Professional Required?

[spw303]

So I got this nasty scratch on the top of my new cars hood by the passenger headlamp. It was from a heavy chain at the dealership that blocks off the entrance. I couldn't see it in the dark. I didn't slam into it but rather was driving slowly and it inched its way up the hood. It could have been a whole lot worse. I can feel it with my fingernail in certain spots.

So I posted a couple of pics up close. Is this scratch only in the clear coat? The up close pictures give that impression. From a distance my cars color does a good job of camouflaging the scratch. I was actually considering just applying a clear bra to the hood and it would possibly diminish it enough and protect it.

I know if its too deep it will have to be wet-sanded. Which means of course removing clear coat. But maybe its better to live with it rather than take a chance cutting the clear.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[campngolf]

Contact a real detailer in your area. They'll be able to give you good advice after looking it over.

DO NOT just put a clear bra over it no matter how good you think it will "diminish" to scratch. Afterwards, unless it's perfect (which it won't be) you'll still know the scratch is there and be kicking yourself for not getting it fixed correctly.

Best of luck.

 

[Setec Astronomy]

What is your question, really? Yes, that can be polished and it will diminish the appearance of the scratch. Is that all you are asking? Whether it's worth taking to a detailer? Or do you want to try to fix it yourself?

 

[The Guz]

If you can feel the scratch with your nail it's deep and a polish or compound will not remove it.

 

[spw303]

What is your question, really? Yes, that can be polished and it will diminish the appearance of the scratch. Is that all you are asking? Whether it's worth taking to a detailer? Or do you want to try to fix it yourself?

I'm just wondering if its best to leave it alone. If they have to sand then there is a chance the clear coat will fail later on.

 

[spw303]

If you can feel the scratch with your nail it's deep and a polish or compound will not remove it.

Yes in the worst spots of it there is definitely an edge. :mellow:

 

[pmnewton]

If you can feel the scratch with your nail it's deep and a polish or compound will not remove it.

Terrible advice. This is a complete overgeneralization.

From what I can see in the pictures it looks very minor. Can you tell us what city/state you live in so that we may recommend someone specific to take a trained look?

Thanks,
- Patrick

 

[spw303]

Terrible advice. This is a complete overgeneralization.

From what I can see in the pictures it looks very minor. Can you tell us what city/state you live in so that we may recommend someone specific to take a trained look?

Thanks,
- Patrick

I live in the Denver area. Any recommendation is appreciated.

 

[Setec Astronomy]

I'm just wondering if its best to leave it alone. If they have to sand then there is a chance the clear coat will fail later on.

As I said, polishing will definitely improve it, there is no need to sand it. That being said, if there are deep section, they are going to remain, but the appearance will be diminished. As pmnewton said, it really doesn't look that bad.

If you want to do a quick try yourself you can go to Wal-Mart and get some Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish. Get some microfiber applicators and rub the bejesus out of it.

From what I can see in the pictures it looks very minor. Can you tell us what city/state you live in so that we may recommend someone specific to take a trained look?

The only person I can think of in Denver off the top of my head is Nick at Prima.

EDIT: Here's a couple more ideas, although I can't personally vouch for them:

Auto Car Detailing Denver | Car Detailing Services Denver CO
Denver Best Detailer-Mobile Detailing-Authorized Opticoat Installer

Apparently Adams is also in the Denver area; they may run clinics where they would demo some products on that scratch for you.

 

[spw303]

So I got some of the Meguairs as suggested. Just by hand with a microfiber applicator it cut it down alot!. I can't see it now unless really looking hard for it. Unfortunately it did leave what is described on these boards as a "Tracer". I think I will leave the rest of the removal to a pro. Another thread here talks about these tracers and "feather sanding". I will not be trying that myself. I posted a pic from anotehr thread that shows exactly what my scratch has now become after the meguiars applications.

I looked at the scratch with a small magnifying glass with an LED light. Its very interesting to see the anatomy of a scratch up close like this. I can clearly see it has not cut to the metal. But I can see like a "rip effect" all along the scratch. It cut very tiny holes into the clear coat where you can see the paint underneath. So the paint underneath is somewhat exposed to the elements microscopically. I'll need to keep this waxed a lot I think or have a pro put some clear in there to fill it.

After rubbing for a little while I would stop and look carefully into the scratch with the magnifying glass. I can actually see that I am leveling it down with the Meguiars product. I can see the edge of the clear on top of the color coat at an angle.

Thanks for your suggestions everyone.

 

[Setec Astronomy]

Wow, that was fast! Glad it worked out for you.

 

[spw303]

Its a new Honda Accord and from what I read it here Honda has very soft clear. I think this is why a lot came out quick.

 

[Accumulator]

.. Unfortunately it did leave what is described on these boards as a "Tracer". I think I will leave the rest of the removal to a pro. Another thread here talks about these tracers and "feather sanding". I will not be trying that myself. I posted a pic from anotehr thread that shows exactly what my scratch has now become after the meguiars applications...

Did you also get the polish (along with the compound)? If so, just use that and don't bother taking it to anybody. IMO (and we're all just guessing, not having seen it first-hand), you've abraded it as much as you should lest you do too much thinning, so if you can live with it as-is just follow your own advice and keep it well LSPed.

Note that while it's sure not optimal, having a spot of compromised clear isn't always a recipe for (long-term) disaster; some of my vehicles have spots that are a *LOT* worse than that and they're just fine after many years of daily-driver use.

I looked at the scratch with a small magnifying glass with an LED light. Its very interesting to see the anatomy of a scratch up close like this.

That was a *VERY* good idea to check it out under magnification, wish more people did that as their first step.I

can clearly see it has not cut to the metal.

That's good (of course) but keep in mind that you really don't want to take off much clear, let alone have things down to basecoat or primer or metal.

But I can see like a "rip effect" all along the scratch. It cut very tiny holes into the clear coat where you can see the paint underneath. So the paint underneath is somewhat exposed to the elements microscopically. I'll need to keep this waxed a lot I think or have a pro put some clear in there to fill it.

In hindsight, you might oughta've put some touchup clear on that an *then* done some leveling. Not being critical, I often think "coulda/shoulda" about the exact same thing myself. The temptation is to "eh, just polish it out.." rather than order touchup clear, apply it, let it cure, try to level it without damaging the surrounding paint, etc. etc.

 

[spw303]

Did you also get the polish (along with the compound)? If so, just use that and don't bother taking it to anybody. IMO (and we're all just guessing, not having seen it first-hand), you've abraded it as much as you should lest you do too much thinning, so if you can live with it as-is just follow your own advice and keep it well LSPed.

Note that while it's sure not optimal, having a spot of compromised clear isn't always a recipe for (long-term) disaster; some of my vehicles have spots that are a *LOT* worse than that and they're just fine after many years of daily-driver use.


That was a *VERY* good idea to check it out under magnification, wish more people did that as their first step.I


That's good (of course) but keep in mind that you really don't want to take off much clear, let alone have things down to basecoat or primer or metal.



In hindsight, you might oughta've put some touchup clear on that an *then* done some leveling. Not being critical, I often think "coulda/shoulda" about the exact same thing myself. The temptation is to "eh, just polish it out.." rather than order touchup clear, apply it, let it cure, try to level it without damaging the surrounding paint, etc. etc.

Thanks for your support!

Regarding the magnifying glass idea. Well, my computer room is 15 feet from my garage/ car. Last night I had absolutely nothing to do and the magnifying glass is sitting right here next to me at my computer. It was a no brainer! LOL

I used the compound first and did not rub really hard. Then followed up with the polish. Again, I did not rub aggressively.

My biggest concern was removing too much clear. But after seeing for myself the amount that leveled I think its OK. The scratch is actually made up of really tiny holes that are really close to each other. But from a distance it looks like a single cut. Very interesting.

I'm going to take your advice and leave it as is until I get my first full detail. At this point I know exactly what has been done. Besides, this could have been so much worse and I am completely happy with the results I have achieved to this point with the helpful advice I have received here.

Thank you

 

[Accumulator]

spw303- That sounds very sensible, and I applaud your reasonable (and *reasoned*) approach to the whole thing.

 

[Paintxpert]

Silver is a very kind color if that had to happen. Hondas have pretty good paint on them. I would NOT spend additional monies on this event. Driving a car daily is a matter of not if, but when the next event happens. I dodge picnic benches on our interstates. There was a Barbie play car that flew out of a pick-up last week. I thought here we go again. Back to the body shop. Some things you just have to let go of. Good luck with that.

 

[Paintxpert]

It wont rust, its nowhere near deep enough for that. In fact it may outlive us.

 

[MTLian]

Thanks for your support!

Regarding the magnifying glass idea. Well, my computer room is 15 feet from my garage/ car. Last night I had absolutely nothing to do and the magnifying glass is sitting right here next to me at my computer. It was a no brainer! LOL

I used the compound first and did not rub really hard. Then followed up with the polish. Again, I did not rub aggressively.

My biggest concern was removing too much clear. But after seeing for myself the amount that leveled I think its OK. The scratch is actually made up of really tiny holes that are really close to each other. But from a distance it looks like a single cut. Very interesting.

I'm going to take your advice and leave it as is until I get my first full detail. At this point I know exactly what has been done. Besides, this could have been so much worse and I am completely happy with the results I have achieved to this point with the helpful advice I have received here.

Thank you

Looks like you did a decent job at masking the defects! For compounding, I would definitely recommend putting some elbow grease in there. I recommend to rub quite hard and to really concentrated on the scratch. There is no way you will go through the clear by hand. If the scratch isn't gone, you might try with terry cloth instead of microfiber; this will help the compound to correct the scratch.

Once the scratch is gone, finish up with some polish and a clean MF cloth (not the same one used for compounding, or at least a clean corner). Use light pressure with the polish. Don't forget to apply some form of wax or sealant to protect the area.

Ultimate compound is your friend!

 

[Accumulator]

...I would definitely recommend putting some elbow grease in there. I recommend to rub quite hard and to really concentrated on the scratch. There is no way you will go through the clear by hand. If the scratch isn't gone, you might try with terry cloth instead of microfiber; this will help the compound to correct the scratch...

Having gone way too far *BY HAND* myself, I'd rather spw303 stop now, tell himself "good enough!" and preserve whatever clear is left there. And remember, it's not about "going through" the clear, it's about taking off more than a few microns and compromising the UV protection more than it already is (from the damage).

I don't want to sound argumentative or like I'm slamming your post, but IMO far too many people think "just a little more and it'll be a lot better" and next thing they know they're wishing for that wayback machine. Based on his description of the damage as it appears under magnification, I myself already wish he could go back and put some clear touchup paint on that before doing any compounding.

 

[spw303]

Looks like you did a decent job at masking the defects! For compounding, I would definitely recommend putting some elbow grease in there. I recommend to rub quite hard and to really concentrated on the scratch. There is no way you will go through the clear by hand. If the scratch isn't gone, you might try with terry cloth instead of microfiber; this will help the compound to correct the scratch.

Once the scratch is gone, finish up with some polish and a clean MF cloth (not the same one used for compounding, or at least a clean corner). Use light pressure with the polish. Don't forget to apply some form of wax or sealant to protect the area.

Ultimate compound is your friend!

I appreciate the advice. But Accumulator is right. There is not much left for me to do. The scratch is missing clear coat. I can see this clearly with the magnifying glass. I could rub and rub but all I'll be doing is removing more clear for no benefit.

I was going to stop by the body shop on the way home and ask if they could measure the thickness for me in the area I already attempted to fix. I'll sleep a little better knowing how much I removed.

I think the Meguiars may be stronger stuff than many people realize. I could tell it was smoothing the edges of that scratch with relative ease. I'm pretty sure if one rubs the same spot for too long its going to do some damage.

Since this scratch has become mostly only visible when having to bend certain light to see the etching i was thinking about just adding the clear bra to disguise it further.