I have some small scratches on my truck. One of these days i will wax it, what kind works the best removing scratches on clearcoat?

 

If they are small light scratches, try some Meguiars #9 swirl remover. It works wonders. Once you use that, be sure to wax it cause that #9 will remove wax.

 

wax won't remove surface imperfections. you need a polish. #9 is a good product as is meguiars diamond cut. if you can find a product called race glaze it will remove imperfections and polish to a shine at the same time then follow with a wax such as meguiars #26.

 

awesome, now i just have to set aside 6 hours to accomplish this!!

 

get a power buffer and becareful and you should be done in a couple hours.

 

Clay bar it and then wax it. Worked great on my truck.

 

does the clay bar do the same as a swirl remover?

 

I can't say it will on every paint. On mine it did. On others it may not. It's worth a shot though. Even if it doesn't remove the swirls, it makes the paint look that much nicer.

 

_______________________________________________

Yes and a little more.
Swirls are caused by fine abrassives in the wash mit or polishes scratching the surface and the only way to get rid of them is to scratch it up with a finner grit untill smooth. If you dont have access to a polisher and all the polishes needed the clay bar or clay foam do a great job then follow up with a quality wax.
One other thing quality polishes require specific aplicators and polisher speeds to break down and work properly so if your not carefull you can make a real mess. Try the bar as it was designed for the home DIY and works much better than any of the hand polishes and cleaners ive tried.

 

"fine" scratches in the clear coat can sometimes be hidden by a good wax, but as many replied....they are not removed. EVERYTIME someone touches your truck's painted surface...just imagine a little dust as tiny pieces of sand/grit, like that of sandpaper....so now you should have the picture.

Polishing and buffing will remove those "fine" cobweb/like scratches...and it will remove some of the clear coat. You only have about 2 to 3 mils or (thousand's of an inch) to begin with on your factory paint job. Deeper scratches that could be grabbed by your fingernail, will not buff or clay out, and will require refinishing to remove.

Any deep scratches in the clear appear white in color....under magnification, the scratch would look like the grand canyon. It is possible to lightly sand and buff the canyon walls and eliminate the "white" appearance, but will not eliminate the scratch.

Sorry to get carried away on this response....as all of the suggestions were good. Polish is really just super fine sandpaper......waxing just protects.

 

we use some stuff at work by 3m called "perfect-it 3000" works great. The bottle says that it was designed for "black" vehicles. Talked to our 3m rep and my cost $75.00 a gallon I guess I will have to save some $$

 

We took swirls out of the used car we just got for my son with Meguiars Gold Class - clear coat liquid car wax. We buffed by hand, but I would recommend a buffer(easier). It takes out all those swirls from the drive through car washes. I did the truck tonight(it did not have those swirls, cause I don't drive through those carwashes) and it looks awesome!! My son's car is black and I don't think it had ever been waxed. It honestly looks like a new paint job. Unbelievable wax!!

 

Yes you need to "remove" the scratches. Most over the counter waxes have "fillers" in it that fills in the scratches and looks great, until the fillers get washed away or evaporate over time. Then the scratches come back.
I found a mild had polish is best for removing minor scratches.
OR you can fill them and just cover them up again when they come back.

Remeber Polishes remove scratches and WAX protects the surface.
Thats why you polish then wax, polish and wx are not the same.

 

I'm very impressed with Megiar's polish and scratch remover. called scratch X or something. never realized how bad paint was scratched til I used it. use a wax pad to rub it on, rub hard to remove scratches, follow up with a terry cloth, don't want to put scratches back on. when scratches are out go over with your favorite wax. I like Nu finish myself.

 

Depending on the color of your truck there are some tricks you can use to hide the deep scratches that can't be buffed out. Depending on how deep the scratches are you can buy some hand buffing compound. It works but takes time and a lot of elbow grease. A buffer is really the way to go. I would recomend the meguires products. Everything really depends on how bad the scratches are. Sometimes you can get them out with a low diamond cut only. Sometimes you need a high diamond cut and then step down to a low diamond cut. The polish works good when done. Most polishes are a hand polish. If you use a buffing compund you can't wax your truck for 30 days.