6G Celicas Forums

So what would be good to remove light scratches and oxidation? I'd like to do that then go over the car with a nice sealant/wax.

u could try a light polish with a foam pad
if that doesn't work try a light polish with a light cutting pad
not sure if that would remove oxidation tho.

if that doesn't help try a medium polish with a foam pad and then with a light cutting pad.
after using the medium polish it will probably look kinda hazy and dull but u can probably kinda check if it got rid of scratches n oxidation
go over it again with the light polish and foam pad to restore shine
then go over with sealant/wax

i'm not sure how effective it would be doing this by hand tho...

products i see people use for polish include:
menzerna Intensive Polish and Final Polish
poorboys Super Swirl Remover 2.5 and 1.0
meguiars is ok too

Cool, I'll buy some Meguiars swirl remover, then go from there.

Cutting pads, even on a random-orbital, can be a dangerous proposition, particularly in the hands of the inexperienced. Meguiar's maintains a forum for discussion of its products, and actually has a staff member assigned to it full-time so it's chock full of good, accurate information. This is a discussion of the dangers of using cutting pads on DA polishers.
http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16429

However, it's still entirely possible to remove most mild defects with a random orbital and the right products. These two links cover much of what is useful to know; you might use different products, but the principles are applicable.
http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2965
http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20874

The G100 mentioned in the article is Meguiar's version -- actually, just rebadged with an appropriate counter-weight for 6" polishing pads included -- of the industry standard, the Porter Cable 7424.

I recently spent a day going over my car's finish; M80 is my go-to polish, great for swirl marks and mild scratches. I seal with the NXT Tech Wax, though my car would probably benefit more from the depth of colour provided by Gold Class; the amount of precipitation in winter in my area leaves me to prefer the polymer sealant's longevity.

Btw, I really hate that ScratchX stuff. I was using it the other day. You dont notice at first, but if you look at it at night with a lamp on it, it leaves a terrible haze on everything.

This post has been edited by lagos: Aug 22, 2008 - 3:25 PM

Agreed

go get your car pro detailed shouldnt be much. got mines detailed for $250 at a friends shop

really... hm i heard good things about scratchx... nvr tried it tho... my frd uses megs #80 and he says it's pretty good... as far as i kno heavy(ier) polishes altho can take out the deeper swirls and light scratches can leave the paint dull/hazy looking or even marr the paint and then will require a finer polish to remove it and make shiny again...

Depends on whether or not you get a polish with what Meguiar's refers to as "diminishing abrasives." Which is to say, whether or not your polish's grit breaks down as it is worked into progressively finer particles.

I've recently been haunting Meguiar's forums a great deal, so apologies if I'm linking a lot from them....but the info's good.
http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showpost....amp;postcount=6

This is one of the reasons why people sometimes find themselves with hazy paint due to products such as ScratchX; they didn't work the product hard enough to break the abrasives down -- or don't let up on the pressure as the scratches come out.

i just bought meguiars gold class and scratch x,,,
hopefully it will look great!

Proof: this was the first time the car had been waxed in several years... the left side is after 1 coat or ICE paste:)

actually, it lasts a lot less than meguars gold class and tech wax,,