[Whytezombie]

So I made a mistake over the weekend.....
I washed my car.
I then got to see a very nasty scratch on the passenger side door starting all the way down to the side skirt. It's not a continuous strach, but it looks like it was done in the same stroke. Man my car is getting a beating lately.....

SO my question to ya'll is what has everyone used here for quick touch ups like scratches. Billy Maze was pretty cool, but I could tell he was lying when he was trying to sell stuff.....because his lips were moving!

Just want some honest opinons and suggestions.
I am planning a full custom pait job right now so this fix will just be to tide me over....so I won't cringe when I walk past the passenger side every time. Ya know?

Thanks!

 

[PencilPro]

I recently had the chance to try out some synthetic car polish and wax.
That stuff is amazing!
I'm at work so I can't remember the brand though! Sorry!
It took a little rubbing to work it, like any polish, but it came off easily.
Make sure you wax it after your done!:bigthumbsup

 

[Whytezombie]

Unfortunately this scratch is deep enough for me to FEEL it...I am not sure buffing is going to do the trick :-(

 

[CardinalStang]

Feel like I've tried ever thing over the years. Best I have found is the Quixx Repair System. It is made for small areas and if you get down to primer or metal, forget it. But, even then, if you have touch-up paint along with this system, you can make it look better.

Basically you get wet sand paper, like 3000 grit (really). You use that to sand down the scratch area. Then you apply step 2, which is a filler (sort of like a clear coat), rub it in, then wipe off. Finally, you apply step three, a substance that is likely just clear wax. I've used it several times.

On real deep scratches I used Ford touch-up paint (which is usually useless). But if you apply it first, to fill up the scratch, let let dry, sand it with the provided sand paper, then move on with the process, it works pretty good. I even used 1000 grit with a mini block for a larger area one time.

The system is best with micro scratches, really fills them in nicely.

 

[crezno]

Depending how deep the scratch is will determine what you need to do. If it just got through the clearcoat, you can just use like a 1500 grit sandpaper lightly to level it out just around the scratch. The sandpaper will definitely make it look terrible and turn it white where you sanded. Wash off the small particles and maybe even use a tack cloth to get the small crap off it. Then apply a good amount of rubbing compound (like $2 a little bottle) and use a buffer (or hand buff just takes alot of time and energy) and it will come out pretty nicely.

If it got down to the paint or the primer, a temp fix would be to get a bottle of touchup paint and clearcoat just to hold you over till you paint the whole car. Cuz youll end up having to clearcoat the whole door if you have to sand it down, reprimer it, and repaint it in order to blend it in right.

 

[BigTuna]

If you don't know much about wet sanding and buffing I highly recommend you take it to a shop like Maaco or something. It will probably cost you about 50 bucks and you will have the peace in mind of knowing that a professional did it.

Also, I didn't see anyone mention the scratch fillers they sell at any automotive place. They are generally about 10 bucks and all you do is fill in the scratch with this special creme and lightly buff it out with the included cloth. This is only if the scratch is minor.