Best polish for light scratches

[Wash93]

Hi everyone i bought a spirit blue ford fiesta st nearly a year ago it was a 14 plate was it good shape a few little marks but nothing to like concerning. Now after having it a year its got like a lot of light scratches on like even on the roof and swirl marks i dont even no how half the light scratches get there most you can only see in the light but still i like my car to look nice. I hate it i was just wondering if anyone new any good polishes that are amazing for swirls and light scratches and the best way to use them as im not to good with cars lol. I feel like getting it sprayed but i dont no if its common on the sts that they get marked easy i would appreciate anyones help thankssss i can upload pics too well ill have to take some if anyone wanted to see 

[CookieM]

It's quite common on any car. Sound like someones used some low quality microfiber cloths (I've made this mistake) or God forbid a sponge to clean it.

Not sure what polish to recommend, ive used autoglym super resin in the past, but I'm also interested to hear others opinions on this as could do with getting some myself.

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[carl325]

Meguiar's Scratch X is good for  removing scratches etc. There's a video on YouTube of it being tested on an Mercedes Benz bonnet which has bad swirling and the results are very good. Takes a bit of time but worth it. Have tried it on my Focus which was mildly swirled due to previous owner using a mechanical carwash   a few hours work and some decent polish/wax/sealant is worth while 

[Wash93]

I use sponges i dont really no what to use i dont no alot about cars you see lol but thanks for your help guys would you say its not worth a spray then probably cost 500 600 pounds or woukd you say polish will do the trick 

[carl325]

Take it to a professional detailer, they may charge a few hundred quid but it'll come back better than New 

[carl325]

9 hours ago, Wash93 said:

I use sponges i dont really no what to use i dont no alot about cars you see lol but thanks for your help guys would you say its not worth a spray then probably cost 500 600 pounds or woukd you say polish will do the trick 

Never use sponges!!!! Use the two bucket method with grit guards. If you look on the detailing section on this forum or just Google it you'll get a better idea as to how to detail yourself

[Michael9]

On ‎12‎/‎04‎/‎2016 at 9:18 PM, CookieM said:

God forbid a sponge to clean it

I've used that for years what's wrong with them

 

[CookieM]

12 minutes ago, Michael9 said:

I've used that for years what's wrong with them

 

A sponge will trap dirt on the surface and rub it all over the car as you're washing it. This will leave lots of tiny scratches all over the paint work. They're not very noticeable from far away, other than eventually making the paint look a bit dull, but if you look up close in some bright light you'll see them all over it. Best thing to use is a decent microfiber or wool wash mitt along with a bucket with grit guard. Mines already got loads of this from when ford have cleaned it and it's only a few weeks old!

[Philf1]

Sponges hold tiny particles of dirt in them which are what is causing the swirling on your car. Get a good quality wash mitt and as said before two bucket with grit gaurds

See my parts for sale on thread "philf1s Spirit Blue Fiesta ST180 parts for sale"

[kwk]

I haven't really used polishes for years. As above though, the Meguiars scratch remover is good but it does take time. I would follow this up by claying the whole car and then using a good wax. Armorall Shield presently has a good reputation.

[Maltozo]

Firstly: Don't 'spray' (respray) it!!

You will get lots of advice from genuinely well-meaning people on their favourite wax/treatments etc however I would simply drop in to a good local bodyshop for an on the spot professional opinion, after all they do it day-in-day-out for a living and have also often accrued many years of experience. If they are worth their salt this should be done free of charge. I knew a small 'independent' one/two-man 'shop, the best option if you can track one down, who had a fantastic reputation within the trade - absolutely second to none. He had all the gear plus many years of experience. He could work absolute magic (!) and at reasonable cost too. He also taught me some very useful everyday basics, whilst steering me away from wasting my money on over-hyped, over-priced products. Sadly for me (!) he's now taken early retirement, the last I heard he was thinking of moving out to Fiji!  

[AdeMk1]

A local mobile valeter to me charges £30-40 for a full machine polish and he's very good.

[biff55]

99% of paint swirls are caused by improper wash technique.

the best you can do to reduce this effect is to use better quality bodywork wash mitts and MF cloths , adopt the 2 bucket wash method , and once a year fully decontaminate the paintwork and apply a full strength synthetic sealant.

its alot of work to do by hand with the motor parked outside the house , takes me around 2 full days , which means 48hrs of continuous good weather which is always a big ask in the UK for those without a garage  :-D

now you already have swirls you could try meguires ultimate compound from Halfords , works pretty well applied by hand.

but if the defects are bad or your car is black , just give to a detailer to restore as you'll never get it as good as a machine polish.........