SCRATCH REMOVER

[JJ]

JCJ - interesting product. Do you know anyone who has used this stuff? The idea of using adhesive to apply a urethane based material on my vehicle sounds harsh at least. Perhaps as a lower rocker panel protector it might make sense.

JJ

[TBarrow]

I have used and installed the 3M product on my H2. I installed it on the door sill edge below the black H2 logo. I did not want dirty feet sliding accross my paint and leaving scratch trophies.

Black H2 Adventure Series+ all other options.

[MAC]

PhilD you could be right about weight since we are not talking about a lot of paint here. I was thinking about the old report that how many millions of gallons of gas saved by American Airlines when they use aluminum airplane body without paint, or the paint on Golden Gate bridge weights how many thousands of tons.

Talk about planes, don't they say clean airplanes save gas? does that mean a clean Hummer gets better MPG?

[Hummie2]

Another product called Safe Guard. Its a clear Urethane Film and applied like 3M film is. This yellow H2 was at Houston Auto Show and had the film applied to hood(top & sides), doors and body below windows. The pieces come in pre-cut kits and professional installation is recomended.

[Hummie2]

Film Applied below Windows

[Hummie2]

Here are the pre-cut pieces available in different kits. I talked to distributor and was about $1800 to do the H2 from windows down as this one was or $2000 to do the entire vehicle from roof down. Its a little high, but nothing on a H2 is cheap.

[Hummie2]

It is pretty close to invisible at the edges, but I did notice some "Orange Peel" effect under the bright lights.

[Steve R]

for what it's worth....I've got ****loads of ugly-ass scratches well above the doorlines!

Now I know why many H1's drive around with drab colors that look like they were spray painted with cans of spray paint from Home Depot.

I'm going to get my scratches as cleaned and buffed as possible AND THEN look into some kind of protection. Also...there are plenty of trails that don't involve brush-rake.

I'm not getting gun-shy...just want to be as practical as reasonably possible.

[MAC]

Steve,
Some one talked about putting 6 layers of wax on the Hummer before you go off-road, have you try it yet? does it work? how long does the 6 layers wax stay on? how often do you have to do it? every off-road trip? sounds like a good workout.

[Mike97ZJ]

I'll throw in my .02 on this one, since I have a black vehicle with tons of scratches.

As far as putting 6 coats of wax, that really doesn't do much to prevent scratches. Don't spend all week waxing it and think your invincible on the weekend.

I find that Maguire's Scratch X works reasonably well on small surface scratches, and that Turtle Wax Color Match stuff with the lipstick works well on the larger ones. Only thing with that though, you have to keep a good coat on it or it washes off after a few rainstorms. It leaves a great shine on it though, amd as scratched as mine is, it looks great from about ten feet away.

Also, the Meguire's gold class cleaner wax does a good job of removing swirl marks, and leaves a great shine.

Funny thing, it's strangly liberating, getting that first set of scratches. After you get over the initial shock an dissapointment, you don't worry about it as much the next time.

I still try to avoid them, but I'd rather take the line that gives me a few scratches than to take the line that gets me stuck or puts my door into a rock.

It must be tough though, doing that to a new vehicle. Mine was four years old when it got it's first set of trail scratches. Of course I had only had it 6 months at the time, so it still hurt.