My new-to-me '05 R53 has a few blemishes in the paint, similar to the attached pic. How would I go about trying to buff those out? I have a buffer, but no pads. What do I need to get in order to give this a shot? What else do I need to know about trying to buff these out? Will I need touchup paint, etc.? Car is Hyper Blue if that matters.

 

The pic didn't attach.
What brand / type of buffer do you have?

 

That would be my first question too...it does matter!!

 

I guess I didn't realize the type of buffer mattered. Not sure off the top of my head; I'll find out and post an update.

Picture:

 

What have you done to the paint so far?? Just a "Buffer" won't fix your problem if you haven't properly prepped your paint. Just sayin'

 

From the "looks" of it, you can get that out with a PROPER buffer/orbital. If you can put your finger nail in it, you won't be able to buff it out.

and yes, the buffer DOES matter along with the pads and the compounds you use with it. If you just picked up a buffer at walmart or sears, that's not going to do much but apply more swirls. Since is seems like you are just getting into this, I would advise the porter cable or something similar. Buy it used. There is no need for you to buy new imo when you are just learning. Most of the time people will sell them used with a bunch of pads. Here is a quick run down of the process you might need to follow:

1. wash car
2. clay bar car
3. wash car again
4. Use buffer
a. could use an all in one or two or three step polish
5. wash car again
6. apply wax

 

I'm not sure what type of buffer I have. A pic is attached. It's older, and the label is no longer attached. Can you/someone ID it?

 

Are these the steps that I use to "prep" the paint, as RJKimbell referred to? Also, I put up a pic of the buffer that I have, though I'm not sure exactly what brand/type it is. It's older and was given to me by an uncle.

 

Yes those are the steps used to prep the paint, however you really only need to wash the car once...

Also, can you catch the scratch with your fingernail?

 

It looks like a Sears rotary sander.

Does the disk spin orbitally, or just round and round in the same circle?

If it isn't an orbital sander, I wouldn't use it on paint as there is a good chance you can burn the paint if you don't know what you're doing.

 

I'd suggest washing that part of the car well and take a few pictures of the damage up close and in the direct sun. Send them to Richard at showcardetailing.com (he's a sponsor here as well) and let him guide you based on what you have available. The worst thing to do is to "fix" it and cause more damage.

 

There are a few of them. Some yes, some no.

 

I'm contemplating just taking it to a detail outfit and having them do it. Any idea if your typical "detail" car was place will do the work to take these kinds of things out? The place I'm contemplating is:

http://www.nycautodetailing.com/index.htm

 

I don't know these guys personally but based off of their website and this picture..I would say "STAY CLEAR"



Look how their power cable is dragging on the hood. Also there is no light source..they are buffing blind. Also in their service description they talk about "Clay being applied"...you don't apply clay, it's a process. And they say "Swirl compound for black cars always"...they have no clue what they are talking about.

This is all just plain bad technique. Since you're in the NY area, give Phil of DetailersDomain a call. He's a sponsor too.

Thanks Jeffrey for pointing the OP to me, but I think Phil would be able to help out better. I'm happy to provide any assistance via email however.

Finally...your answers give us plenty of information about your skill level...don't even ATTEMPT to repair this yourself.

1.) You didn't know that there were different type of buffers
2.) You don't even know what kind of buffer/sander you have

You are on the path of no return by turning something that could potentially be fixed in the right hands to something that only a body shop can fix. Don't just trust anyone..you have one chance to get this fixed properly.

Good luck.

Richard

 

I genuinely appreciate the frank advice. I'm a pretty capable guy, but I like to think I'm smart enough to know when to call in a pro. It seems like all signs here point to that conclusion, especially given the one-shot nature of the problem.

 

Make sure you take some before and after photos and get back to us with what you ultimately chose.

Good luck!!

 

Sorry if I was a little blunt. My work is mostly about fixing other people's mistakes. Recently I fixed a car that was wetsanded by an enthusiast who had no idea what he was doing. He saw on YouTube about people sanding their cars and thought it looked easy enough so he went at it. After he was done, he realized he couldn't get the sanding marks out so he found me. Turns out he sanded through the clear in some spots and sanded along spots that couldn't be polished, and the rest I was able to fix.



Then there are the cases where people take their cars to so called professionals and like this case spent $1200+ to have his AMG E63 polished and this horror was produced.


So don't think that if you spend $1200 that price has anything to do with the quality...find out from qualified references (other high end detailers) if they are any good. Most detailers will use products that make the finish look good but within a few weeks, their shortcomings are revealed but by that time they are long gone. Also don't trust the photos on their website. Many detailers will use stock photos of exotics or worse, steal photos from other detailers to use as their own..that's why mine are watermarked BIG.

Richard

 

This is the kind of information that is helpful. Sometimes it takes some blunt "advice" in order to snap people out of their distorted reality. I started this process thinking, "How hard can it be to buff out a couple of blemishes? I've got a buffer, all I need is a pad and some 'buffing' fluids." Fortunately, I was smart enough to know there was probably more to it, so I came here seeking advice. I quickly realized that what I thought was a shallow pool was in fact a virtually bottomless ocean and that I can't swim that well. Your points are all well taken and have successfully diverted me to a professional. Thanks again. If I ever find myself in need of a detailer in Cali, I'll definitely come your way.

 

Not trying to hijack here, but I'm going to anyway. My 2005 purple haze has some similar scratches that you can't really feel, much less stick a fingernail in. I believe my dad has a buffer (he restores shoebox chevys). I am not sure if it is a porter cable or not. My questions are What buffing fluid would be best? What polish does everyone like for the next step? AND is this something that could be done by hand if my old man doesn't have a buffer? Thanks for the help. Love this site!

 

The type of polish that is chosen and used is less dependent on what people commonly like than for what you are using it for and how good you are with the polish/polisher For instance, I can tell you that I love Prima Swirl with the rotary buffer and the PC, but that doesn't help your father much if he hasn't buffed before using the kind of pads and techniques I use. Just because he restores a car, doesn't mean that he is a competent paint polisher. Maybe he is, obviously I don't know him, but it takes a certain skill to polish paint that most people who are mechanics or even painters aren't very good at.

What you need to figure out first are:
1.) Are they truly scratches or is it just a paint transfer?
2.) If it truly is a scratch, and you want to attempt rubbing it out by hand, Prima Swirl or Scratch X from Meguiar's can work, but only if the scratch is very light.

Richard