need help with scratch removal

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dashoe

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Help! Someone put a scratch in my 08 Lexus IS about 6" long. It appears to only be in the clear coat and not in the paint. I can just slightly feel it when I run my fingernail across it. Is this something I could fix as an amateur detailer? If so, how do I go about it? Or, should I take it to a pro?

Thanks for any help.
 
No, but I am ready to buy one. Trying to decide on the PC or Flex.
 
I am located in the silicon valley area of California.
 
I knew that would help but my digital camera is on a snowboarding trip without me. It will be a few days before I can get a pic. Sorry about that, but any input at this point is helpfull.
 
Well at this point, you're definitely going to need a machine to get it out. The best thing to use would be via rotary, but a PC would also work. AG has many PC kits you could check out. Is the scratch deeper than a regular swirl? Go with some Menzerna SIP and their Nano polish.
 
The scratch is deeper than a regular swirl. I can very lightly feel it when running my fingernail across it.
 
Thanks so much for the input. Very helpfull.
 
i would have to say that if you can catch your figernail on the scratch then your not going to beable to get rid of the scratch without removing too much clearcoat....
 
i am unsure of the clear coat application thickness on a new lexus...

where is the scratch? typically, you will have more clear on horizontal surfaces vs. vertical.

i'd get a PC or Flex as you mentioned, run a 4" orange pad with some menzerna super intensive polish or optimum polish and see if you can't get it looking significantly better.

i know for a fact that a 4" yellow spot buff and a PC and optimum compound will take that scratch out, if not almost completely, but you would then have to refine the area after that with optimum polish or some sort of equivelent product. i feel it's best to start out with the least aggressive mode and take a little more time with that to assure you don't remove too much material. i'd try a PC or Flex because you'd be removing clear in such small increments (in terms of wide area as well as depth) vs. something more drastic like a rotary, ESPECIALLY if the rotary is using a small pad too. very easy to do some damage there...

again, though, without a gauge and/or personal experience, i have no idea how much clear you have to play with.

good luck!
 
If it's only one scratch you don't really have to buy a polisher, but it's a great tool to have and you will likely want in the future.

You could also feathersand the scratch with some 2500 grit wet sanding paper and buff it out with some M105 by hand. It would save you money, but if it's something you've never done before you may want to leave it up to a pro. ;)

Hard to really say without seeing it in person, at the very least you can make it look better.

Rasky
 
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Well if you are already looking into a polisher grab a Flex 3401, goodness knows you will use it a lot more then this one time. Menzerna, XMT, Wolfgang all great polishes that would take care of this problem for you easily. Give us a call if you need more help.
 
Get yourself the Flex some Megs 105 and 205 or any of the Polishes stated already some pads and you should be able to do a good job at fixing that issue . You will definitely put them to use more than you know.
 
listen to Meghan she is wise and very helpful!!!!....Wolfgang swirl remover 3.0 with a orange pad took care of a couple nasty scratches on my car, used a PC
 
vinnier6 said:
i would have to say that if you can catch your figernail on the scratch then your not going to beable to get rid of the scratch without removing too much clearcoat....
Click to expand...
:iagree:. It gets risky when you keep taking CC down to remove a scratch that you can feel with your fingernail. You can make it look a lot better with what the others said. You can usually remove a couple of inches from each end in your case. If you put some polish on an MF and work it the length ways of the scratch then you will round off the edges that reflect more light. It makes it a lot less noticeable even if you can't get it all.
 
yea, listen to meghan....why not get a flex for over twice the price of a pc when you can do the same thing with a pc that you can do with a flex.....

dont get me wrong, the flex is a better machine, but not at over twice the price....
 
Flex is a much more powerful machine than a PC as it is a forced rotational machine.Which equals more correction ability . I have a Rotary ,PC,UDM and a Flex .THe Flex is what I reach for the majority of the time. Don't get me wrong a PC is a good machine but it is outclassed by the Flex
 
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