Meguiars G10307 7 Oz ScratchX

I own a 16 year old black Dodge Neon. Although I always tried to take good care of it, time and entropy did their share to its paint (the occasional automatic car wash did not help either). By now, the paint has small scratches and swirl marks on all body panels and bumpers. It is especially bad on the engine hood. And black paint displays all the imperfections so readily.While I was browsing the internet for some information on how to remove or reduce the swirl marks, I found this information on Meguiar's website:wwwDOTmeguiarsonlineDOTcom/forums/showthread.php?7011-How-To-Remove-Swirls-By-Hand#CKPY8xRhqAzh6TbF.97Removing swirls by hand? After using several different products, all claiming to remove scratches and swirls, over the years and getting disappointed by the poor results (and sometimes getting the paint into worse shape than it was before), I just scoffed. It sounded too good to be true. However, after reading this forum page and seeing the detailed pictures, I decided to give it a try anyway. I purchased a 7 oz bottle of ScratchX from AutoZone today for $11.49 plus tax (yes, it is cheaper at AutoZone as of 3/19/2016!). I used masking tape to tape off a 10 inch by 14 inch area on the hood. Then I used a round terry-cloth applicator to rub a nickel-sized dab of ScratchX on this area. I used a combination of circular, side-to-side and up-and-down motions and kept alternating between them. After about 2 minutes of vigorous rubbing, I wiped off the residue from this area using a clean microfiber towel before the residue had a chance to dry out. I repeated this process three more times. Then I removed the masking tape to compare the treated area with the paint around.I could not believe how good the treated area looked and felt to the touch compared to the surrounding area. And I am sure it will look even better after applying a nice coat of wax. When I asked my wife and my kids to find the treated area on the hood, they all identified it immediately. All swirls marks and even some of the light scratches are gone. The deeper scratches have diminished and do not look as bad anymore.I took several pictures before, during and after the treatment in order to have a proof to myself in the future that I did not dream it or make it up. You can see them below. Unfortunately, it was later in the afternoon and the lighting was not that good. I could not capture the contrast as well as I wanted to, but I think the difference is still visible in the pictures.Now, this small section took me about 10 minutes by hand. If I want to do the whole car by hand, it will probably take me a whole day and leave me with aching arms and shoulders. I am planning to try a dual-action buffer next in order to see if I can get similar or better results with it. By the way, if you are planning to treat your whole car, I think you will need more than one bottle of ScratchX to do a decent job.

After seeing a bunch of 'did not work' type negative reviews for this which I felt it did no do this scratch remover justice, I felt that I had to chime in . In short whether you just like to take care of your car or a diehard enthusiast this is one item every car owner needs to have at hand. If you are determined enough and put enough sweat and effort into it the ScratchX will remove almost any clearcoat scratch which has not penetrated the basecoat paint or hide it enough to make it almost invisible without causing damage to your paint. In fact I documented the step by step process how it virtually disappears a deep clear coat scratch (see pics) with enough effort and applicationsUSING IT & RECOMMENDATIONS- So you have a nasty scratch (from keys, jeans , road chip or a paint transfer mark) that you want to get rid of. Well this is the right product alright but here's the catch - It is going to take TONS and TONS of concentrated effort on your part ( i literally felt like my arms are going to fall off!) . And get rid of the scratch it will !- I *HIGHLY* recommend getting a soft terry towel cloth applicator( which I got from the dollar store) for this scratch remover as it works better when compared to a sponge applicator ( i found this the hard way) . The slight abrasiveness of the terry cloth along with the scratch remover work together better- After cleaning the area you want you work on thoroughly, You'll want to put *significant* pressure in buffing the paste perpendicular to the scratch surface in order to cut it down and bring it in level to the nearby surface . Keep in mind that this paste only works with clear coat scratches and paint transfer marks- As you can see from my pics I had a pretty deep clear coat scratch that was likely caused by jeans with a deep cut and sharp edges- It took me 4 painstaking applications and lots of sweat/effort but as you can see that the scratch progressively starts blending in until it is totally gone by the fourth application- Once you are reasonably satisfied wipe the area with a damp cloth to remove the remains , follow up with a paste wax to finish your surface- You might come across online articles and videos about using 3000 & 5000 grit sandpaper for removing deeper scratches .. However I did not feel comfortable using sandpaper on my new car . And you can definitely remove deep scratches with a terry applicator and this paste alone - Just that it is going to take a boatload of effort and sore arms ....but bottom line it does get the job done! I have used it to remove lots of nicks, scuffs and chip marks all around my carFINAL THOUGHTSI couldn't be happier with the results I got with the ScratchX , it is almost like magic. Granted that you might loose your arms in the process :) but it WILL remove that scratch on your ride that's been bothering you !!! Highly Recommended for every car lover !