I just painted a scratch on my car. What next?

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XSR

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Hello,

I just painted a scratch on my car, then sanded the paint.
It was tricky to sand because the scratch was very thin.

Can you tell me what the next step is? Should I use Meguiars Compound to make it look better?

I would appreciate your help.


Scratch:
​View attachment 73409
A71E2144-07CE-4835-8AAB-9E00B798FCA7.thumb.jpeg.d45854b0f15c95d6693d30f9e2f520de.jpeg




Painting:
View attachment 73410
Wet Sanding

View attachment 73411
 
In the same situation, I have used Meguires scratch x 2.0 or ultimate compound by hand And got great results. Obviously finish up with your choice of sealant. I also would wait 30 days before I took any other action To let the paint Harden.
 
Update:

I removed the paint with nail polish remover (because it's not the right color) and then used Meguiars polishing compound (red bottle).
It didn't remove the scratch but now it is not possible to feel the scratch with the finger. Now it feels smooth! and the scratch is now less noticeable.
I got a new color that matches the original color, should I use it or just try a more aggressive compound (Meguiars Ultimate Compound)?



imbwa0w.jpg


tbvyskw.jpg


dXMLYIB.jpg


Any suggestions please?
 
Everyone has different standards, I have never been able to fill in a scratch and have it look any better. IMHO you already know how to apply and remove the paint, actually your first attempt was done well so if you do apply the other paint you have the option to remove. The problem with metallic touch up paint is it’s very hard to match and not knowing how or what you used to sand you will run into issues if you keep sanding the original paint

Why not give it a week or two and see if still bothers you? If so hit it with the Ultimate compound
 
But be careful with going at it with more compound. You’ve already removed clearcoat to level the scratch. With fingertips and an aggressive compound, it doesn’t take much to go through the clearcoat, which will look tons worse than a minor scratch.
 
Thank you for your replies!


dgage said:
But be careful with going at it with more compound. You’ve already removed clearcoat to level the scratch. With fingertips and an aggressive compound, it doesn’t take much to go through the clearcoat, which will look tons worse than a minor scratch.
Click to expand...

So what would you suggest me to do at this point? Should I paint it?
 
Those scratches do not appear deep enough to benefit from applying a touch-up paint. Touch-ups should be reserved for those cases where the scratch is all the way through the paint (or clear-coat).

I think the best course of action in your case is to compound/polish the area by hand and just enough to get rid of the whiteness of the scratch, smooth the edges, then call it a day. Doing so will not completely remove the scratch but it will minimize the appearance of the scratch.

If you try to apply touch-up paint and/or sand the area in an effort to eliminate the scratch, I'd estimate that your chance of success in making it look better than a simple polish would, is probably in the neighborhood of 10% or less. Not very good odds.

Some defects are best left alone, or if treated, done so conservatively... And experience is your best ally in making that determination.

If you still want to try touch-up paint, I'd suggest using a clear. Your scratch doesn't appear to be through the clear coat so there is no need to be adding color.
 
I have attended to scratches just like that with about 30 to 40 strokes of ultimate compound, not pressing too hard. That usually gets it to where I can live with it.
 
I'm with 2black1s and glen e---clean it up a touch and live with it....

Tom
 
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