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Help Removing Surface Scratches By Hand

Albertcado

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Long story short I foolishly made those vertical surface scratches when removing dried bird poop before it was fully soaked. The particles in the poop scratched from top to bottom which is that cluster of thin vertical scratches. They are just on the surface of clearcoat but since they are very close to each other it really sticks out in certain lighting.
Can I safely and effectively remove them by hand using something like Meguire's Scratch-X? Or what product should I use to safely remove (by hand) the vertical scratches with minimal abrasion to the clear coat and avoid making things worse like hazing or holograms? My main concern is the barcode looking vertical scratches and not the long horizontal ones. Thanks in advance.
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A good one step polish should take those out by hand. 3D One is a good one.
 

sk47

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Hello; I have done some light scratch work in the past. Sometimes wet sanding with 1500 to 2000 grit sandpaper followed with a polishing compound. Sometimes with a compound only. It can be done. Much will depend on how deep the scratches go. Regardless, you will be removing some clear coat. That removal can start to show up many years later. Clear coat is paint and usually is very thin.
Firs thing to do is get a lot of information before deciding what to do. There are newer products and systems around that, in the ads, appear to do miracles. I just do not have experience with the newest stuff.

Best suggestion I can make is start as light as possible and be prepared to accept good enough. If you do not have experience with a buffer then do by hand. Even then be careful. So many ways to screw things up even worse. Practice on something before starting on your paint .

I guess you have a 2020. Still new enough to want to keep it nice, but old enough to start living with some blemishes if you can stand it.
Good luck
 
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Albertcado

Albertcado

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A good one step polish should take those out by hand. 3D One is a good one.
Is there a way you recommend I work in the polish by hand? I don't want to do it in a way that will eat into the clear more than it needs to.
 
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Albertcado

Albertcado

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Hello; I have done some light scratch work in the past. Sometimes wet sanding with 1500 to 2000 grit sandpaper followed with a polishing compound. Sometimes with a compound only. It can be done. Much will depend on how deep the scratches go. Regardless, you will be removing some clear coat. That removal can start to show up many years later. Clear coat is paint and usually is very thin.
Firs thing to do is get a lot of information before deciding what to do. There are newer products and systems around that, in the ads, appear to do miracles. I just do not have experience with the newest stuff.

Best suggestion I can make is start as light as possible and be prepared to accept good enough. If you do not have experience with a buffer then do by hand. Even then be careful. So many ways to screw things up even worse. Practice on something before starting on your paint .

I guess you have a 2020. Still new enough to want to keep it nice, but old enough to start living with some blemishes if you can stand it.
Good luck
Thanks for the helpful advice. Do you have a good (low abrasive) polish to recommend that will be effective by hand? I don't need to get rid of all the scratches but enough so that it doesn't stand out. The scratches are not deep at all, it's just that since there's a lot clustered together it shows more than usual.
 

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MAGS1

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Is there a way you recommend I work in the polish by hand? I don't want to do it in a way that will eat into the clear more than it needs to.
Adam’s makes some hand polishing pads (they color code them by aggressiveness). A light to medium pad should be fine. You can also buy pads for machines and get a palm pad with velcro bottom. I wouldn’t worry too much about taking too much clear polishing by hand unless you use a really aggressive pad and compound.

https://adamspolishes.com/products/...MI_fyb_8TN-wIVMvbjBx1kGg3cEAQYASABEgIad_D_BwE
 

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Thanks for the helpful advice. Do you have a good (low abrasive) polish to recommend that will be effective by hand? I don't need to get rid of all the scratches but enough so that it doesn't stand out. The scratches are not deep at all, it's just that since there's a lot clustered together it shows more than usual.
I do understand your desire to not eat into your clearcoat, but I think you are going to need a degree of cut/abrasion to remove those scratches. Working by hand, you would have to be doing something very, very silly to burn through the clearcoat.

If you have some Meguiar's Scratch-X, then try that on a folded microfiber towel on a test section and see what you get. Scratch-X is an average product, but if you have it, give it a try.

From there, try something like Scholl S20 Black or Sonax Perfect Finish on a polishing applicator.
Scholl Concepts S20 BLACK - 16 oz. - Skys The Limit Car Care (carpro-us.com)
Sonax Perfect Finish 4/6 (autogeek.net)
" Sonax Perfect Finish is arguably the best polish for black cars."

The Adam's applicator linked above is excellent, also look into the Lake Country CCS pads. The 3-pack in the link below gives you the option to step up or down the level of cut you want to achieve. Obviously, start with the least aggressive first (white), then move to the orange if needed. (The red one is best left to waxes)
CCS Euro Foam Hand Applicators Trio - Your Choice! (autogeek.net)

Good luck and don't be overwhelmed, this is fixable. Happy to advise further if needed.
 

sk47

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Thanks for the helpful advice. Do you have a good (low abrasive) polish to recommend that will be effective by hand? I don't need to get rid of all the scratches but enough so that it doesn't stand out. The scratches are not deep at all, it's just that since there's a lot clustered together it shows more than usual.
Hello; DFB5.0 has some good suggestions. Thing is to go slowly even by hand if you do not have experience with the cutting compounds. Try not to use finger tip pressure. Try to be more of a flat pressure spread over the the hand and not just on the tips of the fingers. Doing this by hand can be slow and tedious, but can work.

Have you tried a paste wax to see how it looks?
 

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Do yourself, and your car a favor and invest in a good random-orbital polisher, pads, and products. You have a lot of hazing going on from towels, wash mits, etc. that could be beautifully corrected with the right equipment and some time. Nothing looks better when it's perfected, and nothing looks worse when it's in bad shape, than black. Make the investment, you will love the results.
 

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One word of caution when polishing by hand is not to concentrate intensely on one very small area. You may end up with patch that has a distinctly different look than the surrounding area that is even more noticeable than the scratches (ask me how I know :)). Work slowly and don't try to "eliminate" the scratches in one go. Be sure to step back and look at your work from different angles.

As this is an newer car, you might also want to consider getting a professional correction. That could also address the swirl marks that seem to be showing up behind the scratches.
 

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sk47

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One word of caution when polishing by hand is not to concentrate intensely on one very small area. You may end up with patch that has a distinctly different look than the surrounding area that is even more noticeable than the scratches (ask me how I know :)). Work slowly and don't try to "eliminate" the scratches in one go. Be sure to step back and look at your work from different angles.

As this is an newer car, you might also want to consider getting a professional correction. That could also address the swirl marks that seem to be showing up behind the scratches.
Hello; Have done this myself. Just one of the many ways to make things worse.
 

sk47

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Hello; Another thing to consider is the lighting. Strange as it may seem the type and way a panel is lit can show up different.
 

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Long story short I foolishly made those vertical surface scratches when removing dried bird poop before it was fully soaked. The particles in the poop scratched from top to bottom which is that cluster of thin vertical scratches. They are just on the surface of clearcoat but since they are very close to each other it really sticks out in certain lighting.
Can I safely and effectively remove them by hand using something like Meguire's Scratch-X? Or what product should I use to safely remove (by hand) the vertical scratches with minimal abrasion to the clear coat and avoid making things worse like hazing or holograms? My main concern is the barcode looking vertical scratches and not the long horizontal ones. Thanks in advance.
Looks to me that you really should seek outside help. The surfaces in general, noting the car is 2020.

DIY scratch removal is not a place the begin. Step back and learn how to wash & dry the car before jumping off the ledge you're standing at.
 

Bulutt

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My advice, for what its worth, as mentioned above; is buy a medium priced random orbital polish with pads and a suitable polish. Watch half a dozen YouTube videos on how to do it and polish it by machine. Once learnt you will always be able to keep your car in pristine condition. The scratches in your photo will “be gone in 60 seconds.” 😃
 

Stangomydreams

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Had a few black diesel hd trucks and meguires ultimate compound was my scratch removal go to. It is very mild. If you can catch these with a fingernail they are likely too deep for it - and likely through the clear.
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