Scratch x

Have a few more light scratches on my car - somebody's bloody cat I think - and have been looking at meguairs scratch x. I am also thinking of buying some stuff to shine up my car better and I am seriously thinking of giving clay a go. Couple of questions though;

1. Is Scratch X any good. The scratches are very light and you have to look closely to really notice them.
2. Can you use this then clay - think this is a stupid question but don't want to spend money only to waste it through my stupidness
3. If I used scratch x and clay what else should I use on my car - car is silver

Thanks

I am by no meens an expert but after some of the help I have had from this forum section I came across this little gem. How to clean your car guide and what order to use the products in.

Here

Found that at www.cleanyourcar.co.uk

Helped me understand it all a bit better.

wash it, clay it, use your scratch-x on specific areas (it's an abrasive so will cut down the clear coat a tiny bit therefore blending out your scratches)you have to be prepared to stick at it though. Then you want a non abrasive polish or glaze, this bits a bit hit and miss until you find what you like although for silver cars Jeffs Werkstatt Acrylic kit is often raved about on the detailing forums and comes with both the gloss and the protective top coat.

It's pretty good, as is the paint specific T Cut (metalic or normal) or T Cut safe cut.

The T Cut stuff is available in the approximate colour of the car too.

I've used the Red stuff (not colour magic which is a less abrasive but still pretty good Turtle Wax product) on Clare's GT.

I would only use scratch X in specfic areas, have to say its hard work by hand ! if your impression is like giving it a polish/wax ? then some hours later and knackered arms you will relise its not ! its very hard work using scracth X and should only be used in the area its needed.

(Megs Scratch X have a video on youtube showing you how to use it )

This of course depends on the depth of the scratchs you have if there still above the paint then it will be possible to get them out, if there to the undercoat then it would need pro painting.

The best way of dealing with them if there light is to machine polish them using machine cutting pastes etc.. that would match the paint and thickness of the paint , so as not to damage the top coat.

if you use the coloured t-cut type products there just a type of filler polish and will only last a matter of days rather then months, so good for masking a car for sale but not as your daily driver as all that effort results in very poor durability.

a lot of the detail sites recommend only using a sealant as your LSP (last stage product) and not a wax as this can mask silver and not let the max shine through, i have seen amazing results from claying, then using a good paint cleaner like Carlack 68 nano, then a good glaze , followed by two coats of a sealant , lots of people swear by Jetseal 109 on silver ! once this has all been done it will last for months ! and water will just sheet off each and every time you wash the car, do the wheels with the same products and the wheels will come up great ! and stay that way or at least washing them will be childs play with no heavy rubbing to remove brake dust etc.. !

loads of people will recommend different products but the cleanyourcar site that has already been suggusted is brill and has a forum where i have posted the Alfa results , in the past Freelander , my Jag , and my R1 , and i tend to go with product reviews rather than marketing hype !

what i have found to my cost is ! if you skip a stage or product the results will not be the same and they all say that the paint prep is the key to using sealant and wax without the clay and paint cleaner your products will not bond as well meaning it will not last.

Had a look at the cleanyourcar website and think I will make an order tonight. At work at the mo and don't really want to get my wallet out as I also work in a public customer facing area. might go for the Scratch X as I am only looking to go over a couple of small areas with this before going on to polish / wax the car to try and make it as good looking as I can. Time not a huge factor so don't mind spending a bit of time on my car. When would be best to use scratch x in this process?

i would wash and clay your car to give yourself the best possible surface, then wash down again to get rid if the clay lube etc...

then use your Scratch X on the areas you wish to rememdy, i would suggest washing again to remove any residue , then your ready for a good paint cleaner/polish , the rest is up for debate ? but i would use a good sealant and a good wax, its always good pratice to do two coats of sealant and wax leaving some time between coats so that it can cure.

This then will have given your car the best chance of a sleek finish that will last and wash really well time after time.

I would also invest in a wool mit as this will reduce further swirl marks and use a drying towel, again as shammy will cuase the dreaded swirls again ! and can scratch if dirt is picked up, where as the mirco fibre or drying towel does'nt.

post some before and after pics ? would love to see the results !

Ar just noticed your car is silver ? many folk reckon just applying a sealant works very well on silver without a wax, its jsut this colour that seems to perform better with sealant only.

cleanyourcar has some posts of a silver Astra sealed in Jetseal 109 and it looks fantastic ! but carlack is a good sealant also !

If you are going to go along the sealant route, i'd go for Duragloss as it's very cheap and one of the best you can get, right up there with Zaino. Glossmax.co.uk sell it.

RE the scratch, Scratch X is good, but take some work. If you were abit closer i'd have popped round and wet sanded them out for you.

Ahh this Duragloss has just pooped up on some forums and so far there are some fans of it, there are a lot of people waiting for more product reveiws and results, with water sheeting after a few months etc.. to see if it can perform as well as Jetseal or Carlack , i for one am interested in how this product turns out ?

As you say it cheap which is a major attraction, there is a rumor the same guy who helped develop Zanio's sealant helped with this one but no one can confirm this rumour ?

Originally Posted by swordjo

If you are going to go along the sealant route, i'd go for Duragloss as it's very cheap and one of the best you can get, right up there with Zaino. Glossmax.co.uk sell it.

RE the scratch, Scratch X is good, but take some work. If you were abit closer i'd have popped round and wet sanded them out for you.

Thanks for the offer, appreciate the sentiment but distance is always a factor. i also have a couple of deeper scratches one of the rear doors that I think will need someone more professional and able than me to fix.

Will be taking some before and after style photos for my own benefit as well and will hopefully post results in a couple of weeks once I get the stuff ordered.

I used the Meg's clay kit then Scratch X where required. I find Scratch X very good and is much easier to use after claying the car. I then used Megs cleaner wax and finally the AutoGlym HD Wax and was impressed with the results. Took around 5 hours all in although I'd washed the car the night before to allow it to dry.