Newbie dealing with scratches

[velobard]

Yeah, I'm new to this stuff, taking it seriously at least. I've been reading threads for awhile and yes, I've read the "Repairing Scratches" article in the Learn section. I just bought a 2001 Chrysler LHS with the deep garnet red pearl coat. I itching to give it a proper shine and have picked up a supply of wash, polish, wax products I've seen recommended here. But first things first, I have one fender with a series of small scratches I need to deal with. I do have some touch-up paint, but I live in a small town and don't have access to some of the stuff mentioned in the Repairing Scratches article, mainly the Mequiar's Unigrit Sanding Block. Several of the small scratches are down through the red, showing a bit of the white underrneath. I'll admit, I'm a bit intimidated with getting this done right. I'm also impatient enough that I'd rather not sit around waiting for mail delivery of products. Can I fix these scratches with a mix and match of wet/dry sandpaper, ScratchX, and polishing compound to "pretty up" my paint touch-ups?



BTW, for buffing later, I'm searching for a foam pad for my trusty old Bosch 3283 random orbit. All I have right now is the pseudo-wool pad. I'd hoped that would do the job, but fortunately I did enough reading here to understand I really need to stick to foam.

 

[velobard]

Finally got a couple pics uploaded, in casee it will help any.

The longest of these scratches is a few inches, but there's a spot I didn't snap a shot of with a cluster of several short scratches where something rubbed the car.

 

[Inthedetails]

I would start with Scratch X if you are working by hand. Apply a small amount and when you notice it to really break down, add some more and work that in. You may be able to work some of those out, others you may be able to "hide" as you complete your cleaning and waxing process.



If you are using a machine, then you may have better success with a more aggressive product.

 

[velobard]

Hey, thanks for the response. I had a little luck this afternoon with the ScratchX, but there's definitely more work to do. What kind of product would be next on the list? Should I try polishing compound by hand next? If I go with my random orbit and a foam pad, what kind of specific product would you recommend?

 

[JeffM]

By hand i would try 3m PI 3 fine cut rubbing compound, or keep going with scratchx.



With pc you will enjoy the 4" pads for those problems.



Or you could spend $100 bucks for a "pro" to go over the car with a rotary, and then maintain it from there.

 

[velobard]

It would def be worthwhile to invest $100 for a pro to do the job right, however with the wife in school for another six months, 4 teens in the house, and xmas coming up, that option's gonna have to wait till next year. I'm determined to do the best I can for now, so I'll carefully tackle it on my own. I'll do the best I can with the scratches, wax it up good for winter, then next year strip it down and pay someone to do it right.