meguiar's can show you how to remove swirls, but it's more important to learn how to prevent them in the first place.

Taking ownership of the washing process is a good start. Avoid the mechanical car washes because the brushes can scratch the paint and often times they use a very strong chemicals to clean your car which also strip off any wax protection.

Using a high quality wash mitt with a premium quality car wash will make the job easy and maintain your car's finish. Also using a Grit Guard in your washing bucket will prevent re-introducing dirt and other contaminants you've previously removed back into the washing process.

NXT Car Wash with a Grit Guard in a 5-gallon bucket

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/2600_IMG_0992.JPG

The nicest looking finish in the world wont' stay that way if it's not washed carefully.

Mike

[JeepZJlover]

OK maybe ill reexplain when i went to the carwash i used my own soap (deep crystal wash) and the really soft mitts cant remeber but costed like $8 at oreillys. i would never use the carwashes soap or brush except for maybe cleaning underbody stuff.
But besides that any of you know how to go about removing the scuffs I have a rotary buffer but i havent used it on a clearcoat vehicle just my 83 phoenix with lacquer based paint.
:bounce

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by JeepZJlover
OK maybe ill reexplain when i went to the carwash i used my own soap (deep crystal wash) and the really soft mitts cant remember but costed like $8 at OReilly's. i would never use the carwashes soap or brush except for maybe cleaning underbody stuff.
But besides that any of you know how to go about removing the scuffs I have a rotary buffer but i haven't used it on a clearcoat vehicle just my 83 phoenix with lacquer based paint.
:bounce

Hi JeepZJlover,

Thank you for a little more explanation as to how you washed your Jeep.

In your first post you wrote,

Originally posted by JeepZJlover
I have a 96 grand Cherokee limited its black and the darn thing is so full of scratches swirls and every other frigging problem possible and to add to the list of problems tonight i went to the car wash manual way and the stupid overhead swinging hose thing the hose rubbed on various spots of the paint and put scuffs in it Ive tried professional swirl remover and scratch x to no difference other than just putting in more scratches.


Here's a generic pictures of a 1996 Jeep Cherokee so that everyone can understand what it is he's working on.

http://archive.meguiarsonline.com/gallery/data/500/296Jeep.jpg

You have three options to restore your car's finish to it's maximum potential

1) Work by hand
2) Work with a dual action polisher like Meguiar's G-100a (http://www.meguiars.com/store_meguiars/product_detail.cfm?sku=G-100)
3) Work with a rotary buffer

Of these three options, the easiest method will be the dual action polisher. The hardest will be the rotary buffer, and the simplest will be to work with your hands.

You mention that you tried ScratchX?

I have read many, many, many posts on multiple forums all over the web to find out that there are two camps of people that have used the ScratchX product. Those that obtained good results and those that didn't.

After drilling down deeper and doing more research, I discovered that the people that didn't obtain good results merely wiped the ScratchX on, and then wiped it off.

This is not how this product is to be used to remove defects. ScratchX feels like Jergens hand lotion when you feel some between your fingers. That's because the diminishing abrasive this product uses are microscopic in size. In order to make this product work, you must work the product, not merely wipe-on, wipe-off, (This is not a WOWO product, WOWO is pronounced, Whoa Whoa).

Because of the wide discrepancy in results, I wrote a little how-to article on how to correctly use the ScratchX paint cleaner to remove the etching left by a bird dropping. These same techniques can be used to remove any type of below surface defects as the theory behind how the product and the process works is the same for any below surface defect and that is in order to remove a below surface defect, you just remove enough of the surround paint to level the surface with the lowest depth of the defect, (no matter what the defect is).

Here's the link to the how-to article,

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX (http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1516)

Read this and then tell us if this is how you used the ScratchX product to improve and remove the defects in your Jeep's finish.

Mike

[JeepZJlover]

Uh havent done anything else to it since last post but heres a pic of the jeep. Keep in mind this is a while back and it has gotten much worse. http://image22.webshots.com/22/1/6/37/223410637eMeIkG_ph.jpg

[rusty bumper]

Is that Lake James in the background?

Just had to ask :D

[Don]

You could always break the job into sections...focus on one panel a day, something like that. Most of us (myself included) want to see the whole car done and perfect in one session. But if you're starting with a car in severe condition, with the worst kind (color) paint for showing defects, the odds are not in your favor.

Perhaps too, you don't have the right equipment (or are not familiar with its use), things get even rougher. Step back, take a deep breath (did I just plagerize someone? ;) ) and try to understand, this is NOT going to be a one-day project. If you want to get it right, WITHOUT frustrating yourself or burning out, you're going to have to split up the workload...today: this half of the hood, tomorrow: the other half, then one fender, then a door etc, etc.

I don't mean do ALL steps to each panel, just the Scratch-X step. THEN once you get the finish to where you want it, the polish/protect steps will be easy and probably could be finished in less than a day.

If you try to rush the job, get it all done at once, you WILL NOT get it right and just frustrate yourself worse.

[The Eagle]

Hi, when you use Scratch X, use it with some cottonwool. You'll see it will easier to apply and more effective.

Scratch X and cottonwool (http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3587)

Greetz

[Aurora40]

Have you tried selling your Jeep and buying an Aurora?

Ha ha, just kidding...

Great advice in this thread already! As was said, examine your technique with the Scratch-X. It's possible you have such deep marring that it can't fix it, but it should not be causing more marring, and hopefully will remove your defects. And of course, you'll want to be careful when doing anything to your Jeep to avoid introducing new marring. Don't get too discouraged. :wavey

[HotRodGuy]

mike, where can I get that grit guard?

[Tim Lingor]

Hey,

You can buy the Grit Guard right from Meguiar's! Trust me, you will love it!!!

Grit Guard Insert (http://www.meguiars.com/store_meguiars/product_detail.cfm?sku=G-408)

http://www.meguiars.com/store_meguiars/images/product_g408.gif


Tim

[JeepZJlover]

About the grit gaurd thing i just made my own out of hardware cloth so i guess will see how the thing works