Advice please - Fixing a scratch

[joshua7e]

My girlfriend`s Toyota Prius was keyed outside my apartment. I can feel the deepest parts of the scratch with my fingernail - the lightest sections I can`t. I would like to try to reduce the scratch without hurting the car. I don`t have a rotary or PC. I will go to Home Depot and buy whatever I need for the job. I`d like to know exactly what I need to get. Please advise. Also, I`m new to the forum, and don`t know a lot about detailing cars, so explainations would be appreciated.



I attached photos of the scratch. Thanks so much for any help.

[Five Star]

Welcome to autopia Joshua



If she has insurance, get it repainted.

Nothing will in my opinion make it look good enough.



you can fill them in with touchup paint, but the metallic wont lay correctly, unless blended with an airbrush

[joshua7e]

Thanks 5star. I think your advice is right - this really is a job for a pro. But, I`d like to make it look a little better if I could. I don`t think that she intends to have it fixed. Is there anything I could do that wouldn`t hurt the car? Thanks again!

[Five Star]

you can always make it look better,

I am guessing you`ll be using over the counter products, and working by hand



Scratch-X from meguiar`s is a good product, it will clean up what can be removed, use a terry cloth

and minimize some of the others.



then get some touchup paint, and apply it with a toothpick.

shake the touch up paint well, each time before you dip the toothpick in it.



u want to do several coats to build up the paint to fill in the scratches

[joshua7e]

five* - so i need to go get some scratchX and a terry cloth. i should just follow the directions on the bottle? thanks a lot for your advice. if you have any more, i`d appreciate. the touch up paint and toothpick idea scares me. it doesn`t seem like i`d be able to make it smooth.

[Five Star]

five* - so i need to go get some scratchX and a terry cloth. i should just follow the directions on the bottle? thanks a lot for your advice.



yes, it does take some elbow grease to get it to work.






the touch up paint and toothpick idea scares me. it doesn`t seem like i`d be able to make it smooth.



like anything new. just take your time, dont be scared. have a little lacquer thinner on hand to clean up any mistakes. don`t overfill the scratch. you will get a feel for it when you start. you can do it :bigups



don`t forget when your all done to re-wax over the area you`ve fixed