MINOR SCRATCH REMOVAL AND REPAIR
WARNING: This DIY is not for the weak, this if not done properly will cause permanent damage to your clearcoat and your paint. Neither myself or this board "CB7TUNER.com" can be held responsible. If you attempt this project, it is at your own risk. so please be very careful and follow my instruction, and you'll be fine.
Please read this all the way through be fore your attempt.
THEORY: To understand this DIY, i want you to understand what you'll be doing to your car on a smaller scale.
When you have a surface scratch, you'll clearly be able to see it because it is refracting the light differently then the rest of the clear coat, In picture 1 you'll see a smooth clear coat with a minor scratch .
What we need to do is level the clear coat down a small fraction so that the scratch is gone. this is where wet sanding comes in. wet sanding puts much smaller scratches in the clear coat that levels the clear coat and give it a more even scratching. so in picture 2, you'll see a finer degree of ridges. but the light doesn't penetrate all the way to the paint giving it a dull look.
From this we use a compound that has a fine pumis to it, this in turn puts smaller scratches in the clear coat to the point that our eyes can't tell the difference between them and eventually goes from a dull cloudy layer to a crystal clear coat. so in picture 3, we see a smooth surface where the scratch was and the light can properly reflect off the paint.
Alright, now that you understand the theory, let move to hands on!
TOOLS:
1. a small bucket with warm soapy water
2. 2000-3000 grit sandpaper
3. paste or liquid compound (preferably Ultimate compound by Meguires)
4. paste or liquid carnuba wax (preferably Meguires)
5. 6" orbital buffer with micro fiber pads.
-Substitution 1: large buffing wheel with buffing pad
-Substitution 2: microfiber cloth and elbow greese.
6. 3 separate microfiber cloths, 1 2 and 3.
7. shaded area, garage or carport
INSPECTION: before you hop away on this cool DIY, make sure what you have IS fixable, take your fingernale and lightly glide it over the affected area, it should go over it with ease, if it catches in the scratch, it is too deep to fix and is through the clear coat and in to the paint layer or primer layer. later on i will do another diy on how to bring the deep one back to life.
my bad scratched up areas. look close
STEP 1: Wash the whole car really good, while its soapy use a claybar on the paint to get rid of any tiny dirt particles in the clear coat. this gives us a clean base to start with.
STEP 2: find a small inconspicuous area to test this, just in case you make a mistake, but gives you a way to practice.
STEP3: locate a scratch and the area you'll be working on, pullout a small bucket with soapy water. wet down the area.
STEP 4: grab your high grit sand paper and sand in the affected area for 5 seconds, count it out loud (one, one thousand. ect.) then rub 90 degress to your first pass for 5 seconds, this should give you an even sanded area.
STEP 5: wipe down the water with your #1 cloth. check progress, use your fingernail to feel the scratch, it should be gone or at least very faint. if needed, repeat for 2.5 seconds.
STEP 6: pull out the buffer, compound and #2 cloth. put a small amount of compound on the sanded area, and lightly work it around the area. start buffing...in up and down motions then side to side till the compound starts to fade a bit. then wipe with #2 cloth.
STEP 7: check progress, it should look really good, but you'll want to check with a flashlight, you probably can still see the sanded area. repeat steps 6 and 7 till it is crystal clear. Do not let the compound dry on the paint.
STEP 8: Switch pads on your buffer, and use a small amount of carnuba wax, this will help seal the coat and bring depth to the paint. once done Let it dry on and glaze over. then wipe with #3 cloth. you should see no scratch and nothing but your paint behind the clear coat.
Enjoy:
my finished areas
WARNING: This DIY is not for the weak, this if not done properly will cause permanent damage to your clearcoat and your paint. Neither myself or this board "CB7TUNER.com" can be held responsible. If you attempt this project, it is at your own risk. so please be very careful and follow my instruction, and you'll be fine.
Please read this all the way through be fore your attempt.
THEORY: To understand this DIY, i want you to understand what you'll be doing to your car on a smaller scale.
When you have a surface scratch, you'll clearly be able to see it because it is refracting the light differently then the rest of the clear coat, In picture 1 you'll see a smooth clear coat with a minor scratch .
What we need to do is level the clear coat down a small fraction so that the scratch is gone. this is where wet sanding comes in. wet sanding puts much smaller scratches in the clear coat that levels the clear coat and give it a more even scratching. so in picture 2, you'll see a finer degree of ridges. but the light doesn't penetrate all the way to the paint giving it a dull look.
From this we use a compound that has a fine pumis to it, this in turn puts smaller scratches in the clear coat to the point that our eyes can't tell the difference between them and eventually goes from a dull cloudy layer to a crystal clear coat. so in picture 3, we see a smooth surface where the scratch was and the light can properly reflect off the paint.
Alright, now that you understand the theory, let move to hands on!
TOOLS:
1. a small bucket with warm soapy water
2. 2000-3000 grit sandpaper
3. paste or liquid compound (preferably Ultimate compound by Meguires)
4. paste or liquid carnuba wax (preferably Meguires)
5. 6" orbital buffer with micro fiber pads.
-Substitution 1: large buffing wheel with buffing pad
-Substitution 2: microfiber cloth and elbow greese.
6. 3 separate microfiber cloths, 1 2 and 3.
7. shaded area, garage or carport
INSPECTION: before you hop away on this cool DIY, make sure what you have IS fixable, take your fingernale and lightly glide it over the affected area, it should go over it with ease, if it catches in the scratch, it is too deep to fix and is through the clear coat and in to the paint layer or primer layer. later on i will do another diy on how to bring the deep one back to life.
my bad scratched up areas. look close
STEP 1: Wash the whole car really good, while its soapy use a claybar on the paint to get rid of any tiny dirt particles in the clear coat. this gives us a clean base to start with.
STEP 2: find a small inconspicuous area to test this, just in case you make a mistake, but gives you a way to practice.
STEP3: locate a scratch and the area you'll be working on, pullout a small bucket with soapy water. wet down the area.
STEP 4: grab your high grit sand paper and sand in the affected area for 5 seconds, count it out loud (one, one thousand. ect.) then rub 90 degress to your first pass for 5 seconds, this should give you an even sanded area.
STEP 5: wipe down the water with your #1 cloth. check progress, use your fingernail to feel the scratch, it should be gone or at least very faint. if needed, repeat for 2.5 seconds.
STEP 6: pull out the buffer, compound and #2 cloth. put a small amount of compound on the sanded area, and lightly work it around the area. start buffing...in up and down motions then side to side till the compound starts to fade a bit. then wipe with #2 cloth.
STEP 7: check progress, it should look really good, but you'll want to check with a flashlight, you probably can still see the sanded area. repeat steps 6 and 7 till it is crystal clear. Do not let the compound dry on the paint.
STEP 8: Switch pads on your buffer, and use a small amount of carnuba wax, this will help seal the coat and bring depth to the paint. once done Let it dry on and glaze over. then wipe with #3 cloth. you should see no scratch and nothing but your paint behind the clear coat.
Enjoy:
my finished areas
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