any way to remove this big scratch?

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petermk

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Hi everyone!

I've been following this forum for quite some time and finally have a rather unfortunate reason to post....

So, I have a black Acura MDX that I bought in July. As this was my first black car, I didn't know that going to a regular car wash was a bad idea. I started noticing many swirls, which prompted me to start looking for solutions online. I mastered ONR wash, bought a PC (haven't tried it yet) and was going to try to remove swirls myself next week (have the whole week off work). But today I noticed a rather big scratch on my right rear door. I can slightly feel it with my fingers, so my question is whether this thing can be removed at all.

Thanks in advance

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Looking at all the other scratches in the area, it looks like someone opened their car door and hit yours. What a Bummer! But, I do agree with ScubaCougr! If a scrath is so deep that it has removed all the color, all the buffing in the world will not magically fill in the missing paint. Dr. Colorchip is a great product and works very well. You will need to build up the surface with the paint, let cure for at least 24 hours, out of the rain. To make the repair as invisable as possible, wet sanding and polishing will be required. Good Luck!
 
Hard to tell from the photo, but is it just paint transfer? If so, then you should be able to buff it out.

When you run your fingernail over it, does your fingernail sink into the scratch?
 
Niele said:
Hard to tell from the photo, but is it just paint transfer? If so, then you should be able to buff it out.

When you run your fingernail over it, does your fingernail sink into the scratch?
Click to expand...

Yes, I can feel it with my fingernail.
 
Try a little rubbing coumpound on a soft cloth by hand and see if it seems to help.

I was wondering if it was paint transfer as well
 
Tough for us to tell on the picture. drag your fingernail across the scratch perpendicular to the scratch direction. if your nail is catching in the scratch then i dont think you will be buffing as it is down to primer, in which case the advise above to use something like a Dr color chip is your cheapest option. There are operations out there like mobile dent repair that now do these kind of paint repairs. I have seen good ones and bad ones. Ask around for a referral if you go this route.
 
04Si said:
Tough for us to tell on the picture. drag your fingernail across the scratch perpendicular to the scratch direction. if your nail is catching in the scratch then i dont think you will be buffing as it is down to primer, in which case the advise above to use something like a Dr color chip is your cheapest option. There are operations out there like mobile dent repair that now do these kind of paint repairs. I have seen good ones and bad ones. Ask around for a referral if you go this route.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Yes, my nail does feel the scratch, just barely but still...

I'll try P21S Paintwork Cleanser and maybe M205 first just to make sure that it's not a paint transfer
 
04Si said:
Tough for us to tell on the picture. drag your fingernail across the scratch perpendicular to the scratch direction...
Click to expand...
Yes, and pay attention to WHAT you feel, NOT just that you feel something. If your fingernail drops down into the scratch, then it is below the surface level of the clear and you would need to remove surrounding clear coat to buff it off. If it is too deep, then you cannot buff it off. In fact, if it is so deep that it goes into the base coat or primer coat, then you need to fill it.

However, if your fingernail detects that the scratch feels like a bump that is raised above the clear coat, then it is most likely paint transfer. If it is paint transfer, then you can remove it from the surface. See this link for more info on removing paint transfer: How To Remove Paint Transfer

ANeat said:
Try a little rubbing coumpound on a soft cloth by hand and see if it seems to help.
Click to expand...
Agreed -- the picture is inconclusive, so you need to collect more data by performing a simple test. Try compounding a small section of the scratch, by hand, to test to see if it removes any of the scratch.
 
My brothers metallic blue malibu had a similar indication on the front bumper. I used some poorboys SSR 2.5 on it and it took it right off. Whats the harm in trying to remove it? Worst case is it is down to the primer and you need to touch it up
 

petermk said:
Yes, my nail does feel the scratch, just barely but still...

I'll try P21S Paintwork Cleanser and maybe M205 first
Click to expand...


If you can feel the scratch with your fingernail, then paintwork cleaner and 205 will do nothing. This is a canadate for wet sanding.

I think the best case scenario, would be not to wetsand, unless you have a paint thickness gauge, and are talented at wetsanding, but instead, buff the area with a compound, and then call it the day. You prolly will not be able to remove the entire scratch, but it will look better.

Trying to remove the entire scratch may leave the area very, very thin, and you don't want that.




 
Clean the scratch and area immediately surrounding the scratch, and wipe with alcohol. Then, carefully "fill" the scratch with paint. If not with the product mentioned above, then with DupliColor "scratch fix". Carefully apply in layers, letting each coat to dry. When you finally can feel a "bump" when you run your finger over the filled scratch, polish the area. Start with a fine cutting polish and work down.
 

Touch up paint will work, but will need to be wetsanded prior to buffing,



 
Thanks for the tips, guys! I ordered DrColorChip yesterday and will definitely try it when it gets here. Meanwhile, I'll try a paintwork cleaner just to make sure that it's really down to the primer. It shouldn't make it worse, right?
 
petermk said:
Thanks for the tips, guys! I ordered DrColorChip yesterday and will definitely try it when it gets here. Meanwhile, I'll try a paintwork cleaner just to make sure that it's really down to the primer. It shouldn't make it worse, right?
Click to expand...

Go for it, give it a try, if it doesn't work, move to the next step... :props:
 
In the pics it almost looks like transfer. You say your nail bearly catches in it. Try the least aggressive method first. Buffing,with a good compound.You may need to go with an aggressive pad or wool. If the buffing does not work. You may have to use a product like Dr Color Chip.Sand and buff.
 
So, the paintwork cleaner did not work, basically confirming that this was indeed a deep scratch.
Then, I tried the PC with a flat 5.5" orange pad and M205. This did not work either, although it did remove most swirls in that area.
I continued with a flat 5.5" orange pad and M105 - the scratch got almost to the level of the area around it. I could hardly feel it with my finger after that. Then I went with M205 and orange pad again to remove all the swirls created by M105.
The scratch is still visible but one has to know that it's there in order to find it. In direct light it's still quite visible but still, IMO, much better than before.
I am not sure if I should try going at it with M105 again. I'm too scared of taking off too much clear coat and getting into the paint. This was my first ever experience with a polisher after all.
 
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