Help! Scratches in clear coat/paint

Dmopar1 · Oct 15, 2017

Just did something stupid. Was washing my truck and was getting bug guts and tar off of my truck with a "scrubby sponge". Did not realize it was not a non scratch nylon type, and scratched the mess out of my truck in about 3 places. Of course I didn't see this until after the truck was dry. Dark blue paint.

What is the best way to get the scratches out?

Luckily I noticed the scratches before I washed the wife's car.....whew !!

Thanks,
Don

bhonshell37 · Oct 15, 2017

Do you have a daul action polisher and pads

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S0CAL · Oct 15, 2017

Check out Adam's Premium Care Care not just for the products (which I absolutely trust and use) but for the how-to videos. You can do paint correction yourself and these videos will boost your confidence. I use the Porter Cable random orbital and Adam's pads and correction polish. It is idiot proof -- I should know, being one myself! Good luck and post before and after pics!

ramportin1 · Oct 15, 2017

Orange hex pad and chemical guys V36 with a PC. about a bazillion scratches and swirls disappeared lol and that was only one pass. Stuff is magic (and with the PC also idiot proof which is why I use it [emoji23] )

Never used Adam's but I've only heard good things.

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Dmopar1 · Oct 15, 2017

No I do not have an orbital polisher. I do have an orbital sander...LOL. Woodworker here. I might try the 3M scratch remover kit and use my cordless drill. Here are a couple pics of the damage I caused.

S0CAL · Oct 15, 2017

Dmopar1 said:
No I do not have an orbital polisher. I do have an orbital sander...LOL. Woodworker here. I might try the 3M scratch remover kit and use my cordless drill. Here are a couple pics of the damage I caused.

I strongly discourage you from using a drill. It is very unforgiving and potentially too many RPMs which could burn through your clear coat. Do you have a buddy who has an orbital? Those Portal Cables are super cheap and are bullet proof.

Wish I were closer, I would love to dial that in for ya. :naughty:

bhonshell37 · Oct 15, 2017

Dmopar1 said:
No I do not have an orbital polisher. I do have an orbital sander...LOL. Woodworker here. I might try the 3M scratch remover kit and use my cordless drill. Here are a couple pics of the damage I caused.

Harbor freight has a daul action polisher for less than 50 dollars. They also carry Meguiars M105 and M205. And if you cannot wait to order pads, they do have some very cheap foam pads

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NJ4X4 · Oct 15, 2017

Personally, I would lightly compound it by hand....then polish and wax. If it's not completely removed, you might want to invest in a DrColorChip kit. I recently tried it and it worked so well, I bought a kit for every car I have. The stuff is amazing.

chrisbh17 · Oct 15, 2017

Least aggressive method first, always! A clean microfiber towel and some polish would be a good start. The suggestion of Meguiars 105/205 is a good one....205 is the lighter weight so I would try that first.

The HF DA is, IMHO, a "gem" from HF. It sounds a little rough (plenty of DIYs on replacing the grease) but works great and is more powerful than the classic PC everyone has started with. I havent tried their pads, though...I just did my Bright White '17 1500 with the HF DA, Lake Country white polishing pad and Optimum HyperPolish and had little to no issues getting rid of swirls.

But first try by hand....if you dont want to buy a quart jug of 205, let us know what stores you have near you and maybe we can guess at whats available for you.

DO NOT use the drill powered method....the DA polishers are "safe" because they are random orbital so they dont stay in one place the whole time. A drill WILL, and WILL cause more damage very quickly.

Dmopar1 · Oct 15, 2017

Thanks for all the good advice. I'll try some polish or compound first by hand and see what happens.

Maybe I can catch a deal on Groupon and have a local detailer do the whole truck.

Know of any in the Raleigh area? LOL

chrisbh17 · Oct 15, 2017

Dmopar1 said:
Thanks for all the good advice. I'll try some polish or compound first by hand and see what happens.

Maybe I can catch a deal on Groupon and have a local detailer do the whole truck.

Know of any in the Raleigh area? LOL

Go on AutoGeek forums and post in the regional sub forums looking for a detailer.

Thats how I found the mobile guy that I use and he worked out great.

But honestly you can probably fix it with a little more time and the right products/process.

Pull Ya · Oct 15, 2017

If you are truly interested in curing your scratch problem, please listen to the advice some of the guys have given you. Trying to remove scratches by hand is a long process that in a lot of cases doesn't turn out well. Also as was stated, ALWAYS use the LEAST abrasive solution first. A compound will in all likelihood contain too much abrasive and you will end up with more scratches than you have now. Look around for a buffer and see what you can find. Porter Cable is a good one that doesn't cost an arm and leg. If you don't want to mess with the buffer, you can find some polishes that will "fill" the scratches, however the polish will not remove the scratch and they will come back after you wash your truck a couple of times. You can also try a professional detailer like you mentioned. I'd just hate to see you cause more damage than you have. The information that has been given is in this thread is pretty good info.
Good luck with your search for a solution
Jay

averageguy · Oct 22, 2017

Take it to a privately owned body shop and ask them how much to wheel out these spots. A guy that knows what he is doing with a wheel and all the different compounds at hand could fix those in 30 minutes tops.

Help! Scratches in clear coat/paint

Dmopar1

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bhonshell37

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S0CAL

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ramportin1

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Dmopar1

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