3M Professional Chip & Scratch Repair Kit

[PriusRos]

I have a number of scratches and chips on my silver Prius, especially on the front bumper. Just trying to paint it has not done the job. I bought this $20 kit and am going to try it out. Basically, you sand the chip with a sanding pen, apply several coats of paint, wet sand it, then buff it, using an electric drill attachment, with rubbing compound and then with a shine restorer/canuba wax compound.

My question is really about this last step. I use Zaino on my car and don't use any wax at all. Would using the wax shine restorer cause a problem? Can I use Zaino Z-5 or one of those products instead?

[priusenvy]

You'd have to remove the wax to get the Zaino to bond. The "Shine restorer/wax" is likely an all-in-one product that does some polishing with fine abrasives and adds protection with wax. You could use a separate polish instead with no protective component, and then follow it up with Zaino. However, a good polish will cost nearly as much as your chip repair kit. For instance, a bottle of Menzerna Final Polish II is about $16. I'm guessing the reason they package it together is that you will still have fine scratches in your finish after using their kit, and the carnauba wax helps hide them, as it is much better than any sealant (including Zaino Z-5 Pro) at hiding swirl marks.

You could just use the kit as-is, then wait a month or so for the wax to wear off on its own. You can even help at the end by washing your car with Dawn liquid dishwashing soap. But like I said, you'll probably find you have fine swirls where you applied the rubbing compound and shine restorer, and they'll be more visible when you use Zaino compared to a carnauba wax.

[PriusRos]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusenvy @ Nov 2 2007, 03:01 PM) [snapback]534025[/snapback]</div>

You'd have to remove the wax to get the Zaino to bond. The "Shine restorer/wax" is likely an all-in-one product that does some polishing with fine abrasives and adds protection with wax. You could use a separate polish instead with no protective component, and then follow it up with Zaino. However, a good polish will cost nearly as much as your chip repair kit. For instance, a bottle of Menzerna Final Polish II is about $16. I'm guessing the reason they package it together is that you will still have fine scratches in your finish after using their kit, and the carnauba wax helps hide them, as it is much better than any sealant (including Zaino Z-5 Pro) at hiding swirl marks.

You could just use the kit as-is, then wait a month or so for the wax to wear off on its own. You can even help at the end by washing your car with Dawn liquid dishwashing soap. But like I said, you'll probably find you have fine swirls where you applied the rubbing compound and shine restorer, and they'll be more visible when you use Zaino compared to a carnauba wax.
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Thanks for your input. I probably will just wash the wax off when I want to polish the car. I'm going to just try the kit on the bumper first, as I am not as concerned about messing that up as I would be the body paint.


Has anybody had any experience using this kit?