Ways of getting rid of scratches

msmicawber

In the good old days you used T-Cut and then a polish :j

Why is this no longer the right thing to do?

highguyuk

I've used these guys before:
http://www.mirrorimagedetailing.co.uk/

Jorgan_2

I would go with either the Scratch X mentioned previously or Auto Glym Super Resin Polish (SRP), both available from places like Halfords. The SRP has 'fillers' that will help hide the scratches.


T Cut contains chemicals such as ammonia, which may actually dull your paint over time.

chuckles1066

Jorgan wrote: »

I would go with either the Scratch X mentioned previously or Auto Glym Super Resin Polish (SRP), both available from places like Halfords. The SRP has 'fillers' that will help hide the scratches.


T Cut contains chemicals such as ammonia, which may actually dull your paint over time.

Going back about 20 years, I used a product that removed absolutely everything.

And I mean everything............a girl I work with drove her van through some wooden gates that weren't wide enough and acquired 4ft gashes down both sides.

This polish removed them completely.

Do you think I can remember what it was called? :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

Dapper_Dan_2

Jorgan wrote: »

I would go with either the Scratch X mentioned previously or Auto Glym Super Resin Polish (SRP), both available from places like Halfords. The SRP has 'fillers' that will help hide the scratches.


T Cut contains chemicals such as ammonia, which may actually dull your paint over time.

I have written a very comprehensive article about how to repair this kind of damage with a touch in paint -- I'm not yet allowed to post a link here, but search for "stone chips and scratch repair" and you should find it.

***

Scratch X is pretty much a rubbing compound, as a professional I have had quite a few enquiries from people that have made the situation worse with this product as it's pretty harsh. That's not to say it's a bad product, just be careful.

Auto Glym Super Resin Polish (SRP) - all wax products contain fillers to some degree because some of the ingredients they use just naturally fill. However, Super Resin Polish is not designed for this and isn't particularly good at filling or hiding scratches . Auto Glym's Ultra Deep Shine on the other hand does contain fillers and diffusers and is designed for the purpose. SRP does have some cut to it, but it's chemical rather than physical, so it really only removes oxidized paint.

T-Cut -- The original product was a pure polish filled with lots of aluminium oxide as an abrasive. This did have lots of cut to it. Last time I was in a motor accessory shop, they didn't have any of this stuff, instead the T-Cut products they did have were wax products which I assume are more like AutoGlyms Super Resin Polish.
T-Cut is a wonderful product - but on modern paintwork, maybe a little harsh. People did tend to use it as a wax when it should only be used when paintwork becomes dull -- therefore I have seen somebody T-cut right through the paintwork of a car in just over a year! But make your paintwork dull, it does not!

Dapper_Dan_2

msmicawber wrote: »

chuckles1066 wrote: »

In the good old days you used T-Cut and then a polish :j

Why is this no longer the right thing to do?

Firstly... T-cut is a polish. Polish removes dull paint, wax adds a protective coating.

So I'm sure Chuckles meant to say that he used to T-Cut and then Wax.
This is still the right way to do things, only now there are more efficient products for doing so.
AutoGlym's Super Resin Polish, or even better, AutoSmart's Protective Sealer Polish, both polish and add a layer of wax at the same time. The polish part is very mild compared to T-Cut which was used on the old cellulose paint which was generally much harder than modern acrylic paints.
The other thing is that almost all cars now have a clear top coat. So things have changed a little.

jadeyfamous

i know this thread is old but ill try anyways...
I have about 6 long scratches (deep ones, through the paint, showing white underneath) on my wheel arch by some idiot in a parking lot who pretty much 'hit & run' so to speak. Ive tried t-cut 4 times and its done absolutely nothing.
Im not willing to spend mega amounts on this car i.e. having it resprayed etc because its not really worth it. and advice?

Inactive

Unfortunately, if the scratches are through to the primer, only a proper paint job will bring about a satisfactory repair.

steady__eddie

I saw some stuff that they had in Aldi yesterday which promised miraculous results for a modest oulay. Short term memory loss means I can' recall the name but it was only a couple of quid. I was going to enquire on here if anybody had used it and what the results (if any) were.

clarkybravo

A great scratch remover is a professional product normally costing £300 from garages and applied in two stages. However, you and I can buy it on ebay for about £6 for the two stages and apply it yourself. The name of the product is Diamondbrite - I apply it to all my cars and never have to apply another coat except if touching up scratches from supermarket parking accidents. Try googling it to find the rave reviews.