Can these scratches be buffed out?

Darin · 10-25-09, 01:30

I just bought a 2006 Corolla CE and it has some white lined scratches that seem to be in the paint. Is there any way of these being buffed out without re-painting?

Carticular · 10-25-09, 01:35

Can you feel them with your fingernail? If so, you may not be able to.

Darin · 10-25-09, 01:36

When I slide my finger gently across some of the scratches I can feel them. Would it cost a lot of money to get some of these fixed?

paco · 10-25-09, 02:04

Fixing cost depends.

If you just have them fill it, sand it, polish it.. or a repaint.

Touchup - Proably a hunded.
A repaint will be several hundred.

You can try it yourself for under ~50.
Get touch-up paint from the dealer.
Fix the error.
Wet sand with 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500 Meguiars unigrit or 3M trizac or Micromesh.
Polish out using Meguiars Ultimate Compound then SwirlX

May not be 100% repair but "good enough"...

If you have access to a polisher and polishes, there are other options.

Darin · 10-25-09, 02:10

Thanks for the info, I really think they just need to be touched up. I have no experience in this area so I would take it to the pro's and get them to do it.

I know of the best body shop in town, I will get them to give me an estimate sometime

.

For now I am just going to polish/wax the car before the winter snow hits and look into getting the scratches fixed after winter. Right now I don't have the money and I am guessing it will cost me a few hundred.

I will try to get some more pics of the scratches soon and I will post them here to show you more

lland · 10-25-09, 03:01

Considering where they are, if you get some OEM touchup paint and follow the steps oultined by paco, they will be all but invisible at a relativley minimal cost.

LL

Legacy99 · 10-25-09, 03:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by lland

Considering where they are, if you get some OEM touchup paint and follow the steps oultined by paco, they will be all but invisible at a relativley minimal cost.

LL

Depends on your skill level.

Jakerooni · 10-25-09, 03:29

To a skilled detailer it should be a reletively easy fix. To someone that dosen't know how to handle that it could be a very costly mistake.

paco · 10-26-09, 07:02

Darin,

I still recommend that you do something before the winter. You want to avoid any type of rust from setting in.

Easist way is to degrease the area with any type of all purpose cleaner. Something like Simple green etc. Then put 2-3 thin coats of the Dealer Touch-up paint using a tooth pick. Make sure to let it full dry between coats. Make sure the paint level in the scratches goes higher then the rest of the paint.

Then when you're ready, take it to a pro to sand and polish out for like $50.

I really don't suggest ignoring it. Even if it looks like it's only in the primer. Even a very very little breakdown to raw metal will lead to rust.

If you decide that a repaint is the best option after the winter, your touch procedure won't affect the repaint at all.

Paco