Couple Questions - Claying/wax/polish etc..
 

so i've got some concerns about the paint on my '06 fx35. from a couple feet away it looks flawless but up close i've got a few hairline scratches, some light scuff marks.

i was going to clay, and wax the car for the first time soon but was wondering will it help the light scratches at all or no?

none of scratches are deep or can be felt by rubbing your hand over em, super light really.

am i better off getting it professional detailed? also to fix the light scratches do i need a detail what entails polishing or do i actually need a paint correction type deal? i know pix would help but i don't have any yet.

is paint correction generally for actual damaged paint? would polishing be sufficient for light scratches? i know i definitely do not want to polish on my own. the clay/wax i can do. i just don't want to clay/wax and end up having someone else redo it all anyways.

lastly if someone could recommend a good detailer in the gva area, and approx what i would be looking at for both services on a fx35 that would be great.

If your finger nail doesnt catch in the scratches, it can easily be polished out. Claying and waxing wont help with those

Drop by kens shop

ya i dont think my nail catches it up, ill double check tho. its all surface stuff, really not even visible unless caught in the right light.

is it okay for me to clay/wax now or kind of defeats the purpose if i get it polished after??

whereabouts is kens shop, any contact info would be great too. i saw the work he did on that s2000 looks great. is there a big difference between a polish/paint correction process as well?

i am guessing if i got a clay/polish/wax pkg from there all i would need to do is maintain the wax, keep applying every 3/4 months?

is it safe to try some meguiars scratch x 2.0 after i clay but before i apply wax to the car?

^


i believe so

Yes, do all paint correction (removing scratches/scuffs) before applying any wax or sealant.
If the scratches are really light, the megs scratch x might do the trick and will probably save you a trip to ken's shop

so when i see some wash/clay/polish/wax packages on some sites. does polishing entail buffing out scratches automatically or is it a totally different procedure to buff out light scratches? is paint correction more for actual damaged paint?

my scratches are not really noticeable unless you zoom in on them, or view them at certain angles with correct lighting. i noticed a couple long scratches though... but none can be felt by hand or fingernail so they are pretty light.

is meguiars scratch x safe to use? i have never used a product like this before so something user friendly would be good. what if the best best way to apply also?

im guessing apply small amount to each area with foam pad, buff in/re-apply until the scratch is gone, wipe with microfiber cloth?

Polish = buff out scratches.

If it's not catching your fingernail and just viewable from certain angles, then it's most likely something you can fix with Megs ScratchX. ScratchX is fairly mild and not too abrasive so it's good for small jobs like you mentioned.

Here's a good guide on using ScratchX (although it really is pretty simple to use): http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/sho...light=scratchx

thanks. also to make things less time consuming for me would it be okay to clay/scratchX and use a spray wax instead of the liquid and i'd like liquid wax the following week?

To be honest, I wouldn't clay if you're worried about minor scratches. Claybar will cause some marring on your paint.

Spray on wax should be OK. I've never used it so I can't comment on it. Is it an actual wax or is it an instant detailer?

Polishing also can be for 2 different things. There's a finishing polish for a high gloss, and cut polish (which is for removing scratches)

Dont do a finishing polish unless you've gone and cut polished (in my opinion)

Spray wax works just as well in my opinion, give optimum spray wax a shot, or try some sealant

i thought claying is fine as long as u use tons of lude(quick detailer)

its an actual wax but in spray form.

thanks. so i think i will clay and use meguiars quick detailer for lube, use meguiars scratch x 2.0, use a spray wax(i have nano wax by eagle & meguiars nxt spray wax) and a week or so later ill use the meguiars liquid nxt 2.0 wax. does everything look okay?

will claying cause scratches/marring even if i use tons of quick detailer??

In my opinion, rubbing something that's got contaminants in it up against your paint is going to cause marring, no matter how much lube you use. However, I'll leave it to the pros to chime in for their opinion. I think the lube will help a little, but I still think it will cause some micromarring.

I think Ken told me that only the aggressive clays will leave micromarring.

i bought the mothers clay set, two clay bars and the showtime quick detailer. from what i read it is not aggressive. what exactly is micromarring??

Most OTC stuff isn't very aggressive, which is actually OK for most purposes.

Micromarring are just small fine "scratches" that you'll get on your paint after you rub the clay (or I guess I would say anything even slightly abrasive) over your clearcoat.

It is possible to mar your paint from claying. Below is a pic I took the very first time I clayed my car. I admit, I didn't have the technique down and probably didn't use quite enough lube (I was using a Quick Detailer when I did it). I used a bit too much pressure there and probably did about 5-10 passes over the area.

http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/6861/img2936qz5.jpg

Now, when I clay, the marring is nothing like that. Usually by the time I get off my lazy ass to do anything, my car is pretty swirled so it's hard to notice the marring over the swirls.

I'd probably suggest asking Ken or Brendan and get their thoughts(I know Brendan usually clays without a polish so he could probably give you a better idea of how much it mars). Admittedly, I'm just a rookie compared to those guys.

i have never clayed before either but from what i read i should use tons of quick detailer and don't apply pressure to the piece of clay but rather glide it over each area.

worst case with marring or w/e else since its only clear coat, and complete clay/polish/wax job done professionally would probably get rid of it i am guessing?
on a side note with such fine/light scratches would just waxing help conceal some of it due to fillers?

Typically, claying will not marr paint. The products you get at Canadian Tire etc are usually quite soft and not capable of marring. Having said that, some cars like RRovers and Infinitis have very soft paint from the factory and may marr regardless of how careful you are.

Honda paint.... argh! :cry:

Fillers is the easy way out. :D However, they're really only good for a few washes and then the fillers are gone and you have to do it again. I'd rather get to the root of the problem (the scratch itself) and fix that rather than throw products with fillers at it.

roastpuff: I know what you mean! I just polished and waxed it over the weekend and I'm beginning to see a couple of light swirls show up already!

so i guess in my case its which is the lesser of the two evils. since i have soft paint either possibly marring or live with crud on my finish if i dont clay...

lets say some marring does occur can this be corrected later?

well i'll try some meguiars after claying and then apply wax, hopefully it turns out okay.

Yes the marring from claying is very light and any finishing polish should clean it up.

Marring can totally be corrected, its just a matter of whether or not you're willing to put in the time to do it:p