Polishing compound question

I

imported_RDUB

New member
I am trying to get rid of some scratches in my 2001 VW Jetta and my 2002 Chevy Trailblazer. I know the clear coat on the Jetta is extremely hard and I'm not sure on the Trailblazer. I have already tried Meguiar’s Fine Cut polish on the Jetta which really didn’t remove any scratches but I have not tried it on my Trailblazer.

The question I’m asking is what compound should I use?

I’m looking at Meguiar’s M105 and Meguiar’s M05. I will be using my UDM with the DAS ScratchBuster pad (white) and/or DAS SwirlBuster pad (orange).

Which will be a better cutting compounds and why?

Thanks
 
Accumulator said:
Yeah, which makes me wonder if that "#5" is a typo :think:
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Probably, considering that the 9 is next to the 0, I'm pretty sure that he meant 95.
 
blk45- Good thinking. My late mother the typing instructor is probably spinning in her grave saying "you shoulda thought of that" :chuckle:
 
RDUB said:
Sorry, I ment Mequire's M04.
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Ah, that's different, the Medium Cut oughta be pretty aggressive :think:



I'd say you need smaller pads. I've done *serious* correction oh *hard* clear (even though it did take me a while) and if the M04 didn't solve the problem then IMO the machine/pad size just isn't letting it do its thing.



Try switching to 4" pads, the smaller size makes all the difference. And the LS Purple Foamed Wool can do some *very* impressive correction...if the UDM/PFW can't solve the problem then a) maybe you oughta live with it, and/or b) I'd wetsand with 2-3K Unigrit paper for the next try.
 
Well what kind of scratches are these? If you run your fingernail on the paint and can feel the scratches the best you can and should do is reduce their appearance by polishing off the sharp edges of the scratch. Completely eliminating a deep scratch is not really worth it as you'll be thinning the clear too much.
 
qwertydude said:
Well what kind of scratches are these? If you run your fingernail on the paint and can feel the scratches the best you can and should do is reduce their appearance by polishing off the sharp edges of the scratch. Completely eliminating a deep scratch is not really worth it as you'll be thinning the clear too much.
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Both vehicles have scratches that are deep enough your fingernail will catch them. The cars scratches are than the blazer, however, the car is silver in color so the scratches can only be seen at the right light.

The blazers scratches really are not that deep, but they stand out more since the color is a deep metallic blue.

Any thoughts?
 
RDUB- I'd improve things a little through the (VERY) judicious use of Meguiar's/Nikken 3K paper and then remove the resulting haze with whatever polish/compound you like and the small pads.



I prefer the 3.5" PFW pads for this, but 4" cutting pads will work too.



I recommend the wetsanding because IMO it can be easier to control what's going on, compared to very aggressive compounding. Just remember to aim for "better" instead of "perfect" as those nail-catchers are too deep for (safe) complete removal.



If the wetsanding give you the willies, just use the PFW pads to improve things and then move on to milder approaches to remove the resulting hazing.



IMO you're simply wasting time/effort using the larger pads.
 
M105 also works really well by hand, fold the towel into a stiff small pad area and rub the polish back and forth along the scratch and it'll help reduce it's appearance pretty well.
 
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