Can these be buffed out?

Alright update for y'all. Used scratch x and the swirls disappeared. It's been about a week and it rained and seems like the scratch x wore off because now the same swirls are back.
My question is:
Does scratch x simply fill the swirls and the temporary filler is eventually disappearing?

And if so... how do I seal the scratch x onto the vehicle to keep the filler from going away? I have no idea what sealants are good

Thanks all

 

See post #5 regarding filling. ScratchX doesn't contain "fillers" per say. But lubricating oils may act to mask swirls/scratches. When the oils dry up, the defects may reappear.
http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forum...oes-ScratchX-have-fillers#OfmB7j1DMPVed6wH.97

Here's another compilation of ScratchX threads.
http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forum...cratchX-Thread-Collection#5R6QeGzQKLWFG2tK.97

 

My guess is that if you were able to get the paint to a point that the defects were visibly gone with ScratchX, which is not a filler, then a sealer would probably mask them to a good degree, if not better.

I'd work it a bit more with ScratchX and a foam pad, then finish with a good paint sealer. Megs Ultimate Liquid Wax is a pretty decent over the counter sealer (it's actually not a wax- it's a 100% synthetic polymer paint sealer).

Some other good ones that are priced moderately- Griots Poly-wax. Griots Finishing Sealant. Duragloss 105 and 111. Menzerna Powerlock. Meguiars #21. Collinite 845 is a nice carnauba/polymer "hybrid" (wax/sealer- lets not debate that here). Pretty much any sealer that Autogeek sells is decent if you'd like to take a look:
http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forum...cratchX-Thread-Collection#5R6QeGzQKLWFG2tK.97

I don't remember if you answered- can you feel the scratches with your fingernail? If you can, you may just want to seal it up and live with it.

 

See post 15 and 16:
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/61941-scratchx-2-0-conflicting-advice.html

If I was closer, I'd come over with my DA and fix it for you. Seriously, if you got it to a point where it was visibly OK after ScratchX, I can't imagine a nice local detailer would charge you more than $25 to totally fix it. 5 minutes with a polisher and he'd have 'er licked. A really nice one would do it for free, hoping you'd come back for a full detail down the road. Express some interest, flash a $20, and see what comes of it.

Ultimate Compound is also an option. More aggressive than ScratchX. A little more info:http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forum...Compound-vs-Scratch-X-2-0#31ccZxXMzU8XeULB.97

 

So basically it contains oils that are fillers???

 

Basically, yes. But the oils are intentionally there for the purpose of lubrication (not filling). Whereas in a polish they are intentionally there (in part) for the purpose of filling or making the paint shiny. Who knows if it's the same oil. Or maybe in a polish there is just more oils, thus it lasts longer.

My guess would be that in a polish they'd intentially use long lasting oils for a longer lasting result. In scratchX, lubrication is the main function, not appearance/longevity. So maybe they use something different in each product.

I think those are questions we're not going to find answers to. But in short, yeah, scratchX needs some kind of lubrication in it. And that lube is gonna mask (or "fill) to an extent, even though that's not what the product is intended to do. You can also think of it this way-- if you've completely leveled a defect, there's nothing to fill.

 

Pretty much confirms scratch-X is useless. Be better off using a glaze to fill until a paint correction can be done.

 

Why do you say it's useless? It's got SMAT abrasives that work very well for spot cleanup.

 

No, it's not simply masking scratches. ScratchX contains SMAT abrasives (Meguiar's trademark super micro abrasive technology). They are uniformly sized abrasive particles, as opposed to diminishing abrasives. As such, you can stop anywhere in the buffing cycle. No need to break it down by running it through a complete buffing cycle as you do with diminishing abrasives.

If you want to verify that scratches are gone and not being masked by the lubricating oils, mix a 20% isopropyl alcohol solution and spray and wipe after you buff. This will clean off any residual lubricating oils from the product and allow you to see the surface for what it is. Be sure to wax/seal when you're done.

 

Unless you use a DA, doubtful ScratchX is going to correct the paint. Obviously it only temporarily helped the OP. Based upon the pics the OP should have success removing most if not all the scuffs.

Doesn't matter if it's SMAT or DAT if it only works temporarily. My point is that it is not an effective product.

 

Gotcha. It's a good product, but yeah the op's problem might just be too much by hand.