Single stage polish

[Audioquest]

What would you recommend on a single-stage red paint (91 Honda CRX, Rio Red) for removing noticeable scratches. I used some 3M machine polish which hid the marks, but they are still noticeable in certain lighting. This is original 21 year paint that has been well looked after, but it is still scary seeing all that red paint on the buffing cloth...

 

[JosephHarmon]

Clear coated red? Red is a difficult color. If scratches go threw the clearcoat they won't come out.

 

[TomYoung]

Clear coat on single stage paint?


To the OP. keep at it. You need to go to finer cut then polish wax and glaze. If you think your paint is too thin, then you need to think this through.

I hear that rust oleum sunrise red is a fantastic match. Something to consider unless you are aiming for Pebble Beach. Good luck.

 

[02zx9r]

meguiars M80 on single stage paint

 

[MrHorspwer]

What are you using to apply the product? Do you have access to a dual action polisher?

If you're applying by hand, I'd recommend Megs #9 Swirl Remover. Many products just don't work so well when applied by hand. Megs #9 has given me good results by hand.

I owned a single stage Classic Red Miata for a while. My aggressive routine started with Megs #83 DACP to cut through any oxidation, followed by Megs #9 for swirls, then Megs #7 Show Car Glaze, finished with whatever carnauba wax I was using at the time. The #83 and #9 were applied by a Porter Cable and the others by hand.

None of the products are very abrasive, so I never worried about burning off too much paint. The results were good. With single stage, especially older single stage, you'll never get all the swirls and scratches out. Unlike a clear coat, the finish is just too soft. A good glaze with a lot of fillers and you'll hide most of them.

 

[qwertydude]

If you know the paint is thick enough to polish I'd say Meguiar's D151. I've had excellent results from it. It reduces swirls significantly and is very gentle when applied by hand or a cheap random orbital. I use a cheapy $20 6" polisher with a foam bonnet and it removes swirls better than dedicated "scratch removers" I've used it on single stage paints and it's about as good as you can get, almost like brand new.

 

[Bgallagher]

I would use either Megs 80 or D151. Both will finish off nice and keep the paint looking good.