Detailers, I need some help. 

"K-Roll-PorscheTamer" (k-roll390) 03/17/2015 at 12:10 • Filed to: ST CURSE

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The ST Curse is real I tells ya!! Short story: Backed into my dads car slightly last night while moving cars around.

I meant to put it in first and put it in reverse. Got these scratches in the clearcoat or maybe it's just paint transfer. How do I address this myself?

Last time something like this happened, I payed someone $60 to correct it. Not interested in doing that again, so what can I do to make it like new? Polishing compound? Buffing? Please help.

JGrabowMSt > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 03/17/2015 at 12:21

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Microfiber, soapy water. Finish with a full detail...Most of that stuff just rubs off pretty easily.

If you think that back bumper is bad, don't look at the HEMIWagon.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > JGrabowMSt 03/17/2015 at 12:26

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Well, the thing is, my "full detail" consists of a wash and wax, I've never done anything else before. I'm not entirely sure how to do anything else beyond that. There's some very minuscule abrasions that can be felt.

Edit: No paint transfer, that's all scratches in the clearcoat. -_-

Short-throw Granny Shifter is 2 #blessed 2b stressed > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 03/17/2015 at 12:33

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Wash and wax will probably clear it right up.

Keep in mind that the only people who will notice something that minor are you, and maybe the next person you sell the car to.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Short-throw Granny Shifter is 2 #blessed 2b stressed 03/17/2015 at 12:37

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I tried a quick wash of the area. It didn't go away, I suspect that those are all clearcoat scratches.

vicali > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 03/17/2015 at 12:49

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Clean it first, get some Scratch-X and a mf cloth. Give it 6/10 pressure perpendicular to the scratches, clean again, apply wax. It's just an aggressive spot polish but try it before you go into full detail mode..

lonestranger > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 03/17/2015 at 13:37

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Former pro detailer here.

From what I can tell from photos, it does look to me to be scratches in the clearcoat. They almost certainly won't lighten up or be removed with only hand-polishing. It doesn't hurt to try, though. As long as your work is clean (clean body, clean soft rag, etc.), you can't really do any harm by trying to buff it with whatever polish you might have laying around. If you need to go buy something, pick up something cheap like Nu Finish. The reason in this instance that I wouldn't spend a fortune on the polish is because I don't have high hopes that hand polishing will help much.

Otherwise, you'll need to do some machine polishing. While I've never used a DA polisher myself, they seem to be well suited to the less experienced and pro alike.

Rico > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 03/17/2015 at 13:37

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Get some cleaner wax or polish and it should come off.

Axial > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 03/17/2015 at 13:58

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And that, friends, is why you don't ever have reverse up and to the left.

Good:

Bad:

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Axial 03/17/2015 at 14:00

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It's the second time I've done that too. The first time was when I first drove the car home from the dealer! That was almost a year ago!

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > Axial 03/17/2015 at 14:16

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This x 1 million.

My E30 had this and I hated it.

Axial > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 03/17/2015 at 15:20

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:x

That's a real pain in the butt.

What I would do is grab some Meguiar's Ultimate Compound, some Meguiar's Ultimate Polish, a generic Meguiar's cutting pad, and a generic polish pad, and spend 45 minutes to an hour or so working that one spot. Clean off all of the dirt and dust, and work it by hand.

Doing the above will all but completely remove the scuff. I've done it several spots on the scuffed rear end of the black Corvette, and you have to squint to see anything. I imagine if you want to spend an unholy amount of time on it, you can probably completely take it out by hand. Otherwise, you'll want a machine polisher.

Disclaimer: I'm not shilling for Meguiar's, I just have the most experience with their stuff. If you have something else you prefer or have experience with that is analogous, go with that.

Nothing > Axial 03/17/2015 at 16:01

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I second this. Ultimate Compound works great, and to do it yourself, you'll need a DA polisher to do it well. If it's something you want to keep at in the future, it's a good investment. You can pick up a "Starter kit" type deal with a Porter Cable or Griots polisher for around $150, that will not include the compounds needed for correction, though. Another $20-40 for those.