Trouble Transitioning from ScratchX to ColorX...

[CBLW]

Hi guys,

I'm having a bit of a problem (I've had quite a few this week if you haven't already wwnoticed!!). I use ScratchX religiously on my paint -- it's a great product. A couple of days ago, however, I had my car professionally detailed. Here's what they did:

Exterior-Hand wash exterior. Pressure wash wheels, tires, and wheel wells. Towel dry. Remove tar and bugs, remove badges, tape crevices. Polish paint & hand wax with 2 coats carnauba wax. Clean nooks & crannies, with tooth brushes and Q-Tips. Treat all plastic, vinyl, rubber trim, and tires with a rubber-vinyl protector. Polish chrome. Clean windows.

After bringing the car back home, I noticed a small area that still had some minor surface scratching (a few inches wide) on the top of the hood next to the BMW roundel. So I set to work with my ScratchX to try to remove the scratches. I applied about three coats of ScratchX (since I knew that I'd have to be removing some freshly applied wax in order to get down to the spot) and then followed up with some ColorX in order to add new wax.

I have almost a 100% success rate with ScratchX, but I have to say, in this one instance, I couldn't seem to remove the scratches (very strange), and I am now wondering, is the hood paint of a different consistency than the door paint? I wonder why I would struggle so much...

Regardless, the REAL point of this thread is that AFTER I applied the ColorX, the entire area that I had been working on became COVERED in small surface scratches (cobwebs). What the heck? Do ScratchX and ColorX not like each other? Is it something about how I'm applying ColorX? (I worked it in as deeply as possible).

Can someone please help?

[VonLego]

Re: Trouble Transitioning from ScratchX to ColorX...

Sounds like you installed buffer swirls or used an ugly rag to apply the colorx. Another likelyhood is that the detailer installed them, and you merely opened them up. (sometimes part of their solution is to cover up defects rather than remove)

[CBLW]

Re: Trouble Transitioning from ScratchX to ColorX...

Well, the car was almost brand new, and the scratching that I had removed by the detailer really wasn't very significant, so I'm inclined not to blame them. This particular place has an excellent track record so I don't think that they really did anything bad.

I used a clean Megs foam applicator pad to apply the ColorX. Any other thoughts?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Trouble Transitioning from ScratchX to ColorX...

If ColorX isn't working for you, then go back to what was working for you... ScratchX.

If you can't get a scratch out using ScratchX, the back of the label on ScratchX explains what might be necessary, that is it could be only a machine applied product from our Professional Line will work to remove the scratch or scratches.

If you really want to keep the black paint up on your car then you might consider investing in a dual action polisher and take all the work out of the all your future scratch removal projects.

[CBLW]

Re: Trouble Transitioning from ScratchX to ColorX...

Mike, agreed. I will go back to ScratchX this afternoon to repair the problem. My issue is that I need to reapply wax to the area, and the only wax I will have easy access to for the next few days is ColorX. Is there a strong danger in not covering the spot again?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Trouble Transitioning from ScratchX to ColorX...

Your car's paint will be fine without wax until you can get some.

For what it's worth, when you asked for a recommendation for a wax to take care of your recently detailed car in tis thread,


Detail Follow-up Questions


Here's how I replied,

Using a paint cleaner will remove any wax off the surface, just like claying will remove most wax off the surface.

The solution is easy, simply apply some wax to the area you cleaned.

Meguiar's doesn't make a wax based only on Carnauba but we do have waxes that contain Carnauba for example, M26 Hi Tech Yellow Wax and Deep Crystal Carnauba Wax.

Either of these would be a good choice for the area you cleaned and for regular maintenance of the entire car as time goes by.

So when you're out and about, maybe look for one of these waxes?

[CBLW]

Re: Trouble Transitioning from ScratchX to ColorX...

You're getting sick of me, aren't cha Mike? lol ;-)

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Trouble Transitioning from ScratchX to ColorX...

Not at all, but for what your car cost, for what your paying someone to detail your car cost and for what your time is worth to you, a small investment into a quality DA Polisher would go a long ways to making you happy because the machine ALWAYS out performs the human hand when it comes to removing defects out of a clear coat finish and especially a clear coated black finish.

Your posts read like you're really into your car, enough that you're paying attention to each little scratch or swirl that shows up in the paint.

Nothing wrong with that but again, for your time and expectations, a DA Polisher like our G110 would give you better, more consistent results faster.

I see people come to our Saturday Classes with expensive cars all the time, recently a young man came with his new Lexus where he told everyone he just spent $3000.00 to "Bag it", you know, make it go down to the ground and look cool. His paint was horrific looking and so we showed him how to fix it using a our G110 and while he loved the results it produced on the paint of his expensive car he hesitated at moving up to machine polishing because it was going to cost him about $200.00



So we showed him and everyone else how to remove swirls and scratches by hand.

You can take care of you car either way, but if your expectation are a SHOW CAR FINISH, the maybe consider moving up to machine cleaning and polishing sometime in the future as you will be amazed at how easy a DA Polisher is to use and Zillions of posts on all the detailing discussion forums vindicate the popularity and EFFECTIVENESS of using DA Polishers on clear coat paints.

Clear coat paints are much more difficult to work on than older single stage paints, thus the growth and popularity in DA Polishers since Meguiar's introduced this tool to the detailing world over 30 years ago.


Just an idea...

[CBLW]

Re: Trouble Transitioning from ScratchX to ColorX...

I appreciate it, maybe I will. Either way, you're a good sport -- and I appreciate the information that you provide me with me! Hopefully, I'll get this worked out tonight! Thanks again!

[OhioCarBuff]

Re: Trouble Transitioning from ScratchX to ColorX...

CBLW,

I suspect it's the nature of the paint on your car that's giving you a hard time, don't give up. I have a 1999 BMW 740 with origional paint, and from my experience the paint is very finicky. One time my BMW was in the shop and someone spilled a little oil on a small spot on the fender and they wiped it with a shop rag, this put in some nasty cobweb swirls in that spot. I completely got them out by hand with scratch-X, but it literally took 12 times, and this was working it in vigorously with a foam hand applicator pad. Just from experience from working on the other vehicles my family has, I'd estimate you'd only need to hit most other cars 3-4 times to get the same result. I am looking forward to trying out the new #105 by hand.

[CBLW]

Re: Trouble Transitioning from ScratchX to ColorX...

OhioCarBuff,

You've given me newfound hope! I do have a clearcoat on this car, but nonetheless, I'll try patience and persistance, and we'll see if it pays off the same way that it did for you. Thanks very much. Take care.

[OhioCarBuff]

Re: Trouble Transitioning from ScratchX to ColorX...

No prob, in my experience the soft foam applicators produce the most crystal clear finish. keep in mind the application material matters just as much if not more then the product, the modern clear coat finishes are very scratch and swirl sensitive and a lot of the rougher nap terry toweling will cause swirls and/or not finish off as crystal clear. Wipe the product off with soft microfibers too, and make sure they are clean, even a tiny bit of dirt on your applicator or microfiber will cause swirls and/or scratches. If I accidentally drop anything on the ground I throw it away, it's just not worth it. here's a great thread for you to read......

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7011