Light Scratches

[hawks50125]

My Black Traverse was either keyed or brushed up against to cause 2 scratches about 2 feet long. They aren't very deep, I ran my finger on them.

I have been reading up on methods and products on autogeek. What do you suggest I use for products to get these scratches out?

[Kevin Cullen]

Do you Have any pictures? When you say "keyed" this suggests fairly deep scratches. Can you catch them with your fingernail?
if they won't come out with M105 or Pinnacle swirl remover you may have to sand with 2500- 3000 grit and then buff out and reseal/wax.

[Mike Phillips]

Hey thanks for taking this out of PM's and posting to the public forum, behind the scenes I'm working on multiple offline projects and it's always better to type for the forum and not a single messaging interface.

:dblthumb2:



What you want to do is make it so no sign of these scratches ever existed and this can be done with enough skill and experience.

If the scratches only go into the upper portion of the clear layer of paint then you can probably remove or at least improve them to the point that you can live with them.

Keep in mind that FACTORY paint is incredibly thin. Take a Post-it Note and hold it between your fingers. Note how thin it is...

The clear layer of paint on your car is thinner than the post it note.

Now that this has sunk in, you can try to remove/improve the scratches by hand using Meguiar's Ultimate Compound. One thing I type all the time, in fact typed it at least once today is that it actually requires MORE skill to work on clear coat paints by hand than it does using a tool like the Porter Cable 7424XP.

So you can try by hand and I have articles on how to work on clear coat paints by hand.

Next would be to try to remove/improve the scratches by machine.

Do you have a machine polisher?


:)

[Mike Phillips]

If the scratches are deeper than what can be hand or machine buffed out then you can try a more complicated approach.

The problem is if a person is new to detailing in general and new to sanding "thin" factory paint in specific, you can easily turn a mole hill into a mountain that will then require repainting the entire affected area by a professional.

I've done repairs like this for key scratches and for egg impact scratches but don't have any current articles on the topic.

Here's an article by one of our forum members Richy, that did a really good job of listing the steps and documenting his work.

Key Repair-Step by Step Procedure (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/show-n-shine/43535-key-repair-step-step-procedure.html)



Be sure to read my comments in post #28 of this thread as I point out a few other things to be mindful of...


The other option would be to get a product like the Dr. ColorChip, do you best with the kit and move forward.


:)

[Mike Phillips]

From my article list (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/23722-articles-mike-phillips.html)...


Polishing Paint by Hand


<-- Read this one if you decide to try to use Ultimate Compound by hand.

How to use a hand applied abrasive polish or paint cleaner by hand (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/how-articles/26612-how-use-hand-applied-abrasive-polish-paint-cleaner-hand.html)

Foam Applicator Pads at Autogeek.net (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-tools-accessories/32004-foam-applicator-pads-autogeek-net.html)

Priming your pad when working by hand (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/tricks-tips-techniques/36178-priming-your-pad-when-working-hand.html)

Removing Scratches By Hand (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/31475-removing-scratches-hand.html)


In the pictures below, note how my hand is blurry while applying M105?

That's because when working on clear coats to try to remove paint, it's not a gently wipe the product on and wipe it off, it's all about putting some passion behind the pad...

The Rule of Thumb (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/wet-sanding-cutting-buffing/25042-rule-thumb.html)



Show Car and Perfectionist Sanding and Polishing
For those of you wanting to do perfectionist sanding and polishing, first make sure you're getting paid well because you can sand right up to an edge but removing your sanding marks has to be done carefully and this means it will require you to invest more time into the project.


How to sand right up to an edge and remove your sanding marks by hand
There is a fix for the issue of sanding right next to an edge or a raised body line and that's by carefully sanding and then using Meguiar's M105 Ultra Compound by hand to remove your sanding marks. Another way to remove sanding marks next to an edge or to a raised body line is to use Spot Repair Pads on a rotary buffer using a technique I call Edging.

Because M105 is aggressive, (rated at being able to remove #1200 Grit Sanding Marks on fresh paint), and recommended for use by hand, you can easily remove sanding marks by hand if you're willing to put a little passion behind the pad (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/23568-put-little-passion-behind-pad-mike-phillips.html).

There are a lot of compounds that can be applied by hand to remove sanding marks, but it's the ability of the super micro abrasive technology, (SMAT), used in M105 that gives it both its' cutting ability and the ability to polish out clear and glossy that makes M105 Ultra Compound a good choice for carefully rubbing out sanding marks right up to an edge or a raised body line by hand.

Note: The blue line you see in the pictures below is vinyl tape applied over the top of a body lines on the hood of this 1969 El Camino to make it easier to see and protect them. You can also do this with the edges of a panel.


http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/834/RemvovingSandingMarksbyHand01.jpg

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/834/RemvovingSandingMarksbyHand02.jpg



And this article,

Put a little passion behind the pad - Mike Phillips (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/ask-expert-featuring-mike-phillips/23568-put-little-passion-behind-pad-mike-phillips.html)



:D

[Mike Phillips]

My Black Traverse was either keyed or brushed up against to cause 2 scratches about 2 feet long. They aren't very deep, I ran my finger on them.

I have been reading up on methods and products on autogeek. What do you suggest I use for products to get these scratches out?


Any follow-up to this?


:dunno: