Here's what comes with the...
Here's what comes with the system-complete instructions, four small sheets of 3,000 grit sandpaper (three shown), two soft cloths, and a tube of Quixx No. 1 Repair Polish and No. 2 Finish. The product can be found at myriad department stores, auto parts stores, and drug stores around the country. Log onto the company website for more info.
If you're an insomniac or simply enjoy punishing yourself with "paid programming," you know that for the past 25 years or so, every week it seems there is a new wonder wax and/or scratch remover that's designed to "save you thousands of dollars on paint repair!" Usually a half-hour infomercial features a host with an accent who yells the praises of his latest product and a sidekick who oohs and ahs at every expletive, while a wildly enthusiastic audience claps, screams, and hops up and down in their seats.
There's always a demonstration of the amazing magic that this product can perform, which no other would dare attempt-such as withstanding the searing heat of a fire on a hood of the car while still protecting the paint, or making key scratches disappear before your eyes with a few wipes. By the time 30 minutes pass, you wonder how the world ever managed without this product.
"And for just $19.99 we'll ship it to your doorstep, but wait-there's more! If you call in the next five minutes we will double your order and you'll get two cans of the wonder product, a free deluxe cloth to wipe it on and off, free designer sunglasses to protect your eyes from the blazing shine once you apply the product to your car, and a free, unidentifiable gadget, which sold poorly in the infomercial that was on before this one, so now were giving it away!"
Excitedly you dial up the company, credit card in hand. You sit on hold for 10 minutes, then the salesperson tries to sell you everything but the product you called to order. When that doesn't work, he tries to convince you to enroll in some sort of buyer's club that costs just $40 per year, but you'll save thousands of dollars. If you make it through that gauntlet, next comes the realization that unless you add the $9.95 expedited shipping, it takes 6-8 weeks to fill your order. Geeze, all you wanted to do was order the Wonder Wax and Miracle No-Touch, No-Feel, No-Taste, Scent-Free Scratch Fixer. And after all that, more times than not, the product turns out to be less than you had hoped once you get it. Does it sound like we've have some experience with this as consumers?
The first scratch we attempted...
The first scratch we attempted to fix was about 4-inches long and just deep enough to lightly catch a fingernail as it moved across it. We've heard many times that if the scratch is deep enough to catch fingernail, it will require wet-sanding to remove it.
We never claimed to be overly...
We never claimed to be overly smart, so we tried to remove it without wet-sanding anyway. After washing the area to remove dirt and contaminants, we rubbed in the No. 1 Repair for about two minutes, using a circular motion and moderate pressure. It was a mild workout.
But it was worth it. Check...
But it was worth it. Check out the results. You can barely see the scratch now.
We reapplied the No.1 in a...
We reapplied the No.1 in a circular motion for about a minute, and then followed with the No. 2 Finish. A very slight depression remained that could only be seen up close from one angle. Here in the photo you can't see it at all. Total work time was about five minutes to remove this scratch. Chalk one up for the Quixx system.
The next scratch was considerably...
The next scratch was considerably deeper and longer at about 6 inches, and it would more easily catch a fingernail scraping across it. Note the three circled paint chips. These will be used as reference points for the last photo of the story.
As before, we tried No. 1...
As before, we tried No. 1 Repair first, rubbing it in using a circular motion for two minutes per the instructions.
What does this have to do the Quixx Repair System High Performance Paint Scratch Remover? Well, the darndest thing happened when we tested it. It actually worked. And we didn't have to stay up late and order it from TV. It's actually in stores across the U.S. and sold on Amazon.com. How can this be? There's no infomercial, there's no 800 number, there's no deal that's good for the next five minutes only, and there are no claims of space-age polymers or nanotechnology.
Here's how it can be. The company that made the product, E.V.I. GmbH of Germany, didn't try to reinvent the wheel. The system is a small box that will fit in your console or glove compartment. It contains a small tube of No. 1 Repair Polish and No. 2 Finish, four very small pieces of 3,000-grit sandpaper, and two soft cloths. That's it. The entire set of instructions fits on the back of the box, and a second set of instructions is included in a variety of languages, including English.
If you're wondering if you could replicate this little kit on your own with various other compounds, polishes, and/or waxes, the answer is probably. However, keep in mind that with the Quixx Repair System, each product was developed to work with the others. For instance, if you use the 3,000-grit paper to wet-sand a scratch, Repair Polish No. 1 will then properly knock down the scratches that the sandpaper made; then the No. 2 Finish will remove the dullness left by No. 1.
The advantages to the kit are that the thinking and testing have already been done for you. And the amounts provided are small enough to be economical and easy to carry, yet large enough to handle multiple scratches. Remember, you are repairing individual scratches in the car's paint finish, you are not trying to compound or polish the entire vehicle with these products.
After wiping away the residue...
After wiping away the residue with a damp cloth, the scratch was a little more faint but still very obvious. Another two minutes with No. 1 and we fared no better, so it was time to break out the 3,000-grit paper for wet-sanding.
Following a wet-down with...
Following a wet-down with water, we folded the small piece of sandpaper in half and went work on the scratch in 10-second increments. We sanded as we counted to 10, and then stopped and dried the area to check out our work, since you can't actually see the scratch while it's wet.
We can see progress, but there's...
We can see progress, but there's still a ways to go. Why check after just 10 seconds of sanding? Because we don't want to cut through the clearcoat and hit the color. At that point, the repair gets more involved and costly. Also, the clearcoat on late-model cars is quite thin, so you can go too far in a short time if your not careful. A warning is included in the instructions.
After two more sessions with...
After two more sessions with 3,000-grit, the scratch was slowly disappearing.
If you look here between the...
If you look here between the fingers, you just barely see it.
Once it was gone, we applied...
Once it was gone, we applied the No. 1 again to remove the cloudiness and fine scratches from the 3,000-grit.