Scratch on wheel arch of MIL car, advice needed please

[bexVN]

Hi My Mother in Law has unfortunately scratched the nearside front wing of her car, she's quite gutted about this, she keeps her cars pristine.

She has been looking on line to find out how to fix it (and is prepared to do it herself - which I think is a mistake!)
Anyway as a regular on PH I thought it was about time I sought the skills/ experience on here (I'm usually found in the All Creatures Great and Small section!!) and maybe (if this isn't against guidelines) see if anyone could recommend someone based in the Exeter/ Exminster area (Devon) that could sort it at a reasonable cost. She doesn't want to go through the insurance if possible.

Here are some pics (not great as it was raining when we took them)







Thank you in advance for any help/ advice

[ohtari]

It's hard to tell the depth of the scratch with the rain, but it could simply be a t-cut and polish job.

[bexVN]

Yes sorry, she did tell me what depth she thought it was, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, when she described it I thought it was going to be a huge deep silver showing gash!!

I think she has already used metal polish to rub it back a bit, not entirely convinced this was a good move but this was info she got off the internet.

I'll try and get more info off her today.

[OldSkoolRS]

Just try using some Autoglym SRP if you have any. It's mildy abbrasive, has fillers which will diguise some scratches and will provide some protection (not as much as a proper wax though). If this doesn't shift it then you could try some Meguiars scratch X or similar, then finish with whatever polish and wax you have afterwards. It doesn't look like it needs a respray...

Edited by OldSkoolRS on Wednesday 2nd May 18:00

[Squiggs]

Difficult to tell from the pics (being as they've been take underwater lol) but I don't think it needs a paint job.

[bexVN]

Rubbish pics aren't they!

I'd tend to agree that a paint job shouldn't be necessary, I think the above tips should do the job so I'll let her know. I really was expecting a much deeper scratch initially but I think only the top layer has really been scratched, however I'm no expert so checking here first seemed a logical move to me

Thanks again for the replies.

[JulesB]

Does your nail catch in the scratch or not? If not then you can polish it out with a quick flick with a polishing mop or 5 minutes of elbow grease, dont worry about leaving the paint unprotected after polishing it, waxes just make it look shiny they dont stop the car from rusting or the paint from diminishing!

[OldSkoolRS]

Good advice re the fingernail test. Wax will protect the paint though, especially from oxidising and compared to polishing is much easier, so worth doing IMHO, especially if you already have some on the shelf, might as well be spread on the car. Sealants can be even easier to use, if that's what you prefer.

[JulesB]

polishing and waxing are completely different, you cant wax off a a scratch.
Waxes dont really stop oxidisation thats the sealants job, wax just makes your car look shiny and nice

[OldSkoolRS]

JulesB said:

polishing and waxing are completely different, you cant wax off a a scratch.
Waxes dont really stop oxidisation thats the sealants job, wax just makes your car look shiny and nice

Yes, I know the difference between waxes/sealants and polishes. Waxing/sealants just protect the shine you've already polished the paint into.

FYI: Waxes and sealants are both 'LSPs' (last stage protection) so do the same job, just using different products, ie perhaps acrilics (or alternatives) in the case of sealant. Both should be non abrasive and if a sealant can stop oxidisation, then so will a wax. Both will help the dirt to be easier to clean off the next time the car is washed too.

Granted wax/sealant won't remove the OP's MIL's scratch but I don't believe I said it would, I merely suggested that it might be worth using a wax afterwards to protect the paint. I think it's worth putting some on afterwards, you don't, no big deal, lets just agree to disagree on that one.

Edited by OldSkoolRS on Thursday 3rd May 14:19

[JulesB]

Fair enough! I think im just bitter from spending most days debating with customers the differences between polshing and waxing! Waxes do tend to never do what they say on the tin though unlike sealants, IMO.

[OldSkoolRS]

Try some collinite 476S wax. So long as you don't leave it on the paintwork too long it buffs off easily and lasts for months (judging by my daily that doesn't get much cleaning treatment otherwise). It's fine for less frequently treated cars and as a winter wax.

I do intend to try some sealant out soon though as everyone (or so it seems) on Detailing World goes on about how good the GTecniq stuff is.

Edited by OldSkoolRS on Thursday 3rd May 14:20

[JulesB]

I always use Glare which is made using glassplexin rather than polymers etc so doesnt become useless after a bit of sunlight. Its pretty impressive stuff, tested a bit of it out against nitromors and it stood up against the test very well!

[bexVN]

Thanks again for the replies, impressed that my thread has even created a mini debste (sad aren't I )

I'll note all the opinions and see which approach seems best.

[OldSkoolRS]

I think it was more of a misunderstanding of my unclear/fragmented posts rather than a debate, looks like we both know and agree what LSP does and doesn't do, but hope the side issue didn't detract from the help we all intended to provide.

Jules: I'll look into Glare, not heard of it before, but if it stand up to nitromors i should deal with bird poo. Thanks.

[JulesB]

Welcome, haha!

I like the sounds of your RS2000... What a fantastic car!