Small scratches in 2012 elantra paint?

[gort]

Hi all, I just joined to ask a specific question. I have some hairline scratches on my car (origin I'm not really sure). Anyways, I figured I'd post to see the best way to remedy these?


I have attached a photo.

19771


The car is a 2012 hyundai elantra and the paint code is NKA

[c8n]

The one on the top left looks pretty deep.

The question is, can you feel them? If you can feel them, its probably too deep to level off and may require some touch up paint or respray.

If you cannot feel them, compounding with a DA will be your solution.

[gort]

I will see if I can feel them when I leave work today, thanks for your reply. This may be a dumb question but what is a DA?

[Vegas Transplant]

Scratches, body lines, metallic paint, high visibility area (drivers door)...are you sure you're up to the task?
My .02.

Welcome to AGO. Hang around awhile. You'll be up to speed in no time at all!

[gort]

Scratches, body lines, metallic paint, high visibility area (drivers door)...are you sure you're up to the task?
My .02.

Welcome to AGO. Hang around awhile. You'll be up to speed in no time at all!

Well I might as well try, right? Thanks for the welcome.

So I was able to get some of them out with scratchx. There are a few more that I need to tackle and put some elbow grease into as I ran out of time last night and had to run, and it was also almost 100 degrees out! Crossing my fingers here. Basically I'm getting ready to trade the car in so I want any of these little scratches to go away before I get it appraised.

[kimtyson]

Welcome to the forum. And trust me, you think you joined to ask a single question but now you're hooked.
DA is a dual action polisher, i.e. Flex, Porter Cable, Rupes, Griots Garage, etc. The DA is safer because the dual action makes it virtually impossible to burn through the paint.
As far as those scratches are concerned, the scratchx will only go so far. Given your situation of only looking to make them disappear for trade-in, you might just want to find a local detailer and have them give you a quote. They also (should) have the knowledge that will take you weeks to months here to get it taken care of.
Good luck.

[gort]

Thanks, Kim!

[Mike Phillips]

Those don't really look like hairline scratches from the picture but that could just be because it's picture. Maybe they are scuffs?


Like mentioned, a DA is a dual action polisher and there's a number of types and price points to get into machine polishing.

If you want to tackle those by hand you can do that to. ScratchX is better now than it was through the last 4-5 evolutions and I've used it quite a bit to remove scratches, most people don't "move their hand" the right way and instead apply it like a finishing wax, which isn't going to work.


To remove a scratch by hand you have to remove paint and to remove paint you have to push down on your applicator pad firmly and rub back and forth really fast and only tackle a small area at a time, like 8" squarish or so...

Here's an article on how to work by hand... notice in the picture how my hand is a blur? That's because it's moving at the speed of light as I remove sanding marks out of the hood of a 1970 El Camino


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)

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

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




Always work clean


Use a clean, soft foam applicator pad, I really like these,

CCS Red Wax/Sealant Applicator Pads 2 Pack (http://www.autogeek.net/red-ccs-applicators.html)

Because they are fairly thick so the spread out the pressure of your fingers better than thinner versions.

(I like thinner versions for applying finishing waxes and sealants because then I'm not pushing hard so don't need the thickness).


Work on a cool surface in the shade


Work a small area at a time, about 8" to 10" squarish or so...


Use an "ample" amount of product, don't under-use and don't overuse to the point that you hyper-lubricate the surface but use enough to keep the surface lubricated throughout the process. I would use a teaspoon to a tablespoon of product, usually a tablespoon's amount to start with because your pad is dry when you start and some of the product is going to go into the pad, and after breaking in your pad then cut down to about a teaspoon's amount of product.


Hold your hand flat to the pad, not vertical, the idea is to not put pressure ONLY on your fingertips but over the face of your fingers to avoid Fingermarks (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/hot-topics-frequently-asked-questions/20496-finger-marks.html)


Spread the product out over the area you're going to work


Work the product for about a minute, don't work till the product is dry, but it should go from an opaque film to a clear film


Wipe off before residue dries


When you move on to a new area overlap a little into the previous area
Before going over an entire panel or an entire car, first do a "Test Spot" and make sure you're getting the results you want and hope for. If you can't make one small area look good with your choice of product, pad and "your technique" then you'll be glad you only worked on a small section to start with or to test and not went over the entire panel or car.

When working on clear coats by hand to actually "remove" defects, technique is just as important as your choice of product and pad, (pad = application material).

So do a Test Spot first.

Also, read the manufactures directions and follow them as the above is just a general guideline. The manufacture always knows their products best.


Paint Cleaners at Autogeek.net
Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion (http://www.autogeek.net/pinpainclean.html)
Wolfgang Paintwork Polish Enhancer (http://www.autogeek.net/wg2000.html)
3M Scratch Remover (http://www.autogeek.net/3m-scratch-remover.html)
Dodo Juice Lime Prime Lite Cleaner Glaze (http://www.autogeek.net/lite-cleaner-glaze.html)
Dodo Juice Lime Prime Pre-Wax Cleanser Polish (http://www.autogeek.net/pre-wax-cleanser-polish.html)
Duragloss PreCleaner (http://www.autogeek.net/duprp6.html)
1Z Einszett Paint Polish (http://www.autogeek.net/1z-einszett-paint-polish.html)
Four Star Ultimate PreWax Cleanser (http://www.autogeek.net/four-star-paint-cleanser.html)
Griot's Garage Fine Hand Polish (http://www.autogeek.net/griots-fine-hand-polish.html)
Liquid Glass Pre-Cleaner (http://www.autogeek.net/liqglasprec.html)
Meguiars SCRATCH X 2.0 (http://www.autogeek.net/megscratxfin.html)
Meguiars SwirlX Swirl Remover (http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars-swirl-remover.html)
Mothers California Gold Pre-Wax Cleaner (http://www.autogeek.net/motcalgolpre.html)
Mothers California Gold Scratch Remover (http://www.autogeek.net/motcalgolscr.html)
P21S Gloss Enhancing Paintwork Cleanser (http://www.autogeek.net/p2paincleanl.html)
Poorboy's World Professional Polish (http://www.autogeek.net/pbpp16.html)
SONAX Premium Class Paint Cleaner (http://www.autogeek.net/sonax-premium-paint-cleaner.html)
SONAX Paint Cleaner (http://www.autogeek.net/sonax-paint-cleaner.html)



:)

[gort]

Thanks for that info, wow this community is really helpful. I'm glad I joined! I will need to do some work this weekend....

[Setec Astronomy]

At the risk of making the repaired area stand out as being shinier than the rest of the car, you should be able to get some microfiber applicators and Meguiar's Ultimate Compound at Wal-Mart and that is going to be your best bet at minimizing those scratches (some of them look too deep to take out), or just continue to use the Scratch-X per Mike's detailed instructions above.

[Mike Phillips]

Thanks for that info, wow this community is really helpful. I'm glad I joined!



It is a helpful forum... share it with your car buddies... that's Win/Win. :dblthumb2:


Just to note, for really deep scratches or lots of them, you can start out with either a microfiber or terry cloth applicator pad as the fibers act as a form of abrasive to give your compound or polish more bite and more abrading power.

This will enable you to remove paint faster and thus remove the scratches faster.

The problem is the 'fibers" that make up the applicator pad can and will leave their own cut in the paint in the process. This is normal and should be expected when doing correction work by hand.

These types of fiber scratches will be shallow and all you have to do to remove them is re-apply the same product, but switch over to a soft foam applicator pad.

Kind of a two step approach.


See these articles too...

Factors that affect how aggressive or non-aggressive a product is... (http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/28458-factors-affect-how-aggressive-non-aggressive-product.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)

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)



:)