Scratch Removal
Author
Discussion

ocean1

Original Poster:

1,045 posts

288 months

Monday 11th August 2003
quotequote all
I have picked up some very light scratches along the side of my car from getting a little too close to the greenery. Anyone got any advice on the best way to remove. I have tried a scratch remover from Halfords but this seems to have little effect shuold I just try harder with it?, I dont want to remove the paint! Or is it better to leave it to the proffesionals?

Cheers Ocean1

rude girl

6,937 posts

287 months

Monday 11th August 2003
quotequote all
Hi Ocean.

Try Brasso. On a soft cloth and rub with medium pressure. Might take a while but it does work eventually. Then the usual polish and wax.

pies

13,116 posts

284 months

Monday 11th August 2003
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Which ever product you use do not use a mild one once and think its failed and rush out and get something courser far better to persist with the mild compound

All scratch removals* work by grinding down the clearcoat to the level of the bottom of the scratch.

*except fillers which IMHO aren't very good

count duckula

1,324 posts

302 months

Tuesday 12th August 2003
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Not used it myself by meguiars do a product called "scratch X" which won the award in auto-express.



Malc

markbigears

2,485 posts

297 months

Tuesday 12th August 2003
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nick, if you can catch the scratches with your finger nail, chances are its a pro job. If not and "mild" scratch remover, scratch X from speeding.co.uk or GS27 from halfords should do the trick. Ive used GS27 with great results.

Trefor

14,770 posts

311 months

Tuesday 12th August 2003
quotequote all
FinesseIT from 3M. Good paint shops should have it. This is what bodyshops use. Works well, esp. in darker colours.

ocean1

Original Poster:

1,045 posts

288 months

Tuesday 12th August 2003
quotequote all
markbigears said:
nick, if you can catch the scratches with your finger nail, chances are its a pro job. If not and "mild" scratch remover, scratch X from speeding.co.uk or GS27 from halfords should do the trick. Ive used GS27 with great results.



Scratches are light, fingernail does not catch. Ive tried GS27 already, does it take a long time rubbing away at the same area? It did not seem to be doing anything but maybe I just need to try harder with it.

>> Edited by ocean1 on Tuesday 12th August 11:51

markbigears

2,485 posts

297 months

Tuesday 12th August 2003
quotequote all
i used it with an 240volt orbital polisher and it took all my swirls out and light scratches. By hand i does take a while to polish out but the way GS27 and scratch X etc work is by breaking down from a cutting compound to a polish, hense it will take a while. On the plus side its not very abrassive and clearcoat safe, you are not going to cock it up a la T cut. Body shops use lots of different products but most of these are used with a professional rotary or porter cable.
Basically by hand its going to take a while!

plotloss

67,280 posts

298 months

Tuesday 12th August 2003
quotequote all
Trefor said:
FinesseIT from 3M. Good paint shops should have it. This is what bodyshops use. Works well, esp. in darker colours.


Top bit of kit this.

Also the G range of cutting compounds also available from good bodyshop suppliers.

ocean1

Original Poster:

1,045 posts

288 months

Tuesday 12th August 2003
quotequote all
rude girl said:
Hi Ocean.

Try Brasso. On a soft cloth and rub with medium pressure. Might take a while but it does work eventually. Then the usual polish and wax.


Brasso!, really Rude Girl? Its not trombone you know

gazzab

21,614 posts

310 months

Tuesday 12th August 2003
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I put Brasso on my my knobs and knockers only.

ocean1

Original Poster:

1,045 posts

288 months

Tuesday 12th August 2003
quotequote all
gazzab said:
I put Brasso on my my knobs and knockers only.


Youve got knobs and knockers gazzab, what kind of a deviant are you?

gazzab

21,614 posts

310 months

Tuesday 12th August 2003
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Transsexual Vivacious Racer

rude girl

6,937 posts

287 months

Tuesday 12th August 2003
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Brasso acts as a mild cutting compound if you don't have any of the pro stuff to hand.

I've got some fab cutting compound that Joolz gave me, but before that I routinely used Brasso for light scratches and finishing off stone-chip touch-ups.

Gazzab. You'll find that The Sanctuary do a salt scrub and a wonderful body oil that don't sting half as much as Brasso for knobs and knockers.

ralph dodds

148 posts

282 months

Saturday 16th August 2003
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If you can't get hold of any of the professional compounds, try Autoglym Cutting Polish. It seems to be a halfway house between T-Cut and the milder ones that take ages by hand.

Ralph

nubbin

6,809 posts

306 months

Saturday 16th August 2003
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I went up to my local body shop last wek, to ask about getting rid of all the clear coat scratch/swirl marks, left on my Audi by 7 years of car wash thrashings. He said 3M Imperial Hand Glaze is the best, but takes several applications to get it right. It acts by adding the lost oils etc. from the paint, so it isn't a wax.

I've not tried 3M FinesseIT for the more obvious scratches, but I think I might give it a go. I've got an orbital polisher as well, only £10, and great if you are wanting to rejuvenate the car.

The best thing about 3M stuff is it's cheap. The Hand Glaze is only £10 a litre.