getting scratchs out?

Atomic Pineapple

Just wondering whats the best way to get scratchs out?

its loads of little light scratchs on silver metallic paint

will something like t cut do it or will i need to get paint?

ciarsd

if its swirl marks and light scratching from auto carwashes... then a good clay bar and wax treatment will sort it

Atomic Pineapple

there sctrachs from a branch, having to pull into the ditchs on the roads in the bog hole where i live!

elexes

draffodx wrote:

there sctrachs from a branch, having to pull into the ditchs on the roads in the bog hole where i live!

ive the same probloms dam annoying . waiting on somone to post a award winning reply myself

stevenmu

For deeper scratches Halfords sell scratch repair pens matched to common makes and models. One pen for undercoat, one for the paint and another one for a laquer finish. Tbh, I've no idea if they're any good or not.

Atomic Pineapple

stevenmu wrote:

For deeper scratches Halfords sell scratch repair pens matched to common makes and models. One pen for undercoat, one for the paint and another one for a laquer finish. Tbh, I've no idea if they're any good or not.

wouldnt need the undercoat there not that deep but i might give them a try and see, any idea how much they cost?

trant

They're about €15 if memory serves me. I had the same problem with my own car (damn branches!). If they're only light scratches why not try some wax-based polish like Turtle Wax etc. They are sold to match the car's base colour and blend in the scratches well.

stevenmu

Yeh, I think it was about €15-20 for the set of 3, but they sell them seperately too. iirc they have printed guides there explaining what you need to for different scratches and different paint types. Been meaning to try themself but haven't yet (f***ing branches too).

5500

Have you tried t-cut yet pr a rubbing conpound?

Im wary of those pens,i had my exact colour match fro a motorbike before and you could still pick out where the original scratch was,the colour tends not to be spot on

Oryx

Try Formula 1 'Scratch Out' (yellow pot) How effective will depend how deep they are

alanlouthzzr

Meguiars have a product called Scratch X. Its great for swirl marks in the paint caused by brush car washes and light scratches from bushes. No product will really remove deep scratches in the paint, no matter what it says on the tin!

Atomic Pineapple

eireal wrote:

Have you tried t-cut yet pr a rubbing conpound?

Im wary of those pens,i had my exact colour match fro a motorbike before and you could still pick out where the original scratch was,the colour tends not to be spot on

yeh had a bad scratch on my last car and no matter what paint i got the colour just doesnt ever match and theres loads of little scratches on the front corner of the car so i definatly dont want the paint to stand out there

junkyard

The best way to get rid of these type of scratch is to sand them out, just lightly with 1500 or 2000 grade wet and dry sandpaper, then, using a machine polisher, compound out the scratches with G3 rubbing compound, then changing the mop head to a finer one, compound the area again with a finer compound, then wax the area and polish it up. My advice is to take it to a panel beater to do the job because for what you'll spend on materials will outweigh what you'll spend getting him to do the job and anyway you'll probably make a b****x of it if your not used to using a polishing machine. You WON'T EVER get the shine up by hand.....trust me I'M A PANEL BEATER.

Atomic Pineapple

junkyard wrote:

The best way to get rid of these type of scratch is to sand them out, just lightly with 1500 or 2000 grade wet and dry sandpaper, then, using a machine polisher, compound out the scratches with G3 rubbing compound, then changing the mop head to a finer one, compound the area again with a finer compound, then wax the area and polish it up. My advice is to take it to a panel beater to do the job because for what you'll spend on materials will outweigh what you'll spend getting him to do the job and anyway you'll probably make a b****x of it if your not used to using a polishing machine. You WON'T EVER get the shine up by hand.....trust me I'M A PANEL BEATER.

that sound like too much work for me anyway

how much do you reckon it would cost to get someone to do that?

junkyard

You'll spend between 120 and 200 euros to get the whole car done, I'd imagine it would be more expensive in Dublin, there's a good bit of work in it to be honest.

stratos

I live in the country too and hedge scratches are a pain.
Almost any good wax will fill them in an make your car look new.
However the best stuff I ever used was called autobalm by Bilt Hamber.
It's great because it's so easy to use, You can wax entire car in about 45 minutes.
They also do a clay bar which is pretty awesome but my god it takes ages to do a full car.
However well worth the effort.
I have never seen it in the shops over here, i order it from U.K.
The trick with any wax polish is to do small area's at a time.

Big Balls

ciarsd wrote:

if its swirl marks and light scratching from auto carwashes... then a good clay bar and wax treatment will sort it

Complete nonsense.

Scratch X is a good product for a DIY job, anything by 3M is good too.

Failing that, get it cut, polished and waxed by a decent valet company.

junkyard

3M products aren't as good as they used to be and, not being biased here, I would prefer to take my car to a panel beater than a car valetor. All due respects to car valetors but you need to know how far you can go when it comes to a cars paintwork. I have rectified a fair few cars in my time that were f****d up by car valetors who probably had the best of intentions.

Mike07

Car got keyed near croke park this morning -- about a foot long on the front of the bonnet- deep enough that it is showing dark in parts---car is grey

Any idea how much to get fixed?

-- i tried t-cut , but it is beyond it's powers-- I know that if i try anything too complcated myself I'll destroy it!!!!