Scratch advice please

[RobM77]

Last year my wife retired her trusty Civic Type R to be her second car, and beforehand she took it to a bodyshop to get it perfect. On its return I waxed it, and all was good. I promised her I'd always wash it and advised her to steer clear of supermarket washers, automatic car washes etc. Sadly, a week later she got it washed at a supermarket, and they put deep scratches all over it. For example, here's the bonnet:



This sort of thing continues all down both sides.

I phoned around a few detailers, but the cost put us off and we did nothing for a year. Last week I decided to order some polish and pads and have a go myself. This is after about 30 minutes by hand:



Sorry that the lighting is different, it took me half an hour after work to wash it, then half an hour to polish it, by which time the light was fading. I've improved it, but the scratches are still there. You can hear and feel them if you run your fingernail across them. Shall I buy a machine polisher? Does it need more than that, or repainting? Any thoughts much appreciated.

thanks.

Edited by RobM77 on Thursday 2nd July 10:37

[Craphouserat]

I'm not an expert but i think that'll need some compound polishing to get rid. If you do decide to buy a polisher go down the Dual Action (DA) polisher route as opposed to rotary. Rupes polishers are probably the best in the business.

[steveo3002]

original paint isnt very thick on the hondas , a da polisher would likley improve things , id aim for improved to an acceptable standard rather than risk burning through trying to make it like new

[RobM77]

Thanks guys. The photos make the improvement look better than it was - the light had faded for the second photo.

Any recommendations for a DA polisher? Amazon list them from about £80, but I found a review website that recommends ones for £200-£300.

Can I use the same polish that I bought for use by hand? (Angelwax perfect polish).

Edited by RobM77 on Thursday 2nd July 11:57

[V8covin]

Last year I had car in the workshop covered in some nice words scratched in the paint.Told the customer it would probably need a respray but I'd have a go at polishing them out first.
Half a day later 95% had been polished out.Customer was well happy.I charged £150.

So, I'd suggest finding a bodyshop initially,they will have more experience flatting paint than detailers in my opinion....cue a detailer to tell me I'm wrong

[Dave.]

You could try a local detailer, or maybe a local enthusiast with a paint depth gauge, to take a look at the bonnet before attacking it with anything aggressive.

[_Hoppers]

RobM77 said:

Thanks guys. The photos make the improvement look better than it was - the light had faded for the second photo.

Any recommendations for a DA polisher?

Edited by RobM77 on Thursday 2nd July 11:57

DAS 6 Pro seems to be a good starter machine from what people say. Cleanyourcar.co.uk has one bundled with Meguiars 105 and 205 which seems a reasonable deal?

[Chubbyross]

I don’t want to be overly pessimistic but if you can feel the scratches with your fingernail then they’re probably too deep to compound away completely. You may make them better but by the sound of it you may be stuck with the worst ones unless you go for a respray. Try Koch Chemie H8 compound once you get a DA polisher, using a heavy cutting pad and you may tidy them up so they’re bearable.

[jasonTVR]

If you don't already have the pads and polish you may be better to buy a starter package set from one of the detailing websites around. The DAS-6 has been mentioned - I have one and used it for years, it's is a great tool. After polishing a good wax over the top may also help hide any remaining scratch if it's too deep to remove. If you have a couple of polishes, always start with the least aggressive, you can always step it up to the next if you need to. You can get some good results by hand with a microfibre pad and a good polish if you didn't want the out lay of the machine, although it can be hard work! Good luck.