How to Repair Scratches in Your Car's Paint

Getting scratches on your car’s paint task can be ravaging! Luckily for you, they can be finessed off the leading surface if they are not too deep.

Depending on intensity, many scratches and scuffs, including “orange peel” and some paint problems, can be “finessed” out. It would assist if you trod lightly, most clear coats can be 3-5 mils thick, and a typical “finesse task” can remove.5-1.0 mils of clear coat.

Pre-inspection

Initially, you will want to clean the vehicle. This will allow you to assess the damage and prevent making the scenario worse as you attempt to repair it. Wet sanding and buffing an unclean car can make the scratch even worse! As soon as the car is tidy, analyze the location. If it is just a simple scuff or even paint transfer from the item that struck it, you can generally skip straight to buffing. If it is a little much deeper, you will need to wet-stand first. The panel must be repainted if it is too deep (paint layer, guide, or bare metal exposed).

Wet-sanding

If you decide to damp sand, you must get a foam sanding block and wet-sanding paper. You will desire 2000 grit and 3000 grit “wet-or-dry” paper, found at most parts shops and automobile body supply stores. The foam pad is a must because it complies with the area you are dealing with, it soaks up water (you need to keep the work area wet), and they are generally cheap. You only want to wet-sand till the flaw is gone. Excessive sanding yields no additional benefit and makes the clear coat, too. The appearance after sanding will be a dull, chalky color, however it must be smooth and even. I typically begin with 2000 grits to do most of the work, then follow up with 3000 grits to make it smooth. Constantly keep the work area WET, and add a couple of drops of dish soap to your water (if you use a spray bottle) for extra lubrication.

Polishing

To polish, you will need an electrical polisher with variable speed. I typically set the speed between 1500 RPM and 2500 RPM, depending on what I’m working on and what sort of pad I use. I use just foam pads unless I have a lot of product to get rid of, and after that I will use wool. You will also require a compound. Various compound grades depend on how much material you need to remove. The heavier the “cut,” the more substantial the grit in the compound. If polishing after 3000 grits, you do not require a “heavy cut” compound. Remember that every action of the process eliminates a percentage of clear coat, so you constantly want to go as little as possible.

Use some compounds to the workspace and start polishing with the buffer. One thing to ALWAYS keep in mind with the buffer NEVER stops moving. Polishing creates heat and can blister when the paint gets too hot. Likewise, stay away from raised edges. Raised edges can burn through the paint rapidly, to guide or bare metal. As you move the polisher back and forth, the compound will appear wet and dry and ultimately disappear. You want to work in little sections, duplicating that cycle (wet, dry, gone). Keep duplicating until the dullness of the damp sanding is gone.

Final Glaze

Singapore car polishing can leave the paint shiny, however another action is still to unlock the prospective shine. To do this, you require a softer pad on the polisher (I find the softest foam they provide) and a bottle of special compound usually called “finishing glaze” (also called “swirl mark eliminator). It is a compound designed to bring back an extremely high shine and remove swirl marks from the previous action. It is applied simply like a routine compound.

As soon as the finishing glaze is used, a good coat of wax is advised to assist protect the paint. If the car has been recently painted, skip the wax, as it can prevent the out-gassing of paint solvents weeks after a paint task. Rubbing compounds and finishing glazes are silicone free and will not “seal” the paint, so they are safe for “fresh” paint tasks.