what do you recommend to buff out scracthes that look like they have been made with a key? Can it be done by hand?

10/29/2006 7:23:29 AM

it'll probably require a new car

10/29/2006 8:55:38 AM

or a new key

10/29/2006 9:09:07 AM

or maybe both.

10/29/2006 9:12:09 AM

You can try some meguirs scratch X but it will probably do little to nothing. When you cut through the clearcoat i begins to get pretty hard to fix. I see body man in your future.

10/29/2006 9:20:04 AM

If you can feel the scratch with your finger nail, all you can do is moderatly reduce the appearance.... Meg's ScratchX... like mentioned is your best bet. Other than that, its a long, tedious touch-up job or repaint for the entire panel.

10/29/2006 9:22:07 AM

meguiars scratch-X will only work well on some paints. On my car it does absolutley nothing, wheras the walmart brand scratch remover works pretty well. It is the only meguiars product I have not had good results with. The meguiars 3 stage polish/wax also works well for getting scratches out.

10/29/2006 10:42:58 AM

buy some touch-up paint made for your vehicle. apply enough paint to fill the scratch slightly above the paint surface. get some 2000 grit sandpaper and a bucket of water (look up how-to instructional on wet sanding. ain't shit to it.) . sand the touch-up paint smooth. buff out the sanding marks. do this only on a scratch that is below the surface of the paint.

10/29/2006 2:01:44 PM

^i just did this yesterday myself. it all worked out super except the fact my BMW FACTORY TOUCH UP PAINT DOESNT MATCH, WTF, BMW?

cleaned it well, ground off any flakey edges, filled it w/ paint in a bout 4 -5 layers, sanded w/ 1500 and 2000 grit wet. then polishing compound. once it dries for a few days ill wax it and it should be ok. except it looks like LIGHT GRAY BLOTCHES ON MY WHITE PAINT, WTF, BMW?

but oh well. at least the rust is clear and it should be properly sealed

10/29/2006 6:01:08 PM

you couldn't tell it was going to be gray instead of white before applying?

10/29/2006 6:02:35 PM

NO

10/29/2006 6:13:35 PM

well if your car's paint is old and has been exposed to the elements (sun is the main one), the color can degrade slightly. Specially if its on an older car. Paint tech has improved a lot since the 70's.

10/29/2006 6:26:03 PM

FWIW, I use paintscratch.com for my touch up paint needs... Color is always right on the mark.

[Edited on October 29, 2006 at 7:36 PM. Reason : link]

10/29/2006 7:34:41 PM

light spray over with touchup paint, wet sand, KIT scratch out, polish. May be able to skip step 1 depending on depth of scratches.

10/29/2006 8:50:29 PM