[Vaheed1]

Hello chaps,

Was just wondering if someone could post a step by step guide of the best way to remove light/medium scratches from a car. A list of the products (including the type of cloth(s) required) would be great too.

I saw this: http://www.safield.co.uk/scratch-rem...FYgifAodbA8bHA

and thought it seems too good to be true!

Thanks in advance.

[makkan00]

Originally Posted by Vaheed1

Hello chaps,

Was just wondering if someone could post a step by step guide of the best way to remove light/medium scratches from a car. A list of the products (including the type of cloth(s) required) would be great too.

I saw this: http://www.safield.co.uk/scratch-rem...FYgifAodbA8bHA

and thought it seems too good to be true!

Thanks in advance.

There is no harm trying it for that silly price.

However I will doubt the long term results.

Let us know how you get on with it.

[AlanQS]

Autoglym super resin polish will do the same job. All it is doing is filling in the very slight surface scratches which means sunlight will not deflect so strongly and reveal them. The scratches are still there and with repeated subsequent washing will "come back".

If the scratches are shallow enough it is possible to reduce some of them by hand with a microfibre cloth and an abrasive type of polish like Menzerna - but it would require a lot of elbow grease.

[Brian mc21]

Originally Posted by Vaheed1

Hello chaps,

Was just wondering if someone could post a step by step guide of the best way to remove light/medium scratches from a car. A list of the products (including the type of cloth(s) required) would be great too.

I saw this: http://www.safield.co.uk/scratch-rem...FYgifAodbA8bHA

and thought it seems too good to be true!

Thanks in advance.

Have you thought about a polisher.

[Gibbo]

I would say machine polisher for best results. I have used the pads below on small scratches to get a 95% removal but takes a fair bit of elbow grease to get results.

Go for the orange one of these.

http://www.motorgeek.co.uk/euro-foam...pes-p-329.html

use something like this

http://www.motorgeek.co.uk/formula-s...ver-p-379.html

Then finish off with a normal polish and a white pad and then paint wax or sealent for protection with a polishing cloth.

http://www.motorgeek.co.uk/poorboys-...zes-p-315.html

http://www.motorgeek.co.uk/cobra-del...ior-p-311.html


loads of products out there above is just a few ideas. Seperate Polish and sealent would be my choice for the last stage but depends on how much you want to spend.

[mowflow]

To do it by hand on a German car you will need an aggressive cutting polish like Menzerna and biceps like Arnie. Polish in the direction of the scratch rather than across it. The idea is to soften the edges so the light doesn't reflect. The scratch probably looks white but it won't be, it's just the light reflecting off the hard edges.

A rotary polisher is the best bet TBH.

[AlanQS]

Rotary is the best but it's also the most dangerous in the hands of a newbie because of the heat it generates. Strike through is a real risk.

For beginners, a DA is better because it rotates and wobbles at the same time meaning less heat is generated and you are very much likely not to burn through the top coat. The downside is that it is much slower to get rid of deeper scratches.

[mowflow]

I was always terrified of using a rotary so I did one of the courses organised through DW. They demonstrated how burn through on an old Astra that was being used for us all to practice on. It took the guy about 5 minutes with the rotary at full speed and he destroyed 2 pads before he managed to cause any significant damage to the paint. You really would need to be a complete spaz to accidently cause any damage.

There's a video, I'll see if I can find it.

[sheps]

Originally Posted by mowflow

I was always terrified of using a rotary so I did one of the courses organised through DW. They demonstrated how burn through on an old Astra that was being used for us all to practice on. It took the guy about 5 minutes with the rotary at full speed and he destroyed 2 pads before he managed to cause any significant damage to the paint. You really would need to be a complete spaz to accidently cause any damage.

There's a video, I'll see if I can find it.

This was always my thought; I know there is a risk in using a rotary, but how real is that risk? Then I considered a friend who used to work in a bodyshop. Nice enough guy, but not the sharpest knife in the drawer - I wouldn't leave him in charge of watering my plants, if you get my meaning.

Anyhoo, the amount of cars he worked on with zero mishaps, I figure it can't be too hard. This is something I will definitely sort out for myself in the summer.

Would be very interested in seeing that vid if you can find it.

[mowflow]

Not the exact same video but the same guys that did the course I went to doing the exact same thing on what looks like a Citroën. As you can see, you'd need to be daft as a spoon to completely wreck your car.

[Team Green2]

Guys just to let you know if you go on mcguiers website they have videos on how to do almost everything with car detailing from removing bird poo to light scratches. Some good step by step videos on how to do it the proper way

[Vaheed1]

Jeez, i nearly forgot about this!

Thanks for all the info chaps. I took it to a local body shop and they quoted me £190+vat for 2 scratches. He said he couldn't polish it out, as the scratches are slightly deeper than surface scratches. So, does this mean I shouldn't try and do it myself? They aren't THAT bad - I don't think. I think he was just touting for business.

[mowflow]

Years ago I took one of my cars to a reputable body shop to see about getting some marks on the drivers door fixed. It looked like someone had fell against the door with a bike. The guy had a look then told me it would be better to just respray the whole car . He insisted it had been sprayed before and whoever done it had made a really bad job, using the orange peel effect (which wasn't actually bad on this particular car) as proof that it had been done "by an amature" as he put it. I simply said "aye right mate, I'll be in touch" and drove off. The car was 2 years old and had been ordered new by me and had no previous body work of any description.

The moral of this story is, there are more cowboys than indians out there. Have a go yourself first, what's the worst that can happen?