- :
- 2023 CX-5 2.5 Turbo AWD Auto
RIP 8/23:2013 CX-5 Sport FWD Auto 120k
I had a couple of bad clear coat scratches on my car. Somebody else put them there of course. So! I figured it was time to try my hand at getting them out. I watched a couple of YouTube videos and liked the idea of polishing with 3000 then 5000 grit 3M stuff first, and then buffing the haze away with a polishing compound.
The 3000 grit was necessary for the long scratch that i could catch with my fingernail. Soap and water were applied and wiped away with a microfiber cloth to clean the area. More soapy water was applied and then the 3000 grit was applied several times. Polish with that until you can*t feel the scratch with your nail anymore. Continue wet polishing with 5000 grit until the scratch is no longer visible. You should be left with a hazy patch where you were working.
Clean with soapy water again. I then applied Meguiars Ultimate Compound using their Dual Action orbital attachment for a drill. I applied that, made a pass, wiped off with soapy water and repeated these steps several times until the haze was gone and everything looked good. I then applied Meguiars Ultimate Paste Wax to protect the area.
It was a lot of work polishing with the 3M paper by hand but it saved a ton of time with the compound. The compound alone is great for removing haze or swirl marks but is wildly insufficient on its own to remove a scratch. I give all of the products mentioned 5 stars. It looks incredible and anybody could do this. The Meguiars drill attachment saved me a ton of money too vs a dedicated orbital polisher.
The 3000 grit was necessary for the long scratch that i could catch with my fingernail. Soap and water were applied and wiped away with a microfiber cloth to clean the area. More soapy water was applied and then the 3000 grit was applied several times. Polish with that until you can*t feel the scratch with your nail anymore. Continue wet polishing with 5000 grit until the scratch is no longer visible. You should be left with a hazy patch where you were working.
Clean with soapy water again. I then applied Meguiars Ultimate Compound using their Dual Action orbital attachment for a drill. I applied that, made a pass, wiped off with soapy water and repeated these steps several times until the haze was gone and everything looked good. I then applied Meguiars Ultimate Paste Wax to protect the area.
It was a lot of work polishing with the 3M paper by hand but it saved a ton of time with the compound. The compound alone is great for removing haze or swirl marks but is wildly insufficient on its own to remove a scratch. I give all of the products mentioned 5 stars. It looks incredible and anybody could do this. The Meguiars drill attachment saved me a ton of money too vs a dedicated orbital polisher.
Last edited: