Need Advice on Fixing Scratch
- Thread starter msmith638
- Start date
Foam typicaly provides a more even coat while using less product at the same time. Also, when using terry applicators with wax, the terry "nap" tends to load up with wan and can cut into the paint casing mild swirl marks. Dont use lots-o pressure, just enough to spread the product across the car. Some hand glaze and a coat or two of blitz will kake the car look great ...but remember, IHG is simply temorary oil based fillers and after the first wash or so, the swirls will re-appear. You might want to consider using an abrasive polish such as 3M FinnesseIt II, followed by the hand glaze and two coats of wax. That should make the car look great. Mothers and one grand have a system just like this of polish, glaze, wax.
JasonC8301
New member
Blitz wax should be applied with light pressure. It will go on smoothly. Wait till Blitz hazes over. It should take about 20 minutes, longer if it is cold/humid. I make sure of it and wait for 45 minutes.
As for the swirls, most forum members want to remove them before putting sealant/wax on a car. The 3M IHG just fills them in and by putting the Blitz on, it just prolongs this swirl hiding. Once Blitz is worn away, the swirls will come back. If the swirls are very very light, 3M Swirl Mark Remover will be a fine abrasive to remove the swirls. Try this first, because I have heard Acura paint is very soft and delicate.
Is your Acura a daily driver? Garage Queen? Garaged daily driver? What type of climate conditions does your car face? I am 100% sure I will not be waxing a car at 40 degrees F, washing sure 40 degrees is ok to wash, any where above freezing. Wax has to be applied when the temp is around 65 degrees F.
Happy Detailing,
Jason
EDIT: use foam as Brad said, and SL's advice is right on.
Also prevent swirls from being put onto the paint. Use quality wash mitts, the two bucket method of washing the car, good foam applicators, and quality towels.
As for the swirls, most forum members want to remove them before putting sealant/wax on a car. The 3M IHG just fills them in and by putting the Blitz on, it just prolongs this swirl hiding. Once Blitz is worn away, the swirls will come back. If the swirls are very very light, 3M Swirl Mark Remover will be a fine abrasive to remove the swirls. Try this first, because I have heard Acura paint is very soft and delicate.
Is your Acura a daily driver? Garage Queen? Garaged daily driver? What type of climate conditions does your car face? I am 100% sure I will not be waxing a car at 40 degrees F, washing sure 40 degrees is ok to wash, any where above freezing. Wax has to be applied when the temp is around 65 degrees F.
Happy Detailing,
Jason
EDIT: use foam as Brad said, and SL's advice is right on.
Also prevent swirls from being put onto the paint. Use quality wash mitts, the two bucket method of washing the car, good foam applicators, and quality towels.
Acura paint is very thin so I want to be very careful. Since that is the case you I stay away from 3M FI2 or 3M SMR?? The car is my daily driver, about 18-20,000 miles per year. I do use the two bucket wash so I'm not sure how I put the swirls in the car. I've only owned it about 3 months. So should I stick with the Imperial Hand glaze? I can see the swirl marks in the sun but would say they are not very deep.
While waxing my 10-week old baby this weekend I discovered an almost invisible 4-inch scratch on the fender. It is very narrow, like the edge of a razor blade. Unfortunately, my fingernail catches on it for much of the length of the scratch, so it is not shallow.
As I say, it is almost invisible. My guess is that it happened during manufacture, during delivery, or at the dealer and was hidden until now by some prep product.
What is your advice on removing or hiding it?
My first thought was Meguiars M105, or M205 if necessary to remove the scratch. But the depth of the scratch makes me wonder if they might do more harm than good (remove clear coat but not the scratch).
So I might be better off just trying to hide the scratch. Would something like Meguiars Speed Glaze be a good choice?
:Car smiley:
As I say, it is almost invisible. My guess is that it happened during manufacture, during delivery, or at the dealer and was hidden until now by some prep product.
What is your advice on removing or hiding it?
My first thought was Meguiars M105, or M205 if necessary to remove the scratch. But the depth of the scratch makes me wonder if they might do more harm than good (remove clear coat but not the scratch).
So I might be better off just trying to hide the scratch. Would something like Meguiars Speed Glaze be a good choice?
:Car smiley:
imported_Stokdgs
New member
Sorry to hear about the scratch on your new car.
What color and what brand of vehicle? What do you want to see happen?
I guess there are polishes, waxes, products, out there that can hide alot of swirls, light scratches and stuff, but I would never use them unless a customer said to. And even if you can hide this it will always come back out when the product wears off, washes off, etc.. Is it wide enough that it might need touch up paint instead?
What do you see inside the scratch at the bottom of it? Same color as the paint? A different color? Light gray?
Anytime you level the paint down across the scratch with a compound, you should remove a little of the scratch at a time, usually starting with the ends of it and working toward the middle of the scratch.
Its new paint, so you should have a good amount on it, to start taking the scratch down so where it is not so noticeable, or hopefully gone.
If you have access to a buffer or a random orbital, I would if it was me, start with the M205 with say, an orange pad, and see if it improves, and if not, go to 105, same color pad. The random orbital will be more user friendly, and not as "agressive" as the rotary buffer, but if you have and know how to use a rotary buffer, its always going to be much faster, but also more agressive in the amount of paint it removes quickly, so use slower speeds and watch your work. Need good lighting on the side if possible so you can really see the scratch better.
If the rest of the paint is already detailed out, then I would concentrate on the scratch as best as I can, using the outside edge of the front of the pad as much as possible, go slow, keep a good eye on your work, stop frequently, wipe it off, and see how its going.
I find that most scratches can come out or definitely look less noticible once you level the paint on them , which smooths them out.
Good luck, post a pic if you can, so we can all see what you are talking about.
Dan F
What color and what brand of vehicle? What do you want to see happen?
I guess there are polishes, waxes, products, out there that can hide alot of swirls, light scratches and stuff, but I would never use them unless a customer said to. And even if you can hide this it will always come back out when the product wears off, washes off, etc.. Is it wide enough that it might need touch up paint instead?
What do you see inside the scratch at the bottom of it? Same color as the paint? A different color? Light gray?
Anytime you level the paint down across the scratch with a compound, you should remove a little of the scratch at a time, usually starting with the ends of it and working toward the middle of the scratch.
Its new paint, so you should have a good amount on it, to start taking the scratch down so where it is not so noticeable, or hopefully gone.
If you have access to a buffer or a random orbital, I would if it was me, start with the M205 with say, an orange pad, and see if it improves, and if not, go to 105, same color pad. The random orbital will be more user friendly, and not as "agressive" as the rotary buffer, but if you have and know how to use a rotary buffer, its always going to be much faster, but also more agressive in the amount of paint it removes quickly, so use slower speeds and watch your work. Need good lighting on the side if possible so you can really see the scratch better.
If the rest of the paint is already detailed out, then I would concentrate on the scratch as best as I can, using the outside edge of the front of the pad as much as possible, go slow, keep a good eye on your work, stop frequently, wipe it off, and see how its going.
I find that most scratches can come out or definitely look less noticible once you level the paint on them , which smooths them out.
Good luck, post a pic if you can, so we can all see what you are talking about.
Dan F
Thanks for your reply.
I just tried taking a photo but it doesn't show up well at all. The scratch is about the thickness of a fine human hair, and 4 to 6 inches long.
I do have a Porter Cable 7424XP, but this would be my first time using it or any machine polisher. I was thinking I'd try it by hand first, and then go to machine if advisable.
The car is a Corvette and the color is Atomic Orange.
The scratch is the color of the paint as far as I can tell, which I suppose means in theory it can be removed.
I would much rather remove it permanently than hide it. :wizard:
I just tried taking a photo but it doesn't show up well at all. The scratch is about the thickness of a fine human hair, and 4 to 6 inches long.
I do have a Porter Cable 7424XP, but this would be my first time using it or any machine polisher. I was thinking I'd try it by hand first, and then go to machine if advisable.
The car is a Corvette and the color is Atomic Orange.
The scratch is the color of the paint as far as I can tell, which I suppose means in theory it can be removed.
I would much rather remove it permanently than hide it. :wizard:
imported_Stokdgs
New member
A beautiful color on a beautiful car, for sure !!
If its the width of a fine human hair, and you dont see a dfferent color at the bottom of it, I would venture to say it will come out just fine.
What color, size, and brand of pads do you have?
For something that narrow, I would want to use at 4" pad with corresponding backing plate, and Meguiars 205 to start, and see what happens.
Remember, this particular polish has non-diminishing abrasives, so they wont break down as quickly as diminishing abrasive products. You will be able to work the M205 on it a long time if needed.
Prime the pad with a Q/D, Meguiars has one that they recommend and its listed on the back of the bottle of M205 and 105, but you can use something else if you dont have it.
Then put a few dots of polish on the pad in different places, and rub it on the area, turn on the machine and work the polish into the scratch, and as you get more comfortable, turn the speed up higher to allow the pad to go into a circular motion as well as the oscillating motion.
When the polish is pretty much gone, stop, wipe off the area with a good scratch free towel and look at your work. Is the scratch going away? Is there any paint color transfer on your pad?
If the scratch is going away/gone, you are done ! If you get paint coming off the car onto the pad, and the scratch is NOT gone, you need to make a decision on whether to keep on going vs how much paint can be safely removed, before you take too much off.
If this is a newer Corvette, then there will be no paint transfer, so the above is a moot point.
Again, with the Porter Cable, try to get the front edge of the pad on the scratch itself if its possible, so you dont end up polishing up a 4" area, and it looks way different than the rest of the finish, because its polished.
If you choose to go ahead and do the whole vehicle, then this is also a moot point.
Be sure to put a sealant, wax, etc., of your choice on afterwards, to protect the area you compounded, because you will have taken off any protection, wherever the Porter Cable worked..
You can do this, the Porter Cable is the best way to start to learn. Some of the BEST Detailers on this site use this tool exclusively, but also have rotary machines too, so you cannot go wrong; its the most forgiving tool to use.
Just remember, you are in control of that machine, and you can pull back from the paintwork anytime you want to stop, check, take a break, etc..
Good luck with this, I am sure it will turn out beautiful.
I would rather be doing your Corvette than this 10-year old black, never been washed, detailed Toyota Avalon in my garage.....
Dan F
If its the width of a fine human hair, and you dont see a dfferent color at the bottom of it, I would venture to say it will come out just fine.
What color, size, and brand of pads do you have?
For something that narrow, I would want to use at 4" pad with corresponding backing plate, and Meguiars 205 to start, and see what happens.
Remember, this particular polish has non-diminishing abrasives, so they wont break down as quickly as diminishing abrasive products. You will be able to work the M205 on it a long time if needed.
Prime the pad with a Q/D, Meguiars has one that they recommend and its listed on the back of the bottle of M205 and 105, but you can use something else if you dont have it.
Then put a few dots of polish on the pad in different places, and rub it on the area, turn on the machine and work the polish into the scratch, and as you get more comfortable, turn the speed up higher to allow the pad to go into a circular motion as well as the oscillating motion.
When the polish is pretty much gone, stop, wipe off the area with a good scratch free towel and look at your work. Is the scratch going away? Is there any paint color transfer on your pad?
If the scratch is going away/gone, you are done ! If you get paint coming off the car onto the pad, and the scratch is NOT gone, you need to make a decision on whether to keep on going vs how much paint can be safely removed, before you take too much off.
If this is a newer Corvette, then there will be no paint transfer, so the above is a moot point.
Again, with the Porter Cable, try to get the front edge of the pad on the scratch itself if its possible, so you dont end up polishing up a 4" area, and it looks way different than the rest of the finish, because its polished.
If you choose to go ahead and do the whole vehicle, then this is also a moot point.
Be sure to put a sealant, wax, etc., of your choice on afterwards, to protect the area you compounded, because you will have taken off any protection, wherever the Porter Cable worked..
You can do this, the Porter Cable is the best way to start to learn. Some of the BEST Detailers on this site use this tool exclusively, but also have rotary machines too, so you cannot go wrong; its the most forgiving tool to use.
Just remember, you are in control of that machine, and you can pull back from the paintwork anytime you want to stop, check, take a break, etc..
Good luck with this, I am sure it will turn out beautiful.
I would rather be doing your Corvette than this 10-year old black, never been washed, detailed Toyota Avalon in my garage.....
Dan F
Thanks again for generously sharing your expertise.
I bought a set of pads from Autogeek that includes 4" Orange, 5.5" Red, 6.5" White, 6.5" Blue, and 6.5" Black. They are the Autogeek brand, I believe, since they have no brand markings on them. I got the small Orange size specifically to work on small defects.
I'll give it a whirl. Since I certainly don't want to treat the whole car I'm hoping to blend in the treated area with the rest. Will that be difficult? Will the polished area stand out if treated gently with M205?
I bought a set of pads from Autogeek that includes 4" Orange, 5.5" Red, 6.5" White, 6.5" Blue, and 6.5" Black. They are the Autogeek brand, I believe, since they have no brand markings on them. I got the small Orange size specifically to work on small defects.
I'll give it a whirl. Since I certainly don't want to treat the whole car I'm hoping to blend in the treated area with the rest. Will that be difficult? Will the polished area stand out if treated gently with M205?
imported_Stokdgs
New member
Hey Dallas !!
Yes, use the 4" pad; if it is a good one, like Lake Country brand, it will finish down really nicely.
Since you mention this is a 10-week old Corvette, its pretty safe to say that you wont be changing the overall finish that much with this little compounding with 205. It should match just fine.
If you want to just put some polish on a soft cotton towel and use your finger to rub this area before you break out the machine, that might be all that is needed.
We always like to take the least abrasive alternative/s first, and then ramp up if necessary.
I used to live in Big-D when I was a kid; lived in Oak Cliff, went to elementary school there and W E Greiner Jr.High, as it was called back then. Was all set to start at Sunset High, and then we moved again..
It was great living there, except when JFK and John, Conolly were shot. That was a day I will never forget, next to 9/11...
Hope this goes well for you, and you and yours have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year !!!
Dan F
Yes, use the 4" pad; if it is a good one, like Lake Country brand, it will finish down really nicely.
Since you mention this is a 10-week old Corvette, its pretty safe to say that you wont be changing the overall finish that much with this little compounding with 205. It should match just fine.
If you want to just put some polish on a soft cotton towel and use your finger to rub this area before you break out the machine, that might be all that is needed.
We always like to take the least abrasive alternative/s first, and then ramp up if necessary.
I used to live in Big-D when I was a kid; lived in Oak Cliff, went to elementary school there and W E Greiner Jr.High, as it was called back then. Was all set to start at Sunset High, and then we moved again..
It was great living there, except when JFK and John, Conolly were shot. That was a day I will never forget, next to 9/11...
Hope this goes well for you, and you and yours have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year !!!
Dan F
:iagree:
Yes, Dallas has been a great place to live. Came here 28 years ago and life has been good. Wouldn't want to ever endure another northern winter if I have a choice. We've had a couple spells in the 20's this month, but this week the afternoon temp here has been around 60 degrees with sunshine, which is typical. I live up near Denton.
Thanks again for the encouragement and advice.
Merry Christmas to you and yours!
:thumbup:
Yes, Dallas has been a great place to live. Came here 28 years ago and life has been good. Wouldn't want to ever endure another northern winter if I have a choice. We've had a couple spells in the 20's this month, but this week the afternoon temp here has been around 60 degrees with sunshine, which is typical. I live up near Denton.
Thanks again for the encouragement and advice.
Merry Christmas to you and yours!
:thumbup: