Need some serious help.(Steel Wooled Paint)

DetailedByPrecision

DetailedByPrecision

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Hey AG. My friend somehow used steel wool to clean some "dirt" off his paint and now it left a lot of scratch marks on his black paint. I was wondering if m105 with a green or orange pad will be able to take it off? I do not have any experience wet sanding so that's not an option for me. I will be doing a one-two step detail on his car in about a week and these are the only spots I'm concerned with. I know I can make it less noticable but if possible I want to correct it 90% better than before. Enough talking here are the pics. Thanks AG.

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HOLY $#$#% *#*%_@@)!#$%*)!! BATMAN!!!!!

Wow, that is pretty bad. I would seriously consider getting some FINE grit sand paper, like 2200, and damp sanding those areas first. He has already ruined the paint, so lightly wetsanding before hand can not hurt any worse. Depending on how deep he went, and it looks BAD on those fenders, he might have gone through, or got very close to, going through the clear coat.

A test spot with the 105 would be the way to go. I would not guarantee anything and explain to him that it might not work.
 
thx for the replies guys. the hood is like okay.... but the fender is like "OMGWTHBBQS"....I told him that I can make it less noticeable but I can't guaranteed it fully corrected and he understood. My polish arsenal are m105, m205, menz 203, menz 106, meg UC, and scratch X.
 
It never ceases to amaze me what everyday, what's considered normal people decide to do to their cars.....:cry:

Since the damage is already done there's little you can do to make matters worse. Right now "your friend" has almost guaranteed himself some time in the paint booth. What I don't know is if he's breached the clear and is into the color or deeper..

Look him square in the eye and tell him you'll try your best but try as you may, you can't walk on water..

Meguiar's M105 and an Orange pad are your best choice to begin your attack. You may not get all of them out but maybe enough to satisfy the situation at hand. Once you think you've done enough with Meguiar's M105 switch to Meguiar's M205 and a green or white pad.

If things are looking real good you might want to hot the area with Menzerna Super Finish PO106FA and a gray pad.

Without seeing it in person this is all I can suggest..

You might want to rethink the friend thing....:laughing:

Good Luck...
 
haha thx bobby. I'm not an amateur nor I am a pro with paint correction but I never buffed out anything this severe before so I came on to get some advice from you awesome people.
 
Cg6LeMoN said:
haha thx bobby. I'm not an amateur nor I am a pro with paint correction but I never buffed out anything this severe before so I came on to get some advice from you awesome people.
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I hear ya on that one! I have to say that this is the first time I've ever heard of someone using steel wool to wash dirt from the finish of their car or truck..

Wet sanding does take some time and hands on experience to get used to the mechanics of it and without being a smart ass this might be the perfect time for you to start!! :laughing:

If you dare, get yourself a small pack of 2000 and 3000 grit wet-dry sanding paper. Fold it around a flat flexible rubber sanding block, keep the area wet with water and begin to smooth out the area. Use this on the flat area and see of you can improve on what's already there...

If not, and I understand, begin with the Meguiar's M105 and take it from there. :props:
 
Introduce your friend to detailing clay. I didn't appreciate it before b/c my finish was not really contaminated but I helped a buddy do his car this weekend and it was a night and day difference in feel after claying. Even took stuff off his rims that we couldn't budge with apc at full strength.
 
What was he thinking taking steel wool to paint? lol thats crazy. Make sure you post some after shots when you're done. Good luck!!
 
I would run some test spots and see what you get for results.

You should try to polish first. Not that I think it will take it out...but you'll get a good idea of how aggressive you'll have to get to fix this.

IMO you'll definitely be going straight to compound. But, trying the polish first shows you what kind of clear you're working with, and how deep these scratches may be. Besides...if the polish does take it out....then that would be great since the clear coat has already taken a beating obviously. Good luck! :dblthumb2:
 
Looks like it is the equivalent to 1500-2000 sandpaper ... And if that's the case I wonder if..... Instead of wetsanding how this would work!
Try it man and let us know how it works
 
Im amazed. How could you CONTINUE to do it seeing what it was doing to the paint? I mean it's bad enough to think that someone would do it in the first place but to see the scratches and continue to do it. Let us know the results and process you do!
 
Any idea what grade he used on his paint?

That would help us to get a grasp on how deep the scratching is.

Common grades are 0, 00, 000, and 0000.
 
Steel Wool? Where did he come up with that idea?

Compound with M105 or UC on orange pad. That will level or take out the minor scratches and "sanding marks" he created. After that you can see how much damage there really is. Take more pics and post them here. Maybe we can help you from there. Can you feel any of it with your finger or fingernail?
 
5.4 Shelby said:
Steel Wool? Where did he come up with that idea?

Compound with M105 or UC on orange pad. That will level or take out the minor scratches and "sanding marks" he created. After that you can see how much damage there really is. Take more pics and post them here. Maybe we can help you from there. Can you feel any of it with your finger or fingernail?
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I don't know the true damage of the paint yet. I have not seen this car in person yet. I will wash it,clay it, then IPA wipedown to see the true extent of the damage.
 
fredcandetail said:
Looks like it is the equivalent to 1500-2000 sandpaper ... And if that's the case I wonder if..... Instead of wetsanding how this would work!
Try it man and let us know how it works
Click to expand...

If you're suggesting using steel wool as an alternative to sandpaper as an intentional procedure, that's not a good idea. There is a huge difference between 1500 grit sandpaper and a wad of steel wool, and the nature of the scratches you're instilling will also be hugely different.

Fine grit sandpapers are designed to be very uniform and provide controlled cutting power. Steel wool is anything but uniform.
 
It looks like he sanded the paint, nothing to crazy just hit it with the 105 and orange pad, tape the edge of paint near the fender well until you get 80-85% of the defect out then remove the tape to get the high point of the edge
 
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