Need Scratch Fill Process Sanity Check

So in the first week of owning my new Mazda, although my cargo hatch opened fine in the garage what I didn`t realize is if you opened the hatch, before you opned the garage door, the connector bar wouldn`t clear. Ouch. Put about a 2" scratch just above the emblem on the hatch like as if someone would have taken a box cutter to the clear coat (I can see you all cringing.) It`s too deep to compound out. Got the factory touch up. It`s been SO long since I had to do anything like this, just need a sanity check.

I forget whether you need separate clear coat with factory touch up paint pen. I`m pretty sure you do.

Next question is, do you fill with paint then apply clear coat, then level, or do you fill with paint, level, then apply clear coat, then level again? Like I said scratch looks like it went all the way through clear coat but not to the metal. This is the plan I was going to follow:

Slightly wet sand scratch with 1500-2500 grit on the tip of pencil eraser

Clean with a little lacquer thinner (is that too strong?)

fill with paint using a super fine brush in stead of the touch up pen tip

Let dry

Apply clear, possibly more than one coat to get it to be slightly above level of surrounding clear coat

Let dry

Wet sand to level

Polish with Meguiars 105, then 205 (what I have on hand) using the felt polishing pad on my Dremmel being careful not to burn surrounding clear coat (due to it being right next to the emblem I really can`t get a full size polishing pat on it that well unless I temporarily remove the emblem I guess.

This ain`t a Ferrari and I`m not going to the car show. Just need a sanity check on my general process for any major mistakes since it`s been years since I`ve had to do this. I`m assuming, assuming you know how to wetsand, this is the preferred method over something like DrColorChips?

If it`s really super thin, I`d just clear coat it. Putting base on it will make it stand out more.

Just FYI paint on new cars is crazy thin. Be super careful sanding or it will turn into a mess. I`d even recommend trying out your approach on something else like an old toolbox or an unlikeable relatives car.

It`s deep. Good advice though. I was probably going to tape off as close to the edge of the scratch as I could to protect the surrounding clear coat on the wet sand when I went to level it. As I said, it`s like someone pressed a box cutter pretty hard. You have to figure a large portion of the weight of the single garage door was pressing on the connecting bar when it hit. Not enough to dent, but the edge of the bar cut it pretty good.

https://www.autopia.org/forums/attac...id=35817&stc=1

Your process is sound. Dr Colorchip works better on chips than scratches. You may be fine using the pen tip instead of the brush. It’s good that it’s not metallic.

I would never use Meguiars 105 on this because it is the most aggressive compound they make..
You will get too far too fast unless you have lots of experience..

I have not Detailed a new Mazda so I dont know how much paint they come with or if its a softer, medium, or a harder paint..
Perhaps someone - here - knows more about this paint if they have recently Detailed one?

If this was my vehicle, I would get the factory paint from Dr. Colorchip, my Mack sword brush, clean out the area really well with a little solvent if possible, if not, something that will degrease it really well, let it dry, and then shake the heck out of the bottle, wet the tip of the brush with lacquer thinner, just a little, and then put just enough paint in the area a little layer at a time, letting it dry between coats.. Mack Sword Brush -- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RLNPMM...v_ov_lig_dp_it

A heat gun or a hair dryer will help that part..
Get the paint up to the level of the surrounding paint.
Use the other bottle of the Dr. Colorchip package to go over the area lightly to help level it all off..
Dry it again really well.
See how it looks in a week or so..

All the Dr. Colorchip products I have used in the past always dry very shiny and look fine.. You have to follow the directions to the letter and adjust perhaps for the temperature in the garage to slow the drying time down if its really cold..

Decide if you are ok with it, and if it needs it, carefully compound around it with something really flat - your fingers, or hand will not be flat - ..
They sell small black rubber squares that are perfectly made to do this.. An Automotive Paint Supply Store or perhaps even Amazon will have them.. I think they are made by 3M..

Good luck with this !
Dan F

If perfection not your goal. Look into dr colorchip works well on chips and seen videos where it did good job on scratches.


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Some sorta-random thoughts follow:

Many factory/dealership touchup paints are single-stage and some are quite good.

I use a rotary tool for some prep in cases like this, but would *NEVER* use their felt buffing wheels on any kind of paint ever. Eh, I won`t even use them on soft metals.

DrColorchip can work surprisingly well, but apply it with a tiny brush instead of using their "smear it around" method. When filling scratches/gouges (and I`ve done much worse ones than that with it), build up numerous light coats and let it dry/cure for a good while before trying to level it. And never abrade it aggressively as their paint is fragile compared to the oe stuff.

I`d do the final sanding (if doing it at all rather than using a solvent-based leveler) with something milder than 2500 and probably just do the compounding/polishing by hand even though it`d take a while.