So, here are the scratches I want to get rid of (this is pretty much the actual size of them...):



I got these bastards when I bought the car a couple of weeks ago. Somehow I didn't see these near the bottom of the driver side door. Oh well, now they're my problem and I need to get rid of them!

So, after my last wash I used Meguiar's Cleaner Wax to try to remove the swirls and scratches on the paint. Well, the CW got ride of the swirls, but the scratches are still there. After reading up on this board, I see that I shouldn't be surprised that it didn't remove the scratches...it's not a true polish that contains abrasives.

I realize that my most efficient method of removing these scratches is to go buy a PC and buff these scratches out using a nice Poorboy's or Mother's polish, but before going the electric route, I'd like to try to some elbow grease. It seems like the only effective polish out there that's designed for manual application is Scratch-X...is that a correct assumption? If not, what other products should I look for? Also, it seems like most cutting (cutter?) pads are designed for PCs...will I still need a cutting pad when I use a polish like Scratch-X that is designed to be applied by hand?

Thanks in advance for the help

 

Yikes!!! I will have to let someone with more experience than me comment on what you need to do to get rid of those scratches specifically. I dont think you will be able to do much of anything by hand with something like scratchX though. It might help a bit, but you are probably going to need something much more agressive than that, used with a machine. Those look like pretty descent scratches. Are they deep?

Anyway, listen to more experienced ppl over what I think.

 

Hmm...well, I rubbed my hand over the scratches...you can certainly feel them, but they don't feel toooo deep. But they're not minor scratches at all...as u can see from the pictures.

Think it would be more beneficial to let a professional take these scratches out and give my car a full detail? Or am I better off going out and buying myself a PC and all the applicable detailing products? What's more cost effective? How much of a risk do I run destroying my paint if I try this myself and I don't have any experience removing more-than-minor scratches?

Feedback is appreciated!

 

Heck, go for the PC, that way you have the equipment to sustain proper surface maintenance as long as you own the car! From the pic, theres no way that deep scratch is going anywhere. You would be better off trying to fill it before any further work, then use a nice compound or wet sand JUST THAT BLEM. Then give the whole car a once over with a SSR or Optimum Compound (which is a very light compound) and a nice Polymer sealant. The other scratches you should be able to minimize greatly.
You'll pay for many details ahead of you if your fork out a couple hundred now.....

 

So, let say I purchase a PC and go through the motions of a thorough polish of my car. The remenants of these scratches may still show...would a jar/pen of touch-up paint be a good option? I don't know much about touch up paint, but my assumption is that the paint matches a car that's fresh off the lot, not a car that's 2 years old. My question then, is how long does it take your paint to change to the point where Acura's (or maybe Paint Scratch's) touch-up paint is no longer appropriate? How long before you need something that's been color matched by a shop? I've read on hear that using touch-up paint almost never yields a "perfect" result, unless you're using it on very small areas...which this scratch would not qualify as. Can I expect good result using touch-up paint on these scratches, or is it designed more for small rock chips and the like.

I know these may be a silly questions to some, but I don't have a clue...

Thanks

 

Check out the current thread on chip repair. I'd think the same techniques would be appropriate for that scratch. Alternatively, you could go to a body shop. I generally agree with what you've heard about touch-up paint, but I think it's the quality of the touch-up that comes into play, not the color match. I don't think you'd encounter paint-match issues for many years to come. That's the beauty of modern clearcoated finishes.

 

If done right (and assuming the paint on the car is properly cleaned), a touchup should match years old paint almost perfectly. In the thread I posted regarding wetsanding touchups the car I'm working on is 3 years old with over 90k km and the scratch on the rear fender was similar to yours (about 3 inches long, to the metal) - you just have to get the right paint (a dealer will have it by VIN probably) and do the touchup very carefully, have patience and do it right the first time. If wetsanding freaks you out (and be warned, it IS dangerous if done improperly) then grab some Langka or top of the line touch up magic to remove the blob. At least that way the scratches will be 90% repaired, and much less noticable.