I tried cleaning tree sap of my car and used the green side of a kitchen sponge. I didn't think it would do this kind of damage fml...can I polish this out? I did some research and it seems only clear coat was damaged as the scratches aren't hard but really soft. The paint basically just lost its "gloss". Any help is appreciated

 

You remind me of me.

 

You could probably get away with doing a 2 step, compound and polish, with a DA and a cutting and polishing pad.

Some may be inclined to tell you about wet sanding.

 

JFC. Stop and go to a body shop.

With the propensity to do what you've done to get into the situation, you're not likely to get out of it very well on your own.

You'll be triple fucked if you listen to anything Mystery Meat has to say. Just put down the kitchen scrubber and walk away.

FFS. Brillo pads are for smoking crack, not paint work.

 

I would try compound and polish to see if it can still come back, but it looks like you might have rubbed through the clear coat.

 

essentially; he's (wet)sanding down the clear!
one could try to polish it out, but with his luck it would make it worse.

 

Does scratches disappear when wet? If so then you should be able to save it.

Try using some polishing compound and microfiber cloth. If car and cloth is clean, you can't really do any damage to the paint (well unless you really try) and it might be just enough to make those spots disappear.

 

You 'might' be able to use some 3M 1-Step Finish Material 33039 and a rotary foam pad, maybe.

Check out Nexson on the video below, he has the best tips.

You Tube

 

I think if he had the above tools, he wouldn't have been using a god damn scotch brite pad on this car

 

I could be buff out, but after that you will have minimal clear coat left.

 

^^

Found this on another forum:
SCOTCHBRITE GRIT CHART
7445 - White pad, called Light Duty Cleansing - (1000)
7448 - Light Grey, called Ultra Fine Hand - (600-800)
6448 - Green, called Light Duty Hand Pad - (600)
7447 - Maroon pad, called General Purpose Hand - (320-400)
6444 - Brown pad, called Extra Duty Hand - (280-320)
7446 - Dark Grey pad, called Blending Pad (180-220)
7440 - Tan pad, called Heavy Duty Hand Pad - (120-150)

 

600 grit on a car’s paint, ouch.

 

Here's a similar situation.

 

In other words, OP should take it to a professional.

 

Yep.

 

If you were a woman & my wife I'd divorce you. That sucks! But you have to think clearer next time. They actually sell a product in a can made by "stoner" for tar remover it also removes sap safely & easily. Won't blemish paint. Same company that makes the glass cleaner in a can.

 

I fixed the scratches, just in case someone does what I did and wants to fix it: wet sanding with 1500 and then 3000 sandpaper and then buffing with compound. Scratches are completely gone.

Tried using some polish and meguiars scratch remover but those didn't help at all. The scratch remover masked the scratches slightly but that was it.

 

Good job OP! Glad you were able to fix it yourself and reverse the damage!

Thanks for reporting back with an update!

 

Nice!
Post up an 'after' picture like the one below showing the result.

 

 

Done. Was going to do so, just needed to get to my computer. Doesn't even look like the same car lol, dang I'm surprised at the results looking at the pictures now...scratches are gone, looks like just a tiny spot left from the sap on the roof and even then barely noticeable.

 

It looks really good!