Hi everyone, 

 

Attempted my first detail with my Megs G220v2 DA on my Mk1 Fabia vRS (black)- I was blown away with the results, and managed to remove swirls and achieved depth and clarity to the paint. However, I couldn't remove deeper scratches to the clear coat which can't be seen direct, but are evident under strong lighting.

 

I prepped using a Megs clay bar, snowed with Autobright magifoam, Iron X and 2 bucket wash with Megs gold class.

 

The polishes I used were the Autobrite "Correct it range", since the paintwork had many swirls and random deep scratches. I opted to use the harsh compound ("Restore") followed by the Anti hologram polish ("Final finish").

 

The foam pads that I used were both 7" in size, for cutting I used the Meguiars yellow diamond cut pad, and for polishing I used Flexipads Black soft buff finishing pad. I also glazed the using Poorboys black hole, and waxed using Nattys paste wax.

 

Applying pressure to the deeper scratches didn't do the cutting pad any good and I could see the pad wearing out- What would be the best technique to remove the deeper scratches, should I be using a smaller backing plate and pad to focus the cutting more?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Habib

if too deep, might not be removeable.  Ultimately wet sanding is the best way to remove deeper scratches as long as it hasn't gone through the clearcoat.  I use 1200 grit on a small rubber eraser to gently rub until the mark more or less disappears, then refine with 2000 and 2500 grit.  Once that has dried, it is easily machine polishable then.  But seriously, get some practice on scrap panels - maybe putting in your own variety of depth of scratches to see how it works.

I don't want to be a party pooper, but sometimes chasing deep scratches isnt the best idea.

 

You only have so much clear coat to play with and you may end up leaving little room left for enhancement polishing in the future around the area of correction.  If it is barely visible, is it worth it?  Is this a show car?

 

As Jason has said, wet sanding is an option, but not for the faint of heart. 

 

Do you have a paint thickness gauge?

I agree too Mark

Wetsanding is an art and quite dangerous for a beginner

I would recommend anyone attempting this to practice on a scrap panel first

You have to be so precise with your clearcoat measurements..not easy, even with a Paint Thickness Gauge

So...best to leave them ..if theyre not too obvious

 

BTW...Any pictures Habib?

Thanks for the reply guys, Its not noticeable in sunlight, but under lighting in a petrol station at night for instance it is, and my finger nail cant catch the scratches. I guess its just the OCD in me wanting to get the scratches out!

 

It's not a show car, I just thought i'd practice and try to revive the look of my 10 year old car :-) Overall, I'm chuffed with the result, I'd love to practice on a scrap panel in the near future.

 

Pics to follow as I'm at work- Thanks again guys

If you want me to have a look at it..Just let me know

Thanks for the reply guys, Its not noticeable in sunlight, but under lighting in a petrol station at night for instance it is, and my finger nail cant catch the scratches. I guess its just the OCD in me wanting to get the scratches out!

 

It's not a show car, I just thought i'd practice and try to revive the look of my 10 year old car :-) Overall, I'm chuffed with the result, I'd love to practice on a scrap panel in the near future.

 

Pics to follow as I'm at work- Thanks again guys

 

Just a thought here, could the "scratches" be under the clearcoat? If the car has been repaired/painted in the past then the swirl/scratch could have been done prior to it being clearcoted over. I had this on my Golf & no amount of polishing or wetsanding will sort it....well not until you remove all the clearcoat anyway.

You could try applying SRP to the area as it is filler heavy, this may improve / reduce the noticeabilty of the scratch.  Then apply a wax over the top of it. 

I too have a megs g220. To get rid of the scratches on my wifes black magic Seat I used a 4" megs yellow finishing pad with farecla g3 scratch remover. I primed the pad with a light spray of water and spread a small amount evenly over the area on speed 1. I then did 4 vertical and horizontal passes under moderate pressure until the paste changed to an opaque colour then finished it off with no pressure applied, just the weight of the da at speed 5. This technique was taught to me by ChrisRS when we detailed my car in July. The scratch remover and their paint restorer both use deminishing abrasives, so choose the correct one for your problem and they are a 1 stage process. If I'm in doubt I use the paint restorer 1st as it's gentler than the scratch remover and try that. If it gets most of the scratch out I find a second application often works on very light scratches. Good luck.

Hi everyone, I've attached a few before and after pics on my phone (apologies for the poor quality).

 

Before:

 

After:

 

 

 

example scratches:

 

 

 

 

As far as I'm aware, the rear bumper had been resprayed in the past, I guess a paint thickness gauge could only tell if further repairs had been made... Thank you for your kind offer Chris, and I appreciate everyone's input 

No problem

I have a Paint Gauge too

Offer is open..just let me know