Scratch/Scuff Disaster -- advice needed

[HondaMan]

So my buddy and I are doing his 2005 red Chevy Cavalier....2,000 miles despite being 7 months old...garaged....we detailed it, even though it was in immaculate shape anyway. Washed, clayed, Klasse AIO, 2 coats of UPP.

We`re taking off the 2nd coat of UPP today (other one was yesterday) and all of a sudden we hear "clank-clank-clankg"....his 2 1/2 year old boy was dragging/hitting some badmitton racket against the car. Hey, we blame ourselves and not the kid -- we should have grabbed it when we saw it in his hands minutes earlier -- but now we have a major problem.

The car has a bunch of scratches/scuffs on the right door upper panel (I`d take pictures but I doubt they`d show). Some look like they might just be in the 2 UPP layers; others are not "feel-able" to my finger, but I do feel a slight "bump" when I drag my fingernail. My friend says he thinks the Chevy Cavalier does not have clearcoat, either 1 or 2 stages of paint. So we have that plus the AIO and 2 UPP layers that the racket hit.

Also, a couple of longer scratches on the front hood.

OK, here`s my questions:

(1) Would anybody recommend if SSR 2.5 + SONUS Green Polishing Pad doesn`t take it out, would you go to SSR 3 ??? If so, what speed and how long before I risk "paint burn" (something I did slightly on my brothers 2004 Accord, though that was an Orange Cutting Pad plus either SSR 2.5 or 3 ).

(2) If the Polishing Pad with either SSR 2.5 or 3 doesn`t do a good job -- or if a few scuffs/scrates remain -- would it be wise to use the Orange Cutting Pad and either Poorboys PP or an SSR (I`ll assume going higher than a Cutting Pad is inadvisable. If not, please let me know).

(3) Any other suggestions or info needed, let me know.

Again, this would be with the PC 7424....I have a complete SONUS line and the EDGE line, too (I also have extra SONUS Green Polishing Pads, but just 1 pad of the rest for both SONUS and Edge). So I can go SSR 2.5 - 2 -1 if needed. I am a novice withe the PC 7424; we actually took out some scratches on his wife`s Green Cavalier but that was a 1998 model with lots of scrates, chips, touch-ups, etc. If we made a mistake on that one, who cares....we don`t want to damage this car since it`s for all intents and purposes like brand-new. And the "red" is also the regular/light red color, not a darker or marooned color, BTW.

Thanks for the help, fellas.

[maximv1]

the car does have clear coat. all g.m. models do.

[Patrick]

I`d cuddle up to that avatar of yours and not worry about it........
The only thing you can do is spot treat it with some abrasives, like 2.5 or 3.0. Work your way down the abrasives, and reseal.

[JaredPointer]

:yeah Sorry to hear about your misfortune.

[HondaMan]

the car does have clear coat. all g.m. models do.

Good to know...does that mean that it has 1-coat or 2-coats of paint ???

I had heard professional body shops said it was easier to work with 2 coats of paint than 1 coat of paint + 1 coat of clearcoat.

[HondaMan]

I`d cuddle up to that avatar of yours and not worry about it........
The only thing you can do is spot treat it with some abrasives, like 2.5 or 3.0. Work your way down the abrasives, and reseal.

So you`d try SSR 3 + a polishing pad ???

The feeling I got from the recent Detailing Day was that there`s a BIG jump when you go from SSR 2.5 to 3 -- more than the numbers would indicate. Someone there told me he thought the increase from 2.5 to 3 was more than from 1 to 2.5

[Poorboy]

you probably need nothing more than Professional Polish, or SSR2 ...on the outside maybe SSR2.5 ...........not SSR3:nono

[maximv1]

i am not sure how coats of paint exactly. i have worked at gm dealers for 11 years and have had no trouble working with the paint on their cars. do what patrick and poorboy say and you will be fine

[HondaMan]

Thanks Patrick, Poorboy, and Max.....doing it tomorrow for him, will report back.

Still can`t believe a stupid racket in the hands of a 2 1/2 year old could do that much damage. He wasn`t even swinging it at the car, so much as just dragging it or bouncing-it-along.

[HondaMan]

you probably need nothing more than Professional Polish, or SSR2 ...on the outside maybe SSR2.5 ...........not SSR3:nono

Thanks, Steve....I`m hoping the 2.5 does as good a job on the new Chevy as on the 1998 model. The red paint is lighter than the green and shows sratches alot more easily, unfortunately....they may always be there, but if I can lighten them up to the point where you can`t see it unless you look directly at it (right now, the door scratches are easily noticeable) with the right light, that would be fine for both of us.

Hope that kid was put to bed without his cookies tonite !

[Patrick]

you probably need nothing more than Professional Polish, or SSR2 ...on the outside maybe SSR2.5 ...........not SSR3:nono

Bingo Steve, thats why I mentioned the 2.5 first. We all know the routine, work your way up the ladder of abrasives......He should maybe try to do the heavier product on the heavier scratches by hand , so he doesnt have to use a heavier product on areas that dont really need it.

[tubafeak]

I had heard professional body shops said it was easier to work with 2 coats of paint than 1 coat of paint + 1 coat of clearcoat.

That`s correct, when I repaint my CRX I will most certainly put it in single stage black catalyzed urethane, as many coats as I can realistically put on the car. I like the deeper color as supposed to a more shiney appearance that clearcoat gives you. To see what I mean go to a car show and look at a well-prepped black car from the `60`s. That`s what look I`m wanting in my paint.

I hope that kid learned that you should care for your paint instead of hitting it with a racket.