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Best treatment for minor scratches?

dseume

dseume

New member
My 'new' 944 is in pretty good condition for its age and price, however, as befits a 15 year old car, there are a number of minor surface scratches. I don't feel it warrants taking to a bodyshop for a mechanical polish so I was wondering if anyone has suggestions as to the best type of polish to hide these blemishes.

I haven't tried T-Cut or similar yet; I do remember once using some coloured wax polish on one of my 2CVs (see another post!). Are these still around (coloured polishes, I mean - not 2CVs!)? Would they provide a short-term solution? I don't want to invest too much in the car at this stage; not until I'm sure I've got the right one for long-term ownership.
 
I went to my local bodyshop and bought some rubbing compound -stronger than T cut. It's what they use afer spraying the car to cut back the paint prior to polishing. You will need to polish the car after using the compound. Can be used with a low revving electric car polisher or by hand ( I actually forund it better to do it by hand).
 
Thanks, Les. Can you recall what the product was called? It would save time and help me avoid getting something inferior. If not, I'll wait until I can find a bodyshop.

Actually, come to think of it, my wife swears by something called Cocoa Butter Body Scrub she buys from The Bodyshop in the High Street ...
 
I have one which is Simoniz Rubbing Compound. The blurb 'heavy duty cleaner. Blends in new paint work. Cleans weathered paintwork. Removes scratches.' On the back it does say unsuitable for metallic paint.
I would be cautious using an orbital polisher as it too easy to 'burn' the paint. By hand is much better.
Rubbing compound is good, but with T-cut you can burn through the paint so extra care with this stuff.
 
I would start off with the gentlest product you can and then work up to something more abrasive. I use Zymols HD-Cleans on my paintwork and it really does clean up tiny tiny scratch marks. All the good multi-part wax system companies have their own version (Meguars, DT Concours, Incero etc).

Next level up would be a polish called Finnese-it by 3M, this is what a lot of bodyshops use to polish and blend in.

There's probably loads more but after that I would think your talking T-cut or similar, which is pretty abrasive.

After all these treatments, you MUST put some wax on top or your paint or it will soon fade if unprotected. I find that really minor scratches will be hidden by a good wax which fills them up anyway without having to resort to polishing
 
Take a jam jar to a bodyshop and for a fiver they would be able to supply you with more than enough compound to do the job.

If using by hand doesn't work, use a sheet of 2000 wet and dry. Flat the area and compound with machine.

If metallic, OK if painted in "base and clear". If don't know, compound hard on area that doesn't show. If no colour comes off, thats lacquer. If there is colour STOP
 
I use the Zymol cleaner wax, removes light scatches and fills in too, and very safe for clear coat metallics. A bit easier to get hold of than the other Zymol products unless you don't mind waiting for mail order. Meguires do a similar product which is also carnuba wax based. I would recommend both, just get which ever is avaliable locally. Halfords were stocking the Zymol one, but they are reducing their range again now.[:mad:] Very easy to apply and remove unlike some other petroleum based products. It does a good job and even smells nice :)
 
Presta Euro Cut P3.

My cars metallic and lacquer and it worked fine. But don't expect to just give it a quick eonce over and it will be like new, you will need to work at the areas with scratches, rubbing, polishing off, checking to see how it looks, and then the same again. If you overdo it you are in danger of rubbing the lacquer away!
 
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