Disappointing Afternoon ... Need help with light scratch

[Scott in Houston]

So, my wife was loading oversized stuff into the trunk of my A6 (2018). On the deck lid right in front of the trunk was a new scratch.
I was hopeful because I couldn't 'catch' it with my fingernail.

I went after it with Griot's 3" Correcting pad (orange) and Meg's Ultimate Compound.
It made it only slightly less visible after several attempts with multiple passes, so I gave up for now.

Questions:

1) Is the paint on a fiber glass panel like the bumper different than on metal panels?
2) Do I need a more aggressive pad and/or compound (like M105 or something else)?

I was convinced that I could get scratches that weren't so deep as to be felt with my nail, and I've had decent results on others. This one stumped me.


Pics below:

https://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/r562/scottinhouston/IMG_0587_zpsqr5nbyzy.jpg (https://s1172.photobucket.com/user/scottinhouston/media/IMG_0587_zpsqr5nbyzy.jpg.html)

https://i1172.photobucket.com/albums/r562/scottinhouston/IMG_0584_zpsei8za78e.jpg (http://s1172.photobucket.com/user/scottinhouston/media/IMG_0584_zpsei8za78e.jpg.html)

[Mike Phillips]

I understand how we all get caught up on doing everything with a machine and I promote this as Autogeek doesn't sell hands.... but sometimes it's faster and more effective to go after isolated defects like this first by hand and then clean up any marring from hand polishing by machine.

For this I would get some old school terry cloth and a quality compound, you know, something that uses GREAT abrasive technology, even though according to my own poll (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-to-articles-by-mike-phillips/98943-poll-whats-number-one-most-important-factor-when-comes-polishing-paint-18.html) I'm wrong about this topic, and then use one or two fingers to rub the compound at a 90 degree angle to the scratch and do what I call,


Put a little passion behind the pad - Mike Phillips (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/23568-put-little-passion-behind-pad-mike-phillips.html)


Then after working the area to your satisfaction, and also after hoping and praying your don't rub through the clear layer of paint, (you'll know when you see the color of the basecoat on the terrycloth), then re-polish using any foam pad on any orbital polisher and this will remove the marring from the finger pressure rubbing a compound.


It's all about how much pressure you can exert against a small area versus how the pressure is SO SPREAD OUT when machine buffing. I use to teach hand polishing at Meguiar's. I'm really good at it. Been there done that a lot.


Me? For that area on a daily driver, it would be no big deal. After you load and unload some luggage a few times for trips to the airport you're going to get more scratches there. Just buff, was and then stick a fork in it and call it done.



:)

[Scott in Houston]

Thanks Mike!!! I have an unopened tube of ScratchX 2.0 (like 3 months old so new).
Would that qualify as a quality compound?

[Mike Phillips]

Thanks Mike!!! I have an unopened tube of ScratchX 2.0 (like 3 months old so new).

Would that qualify as a quality compound?



No, that's a fine cut polish but with enough passes it will work like a compound.



Car Wax History

I actually have a DVD out from 2006 where I demonstrate correct technique for hand applying ScratchX. Have a copy here in my office. Richard Lin and I made this. It was the FIRST video ever made that shows from start to finish how to use a polisher to buff out a car. Not just a spot on the hood but the entire car.


:)

[Scott in Houston]

Wow. Thanks again Mike!!

Last question, what would be a quality compound for this scenario?

[fly07sti]

After you get that scratch out, it might be benefit you to put some PPF on that area.

[Scott in Houston]

After you get that scratch out, it might be benefit you to put some PPF on that area.

That's my plan! Otherwise, I'd probably just live with it. :)

[tim500]

I don’t see a scratch. If that is a bad scratch my cars are in trouble.

[tim500]

I understand how we all get caught up on doing everything with a machine and I promote this as Autogeek doesn't sell hands.... but sometimes it's faster and more effective to go after isolated defects like this first by hand and then clean up any marring from hand polishing by machine.

For this I would get some old school terry cloth and a quality compound, you know, something that uses GREAT abrasive technology, even though according to my own poll (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-to-articles-by-mike-phillips/98943-poll-whats-number-one-most-important-factor-when-comes-polishing-paint-18.html) I'm wrong about this topic, and then use one or two fingers to rub the compound at a 90 degree angle to the scratch and do what I call,


Put a little passion behind the pad - Mike Phillips (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/23568-put-little-passion-behind-pad-mike-phillips.html)


Then after working the area to your satisfaction, and also after hoping and praying your don't rub through the clear layer of paint, (you'll know when you see the color of the basecoat on the terrycloth), then re-polish using any foam pad on any orbital polisher and this will remove the marring from the finger pressure rubbing a compound.


It's all about how much pressure you can exert against a small area versus how the pressure is SO SPREAD OUT when machine buffing. I use to teach hand polishing at Meguiar's. I'm really good at it. Been there done that a lot.


Me? For that area on a daily driver, it would be no big deal. After you load and unload some luggage a few times for trips to the airport you're going to get more scratches there. Just buff, was and then stick a fork in it and call it done.



:)

How do you feel about meguiars waxes compared to pinnacle or Blackfire?

[Mike Phillips]

Wow. Thanks again Mike!!

Last question, what would be a quality compound for this scenario?




Meguiar's Ultimate Compound is easy to find locally and we sell it on our store site.


:)

[Scott in Houston]

Meguiar's Ultimate Compound is easy to find locally and we sell it on our store site.


:)


Ha. Ok. That's what I was using on my DA. I'll try it on a Terry cloth now as you suggest. Thank you!

[Mike Phillips]

How do you feel about meguiars waxes compared to pinnacle or Blackfire?




I think they are all Top Shelf products, kind of like top shelf Tequilas.

The most important thing is surface prep. I've shared this story either in the thread or somewhere else on this forum, but a few weeks ago I reviewed the new RUPES BigFoot 21 Mark III polisher using it with a simple, one-step cleaner/wax, Pinnacle Jeweling Wax. While detailing multiple cars and shooting new videos all that week the car was there I had multiple people come into the garage, look at the 2014 red Corvette Stingray and ask me,

Did you use a ceramic coating?


And I would say "no", I used a one-step cleaner/wax - properly applied of course. :)

The gloss, clarity and shine you see below is from a jeweling wax, not a ceramic paint coating.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3831/aMark_3_053.JPG

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3831/aMark_3_054.JPG

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3831/aMark_3_055.JPG

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/3831/aMark_3_056.JPG

Review: RUPES Mark III BigFoot 21 Polisher by Mike Phillips (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/product-reviews-by-mike-phillips/122866-review-rupes-mark-iii-bigfoot-21-polisher-mike-phillips.html)



Now don't get me wrong, I coined the term Jeweling Wax. I've seen McKee's (https://www.autogeek.net/xmt-carnauba-finishing.html) use it and a few other companies have now introduced "jeweling waxes", but I coined the term and wrote the definition (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-to-articles-by-mike-phillips/99305-jeweling-wax-definition.html) and while I refer to it above in a kind of matter-of-factly way, a true jeweling wax is MORE than just a mundane cleaner/wax. Nu-Finish is a cleaner/wax, or technically a cleaner/sealant and if you machine apply Nu-Finish to a clearcoated car like the red 2014 Corvette Stingray it certainly won't look the way it does after using Pinnacle Jeweling Wax and it has to do with the thing I'm always talking about and that is.....


Abrasive Technology


Even though it would seem that all the car detailing experts disagree with me, at least according to my own poll (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-to-articles-by-mike-phillips/98943-poll-whats-number-one-most-important-factor-when-comes-polishing-paint-18.html) as most people say technique is the most important thing.



Car Wax History - I'm not the only guy that knows it but I just about the only guy that shares it.


:laughing: