hi i was wondering if there were any products that i can use to fill in these scratches that i have on my hood. they are not too deep but deep enough that waxing it wont help disguise it. there are 2 areas both clusters of scratches because i tried taking off bird poop which was somehow really hard and was basically like glued to the car. thanks in advance for any help
Well you have two options - remove them or hide them. I'd personally try to remove them. The easiest way to do this (that should work) is to buy a tube of ScratchX and a foam applicator pad. It's easy to use, here is what you do:
Clean the area with the scratches so there is no dust.
Apply a dab of ScratchX to the applicator (about the size of a nickel or quarter)
Rub the product into the area with the scratches. Now this is the important part - when rubbing you want to apply moderate pressure and move the pad relatively quickly. You're trying to create heat. When the product turns clear wipe it off with a clean microfiber/cotton cloth. You may need to repeat this process 2-3 times (and you might be sweaty), but it should work.
If you decide to just cover them up probably your best bet is to use Meg's NXT, the liquid version (for an otc product), it's got a lot of fillers and should at least make the scratches less visible.
Clean the area with the scratches so there is no dust.
Apply a dab of ScratchX to the applicator (about the size of a nickel or quarter)
Rub the product into the area with the scratches. Now this is the important part - when rubbing you want to apply moderate pressure and move the pad relatively quickly. You're trying to create heat. When the product turns clear wipe it off with a clean microfiber/cotton cloth. You may need to repeat this process 2-3 times (and you might be sweaty), but it should work.
If you decide to just cover them up probably your best bet is to use Meg's NXT, the liquid version (for an otc product), it's got a lot of fillers and should at least make the scratches less visible.
lol tasty but thanks picus for the help im going to try scratch x and see if i can remove them, does this mean removing layers of paint until its pretty even with the scratches?
Check out this page (and scroll down a bit to the "buffing" part:
http://gtaindetail.com/clearcoat/
Basically what you're doing is buffing the paint by hand. You're removing a super thin layer of the clear coat to level it off (the etching is the low point now). ScratchX is very low on the abrasive scale, so just be patient and work slowly and you'll be in no danger of hurting your paint. If you have any questions let me know.
http://gtaindetail.com/clearcoat/
Basically what you're doing is buffing the paint by hand. You're removing a super thin layer of the clear coat to level it off (the etching is the low point now). ScratchX is very low on the abrasive scale, so just be patient and work slowly and you'll be in no danger of hurting your paint. If you have any questions let me know.
Registered User
I heard that Meguiar's is coming out with a newer version fo ScratchX that can be used with a PC.
Registered User
While I would agree that you can do more damage by hand with most products, picus is right regarding the Scratch-X. That is about the only product that is pretty safe in the hands of anyone and can give great results. I saw a video of Mike Phillips doing the Scratch-X procedure by hand and was amazed. I would try what picus recommends before rushing out and getting a dual action polisher.
-GT
-GT