First scratch

[FamilyMan]

Okay it was bound to happen sooner or later, but this is a little odd.

I have about a 4" scratch on the hood (see picture), but I've never taken it to a car wash.

I had a clear bra installed a few weeks ago but I'm sure I would have noticed it if it was from them.

Any suggestions on how to minimize the appearance?

[Chem14]

I had a scratch that came from some person carelessly wondering the parking lot of our local ski resort with their skis or snowboard. It was on my rear fender. very light scratch. I took it into my local BMW dealer and they were able to buff it out no problem, and it was free! I would start there.

[FamilyMan]

Originally Posted by Chem14

I had a scratch that came from some person carelessly wondering the parking lot of our local ski resort with their skis or snowboard. It was on my rear fender. very light scratch. I took it into my local BMW dealer and they were able to buff it out no problem, and it was free! I would start there.

Thanks! It does seem pretty light but it's deeper than just clear coat.

[cenix]

only thing you may be able to try is to wet sand it and then seal it up with a good sealant.

[turboawd]

got kids? lol

[Chem14]

Originally Posted by FamilyMan

Thanks! It does seem pretty light but it's deeper than just clear coat.

Unless it can be buffed or polished out you may have to go to a wet sanding or cutting route which is out of my league. Not sure if something like Scratch-X by Meguiars would work?

[Chem14]

Originally Posted by turboawd

got kids? lol

They key is training them. My wife chose to sit in the back with our 5yr old son the other day. Upon getting in the car he informed my wife to NOT step on the paint.

[FamilyMan]

Originally Posted by Chem14

They key is training them. My wife chose to sit in the back with our 5yr old son the other day. Upon getting in the car he informed my wife to NOT step on the paint.

Nice!! :

[Kzang]

I'm 100% confident that scratchX will definitely remove that scratch... the good news is that it didn't penetrate the clear coat.. so the application should buff that out easy.. I would go to autozone and buy it use it, then keep it handy for the next time

[FamilyMan]

Has anyone tried dr. Colorchip for deeper scratches?

https://www.drcolorchip.com

I don't think I want to go the wet sanding route. It's more of annoyance rather than a problematic paint issue which would require wet sanding.

[sdalpha]

How deep is the scratch? Does it catch on your fingernail?

If it catches on your fingernail, then it cannot be safely polished out. You could compound and polish it to minimize its appearance, but it'll still be there. I would not recommend to wetsand it if you are not comfortable with wetsanding; I personally would not wetsand without a paint thickness gauge. Even with wetsanding, the scratch may not completely go away; it really depends how deep it is.

If it does not catch on your fingernail, you should be able to polish it out.

Originally Posted by Chem14

Not sure if something like Scratch-X by Meguiars would work?

It may. Technically, Scratch-X is considered a polish. If the scratch could be polished out, then Scratch-X could work. I am not quite sure where it ranks in terms of aggressiveness within the Meguiars lineup though, so it may or may not be aggressive enough to get rid of the scratch.

Originally Posted by FamilyMan

Has anyone tried dr. Colorchip for deeper scratches?

https://www.drcolorchip.com

I don't think I want to go the wet sanding route. It's more of annoyance rather than a problematic paint issue which would require wet sanding.

I do not have personal experience with Dr. Colorchip, but I have heard that it works well. You may not need it though.

[twelve535i]

Originally Posted by FamilyMan

Has anyone tried dr. Colorchip for deeper scratches?

https://www.drcolorchip.com

I don't think I want to go the wet sanding route. It's more of annoyance rather than a problematic paint issue which would require wet sanding.

I tried it on my gray car a few years ago. From the looks of the picture, there isn't enough of a scratch for dr color chip to work.

If you look at their youtube videos, they focus on things like rock chips that rip away the clear coat and paint. Their filler kit sticks well to the metal or plastic but isn't going to work on your scratch.

Pretty sure your scratch can be professionally compounded out

[FamilyMan]

I tried a little Scratch X and it looks pretty good now.

I took a picture but it's dark here now and the lighting in my garage isn't that bright.

It wasn't as deep as I thought. My fingernail wouldn't catch.

I have a Turtle Wax compound I can try tomorrow too.

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I was expecting to get a door ding or a rock chip, but I can't figure out how I got this one and it was annoying me.

Thanks!!

[sdalpha]

Originally Posted by FamilyMan

It wasn't as deep as I thought. My fingernail wouldn't catch.

I have a Turtle Wax compound I can try tomorrow too.

...I was expecting to get a door ding or a rock chip, ...

I'll take that over a door ding or rock chip any day. Since your fingernail doesn't catch, it should polish out fairly easily; and, it appears that Scratch-X helped.

If you are doing this by hand, make sure to apply even pressure; or, you could end up with fingermarks. This thread has more info: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...ngermarks.html

[FamilyMan]

Originally Posted by sdalpha

I'll take that over a door ding or rock chip any day. Since your fingernail doesn't catch, it should polish out fairly easily; and, it appears that Scratch-X helped.

If you are doing this by hand, make sure to apply even pressure; or, you could end up with fingermarks. This thread has more info: http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...ngermarks.html

Thanks! Yes, I'm glad my issue was pretty minor.

Those leopard marks are a doozy!!

[stewy604]

Originally Posted by Chem14

They key is training them. My wife chose to sit in the back with our 5yr old son the other day. Upon getting in the car he informed my wife to NOT step on the paint.

Now THAT's training!

[hamh]

Man... I think i got my first scratch also, and I think it's from the hand wash guys using the water scraper...

It's not deep and it's only on the clear coat layer, i think. Will Scratch X work? Or should I bring it back to the car wash (not sure if they'll even admit it or do something about it though

[stewy604]

My first one on th X5 came from my step daughter, she was pulling her bike out of the garage and ran her handle bar against the passenger side front corner. Hard enough to not only scratch it, but gouge the plastic. Not impressed.

[Kzang]

Originally Posted by hamh

Man... I think i got my first scratch also, and I think it's from the hand wash guys using the water scraper...

It's not deep and it's only on the clear coat layer, i think. Will Scratch X work? Or should I bring it back to the car wash (not sure if they'll even admit it or do something about it though

If it isn't deep then scratch X will definitely take care of it. Hurry up and buy the opti-gloss so it will help with minor scratches

Also unless you can provide proof that it was the guys who washed your car... I had a huge scratch on my previous car from a hand wash place and they denied that it was them, there is just no way to prove it unless you capture it on film...

[hamh]

Originally Posted by Kzang

If it isn't deep then scratch X will definitely take care of it. Hurry up and buy the opti-gloss so it will help with minor scratches

Also unless you can provide proof that it was the guys who washed your car... I had a huge scratch on my previous car from a hand wash place and they denied that it was them, there is just no way to prove it unless you capture it on film...

I got opti-gloss and a clay bar already and was looking forward to do it this weekend, and just before the weekend I found out the scratch

I know it's the car wash because I has it wash on sunday and I don't drive on the weekdays, but like what you mentioned, there's no way to prove it.

[hamh]

Got scratchX tonight and it works! Thank you guys!