[sixty4half]

Over the holidays (probably on Christmas Eve of all days) my car got scratched. All the way from the front to the back of the passenger door panel.



That's towards the rear.


And that's towards the front. Those are just the parts of the scratch deep enough to catch on camera but it's all one big scratch. Get to spend the next couple of days working on it a few hours at a time. Already washed it down with dish soap to remove the two layers of wax I had recently put on it. Figured I'd make a step-by-step on what I'm doing to fix this scratch.

 

[ProudSixxer26]

Over the holidays (probably on Christmas Eve of all days) my car got scratched. All the way from the front to the back of the passenger door panel.

That's towards the rear.

And that's towards the front. Those are just the parts of the scratch deep enough to catch on camera but it's all one big scratch. Get to spend the next couple of days working on it a few hours at a time. Already washed it down with dish soap to remove the two layers of wax I had recently put on it. Figured I'd make a step-by-step on what I'm doing to fix this scratch.

Was it a shopping kart or I jealous guy with a key? Hope it comes out tho.

 

[sixty4half]

This is what I've used so far. Dawn dish soap to remove the wax. Microfiber towels. 2000 grit wet-sand sand paper. Motorcraft Lacquer Touch-up pant with my paint code.

So far I've sanded down the entire scratch using a wet-sand technique covering just the scratch and the immediately surrounding area.

I've also taken the touch-up paint and gone over some of the deeper areas of the scratch.




Now I'll need to wait atleast 6 hours before I can sand the touch up paint down and begin buffing out the scratch.

The reason for using the 2000 grit sand paper is to bring the paint surrounding the scratch down to the level of the scratch. The higher the grit the finer the sanding surface which means you are making smaller scratches to cover up a bigger scratch. The 2000 grit makes scratches small enough that you can buff them out and have the paint looking shiny and smooth again.

 

[sixty4half]

Was it a shopping kart or I jealous guy with a key? Hope it comes out tho.

It wasn't a mart. The lines would have been straight. This was all jagged. I have my suspicions but I have no proof.

 

[ProudSixxer26]

It wasn't a mart. The lines would have been straight. This was all jagged. I have my suspicions but I have no proof.

It was probably a d*** with a key happened to me before but it wasnt as deep as urs, just keep trying and it will eventually come out.

 

[sixty4half]

I waited 6 hours for the touch up paint to dry and then went out and sanded it down some last night.



Now, for this sanding, I am using 600 grit wet-sand sand paper. The reason for this is that the larger grit cuts through the touch up paint easier and quicker. However; you will not be able to completely remove the scratches from a 600 grit using rubbing compound and a buffer. So what you'll have to do is use the 2000 grit sand paper to go back over the places you used the 600 grit.

That's what the door looks like right now.

All this work was done last night but it was to dark to take pics. I'm home from work now so it'sback to work on the car I go. What I'm going to be doing is finish getting the touch up paint down to the same level as the paint so that its smooth and then go back over it with the 2000 grit.

 

[NewMtang]

Do you know where it was scratched at? If this happens again, go to the store and ask to see any video they have of the parking lot. TOO LATE NOW but if it happens again.

 

[sixty4half]

Do you know where it was scratched at? If this happens again, go to the store and ask to see any video they have of the parking lot. TOO LATE NOW but if it happens again.

I think I know where it happened at since it's normally garaged and my office has a gated lot that you have to use your badge to get into.

Problem is that I didn't see it till several days after it would have happened. I rarely see that side of my car during the daytime.

 

[sixty4half]

Tip: When you get to the point where your getting the touch up paint smooth with the paint job cover your index finger with one layer of a microfiber towel and run it back and forth perpendicular to the scratch. The difference in texture from the smooth paint to the sanded down surface makes it harder to tell with a bare finger. The towel is thin enough to feel rises in the paint from the touch up and soft enough that you can't feel the texture difference.


That's a close up to one of the spots I had to use touch up paint. Its smooth as butter now.

 

[sixty4half]

I spent a little time buffing the scratch out. Here's a pic displaying some of the stages the sanded area will go through.



On the left is the unbuffed portion. In the middle is an area that's been buffed about 3 times. On the right is an area that's been buffed 6 or more times.

I buff by hand using 3M rubbing compound and a microfiber towel.

 

[sixty4half]

After a couple of hours of buffing this is what it looks like now:






It's uncharacteristicly cloudy today so not all of the detail is there. There's still an area towards the front that needs some extra attention and the area above the U is still a little scuffed from the sanding.

 

[sixty4half]

That's the spot towards the front that needs attention. Hairline scratch between the white flash and the red flash reflection. Was about 4 inches away from the car, that's how small it is.

 

[sixty4half]

Sorry I haven't been updating this. It rained Fri and Sat and then I cut my hand Sun. Once my hand heals I'll finish the scratch repair.

 

[rebeltx]

looks like your making good progress. good luck.