One of the first rules of paint care (especially noticeable with dark colours); the less you touch the paint surface; the less you’ll scratch it.



Scratches



1. Surface scratches can be seen fairly easily as they have penetrated the paint to some level and will ‘catch’ the light differently from the rest of the surface.



2. Surface marring is also a scratch, but can best described as a micro-scratch that effects the top most surface, with some, albeit very little surface penetration



The light surface marring that result from wiping down with a towel or other surface applied products Improper methodology / tools used when washing paint surface is the most common cause of surface scratching / marring’



Surface marring is actually made up of tiny scratches, which can easily be remedied by using a very light abrasive one-step polish (Menzerna PF 2500 – Power Finish (PO 203 S) and a protective wax and/or polymer sealant. This way you’ll maintain the original paint’s integrity for decades, with allowance only for environmental erosion.



Methodology



1. Wash the paint surface

2. Bonded contaminants on the cars paintwork should be removed using a detailer’s clay bar to leave a smooth surface ready for machine compound or polish.

3. Throughout all stages of the polishing process the cars trim adjacent to the area being worked on should be carefully protected using painters tape to mask it to avoid damage. Protect sunroof seal, headlight covers, lighting rubber seals, windscreen surround, pant edges, vehicle emblems and model identification numbers, etc

4. Whenever you’re removing painter’s tape from automotive paint, always pull back on the tape at an angle as a safety precaution.

5. Start the polishing process with a diagnosis of the paint finish and then proceed with the least aggressive polish / pad combination on a ‘test section’ panel, once you have established a suitable polish/pad combination proceed to polish / refine the paint surface

6. It may be necessary to carry out some localized wet sanding to facilitate full removal of any deep scratches, once again, paint thickness will be checked, and if the paint is too thin wet sanding should not be considered.

7. Finally use a polish to remove any surface imperfection and then a fine polish / pad to burnish the paint surface

8. Carry out a wipe down process to ensure all oils and surface defects have been removed.

9. Re-wash to remove any polishing dust and / or debris

10. The final step could be to use a glaze, pre-wax cleaner or go right to protecting your paint with a sealant and/or wax.