Good OTC final polish?

**dazco** · 07-31-2010, 09:41 AM

I have been using mothers scratch remover to polish out my bike`s tank and fenders about once every couple months. It works great, but i worry the abrasive is too coarse to use it with this kind of frequency, plus i wonder if theres something that will look even deeper and glossier. It`s a newer water based paint, so it`s very soft and develops spider webbing degree scratching just looking at it. So i`m looking for a OTC product that is priced reasonably and will gloss that puppy up real nice w/o wearing thru the clear coat.

**Accumulator** · 07-31-2010, 10:39 AM

dazco- I`m not expert on OTC stuff, but Meguiar`s Swirl-X might fit the bill.

**dazco** · 07-31-2010, 05:18 PM

Anyone else? I can`t believe no one here knows what a good final polish is?

**imported_rfinkle2** · 07-31-2010, 05:40 PM

scratch x, ultimate compound and swirlx are all excellent. IMO, they all finish the same, but the compound is more aggressive than either swirlx or scratchx.

**Dubbin1** · 07-31-2010, 07:20 PM

Are you doing this by hand or machine? If by hand then you don`t have to worry as much about an agressive product since its much less agressive then when using a machine. Anyway Swirl X should do the job.

**dazco** · 08-01-2010, 01:10 AM

Great, thanks. :xyxthumbs Looks like swirl X will be the one then. Doing it by had by the way.

**TLMitchell** · 08-01-2010, 09:40 AM

Originally Posted by rfinkle2

scratch x, ultimate compound and swirlx are all excellent. IMO, they all finish the same, but the compound is more aggressive than either swirlx or scratchx.

The original Scratch X was a very mild polish, a few notches more aggressive than a simple paint cleanser, IME. Scratch X 2.0 is considerably more aggressive. Finishing results are not nearly as good as with the previous version. Harley dealers have a Swirl & Scratch remover that I always suspected was relabeled Scratch X V1. Looks the same, smells the same, packaged similarly and works the same as the milder, original Scratch X. Of the options given I`d vote for Swirl X.

TL

**wannafbody** · 08-01-2010, 01:48 PM

Mothers Power Polish if you can find it.

**ThrillHo** · 08-01-2010, 02:09 PM

If your bike`s paint is as soft as you say it is, SwirlX might fit the bill nicely. I`ve found it to be nearly useless on hard paints.

**dazco** · 08-01-2010, 07:55 PM

Originally Posted by ThrillHo

If your bike`s paint is as soft as you say it is, SwirlX might fit the bill nicely. I`ve found it to be nearly useless on hard paints.

It is ! Thats why i`ve decided t try swirlX. You can run your finger lightly over it and see the trail of scratches in the right light.

**TLMitchell** · 08-01-2010, 09:41 PM

Originally Posted by dazco

It is ! Thats why i`ve decided t try swirlX. You can run your finger lightly over it and see the trail of scratches in the right light.

Lemme guess, H-D Vivid Black?

TL

**dazco** · 08-02-2010, 12:36 AM

Nope....triumph thunderbird, blue/white stripe.

**Bunky** · 08-02-2010, 06:12 PM

I never thought Mothers Scratch Remover was that aggressive. It always had finished very well... no local marring, etc.

**dazco** · 08-03-2010, 09:44 PM

Well, turns out mothers scratch remover works better. Some of you mentioned scratchX being almost too mild, and i`d have to say i agree that it IS too mild. I had to rub like crazy even as soft as my water based paint is to get any joy. And the result wasn`t as rich and deep as it looks after a dose of mothers.

I guess maybe if used with a buffer it may work better. And it certainly MUST be very safe to use often w/o going thru the clear. Oh well....$10 more in detailing product money down the tubes. Lesson learned for the 100th time....if something works, don`t try and improve on it.