So I found these tiny rock chips on the hood that I originally thought might be dirt or something that I could easily remove - I figured I could get them off if I ran my finger nail over the area - of course I did this gently but found that under florescent lighting I had left some light scratches on the clear coat. As I mentioned, they are only visible under specific lighting conditions but I wanted to see if there was any way to remove these (spider scratches) w/out the use of a buffer. In fact, I have a bit of these types of scratches on other panels and being that I have a black S they are far more apparent than on other cars. Any suggestions?

 

first- its really hard to do polishing procedures without the machine. you can do it, but its not easy.
and i usually end up using the machine when i try by hand first!
dont be afraid of the machine... you have a good opportunity to meet another owner who has the machine and knows how to use it- post up in your local forum that you will supply products and refreshments if someone will supply the machine and know how.

got pics of your problem areas?

if they are really light, a swirl remover might do it

some "light" reading for you- this is the perfectionists guide!

http://bettercarcare.com/how-to-polish-paint.html

also see mikeyc's guide on our site-

 

I've got this thread going with some good info on it:

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=432141

 

Thanks very much guys - just one last question though: are scratches to the clear coat actually damaging to the paint in any way - from what I understand now, this type of mark can be buffed out as anything applied by hand is not nearly as likely to achieve the desired result.
Thanks!
Jace

 

No, the scratches in the clear coat aren't harmful to the paint--they just look bad And yes, as long as the scratches haven't gone completely through the clear/color coats of the paint, you should be able to buff them out