What have I done, and how can I fix it?

[Mary S]

Re: What have I done, and how can I fix it?

I think SwirlX would be a good option as it is less aggressive than ScratchX and it seems like you might have soft paint. It could just do the trick in removing any remaining haze.

Are you washing the car, or at least the affected panel PRIOR to working with ScratchX?

I agree, if one product caused hazing, ideally you would go to a milder, less aggressive product/process to bring the hazing out. The hazing is a sign that some of the paint was removed, which is how ScratchX and any of these products work (you can't remove a scratch, only make the surrounding paint the same level as the scratch) but that it wasn't polished back up to a shine. The products with SMAT (super microabrasive technology) like ScratchX can do the paint removal and polishing at the same time, but with the use of the terry towel it was removing the paint faster than it could bring back the shine.

So if you had SwirlX or M80 or M205 those might take the hazing out using less pressure.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: What have I done, and how can I fix it?

Here is another vote for the swirl-x.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: What have I done, and how can I fix it?

We had a 9 month old Honda Civic at our Open Garage last night that was very badly swirled. Ultimate Compound by hand with a proper foam pad was too much for it and it left the paint looking very hazed. We stepped down to SwirlX and the first application knocked down 90% of the haze, and a second hand application with light/moderate pressure did the trick. We then tried SwirlX on a "fresh" area and it did an outstanding job.

It is critically important to hold the applicator properly, especially when dealing with extremely soft or delicate paint. If your fingertips are in contact with the pad you'll get pressure point "hot spots" and you'll mar the paint noticeably. You need as even distribution of pressure as possible, so using more of the palm and base of your fingers to guide the pad will minimize marring. Ideally, using something like our S3HP 3” Unigrit™ Hand Pad or similar will help to keep that pressure as uniform as possible. While this particular item might be a bit difficult to find right now, there are similar pad holding devices on the market.

We also tried ColorX on this car and it worked wonders. While it would probably require a couple of applications to fully remove the swirls, it is a great option for super soft and delicate paint.

[davey g-force]

Re: What have I done, and how can I fix it?

^^ Wow, I didn't even know Megs made those...

[Michael Stoops]

Re: What have I done, and how can I fix it?

^^ Wow, I didn't even know Megs made those...

They are new for 2010 products and are just hitting distributors/pro retailers now.

[theliman]

Re: What have I done, and how can I fix it?

In case anyone is wondering if there were a conclusion to this, I decided per Meguiar's recommendation to not use anymore of their abrasive products and instead wipe down my door with rubbing alcohol/water and apply wax twice. I can't see anymore haze at this point. I guess it's technically a temporary fix, but as long as it will last through a few car washes before I need to re-apply I am ok with it.