Car Paint scratch removers

[db2000]

Hi Fellas,

I have a lot of scratches on my car, courtesy myself, motorists / two wheelers and ofcourse, vandals. There was a time (read: first 2 months) when scratches cut my heart into 4 and made me run to the bodyshop the very next day. But now, I'm more in touch with reality. Scratches have a permanent place in Indian motoring. Like most, I hate to see those scratches, but don't want to run to a bodyshop everytime simply because I could get another scratch even on my way back.Ofcourse, this is after burning a hole in my wallet that's 3000 Rs deep for a scratch thats less than a mm deep !

I googled around and found there are relatively inexpensive ways to remove (minor to medium) scratches from cars - Clercoat Scratch Removers. For those who might not be familiar, as the name suggests, these compounds work on scratches on the car's clearcoat, which is the uppermost layer on a car's exterior followed by the actual paint, the primer and then the metal. The clearcoat is what gives the car a glossy and wet finish. If you are lucky, the scratch is mostly on the clearcoat. On scratches that cut through the clearcoat / paint and expose the primer, these compunds can diminish the scratch to an extent but not completely heal it, as in the case of scratches on the clearcoat. On analyzing brands, it seems Quixx is the most favored (consumer & auto mag reviews), followed by Nu Finish Scratch Doctor and 3M. The FIX IT Pro brand, which is shown on TV ads & looks to be the easiest to use, has very poor ratings on Amazon and other forums. Unlike touch up paints, these compounds are common for all colors. For deep scratches, you might have to use these in conjunction with touch up paints.

Some more googling and I figured where I can get Quixx in Chennai - and I just bought one an hour back.
Now, I'm no DIY (Do It Yourself) guy on auto related stuff by any stretch of imagination (no matter how easy the instructions are) and would like to hear what the experts have to say.

Has anyone tried paint scratch removers on your car to remove scratches and other minor paint aberrations? If so, could you post your experience and learning? Also, how can you tell between a clearcoat and paint scratch? Most scratches resemble a white line, so you can't say whether it is a clearcoat scratch or a primer exposing scratch (primers are white in color).

Anyway, I'll sit here waiting for your responses before I try this on my car in a few days time. Whatever the results are, I will try to be a nice boy and post them here - and will try to do so with pictures. Now, you gurus tell me your experiences so my car will look better than it is now ! And yes, if you need details on the product, you can PM me. It is an individual I bought this one from, so I do not want to post contact details right away.

[greenhorn]

This is my experience with rubbing compound & Com paint

[TechPro]

That seems to be a neat job greenhorn. Gets me thinking . . nice DIY. . is there any shade difference in daylight on the painted part?

[satyajitshetty]

Thats nice!!!

I used this http://www.turtlewax.com/main.taf?p=2,1,4,6 for the scratches and swirl marks


Since 2006 ,i was using almost everything from this http://www.turtlewax.com/main.taf?p=2,1,1

When in India ,I used to source the turtle wax products from TPC in mumbai....now they have shifted to hyderabad.

India
Contact: Rajesh Manchanda
Company: Technical Parts Company Pvt. Ltd.
Address: 209, Lal Bunglow
Ameerpet, Hyderabad 500016
Andhra Pradesh, India
Tel: 91 40 2341004/55 66 02 42
Fax: 91 40 2340 3703
Email: tpcind@satyam.net.in

http://www.turtlewax.com/main.taf?p=0,8,6


You can also call them and get your products through courier.

[bigmoose]

This is my experience with rubbing compound & Com paint

Whatever you do to prove it, I won't believe they are the same cars.

That is a job well done, man. I never realized there are things such as this.

[greenhorn]

It looked good that day, but com paint progressively got worse. Its surface was not smooth, and it progressively became yellow until it looked off white. I had painted another wheel arch, and i recently stripped off the paint, and it in fact , looked better without the paint.

I would not recommend com paint to anyone!

I'm wondering If I should try out pylox which is locally available.

otherwise, stick to rubbing compound and solid wax

[db2000]

Sorry guys, the weather in Chennai hasn't been helping my cause. Will have to wait for clear blue skies before I can get to work on this.

[db2000]

Ok guys, after spells of rain and long hours at work, I finally found the time to do this. The results look satisfactory. I had a primer level scratch which was quite prominent on the passenger side door, courtesy some rug rat walking the streets. After using Quixx and waxing the car, the visibility of the scratch has been reduced, but it's still there. Only time will tell how the compound is holding on to the paint.

The pictures are from my mobiles' camera so the picture quality is not all that great, but the difference is still very evident.

It was a rigorous job that took me 2.5 hours end to end, from washing the car clean, Quixxing and finally finishing off with the wax. There are still some more scratches, but I could not continue with the same vigor as I was very tired with all the rubbing - the more you rub the compound into the scratch, the more effective it is in gelling with the paint. Also, exposure to sunlight is crucial, so I might be repeating this process another time, maybe in 3-4 months when the Chennai Sun will be out in all its g(l)ory.


Before Pictures







After Pictures

First, wash the car and apply Quixx polish 1

Apply Quixx polish 2 (finishing) and then wax the car

[Free Willy]

What in blazes...I dont see a scratch at all!

My man, you've done a great job! Remember though, the Quixx will dissolve some amount of paint from the surrounding areas to cover up the scratch...

[db2000]

Thanks man, it was quite laborious and the results were good only after multiple applications and waxing.

Hmm..didn't know about Quixx diluting the paint from other areas. There's no dearth of scratches on my car, but I think I will wait to see how this one is holding up first.

From what I've read on the internet, Quixx behaves well, but nothing can be said today.