I came out to my car Sunday to find someone had bumped into it, leaving a few dents that I am getting taken out at the dealer, and a few scuff marks. I was considering getting a Porter Cable 7424 for some time now and this has sped up that decision. Can I buff these out with a random orbital or do I need to get a hold of a circular polisher? What compounding/polishing product would you recommend? A friend of mine swears by 3M products. What pads should I get for the future on the G and other cars that I own? Thanks!

Pads

Scuff Marks

 

are those scratches or reflections of something. as a general rule of thumb if you can feel it w/ your finger, they are not coming out. if you are getting the PC then I would try the white and then orange pads. you should be able to find a SMR from 3M or Meguiars at the local auto parts store. i'm not sure what the next harshest product up from 3M SMR is (i'll see if i can find out later)

 

Tkman, I can feel the mark at the top, I am going to try to touch that up and smooth it out with some fine sandpaper, the others about an inch or two below cannot be felt.

 

Before you start touching up, I would at least try some ScratchX or something. Also, don't rely on one application of ScratchX. I've seen some scuffs take a few "buffs" to get out.

Good Luck!

 

yeah, try to buff before wet sanding. wet sanding is considerably more dangerous than the PC. the one where you can feel w/ your fingernail may be a lost cause tho (PC probably wont do much)

 

I'd definitely give it a shot with the Porter Cable. I use Meguiars Professional Products with mine. For those marks, I'd probably try the Dual Action Cleaner Polish with an 8006 (medium) foam pad. I'm sure 3M has a similar type product.

You'd want to use a higher speed setting on the 7424, probably at least 4.5 or 5 (never higher than 5 for car stuff).

 

The Porter Cable is great and can definitely help but you really shouldn't buy it just for a scratch although I think they are great to own. I can't really see the scratches you are talking about but if they can come out you will be able to generate enough pressure/heat by hand to remove them. I had someone come to my shop today swearing that I wouldn't be able to get some scratches out by hand because he tried every product he had. I applied Poorboy's SSR 2.5 by hand on it and it came right out with some medium pressure. I highly recommend Poorboy's Worlds Super Swirl Removers 1,2,2.5,3. I use them all the time depending on what the paint needs and I find them to be easy to use, brighten the paint and get the job done fast. The 2.5 is probably what you need, if that doesn't take it out then they probably will not come out.