Gojirra99

My point is that grille were mostly used for high end models like the SL/CL(or equivalent old S class coupes) before, even the SLK is a relatively new model that did not exist before, its history is MUCH shorter than the SL/CL, and SLK is never really a high volume seller, but now even the C class sedan and CLA can have that grille, and they are high volume, so it's everywhere now

TangoRed

Change hurts doesn't it?

Gojirra99

Not for me, not that I really care

mmarshall

Solution:



Unless the scratch is deep into the clearcoat, this definitely works.

SW17LS

Polishing out swirls all over a car's finish involves way more than a bottle of "scratch out" LOL. You need a proper compound, a machine polisher, skill and several hours to do it right.

mmarshall

I disagree. I've used that product for years, and, applied properly, it does takes out almost all surface scratches/stains/imperfections. But, yes, as you note, for deeper stuff, you sometimes will need something stronger....or a body shop.

SW17LS

I've detailed cars as a hobbyist and as a professional for like 18 years, and I own and use this product. You cannot remove swirls and achieve a like new finish with a product like this by hand. These products are good for spot areas, localized scratches, etc. But if you have swirls all over your car, you cannot remove them with a product like this or Scratch X by hand and achieve a nice, flat, new looking finish. You need a machine and an appropriate diminishing abrasive polish to get the results that you would want...and it takes skill and time...thats why detailers charge what they charge to do it. Producing a flat, polished, swirl free finish requires abrasive polish, a flat polishing surface, and the ability to generate heat. You don't have that by hand with a cloth and this stuff.

I know a very good detailer in Texas that used to do swirl removal by hand...he was like the last holdout. He was a bodybuilder and thus had a lot of arm and upper body strength and even he found that with modern paints it had gotten to where he couldn't effectively polish out swirled paint by hand any more because he couldn't apply enough pressure evenly to produce enough heat to get the results he wanted.

Just because you think the end result looks good doesn't mean it is done properly. I can paint a room and think it looks fine, and a professional can paint a room and it looks incredible.

mmarshall

OK, fair enough. I've had excellent results with it over broad areas, but I'll agree it's not be the answer to every job...or for larger ones.

And, of course, the quality of the original paint job is also a big factor. Many paint jobs (black, it seems, more so than other colors) have an orange-peel texture. You're not going to get a truly smooth-looking surface, no matter what kind of Scratch-removal or polishing compound you use, if the paint job was sub-standard at the factory to start with.

SW17LS

The key is that it isn't a professional product for a professional application. Its a car wash/pep boys type "I see a scratch let me fix it" type product. If somebody really wants to restore swirled and weathered paint...they actually can make it worse with a product like this and towels by hand.

No product "takes out" scratches or imperfections in paint. The product applied with the proper tool and skill will polish imperfections out by properly removing enough paint so as to make them invisible or diminish their visibility. Its like saying sandpaper will take roughness out of a piece of wood. It won't, but the sandpaper worked over the wood with the right tools and technique will.

Orange peel isn't a sign of poor quality paint, and color doesn't make any difference...its just more noticeable on black cars or other dark colored cars. The reason modern paints have more orange peel than older paints is the difference between modern water based paints and older urethane based paints. The water based paints dry faster, and because of that the paint dries before the level is able to flatten out.

On more expensive cars there is more hand sanding and rubbing of the paint during the application process...which is why a Rolls Royce has such flat paint.

As technology improves and carmakers find better ways to deal with these new paints orange peel is getting better.

But whether a finish has orange peel or not doesn't dictate how well it will polish out. All paint is different, some responds better than others, some paint is harder than other paints, etc.

Detailers or you yourself with tools and practice can remove orange peel. Wetsanding will do it, and there are some new polisher pads out there that will as well believe it or not.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

sorry i know we are off topic, but this is completely false. with a good detailer, orange peel finish can become mirror clean finish. even i have tested before and fully polish out an orange peel panel inside smooth finish

mmarshall

But then, technically (at least as I see it) you basically no longer have the same original paint job....it's been reworked. And, to get that new job, some of the old paint has actually been abraded off and is now thinner.

Anyhow, Henry, you're right......we've gotten off topic. The OP has to decide on a car....not paint-maintenance.

SW17LS

Its the original paint job, just polished out. Whenever you polish paint you're abrading the finish and making it thinner. You're doing that when you use your "Scratch Off" product. Had the paint been hand sanded at the factory, thats what they would have done.