Meguiars ScratchX is magic. Before and after pics, paint and EF / EL Headlights

[Joshmcmillan]

So, a while ago I decided to try out a machine buffer that was in the shed to try and polish my car, after running out of polish, I grabbed some polish out of the shed... then after it leaving huge swirl marks all over my bonnet, boot and roof once buffed off, I found out it was almost 20 years old. Whether it was my method, the age of the polish, the machine or something else, this is how bad it turned out:



I don't know how or why, but yes, it really looked that bad. It must be the swirl mark to beat all swirl marks. I thought I was going to have to get a respray.

My brother recommended I try some of Meguiars Scratch X because he read it was meant to do it's job without damaging the clear coat too much more so I thought it was worth a try, I think it was $22 from SuperCheap.

The results were amazing, It was unbelievable how obvious the difference is, it went from being completely engulfed in scratches to a really shiny well looked after car like it was previously... Here is the difference:





All that was done to make that much difference was follow the directions on the bottle, it didn't even take very long.

After the bonnet was finished, I was pointing out how bad one of my headlights looked compared to one that had been replaced previously (you know the classic yellow fading of E series falcon head lights).. I'd tried to sand it off like guides around the net say to, and it made little difference. I thought it was worth a try with the scratch X, I didn't think it would work so didn't even take a before picture, but within 2 minutes, it was a clear as new!!




Definitely a product worth a try if you have any swirl marks or head light fading, for all I know other brands are just as good as I've never tried them, but the results I received were amazing!

[fasty73]

Wow!!!! I was going to replace my EF headlights until i read this. Thanks for the tip.

[JG65TE]

you using it with a buff or hand cuting ? I get a mate to cut and polish my car once every 6 months or so and just use final inspection on it between times, but I find the cloths leave scratches in the paint , reckon its worth a **** with scratchx ?

[davenl5l]

yep polish headlights not sand also i put in 50% brighter bulbs (check that you buy ones ok for polycarbanite lights) now my headlights are as bright as a modern car oh yeah its a 1998 nl and i live in the country and cant believe the differance

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by davenl5l

yep polish headlights not sand also i put in 50% brighter bulbs (check that you buy ones ok for polycarbanite lights) now my headlights are as bright as a modern car oh yeah its a 1998 nl and i live in the country and cant believe the differance

Phillips Xtreme-Vision/Xtreme-Power are +80 and +100 while having a 55W rating still and they're a big improvement on standard stuff. I have these in my car as highbeams and headlights and they do make a big difference.

I get them from www.powerbulbs.com

[Joshmcmillan]

Originally Posted by JG65TE

you using it with a buff or hand cuting ? I get a mate to cut and polish my car once every 6 months or so and just use final inspection on it between times, but I find the cloths leave scratches in the paint , reckon its worth a **** with scratchx ?

All by hand, I used meguiars foam applicators ($5 for 2), and then to clean it off I used a meguiars microfiber polishing cloth ($10)... It seemed like the rougher and harder you were with it, the better it worked.. and done in all different directions (swirls, up and down, side to side etc...)... I'm not sure if it would fix very fine scratches as mine were fairly severe as you can see, but worth a try for sure! There also something called 'swirlX' that might be a bit finer maybe?

Thanks for the tips on upgrading bulbs, I've been wanting to get better ones for a while!

[hendrixhc]

I been using scratchx for years. It is fantastic stuff. Has saved my skin quite a few times with some pretty bad scratches.

Recently i resprayed the engine bay in my XE and after cutting back the clear and using cutting compound i gave it a going over with scratchx to get all the fine marks off and it came up great.






Will be a bit expensive to do the whole car tho!

[JG65TE]

thats seriously nice paint mate, my paint is pretty good and anything scratches it (black) . I am a bit unwilling to try it in case it scratches more than it fixes.

[TheInterceptor]

Wow Josh, looks like you used sandpaper!
Thanks for posting up, will be keen to try this stuff out on the headlights on the XLT which seem to be yellowing away slowly....

[venthan87]

OMG this thing works like magic. I always keep some in the garage.

[Ford_The_Win]

Also highly recommend Meguiars Wet Look. I have the same car as you Josh and mine always comes up a treat after a wash and putting a bit of Wet Look on. Brings it up really glossy like new and makes it much easier to clean next time, water and other crap just beads off.

[Joshmcmillan]

@Hendrixhc, That paint looks really nice!

@JG65JE, Yeah with mine I thoughIt it could hardly get any worse lol... ScratchX 2.0 is meant to be a lot less abrasive then 1.0 but do just as good a job (so I've read).. even still, I'm only using it on bad areas (where I used 20 year old polish).

@TheInterceptor, It actually looked exactly like someone had got an electric sander and then took to my bonnet... the boot and roof arn't as bad... I don't know how it got as bad as it did! And yeah definitely worth a try on the headlights, I'd actually tried the 'sanding method' on my headlight with little improvement and it went back to as bad as ever, but this seriously took 2 minutes and it's as new now, so happy!

@Ford_the_win, I actually bought some wet look today (on special at supercheap for $20 btw).. I tried it on a small section tonight and it looked great, so I'll do the whole bonnet tomorrow and get to work on the rest of the car after my exam next week... just using the scratch x has changed the colour of my bonnet, looks much more vibrant and the metalic really stands out, can't wait to give the whole car a turn... never using cheap car products again!!

[TheInterceptor]

Just bought this stuff and took to my headlights. It really is magic, fixed them up somthing quick! Cheers!

[Joshmcmillan]

Originally Posted by TheInterceptor

Just bought this stuff and took to my headlights. It really is magic, fixed them up somthing quick! Cheers!

Yeah I was so amazed it worked!

[Landau Stable]

Sorry to burst your bubble folks, but these kinds of things rely on silicone fillers to mask the scratches. It will look great for a while, but after a couple times in the rain or getting washed, it's all gone and you need to apply it again to hide the scratches. You are all better off with a decent buffing pad and decent polish that will actually cut the paint back and leave the surface free of scratches and swirls. Wash it 20 times and it will still look the same.

[rayner22]

Even better, hit it with Meguiars Cleaning Wax, then Ultimate Compound, then scratchX.

[HULK EF]

Wow.. great fix..

[Streets]

Looks amazing. Wish Meguiars would bring out a product that magically removes hail damage...

[Antwon]

might be a silly question, but does it only work on metallic paint, or can i use it on white as well?

[Mechan1k]

can be used on white.

I have been put onto Megs Ultimate Compound as a good starter for basic correction work ... and then work my way up using other products.

It depends on the damage to the paint though.

[wildss]

Originally Posted by Landau Stable

Sorry to burst your bubble folks, but these kinds of things rely on silicone fillers to mask the scratches. It will look great for a while, but after a couple times in the rain or getting washed, it's all gone and you need to apply it again to hide the scratches. You are all better off with a decent buffing pad and decent polish that will actually cut the paint back and leave the surface free of scratches and swirls. Wash it 20 times and it will still look the same.

^^^^this^^^^

[sbcb]

Filler products aren't all bad, if its a daily driver/family vehicle you will rub all the paint off within a couple of years trying to keep it blemish free (not to mention you need enough spare time to do a several hour paint correction process every few months). Good paint correction annually and in between there is nothing wrong with filling products. Its more about what fits your requirements. It looks good, is a lot quicker and cheaper than the full process but as mentioned it won't last as long.

[Ford17]

Originally Posted by Landau Stable

Sorry to burst your bubble folks, but these kinds of things rely on silicone fillers to mask the scratches. It will look great for a while, but after a couple times in the rain or getting washed, it's all gone and you need to apply it again to hide the scratches. You are all better off with a decent buffing pad and decent polish that will actually cut the paint back and leave the surface free of scratches and swirls. Wash it 20 times and it will still look the same.

Be that as it may, I can assure you, Scratch-X (2.0) is an abrasive compound.

It WILL remove the clear coat entirely, after about 5 or so applications, concentrated in the one area.

Use it sparingly on the duco, liberally on the EF/EL headlights.

[krzysiek]

On a slightly unrelated note, I have a BA XT in Ice Mint with a lot of swirl marks... reading this thread makes me want to do something about it.

I don't really want to get rid of any of the clear coat though, any good products to buy for a nice polish? Also, do the automatic / electrical polishers work any good or should I do it all by hand?

[TheInterceptor]

Originally Posted by Forda

Be that as it may, I can assure you, Scratch-X (2.0) is an abrasive compound.

It WILL remove the clear coat entirely, after about 5 or so applications, concentrated in the one area.

Use it sparingly on the duco, liberally on the EF/EL headlights.

This.

If ScratchX is a silicone filler, buffing yellowed poly headlights with it would not do a thing.

[84xespac]

Originally Posted by TheInterceptor

This.

If ScratchX is a silicone filler, buffing yellowed poly headlights with it would not do a thing.

That statement is totally incorrect. This stuff is amazing at restoring poly headlights and is completely non abbrasive.
http://bluemagicusa.com/index.php/bl...ish_cream_jar/

[Joshmcmillan]

Well whatever it does, it works... lol. I'll let you all know if my scratches come back, but it's still looking brilliant, better then ever after 1 wash.

[raised by monkeys]

i have the macguires plastic x or whatever its called - that ***** is the balls. Removes those armourgard spots on your cluster and scratches in other plastics and glass.
A mate of mine runs a detailing business. Starting doing everything by hand, and only uses macguire products and always done a great job. Started using buffers, cut his time in half and doubled profits and buys the specific buffing macguires products. He makes excels look appealing.

[raised by monkeys]

Originally Posted by Streets

Looks amazing. Wish Meguiars would bring out a product that magically removes hail damage...

gold. have you tried yelling at it?