Help !Scratches!!!
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 41
Likes: 0
From: San Francisco
Help !Scratches!!!
Hi,
I am new vette ower(owned mine for 2 weeks). Was spotless when I bought it used from a dealer. I washed and waxed mine a couple of days ago, and soon after noticed some surface scratches that werent there before. Not sure if I got them during driving or from waxing or something else.
What do you do to get rid of shallow small scratches (about an inch long, not deep)? Can you buff ? Do you have to take them to a professional for a touch up ? How much would something like that cost ?
Any advice from the experienced is appreciated.
Thanks !
I am new vette ower(owned mine for 2 weeks). Was spotless when I bought it used from a dealer. I washed and waxed mine a couple of days ago, and soon after noticed some surface scratches that werent there before. Not sure if I got them during driving or from waxing or something else.
What do you do to get rid of shallow small scratches (about an inch long, not deep)? Can you buff ? Do you have to take them to a professional for a touch up ? How much would something like that cost ?
Any advice from the experienced is appreciated.
Thanks !
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 12,346
Likes: 5
From: Mustang OK
The Car Care Products section of the forum is the best place to go for help on these type problems. Several knowledgeable people hang out there. Good luck! 
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 11,651
Likes: 9
From: HOW FAST WAS I GOING OFFICER? Los Angeles Hating GM Dealership Service Dept.'s Since Sept. 2004
St. Jude Donor '04-'05-'06-'07
If you're talking about swirl marks or "spider webs", those may be the "normal" kind. Some waxes leave streaks too. Meguiar's and 3M make good swirl mark removers. Don't panic ... just yet.
Pro
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 602
Likes: 0
From: Walnut CA
1. Even though you say "shallow", we cannot really advise you unless we know how deep the scratches are.
2. Unless you know what you are doing, you could easily go throught the clearcoat. That you need to ask on the Forum about buffing versus touchup by a professional indicates that you may not be all that experienced with sandpaper and buffing to remove scratches.
3. You might save yourself a lot of heartache if you let an experienced paint guy look at it first.
4. Don't go look at it every hour and in the middle of the night - the scratches will still be there.
2. Unless you know what you are doing, you could easily go throught the clearcoat. That you need to ask on the Forum about buffing versus touchup by a professional indicates that you may not be all that experienced with sandpaper and buffing to remove scratches.
3. You might save yourself a lot of heartache if you let an experienced paint guy look at it first.
4. Don't go look at it every hour and in the middle of the night - the scratches will still be there.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 41
Likes: 0
From: San Francisco
No,no not the swirl marks that you can see if you look at the right angle in the sun. Those I find mostly on the trunk. These are like scratches long and straight, thin, you dont see them until you are on top of them. But they seem to be done by something external.
Administrator
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 368,370
Likes: 24,790
From: In a parallel universe. Currently own 2014 Stingray Coupe.
C7 of the Year - Modified Finalist 2021
MO Events Coordinator
St. Jude Co-Organizer
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
NCM Sinkhole Donor
CI 5, 8 & 11 Veteran
I use a product called Adam's Polishes Scratch Out (can be bought from West Coast Corvettes or the manufacturer) and it does a good job of making minor surface scratches disappear. 3M makes a good scratch remover also.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski