Can you really get rid of all scratches?

[HellrotCi]

I spent several hours today working on the hood of my car to remove all the scratches that I have put in it. None of the scratches are the kind you can catch with your finger nail. They`re the kind that you can see if you look at them under the right lighting conditions and from the right angle.



Anyway I used my PC with FI-II and a CMA white polishing pad and removed I guess, 95% of the scratches. I then tackled what was left with 3M Fine Cut compound by hand. When I was using the PC, I worked the area until FI-II was dry and removed the residue with a MF towel. Almost all of the scratches are now gone, but there`s still some I just couldn`t remove, like 3, 4 or 5 scratches. I thought about using my yellow cutting pad and maybe I should have, but I didn`t. I followed up with ProWax`s Swirl Remover and Polish with a CMA black finishing pad and topped it off with some Souverän. The clarity of the shine has never been this good and I`m really happy the results, but.... Can you really, honestly, get rid of 100% of the scratches? :nixweiss

[imported_Intel486]

I don`t think you can. I`ve never been able to get rid of them all. You just need to get rid of as many as you can and then keep from putting too many back in the surface as you care for the vehicle with carefull washing and waxing in the future.



I mean, I`m pretty sure if you continued to polish you could get them all off but there really isn`t a point in doing so on a daily drive. Why decrease the thickness of the paint? Your car already looks better than 99% of the other ones driving around!

[Anthony O.]

Honestly I have yet to see a finish that I cannot find some defect in. I have come close to a "flawless" finish, as I am sure many on this forum have, but I cannot say that I have removed 100% of the scratches from a finish.



Pictures alone do not tell the full story for anyone can take a unpolished car, wash it and clean the windows then with the light just right take pictures of what seems to be a highly reflective, deep looking finish.



Sounds like you did a good job on your car though:up



Anthony

[jerry@robs]

I agree with Anthony and Intel...



The only flawless car finish is the one that`s properly painted and fresh right out of the oven.

[imported_BretFraz]

Many of the scratches you see are in the clearcoat or color coat itself. Paint develops stress cracks as the car flexs and expands/contracts. Nothing short of a full respray will get them out. Then the new paint will crack again.

[jr weeks]

There was a point in time when I chased after every one of them, but age and wisdom taught me the futility. I agree that you can only try to make it as perfect as you can within reason, because perfection is a wicked master, and paint is only so thick.



What REALLY made me stop and think was, I could have the car as visually flawless as was possible given time and energy, and then have to take the car into the shop to have an alternator etc. put on it...only to get it back repaired with fine scratches everywhere (front bumper, fenders etc. ) that I would either wet sand or buff out. Multiply this scenario enough times over the years and logic dictates my paint can only be buffed so much, and I`m even luckier than most with oem paint because I painted it myself with 4 to 5 coats of clear. Eventually you give up control at some point and it`s up to chance and luck that it will remain as you`ve kept it. I even do many repairs myself, but I can`t always do everything...



The state of my car`s finish as it relates to scratches has been in direct proportion to how often it breaks down. And while it`s been very good the last 3 years, it`s still been in the shop 2x. The couple years before that, maybe 3x.



How do you ask a shop not to lean on the car? I could see them laughing at me as I walked away if I did . Black clearcoat doesn`t forgive.

So I safely remove what I can, and accept some scratching will have to stay. Life goes on. :)

[Accumulator]

Guitarman-"How do you ask a shop not to lean on the car? I could see them laughing at me as I walked away if I did ." If that`s true you need to find a new shop, seriously. You just tell them firmly and politely. I`m careful NOT to sound like a jerk, but I let them know in no uncertain terms that they`re NOT to mess up my car. I`ll show them how to close the trunk, etc. without damaging anything. I offer to buy them gloves to wear and I offer to provide my own fender cover. I explain that I NEVER leave fingerprints (or worse) on a car and that I expect others to treat my cars the way I do.



Actually, the guys in the shops I patronize for the "good" cars, EuroCar Sevice, in Norton, OH and Stoddard Imported Cars in Willoughby, OH (yes, that`s a well-deserved pair of plugs) would NEVER lean on my cars! Each of those shops got one firm but polite warning over something minor like a SINGLE FINGERPRINT early in our relationship. They`ve treated me and my cars properly since.



Even back in the `80`s when I took the XJS to the selling dealer for service, I talked with the service manager and the mechanic who`d be working on the car. The one time I had a problem I wasn`t charged for the labor on the job (accidents DO happen; I was cool about it).



Yes, they all think I`m extreme (I`m sorta a legend at those shops), but they realize that my cars stay immaculate regardless of their age and mileage. They want my business and the mechanics all LIKE working on cars that have spotless undercarriages and engine compartments. I`m told they take pride in being "good enough" to work on my cars.



Even when I take the beaters to their dealerships for service, I still speak with the mechanics and, if I can, I stay and keep an eye on things. If I got a car back with visible marring there`d be Hell to pay, as in a meeting with the owner that he wouldn`t soon forget. You don`t have to be rude to make an impression :D



Yes, I`ve walked away from shops where the owner said he couldn`t do business with me. I hear they`d LOVE to have my business back and that they realize they really blew it. BTW, one of THOSE dealers had a new "Silverstone edition" XJR in the showroom than was scratched through the clear, looked like they washed it with a Brillo pad :scared



Sorry, long even for me....I feel strongly about this.

[Poorboy]

I have seen a few perfect paint finishes but they are not driven and trailered to shows..waste of money if you ask me...:nixweiss

[jr weeks]

But unfortunately these results are AFTER they have already gotten the drill from me. The owner knows and respects what I`ve done with the car, and jokingly says he`s "afraid to go near it" when it goes in his shop, so...I am at "critical mass` right now with what I can expect IMO. I`ve used them for 5 years and they`re about the only shop I trust for repairs and honest work.



These aren`t large scratches or anything obnoxious, but unless I provide them with all cotton sheets to cover where they lean, that they attatch properly...it is likely the best I can do. Trust me, this guy is willing to be careful, and I think he tries. I know most of the other people in my area and there aren`t many `good` ones to begin with. The fender aprons theyuse seem to cause as many problems as they should solve, perhaps because they may throw them on the floor at times, which defeats the purpose. See, you and I know all about this stuff, and we know the `cause and effect` , but to them...time is always $$$ and the details get thrown by the wayside.

On top of that, all it takes is a guy with grit on his knees to lean againt the front bumper.



I understand what you`re saying, and take it under advisement too. If I have to have another chat with the owner about it I will, and I guess If it`s done with tact they will hopefully listen and make appropriate adjustments.

I appreciate the feedback. Dan H

[Nagchampa]

It will still look perfect to 99% of the people checking out your car. Thats not too shabby.



If you spend all your time chasing perfection, you will never stop running.

[Myles]

I know that all of my fellow autopians car surfaces have to be perfect, and i drive myself insane trying to get mine scratchless.



BUT........everyone i speak to says how the car looks great.



"wow, awaesome paint job. Just gotten it repsrayed" says some guy



"No its stock" i tell him.



so i reckon, since we are autopians, that we are more picky over these things. which drives us insane but no-one seems to notice.

[HellrotCi]

Originally posted by Nagchampa

If you spend all your time chasing perfection, you will never stop running.This is quite true. The type of scratches I`ve got can only be seen if you’re viewing angle and lighting is just right. When I`m looking at them and I move my head just slightly to the left or right, you can`t see them.



One of the reasons I`m trying to get my car as close to perfection as I can, other than it`s just the way it should be :p, is I`m going to use it to demonstrate the quality of my work to potential customers. I`m going to do a sales pitch tomorrow to which I hope will be my first customer.

[Accumulator]

Guitarman- Well, it sounds like you`re going about it the right way. You can only do your part, and there`s more to being satisfied with a shop than how the paint looks after they`re done. You may have noticed from my other posts that I`m OK with what I term "patina". As Nagchampa and Myles have said, you gotta be reasonable about this stuff. And notice how even your fellow Autopians are quick to say that driven cars won`t have perfect paint!



You might try buying a NICE fender cover (like those from Griot`s) to send with the car. Even if the paint under it isn`t spotless, it would be better than direct mechanic-on-paint contact. And the covers shops use are usually pretty nasty.



HellrotCi- It sounds like the sort of scratches you`re dealing with won`t be noticed by your customers. But you do have extra motivation to get it as perfect as you can. Maybe you oughta try a high-filler glaze under the Souveran.