PAINT WORK SCRATCHES

[Ade]

I did an incredibly stupid thing (in hindsight) over the weekend whilst washing the car. To remove some stubborn bird **** I used the nylon scouring pad side of a washing up sponge to attempt to remove it thinking the nylon was softer than the paintwork and thus do no damage.

WRONG!! Nylon found to be harder! Result - small fine scratches leaving dull matt patches on bonnet when dry. Suprisingly using 'T Cut' has failed to remove these patches. I was thinking of trying 1400 Grade or finer (if available) Wet and Dry with soapy water in an attempt to restore finish.

Big Question - is this wise or has anybody got any other suggestions?

NB 1991 car with Metallic Finish (So I assume laquered).

 

[Arnie]

yes, everything, looks fine when it's wet, but you then notice the scratches and dull finish when it's dried.

If your paint is a metallic finish, be careful not to eat away too much of the top clear lacquer coat. Solid colour paint will have more margin.

However, I would avoid wet 'n' dry, unless it's just for a very small patch, because there's a danger of making things a lot worse.

Keep at it with the T-Cut and more elbow grease. You can concentrate on a small patch to see how long it will take. If you can get a polishing machine, then there is a range of T-Cut variants that can do the job quicker. They are more liquidy than the hand-applied versions, to reduce friction and heat when used with a machine. (Autoglym do a renovator polish, but there are similar polishes from 3M.)

Your 1991 paint, if original, will be solvent-based and should be resistant to bird-droppings, but bear in mind that if you have had a respray and/or have new water-based paint, the bird-dropping marks may be well etched into the paint and no-amount of polishing will remove the signs completely.

Possibly your safest solution now is to seek professional help from a car finisher. They will have all the appropriate compounds and polishes.

 

[Ade]

Arnie

Thanks for the Advice

Ade

 

[mike65]

3M make a product called Finesse-It™ II Finishing Material which boat owners swear by! (and car owners too to be fair ). Apparently its good for "filling" minor scratches. You could also try a rubbing compound called
Perfect-It Fast Cut but it may be no more help than T-Cut.

http://cms.3m.com/cms/GB/en/0-165/cRFlrFS/view.jhtml

http://cms.3m.com/cms/GB/en/0-165/iRzikFO/view.jhtml

Mike.

 

[Ade]

An update - I tried 'T Cut - For Scratches' which has certainly restored the shine, after a lot of rubbing. However, examination at angles and the scratches can still be seen.

That said, the finish is passable and the scratches, well, a legacy of my stupidity and a reminder to use T-Cut or similar compound to remove stubborn stains and NOT a nylon scourer!