noirenex

Hi there,

TL;DR; Scroll for pics

I decided to make a quick how to on scratch repair, some scratches look like they can't be removed without a respray, this can be true, however even if it is, the appearance of the scratch can still be vastly improved, as I will hopefully show with this nasty scuff and scratch I noticed! This process is for more noticable scratches, if your's is just a hairline imperfection, skip the sanding and just use compound. If the scratch has gone through to the primer, then this will help the appearance of it, but you will need to put some paint down to fix it.

Caution: You don't want to sand too much, since we only want to remove a little of the clear coat, just take it slow and you'll be fine.

I used:
2k waterproof paper
3k waterproof paper
Meguires Ultimate Compound (Most compounds will do but I really like this one, it's fast and easy to use, without being abrasive)
2 x Microfibre cloth (One for wiping down with water, one for the compound)
Water
Meguires quik wax

I didn't actually polish it, just used compound/wax - but a polish will help a lot more with the end result!

So, the process is pretty simple, if you haven't already, clean the area of the scratch to remove any debris and dirt, then, grab the 2k paper, mist the area and the paper, then start rubbing with a medium pressure in the direction parallel to the scratch, then after a few passes, spray and wipe down, inspect the scratch, and resand until the scratch is gone
, if the scratch is too deep, then after a few passes and the appearance is improved, move onto the next step, we don't want to take off too much clear coat.

Next, use the 3k grit in the same way, the goal here is to remove the 2k scratches and blend it a little into the rest of the paintwork, so our compound can do it's magic.

Finally, after misting and wiping down, you'll have a patch of cloudy paintwork, now comes the magic, grab the compound, apply about a 20p piece worth to the clean microfibre towel, and rub it around the area lightly, when it's covered, start rubbing with a medium pressure all over the area, until you get a good shine, and the cloudiness is gone.

To improve the finish, get some polish and buff it out a bit more, then apply a good quality wax

Pics of the process below, you can see I got most of the scratch our, just the worse bit was left, but is barely noticeable now:

imc27

That looks good. Taking wet and dry to your paintwork requires a bit of a leap of faith, but all you're doing is gradually reducing the size of the scratches until you can't see them any more.

Your pictures have reminded me of something else that I've done, and please don't think that I'm derailing your thread - you have the same problem with your tailpipes as I had with tar spots.

I read somewhere that WD40 will dissolve tar, so I soaked a couple of pieces of kitchen roll with it and wrapped them around the tailpipes, then put plastic bags over the top and used duct tape to keep them in place. A couple of hours later, the tar will have softened and can be easily wiped off.

DBt85

Nice writer up, I have a similar scuff on the front which I need to do.

As IMC27 said, taking that leap and using sandpaper on my car is going to be a bit of a worry at first but I know it's for the best!

noirenex

Ahh yes tailpipes is the next on my list, thanks for the tips!

RichwiththeS2000

What do you mean by 'misting' spray a bit of water on? Or better to use polish?

RichwiththeS2000

Assumed it was just water and gave it a try!

Before:




After wet paper:


After polishing with G3 scratch remover and regular autoglym polish:







Results are night and day - thanks for creating the thread, prompted me to fix this scratch I did like a year ago! There's still a fine line, I think it needs some paint in there.

When you look up real close you can see some fine scratches still from the wet paper. I wonder if it just needs more polishing or if maybe giving it a go over with even finer paper is the answer?

Dembo

I bought a kit like this once from QVC; I happened to catch it whilst channel hopping, and attacked a few of the scratches on my FTO. It did work very well, but for anything too deep you needed some paint and that probably isn't for amateurs. It seemed a lot easier to get it to look more or less perfect on metal than on the plastic bits.

It is a bit terrifying when you first rub it with the sand paper.

A better answer is just to buy a silver car and then you'll never see them.

noirenex

Nice work RichwiththeS2000 - Looks tons better! Could be worth some more compounding but I wouldn't bother, against you pop some wax on you will barely see it from the looks of it!