Fixing scrubbed off clearcoat on automobile

[JoeWras]

I just bought a new car, well new to me. It's actually used and in pretty good shape for 2 owner families over the last 12 years and 200k miles. The family I bought it from was really nice. One kid wanted to help mom clean the car, but made a slight mistake. Mom took partial blame for giving her a scrub sponge.

So I have this cute car with an ugly hood. No big deal as I'm using this as a work vehicle. No shame there. Yet why not make it as nice as possible?

Look at these pictures and ignore the pine pollen. Focus on the hazy areas. Is this beyond hope for a DYI wax, polish or buffing? Yeah, I'm serious, can I "buff this out?"

Otherwise, I'll let it go and just chalk it up to the character the car has.

 

[Jerry1]

You might not be able to completely buff that out, but I bet you can get it to where you hardly notice it. I had a pretty bad scratch on my truck and took it to a guy and he almost made it disappear. At least now, I have to actually look for it. If you’re not sure about what you’re doing, take it to someone with a buffer. If you want to try it yourself, go very light. You don’t want to be taking off too much paint.

Also, my understanding is that if it “goes away” when you get it wet, then you’ll have a good chance of getting it to disappear. I guess that means that only the clear coat has been scratched if it being wet makes it go away. Good luck.

 

[FIcontractor]

It's hard to tell from the pictures. If it goes all the way through the clear coat then the only fix is to repaint it. If not then it's just scratches and can be buffed out by polishing. Unless you're interested in diving deep into car paint refinishing (buying a random orbit polisher, a couple pads, and a couple polishes and some practice) then you'll want hire a detailer to fix it, which probably wouldn't be too expensive.

You might find that some typical hand polishing compounds and some wax would make it look pretty good, but these are really fillers that fill in the scratches and will wash away pretty quickly rather than actually polishing the paint to remove the scratches, so it depends how often you want to redo it.

 

[MC Rider]

I'd probably go with the old Beatles song that popped into my head.


Let it be, let it be....

 

[OldShooter]

I would at least have a paint shop look at it. Since it's just the hood, that's an easy area to mask, rough up, and reshoot with clear. That won't work if the damage goes through the color coat into the primer, but probably there is still some color coat thickness there.

Regardless, some free advice from a pro shop or two is worth seeking IMO.

 

[COcheesehead]

These guys make some great stuff. I use a number of their products for detailing. They may have a product and or videos to help.

https://adamspolishes.com/

Edit
Maybe this?
https://adamspolishes.com/products/adams-scratch-swirl-remover

 

[cbo111]

Exercise caution if you attempt to use an electric buffer. I tried one many years ago. Borrowed it from my neighbor who said, "Just move it up and down, left and right, and don't press too hard." With that extensive training I proceeded to make some cool (and permanent) swirls all over my BMW 325.

 

[JoeWras]

Great ideas, thanks!

A bit more info...

- The sales advertisement pictures of the car were after a light rain, which supports the post about it not being terrible. The mom got me to discount this issue by bringing her daughter along for the test drive, to apologize. It was a clever precious moment. I found other issues that weren't the kids' fault so I drove a hard negotiation. [emoji3]

- I'm open to experimenting since the car has years and miles.

- Still, the idea of running it by a high end detailer is good. I hadn't thought of that. A body shop might be too much.

Still thinking about my next steps. Appreciate your input!

 

[RetiredAt55.5]

Well, if you're open to experimenting, I've had a lot of success with this Mother's 3 step product.

https://www.amazon.com/Mothers-Complete-Ultimate-Wax-System/dp/B002NUJFTM/ref=sr_1_1?gclid=Cj0KCQiApKagBhC1ARIsAFc7Mc4tAHqG-JNObMB6sYcxMyGDCwsWUwrvOIVjmYRi_vxnOpykmYFeSSsaAlYuEALw_wcB&hvadid=580648274799&hvdev=t&hvlocphy=9007277&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=6149745550785219607&hvtargid=kwd-318753140294&hydadcr=7279_13212587&keywords=mothers+3+step+wax+system&qid=1678409825&sr=8-1

for about $30, or for $20 just get the polish and glaze products and follow up with your own wax.

The trick is to take your time with each product, and apply the right amount of elbow grease. I wax all my cars by hand - polish machines scare me.

 

[OldShooter]

...- Still, the idea of running it by a high end detailer is good. I hadn't thought of that. A body shop might be too much ..

Don't prejudge. Just talk to a few shops and see what they say.

 

[38Chevy454]

I'm pretty sure that is just superficial clear coat scratches and can be polished out. I would spend the money for a pro detailer, and have them do the whole vehicle. They will know what can be done once they see it in person. Doing the whole vehicle will make significant improvement over how it looks now. Even for a car intended as a work beater.

 

[Freedom56]

Try rubbing compound to take the scuffs/scratches out followed by car wax and polish. That should reduce the scuffing. It's a cheap solution.

https://www.amazon.com/Turtle-Wax-T...4804&sprefix=rubbing+compound,aps,136&sr=8-15

 

[Winemaker]

Get the opinion from the detailer before you try any wax/polish. If your polish doesn't do the trick, and you take it to the detailer, he might have to use a stripper, and would increase the chance for further damage and increased cost.

 

[VanWinkle]

I would at least have a paint shop look at it. Since it's just the hood, that's an easy area to mask, rough up, and reshoot with clear. That won't work if the damage goes through the color coat into the primer, but probably there is still some color coat thickness there.

Regardless, some free advice from a pro shop or two is worth seeking IMO.

Shops are unable to just shoot clear coat over these scratches. It requires a base coat and clear coat which will likely result in a color mismatch from the look of this color. You then blend the fenders to get a match which costs the same as refinishing the front end- not cheap.

The cure is worse than the problem.

I agree with most- let it be and enjoy the ride.

VW

 

[Qs Laptop]

Those scratches look pretty deep so I think it's beyond a quick fix. No, you probably can't "buff it out." I agree with OldShooter to take it to a pro and get an opinion. If the cost to fix it is too much, I've had success with Meguiar's ScratchX, but admittedly not on scratches as deep as those appear to be. Couldn't hurt to try it, though.

https://www.meguiars.com/automotive/products/meguiars-scratchx-g10307-7-oz-liquid

 

[Car-Guy]

Let's see, 200k miles on a 12 year old car that's going to be used as a work car. I might try some rubbing compound and a little elbow grease on the "ugly spots" but "I" wouldn't spend much time and money on it.

 

[MC Rider]

Rattle can, baby.

 

[Happyras]

Rattle can, baby.

automotivetouchup.com is my go to for this type of repair. We buy cars at auction for fun, replace a few parts etc., bondo a bit and paint. To me this is a simple issue to fix. I would try my orbital sander with 2000 grit first, step down to finer grit and do some restore polish. If not so perfect, go with a couple of coats of compatible clear coat, and done. You could spend more time and money, but for me that would be good enough.

That website is great for perfect color match in custom shaker cans, or you can go fancy and use a sprayer with bulk paint. They deliver fast, and its far better than the O'Reilys junk.

Or you can choose to use cheap clear coat after a quick sand off and rub down.....

 

[RobbieB]

I'd use a little polish and then wax it. Good enough for a 12 year old 200,000 mile car.

 

[tfudtuckerpucker]

I've used a colored car wax for scratches like this in the past. Hard to tell from the photo, but it might be the cheapest way to hide or reduce the scratches. You have to re-apply regularly.

https://www.amazon.com/color-wax-cars/s?k=color+wax+for+cars

 

[JoeWras]

Lots of great ideas here. Thanks.

 

[youbet]

I'm using this as a work vehicle. No shame there.

.

Why not stop working, then no need for a "work car."

 

[JoeWras]

Why not stop working, then no need for a "work car."

Volunteer work. Stuff I like doing.

Or call it a "volunteer tool transport vehicle."

 

[Morgan22]

Project Farm YouTube video showing that the best car paint scratch remover is 3M Auto Scratch & Scuff Removal System out of the 9 products he tested.

 

[JoeWras]

I tried T-Cut, and it improved things, but not a lot. Mostly it softened the blow.

While applying the wax, I realized the car had a lot more issues anyway, like a lot of rock nicks on the hood, and a quarter sized peel off on the roof that actually has a rust spot in the middle. So, I'll live with it. (And cover that rust spot with touch up.) It looks like the kids were trying to scrub off of the rock nicks.

I have a new-to-me car with character.