Ghozt

This might be a pointless thread, but I figured I'd ask anyway to see if anyone has any reliable solutions they've tried.

I have a few scratches (longest 3-4 inches long) in what looks like only the clear coat of the car from the previous owner. Nothing very noticeable but obviously I'd love to not have these or not be able to see them as well.

I'm not exactly asking if there is some type of "kit" that can help fill the scratch in or something, although that'd be nice if there is. I'm more asking if it is possible for a painter to sand these down and fix them without needing to repaint entire pieces of the car? Isn't the purpose of clear coat to be easily fixable?

Basically is there any way to approach this that doesn't involve repainting entire pieces or doing vinyl to the entire car? If so I'll just wait until it's worth repainting the pieces. If not though I'd love to hear any options for minimizing/repairing these.

Kmoney

Nissan sells scratch paint pen for our car color. it comes with the paint n clear coat. i bought one already, just waiting for the weather to be nice to apply it on small scratches i have due to the snow

ChrisMan287

iTrader: (34)

Have you tried to buff them out?

BlackMax11

your best bet would b to try and compound them out i have the same thing i have like a foot long scratch i worked at a park so kids with tehre bikes would kill me when the weather is nice il take some compound and buff them out if there deeper il get the paint kit and fill them in.. try the buff if not go with the paint kit

Ghozt

I haven't had the chance to yet, got the car in November and only until recently it was ~30 degrees and occasionally snowing. I assumed the dealership would have tried that before putting it on the lot for sale but maybe that is just an assumption, I'll definitely give it a shot.

What kind of compound are you talking about BlackMax?

Ghozt

I'm starting to realize I'm going to be paranoid as hell about this car and dread every winter. Sucks because I normally like snow...haha.

ChrisMan287

iTrader: (34)

I wouldn't use a compound, sometimes it can do more bad than good.

I'd wash the areas, clay bar, wetsand lightly with a high grit and buff away with either polish or wax. That should do the trick.

djdavebse

yea i wouldnt recommend compound because i had a little scratch on my truck when i rubbed the compound it left swirl marks

GM_Traitor3.5VQ

I know what you mean. The clearcoat on these cars is VERY soft. I haven't had my car for a year and the paint in certain areas already looks bad.

If you haven't used a D/A before (like a Porter Cable) with a polishing pad and compound, I'd get a professional to do it for you. Like some of the guys said above, you can do more harm than good.

To avoid any future issues with the paint when washing and introduce any new scratches or swirls, I highly recommend buying a foam gun. Just bought one off Amazon a few weeks ago and the thing is amazing. After two coats of foam and rinse, there was barely ANY dirt or grime left on the paint. Also wash your mitts after each use on the delicate cycle at home. Helps make sure that any grit from the previous wash gets out before the next time you give the Max a bath.

Ghozt

Here's a pic to help show what I'm trying to repair. I'm definitely going to give it a good wash, claybar, wax and see how it looks. Have a feeling though I'll need to either have a pro sand it a bit for me or try the touch up pen. The close up picture I took is from a lower angle so it looks more noticeable than it actually is - did this so you can see it better.

djdavebse

my paint actually feels a little rough like the small dust went into the pain. so when the place get a little warm i think im going to get a clay bar and do the entire car so it feels new again

GM_Traitor3.5VQ

That pic definitely helps. I'd try a mild abrasive compound first to see how much of the scratch you can remove. Give the Meguiar's Ultimate Compound a try, then use a microabrasive polish, then wax and see how it works. Been able to get scratches like that out of prior cars using this method before. It won't completely eliminate the scratch, but will definitely make it much less noticeable!

Ghozt

You tried any of the Meguiar's scratch kits? If there is a risk of causing more scratches/swirling if I use some type of compound/orbital buffer then I'd rather try something else first but not if it's a waste of money. Is this worth trying - http://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-G1030...pr_product_top? Or maybe this one by Quixx? http://www.amazon.com/Quixx-00070-US...7962226&sr=8-2

Schneid

I just used Meguire's ScratchX 2.0 last weekend on a few small scratches on my trunk lid and on the back of the trunk to the right of my license plate and it worked ok, but not great. I also need some advice on a few decent sized scratches on the top and the back of my trunk. I was thinking about buying a more abrasive rubbing compound this weekend. I would be interested if anyone on the board has had success with more abrasive rubbing compound, but I am nervous about using rubbing compound on my car.. The scratches are less noticeable after using the ScrachX and then an application of Mother's carnuba wax, but I am **** about my new car and I would like to see if I can completely eliminate the blemishes..

BlackMax11

compound does the trick trust me

GM_Traitor3.5VQ

On prior cars I had no problem using a D/A orbital buffer with soft to medium cut polish pads and hard cut/fine cut compounds. I'm quite hesitant to use it on the Max just because of how soft the clearcoat is. If you have some decent scratches, might take it to a professional detailing shop and have them work on it instead.

Let's face it, Nissan paint scratches way too easily. Unless you completely respray the car with a harder clear, only thing you can do is be extremely careful when washing

djdavebse

i washed my car last week and i notcied some fine scratches i got pissed because i wash off all that dirt before i start rubbing it down with soap and i noticed the paint got rough so i have to clay bar it and maybe wax the whole car

Kmoney

no matter how hard ya try, we going to have some scratches on these cars

djdavebse

im actually thinking about getting mine resprayed next year when it gets a little more scratches

GM_Traitor3.5VQ

I wish I had the extra coin laying around to do that. There are a couple shops around here that do some show-car quality paintjobs. Only downside is it would cost about 7K

white09maxima

based on the pics I'd def do a light water sanding followed by a buff and wax job. silver is a good color to work with. I've been detailing cars for over 10 years, used to do it full-time (owned the company) & also worked in a few body shops over the years so any questions or recomendations just let me know~

djdavebse

which is a better clay bar. Mothers or Meguiars?

ChrisMan287

iTrader: (34)

I've tried both and personally like the Meguiars clay bar better.

white09maxima

X2

Ghozt

Just curious, what does wet sanding do exactly? Make the clearcoat soft so it can fill in the scratch when you wax and buff? Or leave particles that get pushed into the scratch to fill it?

Should it be visible to my eye after wetsanding that I have sanded there or is it more like just a few light passes that don't leave any visible marks? I have some really fine sandpaper i can use that came with my Quixx scratch repair kit (which I'm gonna try next if this doesn't work)

white09maxima

Wet sanding (or water sanding) essentially takes a little off of the clear coat, depending on how 'deep' you need to go to remove the scratch. It will definitely be visible, after sanding the area just wipe it dry and you should see a haze. If you can still see the scratch after wiping the area dry then you need to sand a little more until you cant see the scratch. I would use 2000 grit paper designed for wet sanding. I always go back & forth (left to right) when wet sanding...dont do circles! I remember the first time I did it I thought I ruined my car but after a 2 stage buff/polish its virtually impossible to notice any imperfections (providing you do it properly). Make sure the area is clean prior to sanding and be sure to keep wetting both the car and sandpaper with water. If you drop the sandpaper, use a new piece

I recommend a product named Farecla. If you can get your hands on it, buy the G4 and G10. And you will need a good buffer with speed control. The MOST IMPORTANT aspect is to have the right pads when buffing! They need to be soft...Farecla offers a professional pad kit which includes a black foam pad and it is the best I've ever used...I've done black Ferraris with flawless results. Coarser pads are to be used when using a cutting compound and I do not recommend learning how to do that on a nice car (especially your new Maxima). I went to a wrecker one day, many years ago, and practiced on some beaters until I was confortable.

Hope that helps. Let me know if you need any further tips/advice

Ghozt

So the premise is that I am taking the clear coat down to a level beneath the scratch so that the scratch is no longer visible? I guess I'm assuming the scratch is much more shallow that it looks, or that clear coat is thicker than I thought. I'd think that "leveling" it all down would leave a larger area that is noticeably a different height. I can understand how buffing returns the shine, but not how it would remove any trace of the sanding since sanding physically lowered the level of the clear coat.

Also, how is it that buffing/waxing but itself can sometimes remove scratches? Does buffing/waxing actually remove the top layer of clear coat and then re add one with the wax or something?

BTW Have you ever heard of the Quixx scratch repair kit? Is it worthless or worth a shot? I feel like I want to try anything I can before actually sanding the clear coat. That is as long as it won't damage anything or leave crap on my car.