Etching in clear coat

[Ken E.]

I stumbled across this forum while searching for accessories for my newly purchased PC (bought some pads from CMA). This forum is a wealth of knowledge. I have a black car (I swore I was never going to buy a black car again, this time I mean it) that has scratches (can see and a few that I can feel) and some bad etching (can see but not feel) that perhaps needs leveling? What else can I do? I have the various 3M products such as FI-II, PI-II & SMR. DavidB gave me some advice in a prior thred and I would like the opinions of others as well. Thanks for your help.

[YoSteve]

The rule of thumb is to start with the least abrasive measures, usually a good polish etc.



The next stage up SMR might do the deed. By hand it works after multiple applications on softer clearcoated cars. By machine it works a lot better for fine swirls.



If those don`t put a dent in your car then you need to move up to something like FI-II and perhaps a rubbing compound (careful!) and this will "level" your big accesible scratches and swirls.



After you use the more abrasive stuff, you will need to follow up with the SMR or polish to get the shine back since the stronger stuff will marr the paint as it remove the deeper swirls and scratches.



Ron always gives the advise on having your clear thickness measured so you can have an idea on how close you are before you paint.



Jason`s learning all this stuff. I`m sure he will have a better answer than me.

[Ken E.]

YoSteve: Thanks for the tips.:up