I use zymol for my cleaner wax, but when I get a big scratch or blemish from lets say........a falling rake in the garage, I use turtle wax clear coat compound to grind it out.

Even though the stuff works, because it is abrasive, it just seems like it will be bad for the wrong run. I mean I'm using $14 zymol wax and $2 turtle wax compound....it seems a little ghetto.

Does anyone know of a better product for the job?

Are there any liquid compounds? does the 3 stage mothers car care system include a stage for scratch removal?

I am under the impression that you NEED to compound out bad scratches.

Thanks dave

If you can feel the scratch with your fingernail, then you can not remove it with a rubbing compound. The only way to remove it would be to wet sand it. Wet sanding is a very risky thing for novice car care enthusiasts to attempt. I myself have never wet sanded, and I won't ever try. If you are using Turtle wax compunds on scratches you can feel with your fingernail, and you no longer see the scratches, chances are it's just filling them in temporarily. I have never seen or heard of a $2 rubbing compund that removes scratches. It doesn't exist. If it did, every detailing enthusiast would be talking about it.

If you can see the scratch but cannot feel it with your fingernail, then it can be removed with a rubbing compound. These hairline scratches are commonly called "swirlmarks". I would recco starting with the least abrasive and moving up if the job is not getting done. 3M makes the best rubbing compunds. I would start with Finesse It II, and if after two or three apps, the swirls remain, then move on up. But FI should do the trick. These products all work better with a machine like a Porter Cable 7424 random orbit polisher. This is a sfe tool and it is impossible to burn a hole in your paint. If working by hand, use a foam appliactor, rub the product in hard and ease the as it gets tacky. Use back and forth motions. Work in 2 x 2 sections. Usre a 100% cotton towel to buff the residue. When you are happy with that section, move onto the next.

Happy detailing!:)

Try 3M Rubbing Compound, followed up by 3M Fine Scratch and Cut remover. They never fail, 3M is the best company on earth for all that stuff.

3M makes some very good compound but it really all depends on what you need to do with it.

There is a thick cut compound which has a lot of grit in it... this will do a lot of stripping and shouldnt be used unless your paint is in really bad shape.

Then there is a medium cut which i use a lot of because it works quite well with wet sanded cars. You need something that will strip a lot of paint off, but wont leave deep swirl marks... This compound will usually leave the finish very milky and dull.

The fine cut is also good if you wetsand. I have been using a lot more of this lately when i wetsand but i have to do it more, sometimes even have to compound the car twice to make sure i get everything. This is very good for minor scratches as well because you can go over it with a polish and you will probably not be able to see where you used it.

Then there is also no grit compount which is also really good stuff. If you have a car that hasnt been sanded but you've tried to buff it out and the finish still looks faded or a little milky, then this is the best stuff to use. I used it on my black 325is. I just couldnt get the finish looking the way i wanted to, so i used this stuff, which left the finish pretty milky and dull, but very smooth and clean... after this, you follow up with a handglaze and then some 3m paste wax. That car looked so unbelievably good when i was finished with it.

As far as wetsanding goes... ive done it more times than i want to count. Ive scared myself a few times when it looked like it wasnt going to work out, but i have always been extremely impressed with my results.
If any of you want to attempt this, feel free to email me at cmich325i@hotmail.com and i will walk you through it.