How to get rid of scuff-like scratches on white plastic bumper?

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DaveInLA

New member
I picked my sister up from the airport, and when she put her luggage heavy luggage into my trunk, something scraped up against my rear plastic bumper (satin/pearl white). From certain angles (with sun), it's pretty nasty. The clearcoat is scratched up pretty good in a 2" x 3" patch. The surface is a little rough to touch now. What should I use for this? Right now, all I have is Zymol, Color-X, NXT, and a little bit of #26. Will any of these work or should I get some Scratch-X? Thanks.
 
Be careful with plastic bumpers, the paint is softer and more porous due to the flexing agents used than the metal panels. I would use ScratchX and do the best you can by hand with multiple applications for a start. Put a lot of elbow grease into it. Then if that didn't work, a buffer is the next step.
 
I would use 3000 grit 3M rubbing compound and do 3 passes with the orange pad on PC. Then use SFX-3 or another aggressive polish that will get out the scratches from the 3000. Then use less abrasive polish to restore shine.
 
Do you have a pic? I colored mine in, then used a medical q-tip to apply clearcoat. You got to understand I can't see how bad it is. ScratchX will only get out a fingernail scratch. Nothing you can feel with your finger.

color it in 3 coats then sand then clear coat, then sand, then 3000 grit rubbing compound, then polish to beauty. I did it many many times. Just did it on a '37 Triple Black Ford.
 
Sure you can. Click on New Reply at the bottom of the thread, then click manage attachments and you can attach your picture. There's a limit on resolution, I think about 500x400 so you will have to resize the image with some software, possibly the one that came with the camera.
 
buellwinkle said:
Sure you can. Click on New Reply at the bottom of the thread, then click manage attachments and you can attach your picture. There's a limit on resolution, I think about 500x400 so you will have to resize the image with some software, possibly the one that came with the camera.
Click to expand...



I'll see if I can do it tomorrow, but 500x400 is VERY low resolution. Not sure what detail I can pick up with that.
 
DaveInLA said:
I'll see if I can do it tomorrow, but 500x400 is VERY low resolution. Not sure what detail I can pick up with that.
Click to expand...



I here ya, my monitor is 1680x1050, so it's not a very large picture compared to the old days when people where happy with a 640x480 monitor. But if you crop out the unnecessery you can show what you need to show.
 
Bah, I can't seem to take a good photo of it. It must be too bright outside or something, even in the shade. I tried playing around with Photoshop, and it still doesn't show.



Anyway, I was wrong when I intially said that it felt rough to the touch. After I washed and waxed the area, it smoothened out, but at the right angle, it's still visible. Seems pretty superficial, probably just the clearcoat.
 
I got a scratch I could feel with my fingernail in my front bumper but it wasn't down to the primer. I was pretty upset because at first it looked bad. I used Scratch X and was able to get most of it out. Now only from below the bumper (as in lying on the ground) in a certain light can you see it. Most times I can't even find it, never mind see it. This is on a red car so with white you should have more luck.



I'd try the Scratch X and see how it goes. Start off mild and work your way up if needed.
 
As an aside, I have a lot of scratches on my radio display inside the car. The display is a hard plastic, about 5" x 7". Can I use Scratch-X on that?
 
I would use a dedicated plastic cleaner/polish for the radio display. Megs 17 (plastic cleaner) and 10 (plastic polish) works great for small scratches. I have a black plastic display on my radio and it cleans up nicely with these products. Use a high quality microfiber towel for buffing out.



This thread may help you on this.
 
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