Hello.....I have a 1986 Corvette coupe, red. I had it re-sprayed 3 years ago. Mistakes due to myself and another person.....I have scratches all around...but can't feel them with my finger nail.....no chips either. I've used scratch remover and had a guy wet sand and buff....still see scratches....but I have to look hard and have the sunlight the right angle. My question is........Is it possible just to have clear coat put on??????? One company said about a gallon would do the trick for $1300. Will putting clear coat alone do away with the scratches...or do I need to paint the car over again???????? Now I just use sealant and top it off with a liquid wax. But still see scratches from different views of the car. Thanks for any help.
Frustrated in R.I. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)
Car looks great from 2 feet.

 

If you can't catch the scratch with your fingernail, it most likely can be taken out. Post pictures if you can, but we can only help you so much over an internet forum. I'd try to go to a more reputable detailer and get a second opinion. Detailing is a skill job, and although there's a lot of detail shops, few do it correctly.

 

Maybe they are actually cracks or fractures in the clear coat or paint. Maybe there's a product that can soften the paint and bond it back up?

 

Or if you want to preserve the way have it, so it doesn't get worse, you can apply an opti-coat. I agree with Alan777.

 

This is a process that i learned from professionals and friends of Jeff Foose.

First thing you need to do is use detailing clay with clay lubricant! This will take out all of the contaminates in your paint. (you can feel the contaminates by putting a plastic baggie over your hand and running it over the paint. you will feel little bumps) After the clay, use a polish with a machine buffer. (make sure to use a multidirectional buffer and not a circular buffer!) this will take all of the swirls out that you see. Then you can go over it with a very fine grade polish to get the shine going, and finish it off with a wax of your choice! i prefer either Pinnacle products or Chemical guys, they really are the best.

What this process does is strip the wax off of your car that has built up after years of washing/waxing. People commonly think that because they are waxing their car often, it will look much better! WRONG! You are just compounding waxes on top of each other and making it hard to see the beautiful color of your paint! you just need to start over and it should fix the problem.

If you want a tutorial you can view a live webcast of a session on AUTOGEEKONLINE.NET tomorrow night!!! (thursday August 9th). They are working on a 1969 Candy Raspberry Red Mustang fastback. Go to the bottom of the homepage and you should see the webcast link. sign up for the forum and then you can view it and comment in real time which is awesome if you have any questions!! If you dont have access to the forum (because it takes about a day to gain access) then just call them up on the phone tomorrow and they will authorize your profile so you can view the live webcast. The reason i know all of this is a attended th session on a 2012 Fiat 500 a couple weeks ago and went through the same process the day of!

i hope this helps!! It sounds like you have some serious scratches though! :/

 

being a body and paint guy myself I can tell you that the scratches are in the base, you said the car was respraied 3 years ago. Did you do the prep work yourself or did the paint shop do everthing, seeing as how a wet sand and buff job dident do the trick I can tell you 90% it's is in the base. Without seeing in person I can't be 100% but maybe pics if you can get a good one.

 

 

I agree w professorX...and I can only offer one helper, as a solution
without taking the car down to the base coat..ie bring your wallet..
and have the base coat corrected and clear refinished by a good shop.
I have used "Liquid Glass" and had great results. lay on a coat..spread it out...let it haze. buff it off by hand..gently..give it 20 mins..put the car in the sun..let the first treatment get warm..lay on a second coat..
let it haze..buff off once by hand..let it sit in the sun..an hour..
take the car into a cool garage, let it cool down a bit..and then buff the snot out of it by hand...wax on wax off...and you may find some good results back out in the sun...with my DRM I do it all the time, and the car looks great from 2 feet, anyone who gets closer than two feet from your paint...call the Police !!! lol !!
Try Liquid Glass..pretty good product..not an endorsement, I just have had good results if you apply it correctly, about 25 bucks for a pint though.!
Best..Derek

 

I've used the stuff over 20 years ago and it does do wonders if applied correctly.

I would agree with the paint and body guys here, the imperfections are most likely in the base coat. See if you can post pictures so we can take a detailed look.