Help with scratch

[codydemmel4]

Hello,

So I have a pretty small scratch on the back left side of my car by my tire. I am wondering if any of you guys have tried to fly your scratches and if so what did you use?

Also where can I find the exact color code of my car? I know it is black, but I am not sure on how to find the exact color code. I want to fill the scratch as soon as possible with the easiest and cheapest way.


Thanks

[Carlos74]

Well... it all depends where the scratch is located and also how deep it is. If its on a metal part of the body (like the fender) and if its not too deep you could just buff it out but if the scratch is on your bumper, you're might have to touch it up. I wouldn't worry too much about the color code yet, besides it is the blending process of the paint what makes the difference not really the just getting the exact color... There is a lot of ways to approach a scratch... Posting a picture of it would help

[Campblett]

You can find the colour code inside your spare tire area. There should be a sticker with all the specs of your car. Paint code is listed in there as well.

[doowopaudi]

I used this method today. Basically use 2000 grit with water and then compound polish to bring back the shine. Works like a charm.


Wet Sanding and Refinishing By Hand (Deep Scratch…: http://youtu.be/uNBDFfHkN8g

[Project Quattro]

Is it in the clearcoat/paint, or all the way through to primer/metal? If the former, I would try a polishing compound first and wet sanding as mentioned above if the compound doesn't work. If the latter, you'll need to do a touch up with paint, and soon before moisture gets in there. Audi sells touch up paint with a small brush which will match the paint exactly.


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[codydemmel4]

There is the scratch, what do you busy suggest to do? I also have some on my rear fender that I would like to fix. What polishing compound do you guys use? And when you sand it how much do you actually sand it? There are some smaller scratches on my back fender that you can see the silver like in this scratch. I would really like to make it look a lot better.


Also do you guys do anything to get the rust off your brake caliber and to keep it off? and can you use a power washer on your tires/rims it isn't that strong? Do you guys have a favorite wash/wax that you guys use?

[Project Quattro]

That should mostly buff out, I'll edit this post with the compound I've used on my Miata when I get a chance.


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[codydemmel4]

Thank you, so you don't think I should touch over it? When you say bluff out, do you mean use a wet 2000 grade sandpaper?


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[Carlos74]

I definitely wouldn't wet sand it. From what I can see it's more like a scuff mark than a scratch. So before buffing, try removing all the white marks off the paint. You can use either some mineral spirits or some paint thinner and a microfiber towel and gently try rubbing it off. And then you can work on what's left (which would be the actual scratch)... for that you can use something as simple as the dr scratch compound or some medium grade polishing compound and start working on it lightly... wipe, assess and repeat as necessary. That would be the safest and cheapest way to do it. Once you are happy with the way it looks, all you would have to do is apply a paint sealant and you are done. I wouldn't recommend wet sanding unless you have a high speed buffer and you know how to use it.

[codydemmel4]

I definitely wouldn't wet sand it. From what I can see it's more like a scuff mark than a scratch. So before buffing, try removing all the white marks off the paint. You can use either some mineral spirits or some paint thinner and a microfiber towel and gently try rubbing it off. And then you can work on what's left (which would be the actual scratch)... for that you can use something as simple as the dr scratch compound or some medium grade polishing compound and start working on it lightly... wipe, assess and repeat as necessary. That would be the safest and cheapest way to do it. Once you are happy with the way it looks, all you would have to do is apply a paint sealant and you are done. I wouldn't recommend wet sanding unless you have a high speed buffer and you know how to use it.

Thanks a lot, I think it goes down to my metal though so thats the only thing I am worried about. but maybe I am wrong. What polishing compound would you recommend and which paint sealant?

I appreciate all the help.

[Carlos74]

You can get some 3M scratch remover, make sure it's not for light scratches, you want something with some grit in it. You can also try some turtle wax rubbing compound (it won't have to much wax in it and you might have a duller result but you can fix it with the sealant). If everything works well, then get some blue coral paint sealant or whatever is within your budget. But first clean up the area and find out if it's a scuff mark before you buy all the compounds and paint sealant. Cause if it did in fact get down to the metal then you are gonna need touch up paint. Let me know if you need any more help.

[B G 8er]

+1 don't use the 2000 sandpaper unless you are experienced and know what you are doing. As Carlos74 mentioned, try to see if the white marks are just paint transfer on the surface. Gently run your fingernail across the scratches. Does your nail catch? If so, they may be too deep to remove or at least all the way. Or... are the white marks we are seeing in your picture actually "raised up" above the paint, the result of paint transfer from something white scraping against your fender? What caused the damage?

Either way, the clearcoats on our Audis are extremely hard. I would first wash the car to remove any dirt and dust, then take a clean, soft microfiber cloth or 100% cotton t-shirt material and by hand, try to gently polish out the scratches using Mezerna FG 400 or Meguiar's M105 polish. These are both professional grade polishes specifically designed to "cut" and remove surface imperfections. Just stay off the rounded crease as the paint is extremely thin on edges of your paint. You can research these polishes on a site called autogeek.net or detailersdomain.com.

Just remember, your car's clearcoat which is applied on top of the color is extremely thin, like the thickness of a sheet of copier paper. So always be conservative. You could also always take it to an auto body shop you trust and have them take care of it for you.

Let us know how it works out!

[Project Quattro]

That doesn't look like it went into the metal, you should be able to get it out with a polish. This is the one is used on my Miata, it did a great job pulling the paint back to life and taking out scratches. I got it at Autozone.




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[name.goes.here]

That doesn't look like it went into the metal, you should be able to get it out with a polish. This is the one is used on my Miata, it did a great job pulling the paint back to life and taking out scratches. I got it at Autozone.




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^^ works very well.

You would be surprised to see how much you may initially remove by first using a wet microfiber cloth.

[doowopaudi]

That doesn't look like it went into the metal, you should be able to get it out with a polish. This is the one is used on my Miata, it did a great job pulling the paint back to life and taking out scratches. I got it at Autozone.




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This is exactly what i used to bring back the shine. By the way, will it wash off and need to be re-compounded after a car wash?

[Project Quattro]

This is exactly what i used to bring back the shine. By the way, will it wash off and need to be re-compounded after a car wash?

It seems to me that it has an oil or wax in it that fades a bit in the sun, but most of the shine sticks around. I haven't washed the Miata yet, but it's been in the weather and rain for a few weeks and it's holding up well. You can see the improvement in the pictures below; the latter one is almost week after the initial buffing. Look at where the fender and quarter panel meet the hood and trunk, respectively, and you can see the improvement.

Before:



After:



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[codydemmel4]

Thanks everyone for the help, when I rubbed my fingernail across the scratches, it did catch so I do think it is down to the metal. Would a 2000 grade grit on it work like in the video that doowopaudi posted work?? It looks really easy or could that make the color really dull on my car?

[SleeperCar]

Thanks everyone for the help, when I rubbed my fingernail across the scratches, it did catch so I do think it is down to the metal. Would a 2000 grade grit on it work like in the video that doowopaudi posted work?? It looks really easy or could that make the color really dull on my car?

Op, working on your cars paint is all about progression, never go with the extreme measure until you have tried the other methods first. As stated before I would do the following:

1. Analyze the damage (is it rub off from another car or material? How deep is the scratch?
2. Start with a compound polish and a DA or orbital. Doing by hand is much harder to get same effect as machine. I had a similar scratch in my back bumper and I used multi step Meg's compound and policy and you can barely see it now.
3. Personally, I would leave wetsanding to a professional, this is VERY easy to screw up and ruin your paint even further.
4. Touch up is difficult as well, it's rare that it looks perfect so it depends on what you want here

Also, I would post this question in the detailers section of the forum, there is a section called ask detailers domain. The owner of that shop, Phil, is super helpful and knows his stuff!

[codydemmel4]

Op, working on your cars paint is all about progression, never go with the extreme measure until you have tried the other methods first. As stated before I would do the following:

1. Analyze the damage (is it rub off from another car or material? How deep is the scratch?
2. Start with a compound polish and a DA or orbital. Doing by hand is much harder to get same effect as machine. I had a similar scratch in my back bumper and I used multi step Meg's compound and policy and you can barely see it now.
3. Personally, I would leave wetsanding to a professional, this is VERY easy to screw up and ruin your paint even further.
4. Touch up is difficult as well, it's rare that it looks perfect so it depends on what you want here

Also, I would post this question in the detailers section of the forum, there is a section called ask detailers domain. The owner of that shop, Phil, is super helpful and knows his stuff!

Okay thanks a lot, I may just take it to a shop and hopefully they will be able to fix it up. Has anyone ever done this before and have any idea on how much it could cost?

[doowopaudi]

Okay thanks a lot, I may just take it to a shop and hopefully they will be able to fix it up. Has anyone ever done this before and have any idea on how much it could cost?

Search youtube for how to remove scuff marks or how to remove scratches. We live in a Do It Yourself age. Don't take it to a shop unless you can't do it yourself.

[Project Quattro]

Okay thanks a lot, I may just take it to a shop and hopefully they will be able to fix it up. Has anyone ever done this before and have any idea on how much it could cost?

Expensive, because they'll probably suggest painting it. Several hundred dollars at least. Try compounding it first, which will cost you around $20. Minimal loss if it doesn't work, and you can always go to a shop later.

[B G 8er]

Okay thanks a lot, I may just take it to a shop and hopefully they will be able to fix it up. Has anyone ever done this before and have any idea on how much it could cost?

Honestly, this is your best bet. Just take it to a really good shop that knows what they are doing. They should be happy to assist you knowing their pleasing customers on small jobs can lead to customers potentially coming back to them with larger jobs in the future, referrals, etc.

You still haven't told us how this happened?

The idea behind the 2000 grit sandpaper is that you would wet sand (with the paper wet with water and it is best soaked for several hours first) to remove some of the clear coat of your top layers of paint to level the paint down to the bottom levels of the scratches. The disadvantage and DANGER in doing this is that the paint is very thin. If you go too deep you could sand all the way through your clear coat. Even if you just take too much off, you could remove the UV resistant layer of the clear and within a short time, your remaining clear coat in that effected area could fail.

Once the wet sanding is done, you would need to machine polish out all the ultra fine dulling scratches left by the sanding. The two polishes I suggested to you are often the ones used to remove wet sanding marks. That is why I suggested you could use these by hand without using the 2000 grit paper, just to see if you could make them look better. The pros will often use a paint depth gauge when they are "correcting' imperfections from the paint because they know the paint is critically thin and they don't dare go below a safe level. Again, this type of work is best left to a pro unless you know what you are doing.

Repainting the area will cost hundreds of dollars. This is because the body shop would need to sand the area smooth, respray your car's color in that area and blend it (fog it) into the nearby surrounding area on the panel so you can't tell where the repainted are starts or ends, then they would need to re-clear coat the entire panel being repaired. The clear coat is what gives your car's finish most of it's gloss and depth. It also protects the color below from fading and oxidation.

A good body shop will be able to tell you right away if they can polish out the scratch and what might remain to be seen.

Unfortunately, body work is very expensive these days and really good body and paint shops are hard to find. Check the forums , get a referral or sometimes going to a shop that specializes in custom or high end cars helps.