Scratch Remover/Paint Renewer

Just took my 4Runner on it's first overland trail, and got a couple of beauty marks from the terrain. So just asking from all the seasoned vets out there, do you use anything to get scratches out and keep your paint looking fresh? Or should I just embrace it and wear those with pride?

**Sidenote: I have the paint renewer that come with the car, and I've used that. Just wanted to see what the community knows.

 

Here are some really inexpensive buffing pads with a drill adapter.

https://www.amazon.com/WINOMO-Polis...ay&sprefix=headlight+buffing+,aps,214&sr=8-24

great one step buffing solution too

https://www.amazon.com/Griots-Garag...eway&sprefix=one+step+buffing,aps,234&sr=8-51

I have most of my 4runner covered in Xpel Ultimate. Next Im going to cover my doors and rear quarter panels

 

I like the Griot’s Complete Compound (linked above) and I follow that up with Griot’s Complete Polish. Both products can be applied by machine for a large area or by hand for smaller corrections. Also, both products are pretty mild and low risk. Griot’s ships quickly and has helpful videos on their website.

 

Is it really necessary to polish after using the complete compound? Or could you go straight to Sealant?

 

following.

 

following as well!

 

Meguiars ScratchX is good for muting some scratches by hand. Obviously an orbital polisher works more efficiently. But you can get some improvement by hand.

 

Really appreciate the feed back! I’m researching all the product recommendations on here.

 

i use a torq10fx or my Torqx with chemical guys vss with hexlogic orange pad, refine it with a glaze and hexlogic blue pad to cover up the veryyyyy minor scratches ,then seal the paint with jetseal and black hexlogic pad ,and then butter wet wax or wax of your choice and red hexlogic pad.. OR After glazing use Black pad with extreme top coat sealant with carnuba. its all up to you how much work you wanna do lol

 

love this stuff to seal the paint. jetseal is also my go to but $$$

 

I just picked up some of their hydro charge ceramic spray sooo ill report back when I test it out.

 

ohh btw too clay and jetseal your windshield. youll thank me later when it rains

 

yea I love it. my garage is filled with chemical guys products lol

 

Hey, I don’t mind the elbow grease. Got to have the 4R looking pristine on the road.

 

heres the reflection on a black car i did afew weeks ago. paint was in bad shape but did a 2 step paint correction

 

the vss makes a huge difference . especially when you tape off to do a 50/50 comparison

 

do you have a local chemical guys detail garage near you?

 

None at all, called around at first to get prices and details on products after the first couple of responses. The. I figured I’d use this as a learning moment and consult the vets on here.

 

ask away man. i do detailing as a side gig

 

I use the clean slate to wash the front of cars and trucks before I install Xpel Ultimate PPF. Great Product.

 

Great question. In my opinion, you can totally use the Complete Compound as a final stage polish. It’s just ever so slightly more aggressive than the Complete Polish. I usually finish with the Complete Polish because it’s easy and I have a bottle. It’s best to use the least aggressive product that will get the job done. My guess is that you’d be happy with the Complete Compound followed by a sealant or wax. You can always use the finer polish if you aren’t fully satisfied with the compound. For the record, I’m speaking of the Griot’s products only. Other compounds may be more aggressive. Both the Complete Compound and Complete Polish are cheap so it may be handy to have one of each just in case. Good luck and holler if you have further questions about these products.

You may need an orange correcting pad. Griot’s customer service is pretty helpful. Give them a call.

 

Thanks. I've got a bottle of the complete compound. Picked it up on clearance somewhere awhile back for really cheap. Just haven't used it yet. Thought about using it for the first real detail session on my year old T4R to just kind of clean up the factory finish. But I really don't want to do a 2-step.

I'd like to just do a once-over polish session and then hand-apply a sealant. Sounds like I can do that in your opinion? I'm not chasing perfection. Just don't want to buy more product if the complete compound will suffice.

 

I've had great result using this product for smaller, deeper scratches. I had about a 3 inch scratch on a previous car that seemed pretty deep, and this kit made it disappear.

 

I am not a professional detailer but I have done what you're suggesting. I have polished a car smaller than the 4Runner by hand and I immediately ordered Griot's random orbital. I'm sure there are other good brands, too. Polishing an entire car by hand is a lot of work. Maybe I'm just getting old. Choosing between the compound and the polish would depend, for me, on how deep the scratches are. The compound will correct a little bit faster. I think you could try a small section with the compound and then assess. If you're happy, you're golden. If you're not, finish with the polish. You can always call Griot's customer service. They told me that I could use the compound or the polish as a final stage. Mostly depends on how discerning of an eye you have. I'd start with a small section and go from there. Good luck.

 

I do have a Griots DA for polishing. But I like to apply sealant by hand. It seems just easier to get all the nooks and crannies.

 

WOW and NICE!!

 

I agree. I like to apply wax or sealant by hand. Polishing, now that's another story. You may also consider an all-in-one, or one step sealant. You'll get some corrective action with the sealant. All in one step. I know Griot's makes one. I'm sure others do, also.

 

Maybe look into this?

 

Bump

 

Do you have a Dual Action polisher?

If not, try the ScrarchX on a microfiber or foam pad from the auto parts store. Don't use fingertips. "Palm" the bad, don't use too much product, and really use some pressure evenly spaced across the pad.