Best Way To Get Scratches Out of Car ? (1 Viewer)

[Alex S]

My wife scraped the side of my van against a bush while pulling up to the driveway.
It didn't go deep into the paint but you can see the scratches along the side of the car.
What's the best way to get them out ?
Can I do it myself or should I go to an auto-body shop ?

 

[Dheiner]

You can do it yourself. A body shop WILL do it better.

Go to a NAPA, or other good auto parts store, and explain your problem. A good worker should point you to the right materials to do the job. They may want to look at your car first.

 

[Alex S]

John,

It's really not that bad. You can't notice them until you get close but they are long.

I would rather do it myself if I could.

 

[Jared_B]

Can you catch your fingernail on the scratch? If no, then you can do it yourself. If yes, sanding/buffing will be required - having a body shop do this would be advisable.

 

[Alex S]

Jared_B,

No, I can't catch my fingernail on any of the scratches.

What's the best way for me to do it ?

 

[NickSo]

Does that GT88 scratch remover stuff work at all??

 

[DaveSarcevic]

You said that you couldnt catch your fingernail on any of the scratches. If that's the case buy yourself some rubbing compound and a polishing compound. First apply the polishing compound to the door in a small spot just to test it. Dont put to much pressure on it and then rub it off. Are the scratches gone? If not you will need to use the rubbing compound. Be careful with the rubbing compound. Again, test a small area.After you remove the compound and if the scrarches are gone, apply the polishing compound(rubbing compound will leave some minor scratches, but nothing that the polishing compound cant take care of). Remove the p.c , apply some wax, and you should be set. If that didnt take care of the scratches, then a trip to body shop would be wise. Before that you might want to find a good detailer. He or she could save you some dough. I've been drinking as I was typing this reply, so forgive my misspellings and I cant think of anything else to say.

 

[NickSo]

I've been drinking as I was typing this reply

You should'a taken a look at "what did you guys do on new years" thread.. boy was i wasted :p)

 

[Alex S]

Dave,

Does the rubbing compound remove some paint ?

 

[Andrej Dolenc]

Look over the articles section at http://www.carcareonline.com, specifically, the Cleaning Paintwork one. Tons of good info there, that'll give you an idea of what you need to do.
Andrej

 

[Stephen_Opipari]

I do a lot of detailing on my car and would myself do the following.
Get a claybar from somewhere like Griots Garage or get the Mothers one available pretty much everywhere. It's a paint cleaner bar that is specifically for pulling muck off a clearcoat and buffing out swirls and mild scratches. It will also leave the clearcoat as smooth as a baby's bottom. I ususally claybar my car once a year. This is not like the claybars that body shops use to remove overspray, it's a lot more mild.
Then do a three step cleaner, polish, wax from Mothers or Griots or whoever. The cleaner will hide scratches and swirls and enhance the claybars efforts. The polish will build upon that and the wax will build on that. Afterward you should have a showroom shine if not better and the scrathes should be gone. From what you describe the scratch as, I think the claybar will take care of it.
In order to keep my care looking really good I usually do a paint cleaner 2x a year, the polish 4x a year and a waxing every 4 to 6 weeks depending on how water is beading. The rule of thumb that I have learned is that if your beads are larger then a nickel, time for new wax.
Also, Keeping up on the body like I mentioned above protects the paint and will help prevent scratches and stone chips from day to day use.
I hope this helps!

 

[Alex S]

Thanks Andrej and Stephen.

 

[Jeff Pryor]

Go buy some Scratch Out. Comes in a yellow bottle. Takes lots of elbow grease, but that's how it goes. Should do the trick.