I need some advice please. My '99 has it's fair share of scratches and swirl marks from years of washes, daily driving, etc. I've used the Zaino swirl filler, 3M swirl remover, and a porter cable buffer and can cover them up for awhile but they always re-appear after a month or so.
This morning one the way to work a low hanging branch caught the entire passenger side of my Vette putting a nice scratch all the way down.

It is time for drastic action. Can anyone recommend some options for me? re-paint? body-shop re-do?
I'm in Atlanta and go to Tom Jumper for service and am thinking about talking to them as well.

Can body shop buff them out? please help, any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

Some wet sanding by a professional should help, but I'll let the pros chime in with more detail.

One good thing to know, it all can be fixed.

 

Sounds like the towels you use. I get these even using the best care possible when drying, even have to be careful usung a Cal. Duster. I usually blow the water off with a leaf blower, than use micro-fiber towels to detail.
I would say you need to re-buff using the products you mentioned, maybe even try 3M Perfect It, with foam pads, or get it professionally detailed, and try to maintain it from that point.
Hello Glenn

 

Wet sanding yields amazing results in the hands of a professional. The tirck is not to take off too much of the clear. In any event, you have two options as I see it, 1) Wet Sand and Buff w Rotory Buffer or 2) Rotory Buffer by itself. Check around your area and find a shop with someone that has a good reputation for quality work. Check with both detail and body shops. As long as the scratches are on the surface, you should not have to re-paint. Good Luck.

 

You might want to try a clar bar before the sanding, it might take the swirl marks out. But the scratch from the tree, that might be too deep for clay bar.

 

sounds like a good plan, I'm going to start my research for a good local Atlanta shop. Thanks guys!

 

Give Corvette Country in Atlanta a call. They come very highly recommended by lots of local vette guys with different generation vettes.

 

Clay bar will remove all dirt that the eye can not see this should be done before doing anymore buffing or polishing. Claying will not remove swirl marks....these marks are in your clearcoat and they are basically a scratch.
You can use a more aggresive buffing compound to remove the heavy scratches and back off from there or as mentioned you can wet sand. But becareful wet sanding...if you have never done it before you dont want to start out on the vette....if you do stay away from corners and edges that is where the CC and paint are the thinest.
Understand that if you have a scratch that you can feel with a fingernail it can not be buffed out and if you wet sand now at somepoint when you get scratches again ( you will everybody does) you will need to repaint.
There are many products out there you can use and I am sure they all do a good job. I can only speak on the Meguiars line.
You need to get an orbital buffer with foam pads.
Try these items in this order...they get more aggresive as they go down and they basically remove the scrath by cutting into the clear to do so....while doing so they create smaller more numerous scratches so the trick then is to continue to step down in aggresion until you get to the wax and it hides the smallest scratches to the human eye.

1. NXT or Gold Class wax
2. ScratchX
3. Swirl remover M-0916
4. Fine Cut Cleaner M-0216
5. Medium Cut Cleaner M-0116
6. Diamond cut M-8532 (this starts to get very aggresive becareful with this it will cut through in a heartbeat)
7.Heavy Cut M-4916 (same as above this is like sandpaper in liquid form....becareful with this.

If you need more help or have questions call 1-800-347-5700 and ask for Mike Phillips , Greg Stohl or Paul Ruiz these guys can walk you through and make recommendations.
Mike Phillips is the best I have ever seen with a buffer
Hope this helps
Or you can make a road trip to Pa and I will help you out

 

Try POORBOYS.COM....they have great SSR(Swirl/SCRATCH Remover) and other great products. Try it, works great....

 

thanks again for all the advice, once again the CF comes to the rescue.

 

I've noticed on the sharper corners of my millenium yellow vette (most noticeable on the hatchback rear end) the color has worn off and you can see a white base coat or primer.