Eudreamality

Went to a stupid Chinese restaurant, and when I came back home, I noticed there was a fine scratch running down on the passenger door, it's about 20cm and became very obvious after car wash! And no one left me a note at all!!!! I'm so upset with the scratch and don't think there is an easy way to fix that up without sanding the whole passenger side door.... which would cost me like what, $2000?

Glashub

I used hmmm what was it Doctor Scrathc or something and it actually worked after several applications but it was not a deep to the metal scratch.

Eudreamality

would you mind giving me a link of the product? does it come with different color match?

Glashub

http://www.amazon.com/Nu-Finish-NFS-.../dp/B000AME50Y

By
mr z (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nu Finish Scratch Doctor (Misc.)
This is an excellent product for those who know a thing or two about car scratches and what to expect. If you are hoping to remove a deep key scratch, then this product may not be for you.


I have read several reviews that rated this product fairly poor. As somebody who has used Nu Finish Scratch Doctor many times, I believe that people who did not get good results either did not use this product correctly or tried to treat wrong kind of scratches with it. If you want to get ANY scratch removed completely, please see your favorite body shop. They will charge you a lot of money and they will definitely remove the scratches. However, if you want to save money and remove light (with emphasis on "light" scratches yourself), then Nu Finish is worth a try.

After putting my car through several Sierra Nevada and desert trails, I ended up with Arizona pinstripes all over the vehicle. Upon careful inspection, I concluded that the scratches were not deep enough and I used Nu Finish Scratch Doctor to remove 95% of them. It took several hours and of washing and prepping the car followed by several coats of the product. The results were marvelous! However, what worked for me may not work for you and here is why.

Let's take a clean un-waxed standard car. It will have the following layers:

1. Clear coat.
2. Paint.
3. Primer.
4. Body.

The scratch can be present in any of the layers shown above. Nu Finish will work only if the scratch is in the clear coat and if the scratch does not penetrate the clear coat layer too much (up to around 50-70% based on my experience). There are two ways to deal with scratches: Fill them in or smooth out the edges. Nu Finish Scratch Doctor takes the second approach. It is an abrasive-based product that will help you to sand down the scratch. What you have to do is to clean the car and then remove as much residue as possible by drying the car with a microfiber towel and possibly applying a clay bar cleaning system (search for Mother's Clay Bar). After all dirt and particles are gone, you have to apply a coat of Nu Finish and let it sit for some time. Then get a clean polishing cloth and rub it perpendicular to the scratch. You may have to repeat this process several times, but eventually it will either completely eliminate the scratch or make it almost invisible. The trick is to know what to expect. You should allocate enough time to complete the job because you have to be extremely careful about the application. Specifically, you will have to test this product in a safe place first and then after you are done you must apply a layer of wax in order to preserve the paint.

If the scratch is too deep, then your best bet is to see a detailing specialist. Run your nail perpendicular to the scratch. If it catches, Nu Finish will not help. As a matter of fact, no other hand applied product may work for you and what you need is a professional circular polisher and perhaps some wet sanding. If you are reading replies on Amazon, you are probably not a professional detailer and applying sand paper to clear coat may seem barbarian too you. That is why I strongly recommend anybody who have any doubts to do more research online, join an appropriate forum or see a body shop if products like Nu Finish or 3M Glaze do not help. These items are really good as long as you know what you are treating. Too many people buy scratch removers to treat deep scratches that go through clear coat, paint and touch metal. Those are extreme cases and you should not expect a product that costs less than $10 to fix them.

Brother Acura

Sorry to hear this but it has happened to my last two cars. The first time on my '05 TL I caught the bastard trying to flee the scene. I wrapped on his window as he tried to drive off and he tried to deny it. He finally relented when I told him to wait until I called the police. It took me quite a while to get him to pay the body shop. It's been a few years and it was a dent that couldn't be fixed by dent wizard but it cost $600. That was for the dent and paint.

Flipster23

iTrader: (15)

That sucks!

Glashub

Eudreamality you're welcome.

potmilkz

did scratch go thru the clear coat?

Eudreamality

how do I know if it goes through the clear coat or just a superficial mark?

Glashub

Run your nail perpendicular to the scratch.

P1zzaman

iTrader: (1)

This DEFINITELY would not have happened if you went to a stupid Italian restaurant.

Eudreamality

to see what?

potmilkz

if you can see your primer or your paint flaking, then its thru

007Acura

I find Quixx does a great job of reducing or even removing scratches. You can get it a walmart or amazon

deuce415

iTrader: (1)

You want to run your finger nail perpendicular to it to see if it grabs hold of the scratch. If it does not, then use a polishing compound on it. I use Meguiars Ultimate Compound, 9.99 at Kragen. Use microfiber towels to apply by hand, then wipe immediately with a clean microfiber towel. Followup with wax.

20 cm is about a foot isn't it? If so, you don't need be overly dramatic and wet sand your whole door.

If you have DA polisher, it makes it easier and you'll get better results.

ardenne90

I am also baffled at the reference to "stupid Chinese"? How is this pertinent to the issue at hand? Why dine at any restaurant that you think is "stupid"? Seems like somebody is either throwing a kiddie tantrum or they have some deep seated contempt (or even hatred) for anything Chinese. The 4G TL forum is way better than this kind of mindless banter.

Ruby

everyone knows asians can't drive

potmilkz

this would be a joke if your actually asian.. but if your not... then your just racist.

Ruby

red text = sarcasm...simmer down buddy, mean't no harm. just like saying white people can't dance, its a joke...

renedcruz

iTrader: (8)

http://youtu.be/QKcSZfY1sf4

ardenne90

I would not characterize this as racism. I have had many close calls with Asian women and my fiance is Asian, who willingly admits that driving is not their forte- I would also like to retract my earlier comment about Eudreamality having contempt for Chinese. I think he is just really pissed about his baby getting scratched. I probably would have had the same reaction, or even worse.

potmilkz

he could have simply said he went to a Chinese restaurant..

Steven Bell

iTrader: (2)

First, guys-stay on topic. Let's not go off on a tangent about racism.

Second, I've gotten more exercise since I bought my Type S. I always park farther away.

Third, the OP is just upset because he came out of a restaurant and his TL was scratched. It could have been a Mexican restaurant, McDonalds...anything. It's just a "stupid" restaurant because that's where he was when he discovered the car scratch.

akiko2012

I cringe every time i see cars parked right next to mine so as Steven already mentioned...park far away. Sure it's not a prime location, there's no shade, or takes time to walk but in the end, there's no dings or scratches on our babies. ;-)

Eudreamality

I tried it this morning, it did hold my finger nail a little bit, guess the compound won't work in my case ?

potmilkz

if your finger nail gets caught in the scratch then your pretty much fucked.

what id do is to get touch up paint, put it on there (make sure you put a good layer of it) and wetsand the area till it looks leveled, then do a complete buff on the door.

if your really not that savy with how to cure paint, then i dont recommend doing this. just have the door repainted,

NJ SHAWD

acuTL2010

You Mean Indian people can't drive !!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQsNQ...eature=related

csmeance

Not really, if your finger catches it slightly you can use a polish/compound to get it taken out and minimize it's appearance. It'll still show if you are looking for it but otherwise it'll be near invisible.

A good OTC product that you can use with a Microfiber Towel is Meg's Scratch X. You can find it at walmart and autozone and the like and it works fairly well. Follow the directions and you'll be set!

If you want to expand your future detailing aresnal and want to learn a bit more about car detailing and scratch removal and the like, I suggest you call up Patrick @ West Coast Detailing (google excel detail) and tell him your from acurazine and he'll help you put together a small little kit or just direct you to a easy to use scratch remover.

tmnhs81

If you're a or I'll let you go otherwise refer to the video below..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjrEQaG5jPM

potmilkz

no.. if your finger is caught in it, your clear coat is gone.

any further tamper with the clear coat will only make it peel.

best is to get acura touch up paint stick and dab it over.. otherwise do not touch it with any polishing compound. it will only get caught in the deep scratch and stay there thus making it way more visible..

acuTL2010

That in India! What about the Indians people in the state !! They can't even turn or drive straight line !! I'm not racist or anything !! But that the true. Face it! lolz !!

jazzpicker

Sorry to hear about your scratched car. I've had similar scratches some through the clearcoat and others more superficial. I've tried nearly all the above mentioned scratch removers, paint kits with clearcoat and have yet to successfully remove a single scratch. Most of the applications made the scratches more visible and simply do not work. If you want to be
rich, formulate something that will really remove a scratch.

My solution to the problem was to find the "scratch and dent guy" that most of the local dealerships use to repair the new cars that were damaged in shipment or that fixes the problems found on trade-ins. Ask your Acura service advisor who does their work. We are fortunate here to have a man that can to fix most anything on a cars finish but getting this result requires painting and clear-coating the defect and the result will be invisible. The guy here usually charges $100-200 to fix a problem but having an aggravating scratch removed is worth the money.

Good Luck