Hey guys. okay so its been about 3 months since the last time i hunkered down and detailed my Z, and its about that time again. this time i want to use a orbital sander/polisher to detail the z.

Here is the problem. My car has lots of this minute little scratches. they are not swirl marks, but in the glistening sun, if you look at my paint at an angle, they become really obvious. I always take care to wash my car after heavy rains and i always dry with microfiber pads, but i still seem to be getting these scratches all over the clear coat. They are very small, and i know they can be polished out.

Here is a list of the products I have. I need to know which ones i can use with an orbital, which ones will help remove my scratches/ seal my paint, and what order i should apply them in.

1. Meguiars ColorX
2. Nu-Finish Car Polish
3. Griot's Garage Fine Hand Polish
4. Zymol Cleaner Wax
5. Mothers California Gold Cleaner Wax
6. Meguiars Gold Class Liquid Clear Coat Wax
7. Meguiars NXT Liquid Wax (non-paste)

So first question. What is the difference between a cleaner wax, Scratch X, Color X, and a regular wax.

Second, Is there any polish that is better than another? I hear a lot about Zaino on here. Which Zaino do you recommend?

Basically, tell me what you guys would do to solve the problem of my scratches.

 

dude...none of the above lol
for a professional result, you need to visit a paint shop where they got the genuine 3M products.

 

If the marks are very miniscule and I had just the items you listed I would probably try:

Griot's Fine hand polish followed by Meguiar's NXT.

Use a good car wash shampoo (soap/suds), too (ie, Meguiar's Gold Class Shampoo).

I had a long post here, but decided to short cut and offer this as advice:
www.autopia.org

 

stop killling yourself over surface scratches.... if you car aint swirled up.. get some 3M polish, and work on by hand.... but dont let it sit... apply to one panel and then removed right away... do that to the whole car and then wax it with meguiars or 3m wax... and let the wax sit for 10-15 mins before removing... but make sure your not in the sun while doing this process..

 

3M Swirl Mark Remover (SMR) is all you need - it's available at almost any auto parts store.

 

hey if you use 3m swirl mark remover on a car that already has zaino, will it ruin the zaino?

 

YES.

 

If you use SMR or any other abrasive polish, it removes Zaino or any other wax that you have on it. Even the Zaino Z-PC removes the Zaino that's on the car. The advantage to it is that it leaves the surface clean and ready for immediate Zaino polish again.

 

the Detailing 101 section is very helpful

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/10/ShowForum.aspx

I use all Meguiars stuff I have an onyx 93 300ZX, had the same thing you were describing.

two bucket wash [one with soap the other with clean water dip the mitt in the clean then the soap before putting it back on the car each time]

claybar

rinse [some people wash again I wash then clay before I rinse]

Dry

Tape off moldings

Paint cleaner [gets anything the claybar didn't]

I use #83 you could use #9 swirl remover 2.0 it gets out those fine scratches you are describing and also swirls. The difference between 9 and 83 is the 83 takes longer to get off [a lot longer but i needed it I had some bad scratches mixed in with the fine ones] it is a heavier cut and a cleaner which eliminated the paint cleaner step for me.

two coats of NXT about 24 hrs apart [not my DD so I can do that]

Remove tape from moldings and clean all glass

It is a lot of work but your car will look good as hell after you finish all those scratches should be gone [I got 98 percent you should be able to top that]

 

"Here is the problem. My car has lots of this minute little scratches. they are not swirl marks, but in the glistening sun, if you look at my paint at an angle, they become really obvious. I always take care to wash my car after heavy rains and i always dry with microfiber pads"

Here is the fact and surely it must be posted elsewhere. DO NOt use anthing to dry your car or to remove wax other than 100% top quality cotton towels. Go to the best store you know and buy the best 100% cotton terrycloth towels. We want lots of long soft nap. Only use these towels for this specific duty.
When washing, drying or waxing NEVER rub in swirl directions, only move in linear lines.
AH yes, black paint the best looking new paint and the worst looking old paint unless you are diligent and go at it the way I just described. You will have to address the scratches that exist now but this method will significantly reduce the possibility of adding more. I use Zaino and Meguiars they are both good systems.

 

The problem is that there aren't a lot of places that you can buy 100%guaranteed cotton towels. While the nap might be cotton, the base and edging can be nylon or other materials that would be a whole lot worse for your cars surface.

Not all microfibers are made for drying! The best thing to use is a waffle-weave microfiber and to never "wipe" your car to dry it. You have to "float" the WW towel onto the surface or pat wet spots to absorb them.

I agree with your statement that you should avoid rubbing and if you do, always do it in a linear motion.

Back to cotton towels - for a long time it was recommended that your find Fieldcrest towels. They're made in the US and are 100% cotton through-and-through. I bought some a couple years ago but have not seen them for sale in a while. I only used them to dry the door jambs, wheels, muffler, etc. The WW towels are the only thing that touches the surface of my paint.

Check out my post in this thread regarding keeping a car scratch-free....
https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....31&postcount=6

 

are u the one deleting my posts?

i posted in a lot of threads and some are deleted then u basically just went over my post and put what u had to say.

idk if its u but if it was then why.