what to do about the red jetta....

[nikster140]

hello...im pretty new to the whole detailing scene and to this site. i come on here occasionally to pick up a few tips and its been really helpful so far!



my name`s nikki and im only 18, so i really dont have the financial means to use most of the products you talk about on here...im pretty much limited to the best i can find on the shelf at pep boys or autozone



i drive a 98 jetta vr6, tornado red. its a gorgeous color, and i wash it regularly and treat it with meguiars cleaners wax. well recently i started getting more into it after getting a clay bar kit and tons more supplies for my birthday. the clay did an excellent job of getting off 6 years worth of grime and tar, but brought out so many more problems in the paint. swirls....SO MANY swirls and scratches everywhere. and as most of you know when you start things like this you become obssessed and have to get it perfect!



i dont think the scratches are that deep but there are definitely plenty of them, so what over-the-counter products can i use (by hand) to make it look even better? the paint shines pretty well....there are many chips in it (hail storms) and my car isn`t garaged (we dont have one) so it never will look PERFECT.



but i am here to learn and its looking better everytime so i appreciate all the help!



-nikki

[kartoon]

You might be able to find ScratchX locally (if you`re lucky) or maybe some other Meguiars polishes. That should take care of at least some of your swirls and make the other once less noticable.



:welcome to Autopia.

[pyropoptrt]

You can order poor boys products online and their prices are really not bad.

[scottabir]

:welcome

Just because there is no garage doesnt mean it cant be perfect looking-just more time consuming to keep it looking great :D

Some good but cheap(er) products locally are:

Mothers Gold QD & clay (which you have)

Meguirs #9 (tan bottle, found at pepboys)- good for LIGHT swirl marks

ScratchX- works great for isolated scratches or entire car.

Armor all can be used on tires either full strength or cut with water 1:1

Meguiars NXT generation wash is wonderful and it smells good.

Viking makes some nice chenille wash pads (pepboys I believe)

Turtle wax makes a host of brushes and accessories and can be found at Meijers, pepboys ect.

S100 products can be found at your local Harley-Davidson dealer

they make a great wax, and it retails for around $14.00

Eagle one 20/20 glass cleaner works wonders ive heard.

Eagle one A2Z wheel cleaner is a good strong wheel cleaner (Pepboys)

You can check with local bodyshops/detailing shops to see if a Meguiars rep. swings by, you should be able to get whatever you want from them.

Hope this helps a little.

Scott