Haaaalp

[Furyan]

New to the world of polishing and paint correction and could use some advice. My girl,after I advised her not too,went through a automatic car wash,the kind with bristles n brushes,and ended up with a love mark from it on her new ride. The scratch on the left is deeper,I can feel it with my fingernail,the ones on the right seem to be just light scratches,can't feel them  What's the procedure,Adams products I need to fix these? I've no polisher or polish products yet. I wanna try to tackle this by hand if possible. I plan on getting a polisher eventually but for now it's not an option. Thanks

[shane@detailedreflections]

Honestly, you’re not going to take care of those by hand. You’ll never generate the speed you need to polish that out effectively. 
 

The general rule is that if you can catch a nail on the scratch, it needs a body shop to fix it. You might reduce it with polishing. 
 

If you can’t invest in the equipment, reach out to a detailer in your area and see what they can or will do for you. 
 

[mc2hill]

What Shane said^^^^

 

Many of us are hear after getting a quote for paint correction, and realizing that we could buy the equipment needed for a little more than the price of the detail.  We build the experience by working on our own cars.

[Rich]

I had a brand new Pontiac Daytona Grand Prix and two days after getting it, some kid misjudged a corner and scraped the front bumper.  This was years ago, before I had a buffer.  Clay bar, Detail Spray, and Revive Polish took 99% out.  It will help you get a lot of those soft scratches out, but not all.  But maybe enough that you can live with it.  But I'm in agreement here, a polisher would be your best option.  

[Furyan]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Rich Ill try your method for now see if that helps any. Which Adams polishing products would i need down the road besides one of the polishers? Pads? Bottles? ect. Thanks!

[07stanggt]

3 hours ago, Furyan said:

Thanks for the replies everyone. Rich Ill try your method for now see if that helps any. Which Adams polishing products would i need down the road besides one of the polishers? Pads? Bottles? ect. Thanks!

Agree with all above statements as well. Yes you will need a polisher, 2 pads of each color, a bottle of each compound, 3 different towels, and most important, SKILL to do it. Don't just ick up a polisher and go to town on your car, practice first on something else with clear coat on it. The investment for all the products you will need will be the cost of a good detail, so you can attack it yourself and have products you need to keep your cars pristine all the time or drop it off with someone and pick it up when its done. As you can see, most scratches will come out, lol !!

 

[Chris@Adams]

Even with a machine I don't believe you will be able to remove all of those, they all look pretty deep.

That being said you will be able to lessen them and make them look a little better. You can also check out Langka touch up paint.

[shane@detailedreflections]

1 hour ago, Chris@Adams said:

Even with a machine I don't believe you will be able to remove all of those, they all look pretty deep.

That being said you will be able to lessen them and make them look a little better. You can also check out Langka touch up paint.

What’s your thoughts on Langka versus Dr. ColorChip?  
 

We haven’t used them but would be open to it. 

[Chris@Adams]

I have never used Dr. Colorchip, probably pretty much the same.

[GXPaycheck]

Only difference between DR and Langka is DR supplies the paint. Both work fine. The big question is what result do you want with the scratches? Reduce them or eliminate them?

[Furyan]

Again thanks for the replies. I guess the endgame will be to reduce the scratches as much as possible,not looking for a perfect finish afterwards. I guess in the meantime I'll hit the tube and study some videos on the topic. 

[falcaineer]

20 hours ago, Furyan said:

Again thanks for the replies. I guess the endgame will be to reduce the scratches as much as possible,not looking for a perfect finish afterwards. I guess in the meantime I'll hit the tube and study some videos on the topic. 

 

Good call. Chasing perfection is a fool's errand, IMO. You can get close, but preserving the paint and living to fight another day are more important goals.

[BRZN]

*I'll start off with a disclaimer: the owner of a body shop I had my '06 GTO to fall a year ago, told me he would not even attempt to sand on a late model vehicle's original clear coat, it's too thin, and not worth the risk. I've done it successfully on many vehicles, just lucky to this point?

 

From experience, I'd say wet sanding would be needed to remove the scratch you can catch with a finger nail. Wet sanding is not for the weak of heart for sure. While sanding I'd knock down the other scratches too.

Start with 1,500 grit Wet/Dry paper, using it wet and keeping the paint surface wet.

Follow up with:

2,000 grit

2,500 grit

and finish with 3,000 grit

Sand it straight lines and alternate the grits from horizontal to vertical. This way you'll be able to see when you've removed the previous grits marks.

 

Now, without a machine you're going to get a bit of a triceps, wrist and shoulder workout.

Use Adam's New Scratch and Swirl Remover with an Orange Hex Grip Applicator

Followed up with our New Hand Polish with a Blue Hex Grip Applicator.

 

I played with this combination on a test panel Friday afternoon and appear to have been able to remove most all of the 1,500 grit equivalent scuff pad marks with a bit of effort. The white rectangular thing in the bottom of the first picture below is the white scuff pad I used to put in the marks.

 

Below are the results after working the Scratch & Swirl Remover (by hand) twice and following up with the Hand Polish

Edited March 8, 2020 by BRZN

[Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin]

23 hours ago, BRZN said:

*I'll start off with a disclaimer: the owner of a body shop I had my '06 GTO to fall a year ago, told me he would not even attempt to sand on a late model vehicle's original clear coat, it's too thin, and not worth the risk. I've done it successfully on many vehicles, just lucky to this point?

 

From experience, I'd say wet sanding would be needed to remove the scratch you can catch with a finger nail. Wet sanding is not for the weak of heart for sure. While sanding I'd knock down the other scratches too.

Start with 1,500 grit Wet/Dry paper, using it wet and keeping the paint surface wet.

Follow up with:

2,000 grit

2,500 grit

and finish with 3,000 grit

Sand it straight lines and alternate the grits from horizontal to vertical. This way you'll be able to see when you've removed the previous grits marks.

 

Now, without a machine you're going to get a bit of a triceps, wrist and shoulder workout.

Use Adam's New Scratch and Swirl Remover with an Orange Hex Grip Applicator

Followed up with our New Hand Polish with a Blue Hex Grip Applicator.

 

I played with this combination on a test panel Friday afternoon and appear to have been able to remove most all of the 1,500 grit equivalent scuff pad marks with a bit of effort. The white rectangular thing in the bottom of the first picture below is the white scuff pad I used to put in the marks.

 

 

Below are the results after working the Scratch & Swirl Remover (by hand) twice and following up with the Hand Polish

 

Agreed here. Wetsanding would most likely be whats needed to fully remove these deep scratches as a last resort before a body shop. 

 

I've started spot sanding a bit and have pretty much stuck to 3,000 grit with pretty good results.

Dave (or anybody), do you have a preferred sand paper? or any to stay away from? I've mainly been using 3m papers, but to be honest they're starting to get pricey.

[BRZN]

Brand really doesn’t matter much. I’ve found with any brand, from 2000 to 3000 grits they’re pretty much a one time use. They clog up rather quickly. I purchase from a Paint and Body supply store. Just make sure it’s a paper specifically for wet and dry use. 

[mc2hill]

 

4 hours ago, Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin said:

Agreed here. Wetsanding would most likely be whats needed to fully remove these deep scratches as a last resort before a body shop. 

 

I've started spot sanding a bit and have pretty much stuck to 3,000 grit with pretty good results.

Dave (or anybody), do you have a preferred sand paper? or any to stay away from? I've mainly been using 3m papers, but to be honest they're starting to get pricey.

 

I use inexpensive 3" hook and loop discs for headlights, but I use name brand (Meg's, 3M) sheets for use on paint.

 

And sadly, I can confirm that the clearcoat on newer cars is very thin.  I have a strike thru on my 2017 Accord rear passenger-side door from a scratch I was trying to do a quick repair on. 

[BRZN]

I tend to use the Meguiar's and 3M papers too. Also the 3M Abrasive Foam Blocks, they go to 5000 grit.

[mc2hill]

On 3/9/2020 at 5:50 PM, BRZN said:

I tend to use the Meguiar's and 3M papers too. Also the 3M Abrasive Foam Blocks, they go to 5000 grit.

 

A quick follow-up:  An industry leading person I trust mentioned he only uses Nikken brand on paint - they make the Meg's sandpaper.