Be assured I "searched" for my answer, before posting... Danged if I can find what to use though, to repair (fill in?) scratches which penetrate only the clearcoat??

These are long (read: visible) and nasty lookin on the trunk lid, like a kid might make with a stick and inadequate supervision (and I'm having trouble continuing to ignore them). I'm concerned that my wax will just "build up" in the crevice (and look like crap). It would be grand to do this right the first time - what works?

Thanks,
Tatt

 

http://www.zainobros.com


I haven't use Zaino yet, but I've read a lot of good reports about their stuff.

 

Zaino Polish "Z5" is fantastic and will fill most scratches and swirl marks but it will not remove them. This means that overtime, the scratches will be visible once again.

For a more permanent and effective approach, I highly recommend the following products that will remove light scratches and swirl marks from the clearcoat (Although, expect several coats of the product and lots of elbow grease):

1) Meguiar's Scratch "X" paste. Non-abrasive, very effective and will not leave any new additional scratches.

2) 3M's "light scratch and swirl mark remove" a bit more agressive and removes scratches up to 1500 sand grit.

3)Zymol cleaner wax/scratch removal paste (Around $20 for the bootle, blue color, at your local autoparts store),


When removing scratches from the clearcoat, always start with the LEAST agressive product and work your way up from there if needed.

After removing the scratches, allow the family of Zaino product to work thier magic...Highky recommend Zaino Z2 (Show Wax) and Zaino Z5 (Polish).

 

Thanks for the detailed responses, I sure appreciate that. I'll post "B4 & after" pics so you'll know your time spent replying wasn't wasted. Now all I need is a day with temps over 50F in Chicago

At least the "elbow grease" required is... affordable.
Tatt

 

Can you get all of those products you mentioned at auto parts stores?

 

>>Can you get all of those products you mentioned at auto parts stores?
>>

Ooh, already an opportunity to "give something back"... per info found via the Zaino link in this here thread, they are strickly online and mail order (*sigh)

Here's some verbiage I heisted from the site:
"Zaino Bros' does not believe in fancy advertising, labels or packaging. We intentionally keep our costs low, and pass the saving on to you. You will not find our products in stores; we are strictly an Internet and mail order business. Our direct-to-customer business policy allows us to use the finest ingredients and maintain the highest quality, while keeping our products at a modest cost."

Ahh, what price exclusivity,
Tatt

 

Tatt,

I was doing a search because I got some nasty scratches on my hood and am trying to find out what to do about it.

Fortunately, I have 3 coats of Zaino Z-5 on, before the scratches, so I'm hoping its not too bad, but I don't know for sure...

What did you try and how did it work?

Thanks, Jenni

 

hey, i'm eagerly awaiting the results also...

i received some light scratches into the clearcoat only right under the rear driver's window. very visible, to me. and very ugly. tried various products - gs27, klasse all-in-one, kit scratch out. beastmaster tried to buffing it out with his orbital buffer, with some success.

i just got in the mail my order from langka for a wetsand 2000 kit. according to their website, this kit is specifically those light clearcoat scratches. langka was mentioned here earlier for their paintchip removal kit that smooths out those leftover bumps resulting from touch up jobs. i plan to try this out soon. unfortunately, i don't have a digital cam, so i can't post pics. but i'll let you all know my findings.

for those interested...i believe the website is http://www.langka.com.

 

>>i just got in the mail my order from langka for a wetsand 2000 kit. according to their website, this kit is specifically those light clearcoat scratches. langka was mentioned here earlier for their paintchip removal kit that smooths out those leftover bumps resulting from touch up jobs. i plan to try this out soon. unfortunately, i don't have a digital cam, so i can't post pics. but i'll let you all know my findings.
>>
>>for those interested...i believe the website is http://www.langka.com.
Great kbseto, I checked out the website and I'll be waiting for YOUR results.

Speaking of buffing, what does "buffing compound" do, and does it remove paint?

 

i believe buffing compound refers to the grittiness of the product, which allows it to remove the crud that can't be taken off with washing from your paint. some polishing products have different grades of this - light, medium, heavy. and then there's the buffing/rubbing compound stuff which is highly abrasive.

with scratches, the abrasive stuff "removes" it by actually bringing down the surrounding paint/clearcoat a bit. i think we're talking like microns or something like that. still, i believe that's why you have to be careful with how much of this stuff you apply, as well as how you apply it.

think i'm gonna try out my wetsand kit today.

 

I'm going to share a PM I got from D.J. about his bad scratches from his nylon car cover that was flapping in the wind and wrecked his finish.

___________
Damage was from the car cover during trip from Ca to Okla.

In the past I have used a few of Griot's Garage stuff like the micro fiber towels, clay bars and their carnuba wax with good results.

The scratches on the fenders, bonnet, top, and front and rear bumper was going to take some real work.

Machine polishing was the only way to deal with the damage. I ordered from Griot's their polish and wax system. The system consits of a Porter Cable Random Orbital polisher, three different grades of polish, foam pads, micro fiber towels and Best of Show Wax.

Long story short is, after about 4 hours of polishing , the scratches are gone. Followed up with the Best of Show wax applied with the machine, the paint looks fantastic. I took the MINI down to the local gas station and was asked by two different people what I used to make the paint so nice looking. They didn't ask about the MINI, only about the nice looking shine.

Yes I'm sold on Griot's Garage. Thought you might want to know about their products as I know you like to keep your MINI looking good.

Aloha,

D.J.
------------
Many thanks to D.J. for his success story. No more cheap MINI nylon car covers for him though :evil:

 

Geesh i leave for a month and everybody's solvin' their problems behind my back!

I've started the "multiple applications of Scratch-X & elbow grease" method, and I gotta say the caravan's 'bonnet' has remained nice n' shiny for over 2 years of neglect (read, not been waxed). The area i'm treating with the Meguiar's looks just about the same, shine-wise, as the rest of the hood. That's good, I guess... As for effectiveness of Scratch X, well, let's just say i now buy my elbow grease in those large industrial drums, "party size".

After the first application, dried and rubbed out with microfiber, no visible healing of the scratch...

Pricing orbital buffers,
Tatt

edit: forgot to say TY Minihune (mahela?) for the real-life (and apparently effective) example, I 'preciate that :smile:
_________________
You got yerself a Sweeet ride now, Charlie!

 

just spent 1-2 hours trying out my langka wetsand kit. unfortunately it was just about sunset so i was mostly working with a flashlight.

wetsanding,i gotta say, is kinda scary, especially after seeing the dullness left behind in the clearcoat. the instructions say to wetsand 5-10 moderate-pressure strokes at a time with plenty of water and recheck to see if the scratch is gone. i did this several times, but got scared after a while of wetsanding right thru the clearcoat. especially since the instructions include a disclaimer for this.

basically, i wetsanded some 30-40 light-moderate pressure strokes with no apparent difference to me. so i proceeded to apply generous amounts of "step A" of the langka kit. this slowly smoothed out the dulled clearcoat finish and restored the shine. but again the original scratches were still present, though somewhat less so.

after restoring the shine, i applied "step B", which is the sealant. strangely enuff, this seemed to make the scratches disappear better than wetsanding or "step A". yet, according to the instructions this was only a "sealant" or protectant, like wax. no abrasive properties.

i shall give my final impressions of langka wetsand 2000 sometime this weekend, when i am able to see the end product in daylight. and after a few days of sun, wind and rain.