Hopfully someone here will be able to help me. My car got hit in a parking lot by a door (im assuming). it did a pretty god scratch job on the paint. I am looking for a way to buff it out or to get it back to normal without repainting. its small enough to buff, but big enough to notice. it is also a Mag Red so I dont feel like spending $$$ and time to take it to a shop to repaint. but i will if i have to. i have attached a couple of pics so someone can give me a hint. As always....thanks CF

 

 

If you can feel that it is scratched DOWN into the panel. Then it will require painting or touch up of some type.

If it is residue left form the car that hit you. Then carefully by hand...you can lightly compound/polish it out. Do not get to aggressive with your rubbing...due to the factory clearcoat is thin at best...and you do not want to remove the clearcoat and expose your basecoat red to the sun...which will cause it to fade quickly. If you get red on your towel...you went too far..

"DUB"

 

Thanks for the tip Dub. Im just hoping its the residue. I cant really tell if it is scratched or just a layer of paint. Dont want to dig into it too much with risk of scratching the paint. Do you have any compound\polish recommendations or methods?

 

try a small dab of toothpaste on a soft rag.. looks like its just on the surface to me..

 

If the tooth paste and soft towel method does not work. Swing by a paint and body shop with a couple of small jars with lids. Have them bring out some of their compounds and polishes. You will want to rub the compound between your fingers and it should have a VERY,VERY LIGHT grit feel to it....but yet still be creamy. Similar to if you added a bit of water to "Comet" or "AJAX". If the compound feels like it has salt particles in it...or particvles that you can actually feel...and they feel large...then it is too coarse for this type of repair. AS for the polish...it should not have any grit feel to it.

AS for you doing it by hand. I seriously doubt that you will damage the paint. You want to apply light pressure..and make sure that you have enough of the compound on your towel so it can do its job. Take it slow and DO NOT CONCENTRATE in ONE SPOT. Kinda move your towel around a little bit. And area about the size of a dollar bill folded in half will do. You if you get it down to very small spots that are remaining. You can concentrate on them but watch the pressue you are applying to these spots. SLOW and STEADY wins THIS RACE. And depending on the amount of residue left on your panel. It may take a while ...due to using a lightly abrasive compound.

Once you get it all off. Then apply your polish.

DO this out of the direct sunlight and when the paint is cool to the touch. And make sure that you panel is clean before starting...so you do not grind in grit from the road.

"DUB"

 

customryder -- dude, u rock. toothpaste worked like a charm. Quick question, was wondering if it has any affect on the finish? I was considering washing the car this weekend, get all the dirt off and go around the car with toothpaste and find small blemishes. Then go back and wash, clay and wax it.

But once again, I give you some props.

 

the toothpaste wont hurt anything.. it will not work as well if the clearcoat is scratched.. you will need something a little more agressive.. just dont go wild with it... you could do more damage than good..

 

Dub, I've been building cars for years and never tried toothpaste for crud removal. Thanks for teaching me something today.

 

cyclops, lets give credit where credit is due. i believe it was customryder that came up with the toothpaste tip.

 

YEP...That was NOT me who gave that information. I gave the info on compound textures and polish. I can not take credit for the toothpaste "tip"..,..that CREDIT goes to "customryder".

"DUB"

 

thanks to everyone for the help. Another quick question. did a decent detail on my car today and unfortunately i have a small gash on my gas door and rock chips on the sideview mirrors, hood and nose clip. im wondering what the best way to take care of these is? its a Mag Red so it becomes expensive and time consuming to get it painted. however, next year when it stops becoming my daily, i wouldnt mind getting the whole thing repainted to take out the blemishes as well as getting a clear bra and clear coverings for the mirrors and wheel wells. any good advice would be great.

 

From a painters point of view:
1.) I would not wax your car. This is so the wax will not bake into these chips and others blemishes. Using a good polish is fine...but no wax. IF wax is used...and dries into these blemishes...then problems can occur with paint adhesion. This is also depending on how far down the shop chooses to prep your existing paint for a re-paint. IF you do continue to wax it...LET THEM KNOW THAT YOU DO!!!!. DO NOT USE any products (if possible) that contain SILICONE or TEFLON. IF you do...once again...let the shop know. Dont let it be one of "those" situations that when you get it painted...and six months later ( if that) your paint starts "flying" off. And when you take it back to the shop...you say, "OH...by the way...I used this "once a year" silicone/teflon-polyglycoat stuff on my car". AND expect to get a "smiling" face looking back at you.

I can not count the number of cars I see that have chips filled in with baked on wax. It changes the prepping process ENTIRELY!!!!

And for what it is worth. Applying anything on top of fresh paint is a NO-NO in my book. It will take some time for the paint to cure (and I do not mean force dried one cycle). SO... NO BRAS or PLASTIC CHIP GUARD products. Especially if it is in an area where the sun can beat down on it. There are some "variables" in these statements I made that can allow the clear appliques to be added. But it all depends on the amount of time under an infra-red heat lamp (or other force drying method)...if the clear coat is "open cut"...and then type of clear and amount that was applied.

AS for touching up these areas of concern. The choice is yours. Often times when touching up a solid color the process is a lot easier than touching up a color that has metallics or pearls in it.

"DUB"