Scratch Repair-Help please

**Dbuckeye** · 08-31-2018, 04:52 PM

Hello all,
I really enjoy this site. It’s a great resource. I have a scratch on my 2010 Acura TL. Color is metallic grey. I’m unsure of how the scratch occurred. It is about 5 inches long. I can catch my fingernail in it a little bit, but just in about the middle 2 inches of the scratch. I’ve read a lot of the scratch repair threads on the forum. I guess I’m unsure if this is something that should be filled/painted then polished, or if it might buff out without paint. I have a scratch wizard kit and the correct paint. I also have a Quixx PSR system kit. I would really appreciate advice on how you would approach fixing this. It doesn’t need to be perfection, but I’d like to hide it really well. Pics attached, sorry about the quality. The scratch is horizontal starting near the rear light.

Thanks everyone for your time,

**PaulMys** · 08-31-2018, 05:01 PM

Welcome to AGO! Do you own a machine polisher?

**rlmccarty2000** · 08-31-2018, 08:04 PM

Machine polishing would be the best way to remove/minimize the scratch. I’ve used scratch removers by hand before and the results were poor. The reason being is the machine spreads the pressure more evenly than you can do by hand. Putting some polish on a microfiber and using your finger is the best way to make your problem worse as you can go through the clear coat. If you do decide to try by hand, use a polishing pad and work in circular motions, not up and down or side to side. A detailer would fix it in a few minutes at minimal cost or you could try a body shop.

**Dbuckeye** · 09-02-2018, 01:59 AM

Originally Posted by PaulMys

Welcome to AGO! Do you own a machine polisher?

I don’t own one. Could you suggest a good one for a beginner to buy. Also some direction on how you would go about working on this type of scratch? Thank you!

**Dbuckeye** · 09-02-2018, 02:01 AM

What compound should I use if I’m going to try this by hand? Thank you!

**Farmallluvr** · 09-02-2018, 07:34 AM

I noticed the Advance Auto Part stores have a lot of Griots Garage product,including correcting cream and a Griots 6 inch random orbital polisher so if you wanted to fix it today you coould.

rlmmccarty2000 said but I'll repeat it that I don't think you'll achieve what you want by hand ,instead of having one 5 inch scratch you'll have 10,000 micro scratches around it dulling the finish ,,I too have not had a lot of success removing scratches by hand

**Dbuckeye** · 09-02-2018, 08:11 AM

[QUOTE=Farmallluvr;1594705]I noticed the Advance Auto Part stores have a lot of Griots Garage product,including correcting cream and a Griots 6 inch random orbital polisher so if you wanted to fix it today you coould.

rlmmccarty2000 said but I'll repeat it that I don't think you'll achieve what you want by hand ,instead of having one 5 inch scratch you'll have 10,000 micro scratches around it dulling the finish ,,I too have not had a lot of success removing scratches by hand[Thank you for the info. I may head over to advance. Any tips on using the polisher effectively?

**Farmallluvr** · 09-02-2018, 08:59 AM

this should help,I like medium pressure on kind of a medium setting ....but run it on a lower speed until you get used to the machine than gradually move up your speed and pressure and always keep it moving,,you'll probably enjoy it so much you'll want to do the whole car so pick up a claybar and lube while you're at it.

Auto Detailing Facts, auto detailing Tips, How to detailing Guides, how to polish, how to wax, DIY detailing, do it yourself guides

**LSNAutoDetailing** · 09-02-2018, 12:49 PM

Rich is correct about machine polishing, however, here is what I would do first. If you can get some Megs 105 or even better M101, a microfiber applicator pad and plenty of Microfiber towels. You might start by working a small section of the scratch by hand, and see what type of progress you make. Using a by hand method will allow you to work small, and apply as little or as much pressure as needed while reducing heat buildup. Keep some Meguiars 205 and perhaps even some Meguiars #7 on hand.

Then once you've leveled the scratch out you can do a two step process using cutting pads and polishing pads on a DA. I have got these types of scratches out before, such as a the belt buckle scratch on a door caused by a mechanic on a fairly new Chevy while he was fixing sun roof issue. If you are new to using a DA, one mistake to avoid is using a DA with the mentality of "I'm going to get that darn scratch out", because your next post on the forum will be; "Is this clear coat burn???"

The DA is designed to be used in a 16" area, making consistent overlapping passes (usually 6 to 8) to remove defects. If you stay on one spot with the intent of getting that scratch out, you will have heat build up, and that leads to clear-coat burn.

My suggestion is to first, work small, work by hand.. The 101/105 will cause marring, don't be alarmed by this, the 205 followed up by #7 will clear that up. If that doesn't work then either try to work it yourself with DA after you've done some home work and or take it to a detailer. Always work with the fact that you know it's there, but will others know at 3' away??

Where are you located? Wondering if there are any AGO members in your area.

**itsgn** · 09-02-2018, 03:11 PM

Originally Posted by Dbuckeye

I would really appreciate advice on how you would approach fixing this. ,

IMHO this scratch is too thin and shallow to fill up with paint. You might try to do it, but I think the sanding paper will just rip the touch up paint (that is, the teeny tiny amount what you could put in there) right off the scratch. That's the bad news. The good news is, that you most likely can diminish it by just compounding it, because it doesn't look like if it would reach down into the primer or to the bare metal. Of course you'd need a machine polisher to do that, but by rounding off the edges of the scratch the whiteness of it should be gone, and it should became essentially invisible, except from a very specific angle.