i took my car to pleasanton infinity to have my parking brake adjusted. they gave my G a quick wash and i found scratches all over my driverside fender and door. i trust the service guy over there and they usually take care of me, so im assuming the muthafuggers who park next to me scratched it.

so after calming down for a minute, i got me some touch up paint and patched up some of the deeper scratches. now i need to buff out the light scratches.

what do you guys use to buff out the scratches? im plannin on goin to kragen later to buy some products. i could always take it to a body shop, but i might as well invest in my own stuff so i can buff out any future scratches or scuff marks i may get from idiots who dont know how to stay away from my car.

BTW, i have a black G... you know how that goes.

 

What you will need to do is some compounding with a Porter Cable and some polish. I had tons of swirl marks/spider webbing on my 03 Black Obsidian Sedan. I got a Porter Cable and some Poorboys SR2.5 and SR2. I have learned a ton from a fellow member and professional detailer picus112. Take a look at his thread below as it has some extremely valuable information.

https://g35driver.com/forums/repairing-detailing-diy/105461-detailing-caring-your-ride.html

And if you want to see some of his amazing work, check out this thread.
https://g35driver.com/forums/canada/97080-mobile-detailing-gta.html

Good luck

 

that some serious shine right there.

 

did a search and found all kinds of stuff recommended. i guess i'll just try whatever.

 

Well after knowing what I know now, the only way to remove any scratches, swirl marks, and spider webbing is by compounding with an abrasive polish. I used Zaino Z5 for my swirl marks until a was told that it merely makes an attemp to hide the swirl marks rather than remove them. In order to remove scratches and swirl marks, you will need to remove a thin layer of your clear coat. That is where the Porter Cable and abrasive polish comes in. Anything short of that will not remove any swirl marks and scratches.

 

true. i was just gonna do it by hand in the meantime until i get a full detail.

anyone have experience with meguiars?

 

Yep. I have a black sedan and the Meguiars #9 followed by the NXT is about as good as I have found. And I've tried most of the stuff out there, including the Zaino.

 

meguiars scratch-x is their best product applied by hand, everything else in the pro line is meant really for DA or rotary use only. Check out meguiarsonline.com for more info.

 

oh ok. i was wondering because i have some deep crystal polish and wax that i borrowed from my cousin.

 

That won't do a thing for your scratches and swirl marks.

 

It really depends on how bad your swirls are and how much you want to improve your finish.

If you're gonna do it by hand, with Meguiars products, I'd recommend ScratchX and finish with NXT wax. Warning, be prepared to use some elbow grease.

If you have experience and access to a Rotary or Dual Action (Meguiars G100A, Porter Cable...) you definitely have more options.

 

i picked up Meguiar's Paint Cleaner (step 1) of the process in addition to the Deep Crystal polish and wax. it didnt do shiznit, except hide the scratches a little and make it all nice and shiny. i'll try the other stuff next time around.

 

The Step 1 Paint Cleaner is a much milder version of ScratchX. But depending on how bad you're swirls are you will definitely need a Dual Action Polisher (Porter Cable or Meguiars G100A) to actually get them out.
Here's an example of what you can achieve with DA. Crappy camera phone pic... That's not me... it's my friend...

 

how much do those polishers cost? they work alot better than a hand job. lol

 

The Porter Cable 7336SP runs about $100-$110 (1 year warranty). The Meguiars G100a runs about $200-$300 (Lifetime warranty). If you use those polishers, you'd have to buy different solutions than the ones you find in your local auto supply retailer. You'd have to buy from specialty shops or online shops.

I would highly recommend a detailing class, like the Meguiars one, if you have the opportunity. And if you're really into caring for your finish.