# Scratch Removal by hand with Gtechniq P1



## Mike-93 (May 16, 2010)

Hi All

I noticed when giving my car its winter prep detail that I had a large scratch along the bottom of the passenger door and front wing, no idea how it happened, I assume someone got a bit close with their trolly at Tesco  At the time I didn't intend to do a write up on how I removed the scratch, so apologies for the not-so-good pics!

I did the usual 2 bucket wash, de-tarred with Tardis and then clayed with Dodo Juice Supernatural Clay and Born Slippy.

Here is the scratch to begin with.










I used the Tri-foam pads, like this one here. The method I use is one blob of polish on the white 'cutting' side, work in until nearly see-through. Then, turn the pad over to the black 'finishing' side of the pad another blob about half the size of the first, then repeat.

Now, as P1 is water based, i like to give the pad a little spritz with water to rejuvenate the polish so that you can work it for a little longer. Once worked again, wipe off to reveal the results.

So, after doing all of the above, this is what i was left with after one hit...










From another angle...










I think you'll agree, a good improvement. However, this could be improved 

After one more hit...










Thats better :thumb: I left the front wing as its getting resprayed early next year, but it leaves a good comparison. I forgot to take a final picture, but the scratch is hardly noticable from eye level, which really wasn't the case to begin with! It was never going to be perfect, but i am pleased with the result 

Hope you have enjoyed the thread, let me know what you all think

Thanks for reading

Mike

Edit: I've found the Gtechniq video on youtube for using P1 by hand, may be helpful for someone.


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## jamie_aych (Nov 21, 2011)

Spot on that mate will be very handy for those brave supermarket drivers :thumb:


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## JakeWhite (Oct 14, 2011)

Good work there! I have on of the flexipad apps. Really good IMO


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## gtechrob (Sep 11, 2006)

good work - if you find someone who can lend you a rotary, you'll have that 100% out by the look of it :thumb:


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

Nicely Done...:thumb:


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## Bel (Mar 1, 2011)

What car's that Mike? Just to give me an idea as to how hard the paint's likely to be?

I had a go at hand-correcting some minor scratches on my car a while ago and had very limited success with a combination of ScratchX and Swissvax Medium cleaning fluid. I resorted to Blackhole to fill what was left in the end.

Your results are better than mine, and seem to be less effort.

The question I'm asking myself is... is that down to the product? If it is (or is likely to be) then I know which website I'm visiting next 

edit:

Wait. The Gtechniq website says that P1 is "non-abrasive". Does that mean it just filled the scratch in the same was as my Blackhole would?


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## Duke Wellington (Dec 1, 2009)

@ Bel:

Definitely no fillers in P1, it corrects the surface not masks it like Black Hole. What you are quoting must be out of context.

Quote from Gtechniq website: “P1 is a very different kind of polish. Breakthroughs in nano-structured composite materials allowed us to develop an incredibly uniform abrasive particle on the nanoscopic scale.”

You will not regret buying P1, it is by far a superior product to Scratch X. In comparison Scratch X is like using toothpaste.


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## Mike-93 (May 16, 2010)

Bel said:


> What car's that Mike? Just to give me an idea as to how hard the paint's likely to be?
> 
> I had a go at hand-correcting some minor scratches on my car a while ago and had very limited success with a combination of ScratchX and Swissvax Medium cleaning fluid. I resorted to Blackhole to fill what was left in the end.
> 
> ...


Hi Bel

My car is a 53 plate Saab 9-3 Sport Saloon, so the pain is medium i think.

To be honest its quite a lot of effort, you really do have to give it some welly! There are abrasives in the polish so you will remove some of the clear coat, however the finish you get is genuine, and you'll only have to go through all the effort once :thumb:


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## Smurf. (Nov 22, 2011)

Scholl Concepts S3 Gold Edition works wonders by hand  Good effort, 100% improvement.


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## CYMRU AM BYTH (Jul 15, 2008)

Each to their own, i have a black Audi A5 and i didn't think much of the P1 on that! I was quite disappointed as i love their products!


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## Bel (Mar 1, 2011)

> Definitely no fillers in P1, it corrects the surface not masks it like Black Hole. What you are quoting must be out of context.


Now I'm thoroughly confused over what P1 actually is, and I'm sure I'm not quoting out of context.

This part of the Gtechniq website says "pSystem nano-structured *non-abrasive* polish"

But this part of the same website says "Breakthroughs in nano-structured composite materials allowed us to develop an incredibly uniform *abrasive particle*" (my emphasis).

Maybe Rob's still in this thread and can give us the ********** answer?


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## Mike-93 (May 16, 2010)

Bel said:


> Now I'm thoroughly confused over what P1 actually is, and I'm sure I'm not quoting out of context.
> 
> This part of the Gtechniq website says "pSystem nano-structured *non-abrasive* polish"
> 
> ...


P1 is abrasive, so you will be removing clear coat when you use it. Not sure where the first quote was from as i can't see it on the page?


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## Mike-93 (May 16, 2010)

gtechrob said:


> good work - if you find someone who can lend you a rotary, you'll have that 100% out by the look of it :thumb:


Plan is to get my own one day Rob, when funds and SWMBO allow it :thumb:


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## waxy (Feb 27, 2006)

Have a read of this thread from this forum,quite shocking that some so called Professionals claim that you can't remove swirls,or paint by hand:lol:
http://www.seriesoneturbo.co.uk/showthread.php?t=28282


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## leachy (Sep 20, 2011)

Thanks for posting this. I'm planning to detail my Mum's Yaris after it's made a trip to the body shop. It's covered in swirls and has one or two scratches too.

I was fairly sure P1 would do the job but I'm now certain. I've already ordered the applicators that you've used now just to place a G-Techniq order for the P1 though I suspect I won't stop there!


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## k9vnd (Apr 11, 2011)

gtechrob said:


> good work - if you find someone who can lend you a rotary, you'll have that 100% out by the look of it :thumb:


What about a da?


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## Bel (Mar 1, 2011)

Mike-93 said:


> P1 is abrasive, so you will be removing clear coat when you use it. Not sure where the first quote was from as i can't see it on the page?


Use CTRL-F to find it...

edit:

Never mind, I've managed to spot the difference now.

Although both pages come back with a Google search, both products are "P1 nanocomposite polish" and both cost exactly the same (where's the mandatory aviation product mark-up?  ) the one that claims to be non-abrasive has a different product number (P1A) and is for aircraft rather than cars.

I guess they're actually different products.

I'll grab myself some (of the car one!) and see if it can touch the myriad of scuffs and scratches on my door shuts.


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## Bel (Mar 1, 2011)

waxy said:


> Have a read of this thread from this forum,quite shocking that some so called Professionals claim that you can't remove swirls,or paint by hand:lol:
> http://www.seriesoneturbo.co.uk/showthread.php?t=28282


I can't read the thread because it wants me to register and I don't want to 

But as you know, not all paint is born equal. I defy anybody to correct my paint (2009 [so the "hard" paint] Basalt Black Porsche) by hand. In fact, I defy anybody to fully correct the bloody thing full stop.

But that won't stop me having a bash with P1. Any excuse to try something new


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## Duke Wellington (Dec 1, 2009)

I thought I was going nuts because I could not find the text Bel is referring to in the aviation section. It took ages to spot it as I was going straight into the black text describing the product. The text is there in red in the header above the black text.

To make a more aggressive cut with P1 by hand on hard paint you need to use pad with more bite like the Lake Country CCS Yellow Pad. You can also try using a microfibre cloth, I found using P1 on a tightly folded or scrunched-up microfibre cloth effectively aggressive.


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## Mike-93 (May 16, 2010)

leachy said:


> Thanks for posting this. I'm planning to detail my Mum's Yaris after it's made a trip to the body shop. It's covered in swirls and has one or two scratches too.
> 
> I was fairly sure P1 would do the job but I'm now certain. I've already ordered the applicators that you've used now just to place a G-Techniq order for the P1 though I suspect I won't stop there!


No worries mate, thats why i posted the pics up :thumb:

If you were going to make an order and you haven't decided on a sealant, I would suggest buying this kit, its what I bought and C2 is a top sealent :thumb:

One point i will make is dont expect a perfect finish if working by hand. You'll reduce the impact of deep scratches but some swirls will remain. Only way to really knock them out is with a machine.


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