Griots Paint Touch Up Kit and Megs Unigrit Sanding Block Review

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spence

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Several months ago I posted a technique for removing a scratch using Meguiar's Unigrit Sandpaper with a small eraser to make a sanding block. I also used tooth picks to apply OEM touch up paint. The results were OK but in direct sun light knowing where the scratch was I could find traces of my work.

Last week I purchased Groits Paint Touch Up Kit and Meguiar's 2000 Grit Sanding Blocks to see if they would make it easier and improve my technique for removing scratches.

I washed and dried the car. Clayed the area around the scratch using Megs Clay and GG Speed Shine. I removed the clay and Speed Shine with a GG Blue Plush MF Towel. Used a Used Megs 205 and GG 3" DA to remove any prior sealant. I removed the 205 with a second GG Blue Plush MF Towel.

The first photo shows the cleaned area and the scratch.

I then used the Griots Touch up brushes and OEM touch up paint to fill the scratch. The Griot's brushes were much easier to use than tooth picks. The second photo shows the filled scratch.

The touch up paint was allowed to dry for 24 hours. I then cleaned the scratch area with ONR and a Megs Wash Mitt. Clean and dried with a GG Blue Plush MF Towel. I let the 2000 sanding block soak in water a 1/2 teaspoon of Megs Gold Class Car Wash. Same mixture in my spray bottle. I went over the paint filled scratch very lightly with the sanding block and spraying the area with the soap water mixture until the surface felt smooth and my finger tips could no longer feel any difference in the painted surface. Clean and dried with a second GG Blue Plush MF Towel. The third picture shows the sanded area.

The area was then polished with a GG 3" DA and Megs 205. Since I am removing clear coat the smaller area that the clear coat is removed from the better. The 205 was removed using a third GG Blue Plush MF Towel. Megs Ultimate Liquid Wax was then applied to the area as it is a sealant and with the idea it would give the impression of some clear coat over the OEM paint filling the scratch. The fourth photo shows the results.

In conclusion, I felt the Griot's Paint Touch Up Kit and Meguiar's 2000 Grit Sanding Blocks made it easier and improved my results when removing scratches.

That being said I do not feel you can fully remove all evidence of a scratch that goes through the base coat. But I do feel you can make it look about 95% better.
 
Looks like new!

I am surprised that you were able to remove 2000 grit with a Griots 3"... Impressive!
 
That is one excellent repair...can't even tell it was there. nice job!
 
Very, very nice!!

BTW, when you run out of those brushes, you can get replacements at a local hobby shop or a large online retailer starting with the first letter of the alphabet. They're known as MicroBrushes.
 
I tried 2 new steps this weekend to improve scratch repair as listed in my above post.


1. After using 205 or swirl x (to remove wax and round edges), I used Griot's Paint Prep and Griot's blue mf towel to remove any compound from within the scratch. Dawn would probably work just as well.

2. Before I would wait 1 day to allow the paint to dry before sanding and polishing (2000 grit, 105, 205) as some of the paint seemed to pulled out when doing the finish up sanding/polishing. I later read that you should not wax over the touch up paint for 1 month,. I had also read you do not need to wait the 1 month on new cars because the paint was baked on at the factory. So yesterday after filling a scratch with paint, I pulled the car out into the direct sunlight for 3 hours to speed up the drying. The temperature on the hood of a black car in direct sunlight can easily hit 160 degrees so I figure I am sort of replicating how factory paint is cured and that after that and 1 day I could safely sand/polish and wax the area over the scratch.
 
spence said:
I tried 2 new steps this weekend to improve scratch repair as listed in my above post.


1. After using 205 or swirl x (to remove wax and round edges), I used Griot's Paint Prep and Griot's blue mf towel to remove any compound from within the scratch. Dawn would probably work just as well.

2. Before I would wait 1 day to allow the paint to dry before sanding and polishing (2000 grit, 105, 205) as some of the paint seemed to pulled out when doing the finish up sanding/polishing. I later read that you should not wax over the touch up paint for 1 month,. I had also read you do not need to wait the 1 month on new cars because the paint was baked on at the factory. So yesterday after filling a scratch with paint, I pulled the car out into the direct sunlight for 3 hours to speed up the drying. The temperature on the hood of a black car in direct sunlight can easily hit 160 degrees so I figure I am sort of replicating how factory paint is cured and that after that and 1 day I could safely sand/polish and wax the area over the scratch.
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Reading this I am curious how the touch up paint is holding up? I may be doing a similar task in the future
 
The touch up paint is holding up fine. I used the same method to remove a deep 5' long scratch on a 2003 Silver Honda CRV that we traded in for a new fit. The dealership did not notice the scratch so we got a decent trade in amount on the CRV. Silver seemed to be easier color to repair than a clear coated black. I also found that that the Megs 105 and 205 was taking all day. I switched to Wolfgang Uber Compound and found it cut faster, did not dust, and finished as well as the 205.
 
spence said:
The touch up paint is holding up fine. I used the same method to remove a deep 5' long scratch on a 2003 Silver Honda CRV that we traded in for a new fit. The dealership did not notice the scratch so we got a decent trade in amount on the CRV. Silver seemed to be easier color to repair than a clear coated black. I also found that that the Megs 105 and 205 was taking all day. I switched to Wolfgang Uber Compound and found it cut faster, did not dust, and finished as well as the 205.
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That's good to hear. Silver is good at covering things up.

The OEM paint, do you know if that was solvent or water based touch up paint? I may be working on a couple chips in the distant future on mine.. or scratches etc on someone else's
 
Rod73 said:
That's good to hear. Silver is good at covering things up.

The OEM paint, do you know if that was solvent or water based touch up paint? I may be working on a couple chips in the distant future on mine.. or scratches etc on someone else's
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Rod,

I do not know, I got the black from my local Acura Dealer and the Silver from my local Honda Dealer. I pulled them out to see but the bottles do not say. Is your car's paint single stage or two stage (color coat and then clear coat)? If I had to do it over again on a clear coated car I would apply the color into the scratch or chip and then load up on clear after that and then sand and polish the clear down level. The reason being the black from the dealer on its own does not have the gloss of the black covered by clear coat. I practiced on my older Acura in obscure locations first. Good luck, let us know how what you tried and how it turned out.
 
This is one of the most helpful threads I have found on scratch repair. IMPRESSIVE! Question: Can GG FAST Correcting Cream be used as a substitute to the Megs 205 or the Wolfgang Uber Compound?
 
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