Buffing threw clear....>???

**Rival** · 07-19-2016, 04:05 PM

i have pics under a halogen light after each session/pass. He smokes cigs, so every few times he'd be outside id pull him over and show him. The whole door though, the specific area isnt buffed a ton, i did the whole door and told him that it wouldnt have as much clear as the rest and it CANT be buffed again.

**BillE** · 07-20-2016, 07:22 AM

Having a brain pause here...what's "TSR"?

Bill

**Setec Astronomy** · 07-20-2016, 07:36 AM

Originally Posted by Rival

i did the whole door and told him that it wouldnt have as much clear as the rest and it CANT be buffed again.

That doesn't sound like a very good plan. As others have said, I would stop now. As others have said, perhaps it would have been better to fill this scratch and level it to the surrounding paint, rather than level the surrounding paint (or the whole door) to the depth of the scratch.

Originally Posted by BillE

Having a brain pause here...what's "TSR"?

I believe that's Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover.

**Rival** · 07-20-2016, 08:25 AM

Originally Posted by rmagnus

I feel sorry for the next guy in a couple months that doesn't have a paint guage and tries to remove the remains of these scratches. You'll never know what's been done without playing doctor sleuth. At least you know if he asks you to do more work on it in the future. Keep notes or pics in your files.

Removing scratches is a matter of when not if you'll ever get a burn through. Getting impatient is a kiss of death. It's when you keep chasing perfection when it bites you in the butt.

it will be me. ive done all three of their cars, he was just hell bent to get this out after i did well on their other 2 cars.

**Eric@CherryOnTop** · 07-20-2016, 08:15 PM

My personal opinion on this is a little bit against the norm, and I do this with customers who I know personally and who will follow what I'm saying...

If the scratch is so bad that the car needs to go to the body shop, you can count on probably a 400-600 dollar bill. If they want, I will detail the whole car (usually with an all in one) and wetsand the scratch out. When I do this I sand a little bit then take a paint thickness reading. Sand a bit more, paint thickness reading, etc. until the scratch is gone. If I'm able to do it successfully, super. I saved them a trip to the body shop and detailed the whole car, all for less money than they would have spent at the body shop. If I burn the clear, I don't charge them and they're in the same exact place they were when they brought the car, headed for a trip to the body shop.

**Setec Astronomy** · 07-20-2016, 10:51 PM

Originally Posted by ekennett

If the scratch is so bad that the car needs to go to the body shop, you can count on probably a 400-600 dollar bill. If they want, I will detail the whole car (usually with an all in one) and wetsand the scratch out. When I do this I sand a little bit then take a paint thickness reading. Sand a bit more, paint thickness reading, etc. until the scratch is gone. If I'm able to do it successfully, super. I saved them a trip to the body shop and detailed the whole car, all for less money than they would have spent at the body shop. If I burn the clear, I don't charge them and they're in the same exact place they were when they brought the car, headed for a trip to the body shop.

That sounds logical. So are you saying that the OP should continue until the scratch is gone? Or not because he has no PTG?

**Eric@CherryOnTop** · 07-21-2016, 05:24 AM

Originally Posted by Setec Astronomy

That sounds logical. So are you saying that the OP should continue until the scratch is gone? Or not because he has no PTG?

I guess that would be a judgement call. I like to know how much paint I'm taking off and I have a limit on how far I'm willing to go. Even if you can remove the scratch without burning the clear, you're still compromising the long term durability of the clear coat.

**BillE** · 07-21-2016, 07:32 AM

Originally Posted by Setec Astronomy

...I believe that's Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover.

Thanx! Yea, brain f**t.

Bill

**Setec Astronomy** · 07-21-2016, 07:33 AM

Originally Posted by BillE

Thanx! Yea, brain f**t.

Nah, too many acronyms, too little time.

**VAS** · 07-21-2016, 07:58 AM

I usually tell everyone that shows me noticeable scratches " I can make this less noticeable, I probably can't remove it completely" If they understand that then I give it a shot. Normally on a rotary I keep the speed relatively slow, and pick up speed after I get a better feel for the clear coat hardness. I'll make 5-6 passes with a cutting pad, and a fairly aggressive product before polishing it out. What ever it looks like after these 5-6 passes is normally good enough. It's either gone completely, or any white sharp lines have been rounded off, and it's only noticeable from a few feet away. This usually makes people happy. If not "Sorry buddy it needs to be repainted". If I were in your situation and he wants you to make another attempt I'd use a less aggressive polish that you have in your arsenal, and a medium cut pad and just give it a few more wipes. Show a good effort, and tell him if he wants it any better than that he's going to need to have it repainted. The main issue is from what i've seen on my own stuff from my earlier years of starting out with the buffer if you completely remove these scratches it'll look GREAT right now, but if they don't keep it sealed and clean a few sap spots, and a couple specks of bird poop sitting in the sun is all it'll take to make that clear coat start to blister up. You don't want to be liable for that.