I have a few scratches on my blaquemaxx. What is the best product to remove them?

 

Uh oh, black maxima and scratches = bad problem.

I have a black Maxima and I'll just tell you now...unless you are willing to put touch up paint over the scratches, forget about trying to fix them. A very shallow scratch can be temporarily hidden by using a good polish, and then waxing afterwards. But the little pits caused by pebbles can't be buffed away.

Plus, be VERY careful while washing and waxing your Maxima. The black paint is very prone to scratches (as you probably know by now). One time I used a McDonalds napkin to clean off bird droppings from my hood (I poured water on the napkin first) and it scratched up my paint. Argh...

 

small areas only.

 

Almost the same thing happened to me... I was driving my roommate and his girlriend to dinner and she saw some bird crap or something on the trunk. She used one of those club flyers they throw everywhere at colleges to try and clean it up and ended up leaving nasty looking scratches all over my trunk... I was absolutely insane over it. She's dating my friend though, can't yell at her just yet.

 

I can't stand how susceptible the black paint is to scratching. I use Maguires 3 step paint process and the polish step hides some of the surface scratches. For thicker scratches, I use touch up paint. Be very careful when washing your car. Take your time and don't wipe dry spots.

 

Hope you guys don't mind me responding to this ,but I'm a car detailer who's also painted many cars in my time. The scratches you are encountering can in many cases be removed by a process called "color sanding" . This is the step you would take if typical scratch removers do not work ,but it's tricky and not advised if you have never done it before . The basis if it is to use very fine grades of wet sandpaper ,usually from 1000 to 1500 grit ,and sanding the scratch (in the same direction as the scratch )while keeping the surface and sandpaper wet at all times. If the scratch has NOT gone THROUGH the clearcoat ,then it can be removed. After the wet sanding of the scratch ,you use different grades of buffing/rubbing compounds to bring the finish gloss back up to like new condition. Most good detail shops can do this for you , and you'll be surprised how many scratches (in the hands of someone who is good ) can be eliminated ,even on black . Call around and see who does it in your area . My ENTIRE car was color sanded after i painted it , and it now has less orange peel than an oem paint job(BTW-mine is black also )but i also knew how much clear was on it ,and how much i could sand away. oem paints typically have 6-8 mils paint on them ,and this process will remove 2-3mils sometimes,so be aware where you do it ,so if you get a scratch there again you'll know you're treading in thin waters,so to speak. Dan

 

The color is very hard to maintain and my mom tore the car up the first month we had it with a stupid snowscraper, the entire hood and trunk...after i found out i came home and took the car...poor thing...(car not mom)...neway, dont use the touch up paint because it does not come out very good,the colors just dont look right...Touch up paint looks like chunky white out on typing paper...my two cents...

 

i also have a black 99, it's really hard to keep clean and scratch free, but it sure is the nicest color when it's clean. 2 weeks after i bought my car, somebody keyed it very deep, this was 2 years ago, i still haven't fixed it yet other than touch up paint. it really sucks

 

Yeah, the thing about black is...It is the best looking color for the first hour after you wash it. If I wash my black Maxima on perfect day in June at 12:00, I notice dust and other crap and spots by 3:00. My advice? Wash the Max an hour before the hot date, and never let her see it in the sunlight. The black max looks great under parking garage flourescent lights!

 

Thanks for the great advice,onequiksc. I am gonna look for someone that does color sandiing in my area (MD). I know that Black is hard to keep clean and it shows dust. But I want the scratches remove as best as possible. Any one used a california duster?

 

Yea, the duster is good for the pollen that settles over your car towards the end of summer, but worthless on dirt thats attached and harder, or pollen thats stuck on because of morning dew.

 

i've read about this detailing process that involved sanding. i have a few thin scratches on my black paint. how do i know if it went through the clearcoat? also, a few days ago i posted that i found a big scuff on the black urethane bumper. i really don't wanna sweat over these things, but come time to wax and polish i'm gonna start to be uneasy about it. does sanding work on this also? is there a website i can go to for guidance? thanks.

 

One way to tell if the scratches are removable is to note their color ; when they appear white,this indicates that it is the clearcoat that is abraded ,because clearcoat turns white (on any color car ) when scratched. If you see color through the scratch (whatever color the particular car is ) then the scratch has gone THROUGH the clear to the basecoat,and repainting or touch-up is your only avenue of remedy . If the scratch appears white ,also feel across it with your fingernail,the depth of the scratch can be felt . Some slight scratches may hardly be felt this way-that's good -they will come out through buffing or wet sanding . If your fingernail sinks in like you feel a bump-but the scratch still appears white ,well ,it's deeper but may still be removable.Also ,be careful allowing anyone without proper knowledge /skill to try to machine (with a rotary buffer ) buff the scratch . Heat generated by the buffer can discolor / blister paint if proper compounds and techniques are not used . This is why color-sanding works well;the user has much greater control over what they're doing ,and heat is not generated to blister or discolor paint.The scuff marks are usually removed by hand buffing with a good compound ,but machine buffing can also quickly take them out ,as long as the user has experience in doing it. I always tell people " a black car is a comittment" so be prepared for high maintenence. Dan H

 

VQ ,i did forget to tell you that you can try going to google or any good search engine and put in "color-sanding" and there will be a lot of info you can glean to help you understand the process. It IS something you can learn to do in a few trys BUT you would want to work on a junk car or a panel you have lying around that's usable.Once you learn to do it, you will save $$$ and your car from these types of scratches ,which ,as we all know, are inevitable.I am the car care moderator at FordvsChevy.com(sorry-it wasn't meant as a plug guys,i know it has little interest for you ) and i've gone through this a couple times with people there also. You can also email me anytime you have a question about stuff like this ,i love clean ,shiny ,scratchless cars ,whatever the make/model .Dan H. aka- onequiksc (sccoa.com ) or aka xstorque (FordvsChevy.com)