S197 V6

I got out and washes/detailed my car today since it was finally nice out here in PA, and what do i find? A nice long scratch on my drivers side door...Its a light one but still a scratch none the less. Any advice on how to get rid of it? I dont want to risk any more damage to my paint, and Ill take it to a professional if I have to, but I just wanted to try and see what I can do first.

69_gt500

usally, as long as its not too deep, a scratch should come off with rubbing compound and elbow grease. If it damaged the paint, Ide bring it to a professional.

p.s. Are you still looking for a mineral grey GT rear bumper. I had mine replaced after i was involved in a minor rear ending and i still have the original. Its still in good shape, p.m. me if you want some pictures.

05fordgt

Hey Eric, can you actually feel the scratch with your nail? If you can, I would suggest a body shop. Now, if you can't, then its just a surface scratch, and can be easily buffed out. If you have access to a product called Meguires Professional Mirror Glaze 3, this is the stuff to use. This stuff is awesome. It will take off any surface mark, tar, bugs, anything. I had a small surface scratch on the left rear quarter. I put a small amount on a microfiber towel, and used some elbow grease, and after 5 minutes, I couldn't see the scratch anymore. Great stuff. Heck, my dad used it to get some hard to remove brake dust that accumulated on the chrome wheels on his '05 F250. And unlike compound, this is non-abrasive, as its a polish, and will make anything look good. You can't buy it in the stores, but online anywhere. Its great to keep in your car when you need it. And remember, a little goes a long way.

69_gt500

Thats the only drawback with rubbing compound, its abrasive, like fine sandpaper. I usally use show car glaze polish after to bring back the shine .

05fordgt

Exactly Matt. That is why I mentioned Mirror Glaze 3. Its perfect for this situation.

S197 V6

I cant feel the scratch with my nail, but i can definitily see it. Thanks for the tip on the Meguiars stuff, got any good places online to get it?

And about the GT bumper, Im still looking for one, how badly is yours damaged?

Edit: I found this online, http://meguiars.com/?pro-paint-clean...ne-Cut-Cleaner ,Is this the same stuff you are talking about?

05fordgt

NO!!! Don't use that stuff! That is a mild abrasive compound! You will have more scratches than ever! I found what to use on their site. Click below to see the link.

Meguiars Mirror Glaze 3

The 1st bottle. This is the stuff to use.

davisinla

TRUST ME:

Meguiars ScratchX - BEST STUFF for a scratch. Use just a little bit on a small section of the scratch at a time.

Then go here to reduce your chances of getting more:

http://www.parkingbydesign.com/

rrobello

if you have a DA buffer than use Meguiars M#80 or M83(slighlty more aggressive), if not then by hand Scratch X, all will fix the problem if it can be fixed and if they cant then you need to have it touched up or spot painted but these 3 products wont make the situation worse at all. Then follow with Meguiars Show Car Glaze then High Tech Yellow.

69_gt500

IMO, you cant really make it any worse than it is. Any of the products mentioned will get rid of the scratch and any small scratches left can be buffed out.

SteelTownStang

I own a black Stang that shows every little imperfection. I've had good experiences using Meguiars Scratch X. It may take several applications, but it should work- and it is clearcoat safe...

rrobello

everything can be fixed but it can be made worse first and what would be the point in that?

S197 V6

Thanks guys, Im going to go ahead and order the Meguiars stuff tonight. Hopefully it will work!

69_gt500

All the abrasive compounds do is dull up the clear coat, giving you a rough surface down to the depth of the scratch . If you have a scratch on your car, that means its at LEAST as deep as the clear coat, if not, then it will rub right off with no effort. I spent this weekend removing some pretty noticable surface scratches. In the end, the best way for me was turtle wax rubbing compound heavy duty cleaner, a small amount of water, and meguars show car glaze deep shine polish. I am left with absolutely no imperfections where the scratches were. Again, this is only good for surface scratches where all the paint is still intact, just under the scratch. If any paint is gone, Ide bring it to a professinal to touch it up.

davisinla

When you get the ScratchX, let me know.

You just put a little bit on a microfiber, and rub a very small area.

The nice thing about it is that it has what they call "diminishing abrasives" which means once you rub it a few times back and forth, it becomes less and less abrasive, reducing the chance that you'll do damage. That's why it may take a couple of applications.

(Can you tell I've been to a couple of classes at Meguiars? )

Good luck!

There is obviously a limit to what ScratchX can do. But if you've got a small scratch in the clear coat, it's the product to try first. Unlike very abrasive compounds, I've never seen it dull the finish.

rrobello

Scratch X with a foam applicator pad works much better than a microfiber, use the microfiber to wipe it clean