Rookie mistake, need help

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Weaverpsu

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Hello detailing gurus, I need your help.

I just bought my first scratch repair kit if you will.

I bought the sampler kit V32-V38. I had a spot on my fender that seemed to have a little transfer and some side scratches. I took the V32 with a orange hand pad and got to scrubbing.

A few drops of sweat off my forehead and I've only made a little progress. So, I go at it a few more times. As I do, I start to notice 3 small water spot spots. (that is what it looked like) I hadn't noticed those earlier. I thought, well I better try to buff those out as well.

No progress, so I took a magic eraser because I didn't have 2000 or 3000 grit sandpaper and tried to get rid of those 3 spots.

Well, the 3 dull spots turned into 3 dark spots.

What have I done?

I am thinking, the car must have been touched up before because I wasn't pushing very hard and I see some touch up paint above that area on the fender line. I have attached the before picture and 2 afters.

Do I need to go to dealer to get touchup paint? If so, can I polish it and blend it in a bit? Can I buy clear coat and spray that on before touch up?

I know it won't ever be a 10/10 but hoping for 8/10.

Thanks in advance!

Before picture is 2nd one, sorry

View attachment 49284
 
I think you've gone past clear coat. IMO, you will need touch up paint. I would suggest getting a DA. You won't get anywhere correcting by hand.
 
Wasn't that sanding? I meant controlled correction... maybe you can...dunno. I couldn't.
 
Yes, as others have stated you went through the clear coat.

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My question is, how did I go through clear coat? An orbital polisher is supposed to be very safe and I only used my hand. With just an orange cutting pad and V32, I started to get through clear??? I've seen videos of people hand wet sanding out a scratch using several passes until you can't see scratch again and simply add a few steps of Polish afterwards and no problem with clear. I sanded with a magic eraser, that should have been safe. Do you guys think this area was polished before and thus was weak? Now I'm scared to touch the rest of the car.
 
Also, what can I do to fix it. I'm so bummed, I was trying to get my truck looking fantastic and instead I did this. ��
 
Ok, number one, it's certainly possible to go through the clear by hand. You were using a fairly aggressive pad with a fairly aggressive compound, and by your own admission, "got to scrubbing". Then you followed that with an abrasive product (magic eraser). No, I don't know what the grit equivalence is of a magic eraser.

Is that a plastic panel you were working on? Plastic dissipates much less heat than a metal panel, which makes it easier to overheat a local area, which didn't help you. In regard to your comment about wetsanding scratches...I often mention that we have a lot of threads here from new members that start with "I had this scratch..." and they never end well. Here's a quote from Mike Phillips from just this morning: "The few that do wet sand will do a small section involved with some type of rock chip repair or other repair and chances are good they'll screw it up."

The clearcoat on your car is about .002" thick. It's easier to go through than most people realize.
 
Weaverpsu said:
I sanded with a magic eraser, that should have been safe.
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While I'm hesitant to say you went through the clear, that comment about using a Magic Eraser on paint couldn't be farther from the truth.. I once tried using a Magic Eraser as a last resort in order to remove some extremely stubborn tree sap and ended up with a small dull spot on the paint. [went through the clearcoat] It's a good thing I only did a small test spot.. It's also a good thing it wasn't a showcar or anything crazy like that. I'll never use a Magic Eraser on paint again.
 
IMO you will need to touch up the paint or repaint the area. IMO as well as most people here believe you went through the clear coat. Doing it by hand is IMO even worse than with a DA. You applied way too much pressure. Let the product do the work not (in this case) your technique. It was your technique that caused this problem. I mean no offense what so ever and I am not bashing you. Please realize I have done this before too. I would start looking at a DA rather than working by had. A DA will give you a more uniform layer and will accomplish scratch removal with less pressure. Additionally, you will save a tremendous amount of time.

Again, I hope this will help.
 
Eldorado2k said:
While I'm hesitant to say you went through the clear, that comment about using a Magic Eraser on paint couldn't be farther from the truth.. I once tried using a Magic Eraser as a last resort in order to remove some extremely stubborn tree sap and ended up with a small dull spot on the paint. [went through the clearcoat] It's a good thing I only did a small test spot.. It's also a good thing it wasn't a showcar or anything crazy like that. I'll never use a Magic Eraser on paint again.
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Yeah, that is where I get confused. I'm a novice, no doubt. At the same time, I've watched a ton of videos and read articles about scratch repair before attempting. A pretty reputable auto detailing guy on youtube uses the magic eraser all the time, especially on transfer. It always looks dull afterwards, just like many other videos I've seen but that never scares them. They say its normal for it to be dull and turn on their polisher and use a couple steps, and voila, its back to a beautiful shine. Seeing those black spots appear freaked me out. I wasn't prepared for that.
 
No offense taken. This was my first time! I guess I just thought I was better prepared because of all the research I did beforehand. Ever see that video of a guy writing scratch into his car and then promptly gets rid of it?? These videos gave me lots of confidence. And yes, I looked at more reputable videos as well. The spot is only about the size of a quarter and its a 4Runner so I won't be repainting the fender. I just need to cover up my mistake as much as possible. I'm looking to buy a Griots Orbital polisher or a PC. If you look closely at the picture, you will see a dull spot surrounding the black spot. I think that can be fixed with a less abrasive polish and pad. The thing is about getting a DA is that this spot would be hard to get at with a DA. Its a fender that sits out from car a bit. I could tape off lines to make sure I don't get burn I suppose. Thanks for your comments.
 
Sorry for so many messages, but how would I know for sure if I went through clear coat? I think in this case, its pretty obvious but are there any tricks? Also, do you think I can apply a spray clear on it successfully? Can I get it to a 8/10? Thanks again, you guys rule!
 
You could try doing a spray can clear touchup on it...it likely would look the same after, I don't know. 1K clear touchup will yellow over time though.

I understand your frustration with watching a lot of successful videos, and then having it go down the dumper IRL, but it's just one of those things that is hard to convey--how long to rub, how much pressure...and more importantly, how thin the clear actually is.
 
okay, so should my steps be: spray a primer, paint, spray clear, and then eventually polish it lightly? Setec, thanks. I'm from NJ as well but live in Denver area now. My wife trusted me to fix scratches and am feeling a little pressure to recoup her confidence!!
 
Weaverpsu said:
okay, so should my steps be: spray a primer, paint, spray clear, and then eventually polish it lightly? Setec, thanks. I'm from NJ as well but live in Denver area now. My wife trusted me to fix scratches and am feeling a little pressure to recoup her confidence!!
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Just take it to a professional. I won't risk again doing a DIY solution this time. If you want to get experience on that, buy a hood in a scrap yard.
 
hdez said:
Just take it to a professional. I won't risk again doing a DIY solution this time. If you want to get experience on that, buy a hood in a scrap yard.
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ahhh, Booooo. That's no fun lol. How much would they charge?
 
Weaverpsu said:
A pretty reputable auto detailing guy on youtube uses the magic eraser all the time, especially on transfer. It always looks dull afterwards, just like many other videos I've seen but that never scares them.
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You talking about this guy? [I'm the 1 on the left]
View attachment 49294

Darren's vids are full of great tips and advice. [IMO they're the best source of quality information presented by someone without a script or a camera crew] I've learned alot from watching Darrens vids and always look forward to the videos he uploads to youtube.. But you have to keep in mind that he's a seasoned veteran when it comes to auto detailing, a guy like him can make something like de badging emblems on a luxury car look easy because he's a master of the craft.

If you've seen him use a Magic Eraser it's usually for oddball tasks like removing scuffs from interior panels, cleaning tar off the lip of a wheel, removing transfer from a plastic mirror, etc.. But when he's going straight to the paint with it, you best believe his experience comes in handy.

I've never used Chemical Guys V32, but if it's supposed to be a cutting compound it sure doesn't sound too great.. Reason I say that is because I've removed a bunch transfer on numerous vehicles by hand using just Ultimate Compound and a microfiber applicator. The stuff has never failed me.

View attachment 49296

View attachment 49297

I still think there's a chance you haven't struck through the clearcoat. We're all novices at 1 point, and I think any novice deserves a free pass. Good luck!
 
so, if I didn't strike through clearcoat, how would I know and what would my course of action be? I bought the chemical guys sampler kit because lots of my scratches are small/thin and won't need the V32 and would use a V34 or 36. Plus the 38 is a finishing polish. I almost bought Meguiars 205 and 105 instead. I have the day off, so that is why I'd like to get as much info as I can today. And I'd love to fix it myself because I'm a frugal son of a gun! And yes, thats the guy! Darren's videos are long but very informative. He uses eraser to rid of transfer. BTW, my first attempt was on our Jetta. Wife hit garage and everything worked out great. I'd say its a 8/10 and won't have any issues with returning lease now. Then I moved on to our new 4Runner Limited, which I love and that is what happened.
 
Use the V38 with a foam applicator or a foam finishing or polishing pad. Smooth strokes, not too much pressure, but not too little either.
 
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