Accidental BIG improvement polishing bumpers

Just for the heck of it I decided to try Meguiar's SCRATCH X 2.0 on my 1989 anodized aluminum bumpers with 116,000+ miles.

They were fairly dull and had LOTS of little blemishes that almost looked like water marks.

After two applications, and very little hard rubbing, they are amazingly better and now sport a beautiful shine.

What's more, all those little marks are GONE!!

I simply rubbed it on with a terry cloth towel in a circular motion, then immediately wiped it off with a microfiber towel. Frankly, I couldn't believe my eyes! I must have stood there for five minutes admiring the improvement!!

Can't guarantee it will work for all of you, but it sure worked great for me. And, good news, the stuff is cheap!

Bob

Bob,

Thanks for the tip.

I wonder if it'll work on the wheel finish as well.

John F.

It sounds like you wore off some of the clear coat. Which was getting cloudy. I will try that on mine. Hope for the same results.Thanks Bill

Well, Bill, if I did wear off some clear coat there's absolutely no sign. The top surface of both bumpers is velvet-smooth and sports a lovely shine. I've tried at least half dozen other products, but got zilch results until this pure "accident".

Better sometimes to be lucky than good, right?

Bob

Great info Bob

i know pics probably won't show all you did, but i (we) love pics!!!:cool:

i did mine with a similar product them took it off with a "Mothers Power Ball", then put some carnauba wax (Meguiar's) to keep it looking good.

I like pics too, but I'm a tad computer challenged and can't seem to get the hang of posting pics.

Maybe someday.

Bob

I went and got some of the stuff just to try it out, and I have to say that it does indeed make a big improvement in the way these bumpers look. I tried some on the wheels, but it got too dark to see them good, so I will try again in the morning.

Here are some pictures of my results.

Gonna have to get me some of that.

John F.

This is polished!!!!!!

Did you use Meguiar's SCRATCH X 2.0?

John F.

Well...I tried Scratch X2.0. I've used the product before on minor clear coat swirls (works well) and now tried it on a small section of the bumper.

I taped off a 4 inch section and using a clean 100% cotton pad, by hand I applied a small section using a medium amount of pressure, rubbing in a circular motion overlapping the previous application. First time around couldn't see a difference. I applied three more times, waiting about 20 minutes for the product to set/dry before removing to then re-apply (four applications in all).

Results were OK but not any different then most other products designed to polish (not clean) the aluminum bumper. YMMV depending on the condition of your bumper. There is a slightly better shine and the bumper feels smoother. Water spots and other long-term weather related 'damage' (i.e. pitting) doesn't go away. I was 'polishing' over water spots. Bottom line: Works as a polish (keep in mind it is an abrasive) but not as a cleaning agent.

I went out and bought a bottle of this today. I'm going to give it a try and see how it turns out. I'll let you know. I'll take some B-4 and after pics.

The rear bumper on my '90 has what looks like water spotting on the left third of its length. As you look from left to right, it clears up and the finish on the right doesn't look bad at all. A bit dull but not bad. Last week I used some Turtle Wax polishing compound applied with a terry booted 6" random orbital polisher. Then went over it with Meguiars paste wax. Still has the somewhat frosted water marks on the left and still somewhat dull'ish on the rest which is why I thought I'd give this stuff a try. After reading your post, I'm thinking that, after what I'd already done, this won't make much of a difference. We'll see what we shall see.

Might do it tomorrow or Sat. or maybe next week

John F.

Edited July 18, 2014 by Machiner 55 (see edit history)

idk, but these bumpers are anodized aluminum. could it be possible that the water spots are from something (acid rain?) that ate into the coating?

when i did my bumpers a couple years ago, i used a 2000 wet/dry sand paper to remove spots, followed by a "Quixx" product - similar to "Scratch X" and finished with a Mother's power ball, then wax.

i seem to recall several threads found on "search" at that time regarding the bumpers...

just throwing it out there!

Back in the days when I was involved with motorcycles I used to used "semichrome" It will polish up aluminum to look like chrome. Used to use it on all my engine covers, oil tank and anywhere else I wanted to polish up the aluminum to look like chrome. This will work if there is no clear coating on the aluminum. semichrome came in a tube similar to toothpaste. I would dab a little on a rag and start rubbing. it worked pretty well but took some time. and yes.... like most cleaners / polishes it is an abrasive.

Guys,

Pu..leeze....bear in mind that I am in NO way endorsing this product! It just so happened that it made a huge improvement on my '89 bumpers, so I passed it along to the forum.

I'm certainly NOT a restoration guru, just a Buick guy and happen to own a couple of Reattas.

Depending on the starting condition of your bumpers, etc., this stuff may or MAY NOT do any good for you. Sometimes it's better to just keep it to yourself?

Sorry if I've mislead anyone into thinking this product is Utopia for Reatta bumpers.

Best of luck,

Bob

Bought an all chrome JC Higgins Flightliner when my wife and I decided to start riding bikes. The first thing I did was to strip the clear lacquer topcoat because any attempt to polish that yielded little results. Simichrome is great and I'm surprised no one has mentioned Mothers mag polish. Love that stuff. Haven't tried the meguires but without a clear coat most any metal is much easier to polish.

Guys,

Pu..leeze....bear in mind that I am in NO way endorsing this product! Bob

i don't think anyone would consider your post an endorsement of the product.

it's important to hear from folks that have found something that worked for them in whatever subject discussed!!!:cool:

Bob, I have found in the past when I have mentioned a good product a certain someone has disagreed every time that it works. Being that that's my profession when I say a product works it works.

So your say'n it's NOT Utopia for Reatta bumpers? Well...........

Seriously though. If it fails to give satisfactory results on some other bumper, you shouldn't take it personally.

Hey, you tried it and it did some good for you and you shared that info. We appreciate that. Really do. Others results will vary.

I'm guessing that there's a lot of action on this topic because, as a Reatta owner yourself, you know there's an issue with the bumpers appearance.

So, if there's something out there that may help, we're all ears.

John F.

Edited July 18, 2014 by Machiner 55 (see edit history)

Hey Bob . I Got some improvement on my bumpers. Not great but better. helped the areas that were not cloudy.Thanks for passing this along. Bill

Hey Bob . I Got some improvement on my bumpers. Not great but better. helped the areas that were not cloudy.Thanks for passing this along. Bill

My results were the same. I made a couple of passes on my bumpers this morning with Scratch X 2.0. The bumpers look better for sure but not great. I was not expecting it to be perfect.

It worked really well on the front bumper but not as good on the rear. I think that is because the rear bumper gets more sun when the garage door is standing open which damages the clear coating. It is definitely worth giving it a try. I intend to try it with a small buffer wheel on a drill later and see how it turns out.

If you want show quality bumpers you will need to take the bumper off, sand it down and polish with Mother's Mag & Aluminum Polish or something similar. I've used Mother's on aluminum wheels. With proper prep sanding and lots of polishing it will make aluminum look almost like chrome.

As promised, here are the photos:

Left B-4 -------------------------------------Right B-4

Left After "X" ----------------------------------- Right After "X"

Center After "X" ----------------------------------Center B-4

Left After Wax ---------------------------------Right After Wax

Foam Applicator --------------------------------Terry Buffer

This low angle shot shows the Left side with the frosted appearance still visible but improved.

So... with my experience here, I can say Bob is on to something.

I wanted to add that I think the frosted section of the rear bumper may have gotten that way because of the exhaust fumes coming from the pipes below. Anyone else notice this on their cars? The left (Drivers side) having more damage than the right?

John F.

The photo below was inadvertently included. Mod./Admin. please remove.

Edited July 19, 2014 by Machiner 55 (see edit history)

Yep I Think that is the source of the frost, Mine is also on the left rear. Bill