New Menzerna FG 400 - One-Step Show Car Makeover

[Jomax]

I just used Fg400 on a Hood. Car is a 2010 VW jetta. Used a MF cutting pad and all the swirls, oxidation, and water etches dissapeared . There are still some scratches though. I did six section passes SLOWLY. I'm wondering if the scratches are too deep for FG-400 to remove? can't feel then with my nail. Is it worth trying to take them out?


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[lawrenceSA]

I would say NO.... once you nail catches the scratch it is generally too deep to polish out.

Especially if the car is your or your customer's daily driver.... You have to accept that a certain amount of RIDS will always be present in a daily, and trying to remove them all will only lead to a reduced clear coat, putting your car's paint at risk.

[Mike Phillips]

I just used Fg400 on a Hood. Car is a 2010 VW jetta. Used a MF cutting pad and all the swirls, oxidation, and water etches disappeared .

There are still some scratches though.

You have to accept that a certain amount of RIDS will always be present in a daily, and trying to remove them all will only lead to a reduced clear coat, putting your car's paint at risk.

So Dave aka Jomax lives in Arizona, a place with lots of extreme sunshine which means maximum exposure to UV rays which cause clear coat failure.

Then Lawrence aka lawrenceSA, a forum member from South Africa, another place with extreme sunshine, recommends taking the cautious path of learning to live with the deeper scratches.


Awesome.


Dave, Lawrence does make a good point. Your Jetta is going on 3 years old. Dr. Ghodoussi told me that the UV inhibitors in factory clear coats have a half life of 5 years and then deteriorate even more after 5 years.

If you plan on keeping the car then maybe learn to live with the deeper scratches to reduce the potential for premature clear coat failure, a problem accelerated by UV rays from the sun.

If they bug you though, then have at them again with a few more passes or reduce your footprint by using a smaller pad or even working on just the scratches themselves by hand. After working by hand you can come back and make a few cover passes by machine to clean up any hand induced marring.


Check out this article too... see post #14

Beginning Clearcoat Failure

[Jomax]

So Dave aka Jomax lives in Arizona, a place with lots of extreme sunshine which means maximum exposure to UV rays which cause clear coat failure.

Then Lawrence aka lawrenceSA, a forum member from South Africa, another place with extreme sunshine, recommends taking the cautious path of learning to live with the deeper scratches.


Awesome.


Dave, Lawrence does make a good point. Your Jetta is going on 3 years old. Dr. Ghodoussi told me that the UV inhibitors in factory clear coats have a half life of 5 years and then deteriorate even more after 5 years.

If you plan on keeping the car then maybe learn to live with the deeper scratches to reduce the potential for premature clear coat failure, a problem accelerated by UV rays from the sun.

If they bug you though, then have at them again with a few more passes or reduce your footprint by using a smaller pad or even working on just the scratches themselves by hand. After working by hand you can come back and make a few cover passes by machine to clean up any hand induced marring.


Check out this article too... see post #14

Beginning Clearcoat Failure

I will leave them be.. It is a DD,(truck was killing me in Diesel) bought the car 3 months ago Used. Was hoping for perfection but the small chips on the hood keep that from happening. I must remember its a DD. thanks for the info guys! I'll try to post pics of it finished up!



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[blongo804]

After skimming through this thread and especially after Mike's in-depth review of the FG 400, looks like this will be a product on my list next order. I do a lot of shows in the Spring/Summer here in PA so something like this will come in handy to get that perfect finish rather quickly.

[Jomax]

After skimming through this thread and especially after Mike's in-depth review of the FG 400, looks like this will be a product on my list next order. I do a lot of shows in the Spring/Summer here in PA so something like this will come in handy to get that perfect finish rather quickly.

Works great, took out everything but RIDS for me.(paint was JACKED) But I used it in Volkswagen paint which is known for its hardness. I used it on a piece of black painted trim on the car and it finished flawlessly. Would buy again!


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[glen e]

Mike - how do you see the 400 used vs the 4500?

I have used the 4500 and a gray pad on a brand new car (mine) with amazing results....

[Circa40]

Amazing color!

[Mike Phillips]

Mike - how do you see the 400 used vs the 4500?

Hmm.....

FG 400 is an aggressive compound and SF 4500 is an Ultra Fine Cut Polish. I see the FG 400 used to remove defects and the SF 4500 used to max out the gloss and clarity after all the correction and polishing steps are completed.

I have used the 4500 and a gray pad on a brand new car (mine) with amazing results....

I think the SF4000 is one of the best, if not THE best Ultra Fine Cut Polish available that I've used and one strong feature is it works consistently on a wide range of paint systems, with a wide variety of pads and tools.

[TimmyG]

Mike, what kind of speeds would you suggest using this product at on a rotary and/or da buffer? I'd imagine a higher speed (5-6) on something like the Porter Cable?

I absolutely love the entire line of Menzerna compounds/polishes and this will definitely be included in my next order. The working time on every Menzerna product I've ever used has been tremendous.