Hello,

Before I attempt to fix and make matters worse, I thought I would post a question! I have used the FMJ products on my 04 pure silver mini (with great results). Of course, after completing this process someone has walked between cars in a parking lot and scuffed a bag/purse/briefcase lightly along my driver door panel.

The result is a very fine scratch, in a straight line, across about 50% of the door panel. It can only be seen when the car is clean and shiny (of course). Any suggestions on a treatment for this issue would be greatly appreciated.

The kit that I purchased includes a creme polish for removing old wax, swirls and spiders. The second step is a glaze and the final is a top coat.

Do I simply go back to step one on this spot or the entire door? Can I use only the glaze and final coat?

PS - It is not a key mark - not at all that deep.

Thanks.

 

Bummer! When I first got my MC I got some great advice from car detailing fanatics at http://www.autopia.org/. It's a site devoted to the care of cars, and they have some fantastic tutorials and FAQs that are full of how-to photos. Check it out. Pete

 

Get a bottle of 3M "Perfect-it" Swirl Mark Remover. That stuff works wonders and it is clearcoat safe. 3M sells 2 versions of the product: For "Dark colored cars" and "Light colored cars". The product retails for around $10 at your nearest auto parts store. The product can also be applied by hand or with a buffer machine.

If you can "feel" the scratch with your fingernail, it may be deeper and you will need a more agressive rubbing compound. 3M sells excellent scratch remover premium rubber compounds for that effect.

Start with the least agressive product and work your way up as needed.

 

The 3M Perfect-It is probably very similar to your FMJ step 1 for removing spiders and swirlmarks. It also has some fillers in it (hence the 2 colors for dark and light cars). It's a great product, but probably unnecessary as you already have something of the same grade.

I would first start with your step 1 product. Just work the area around the scratch as long as the rest of your paintwork is good. Once you work the scratch out, I would use step 1 again, in a slightly larger area, with less pressure this time. I would then glaze and recoat with the FMJ (probably the whole door) once or twice. I'd bet that by the time you finish the glazing step, you won't be able to see any difference at all.

If your step 1 doesn't take out the mark, it's time to move up to something more abrasive. I head to Meguiars Scratch-X for this type of work pretty regularly. I also have some 3M rubbing compound for the deeper scratches, but this stuff has a lot of cutting power to it, so use it by hand only and examine your work regularly and often... 10-20 strokes and then remove all the compound with a clean microfiber and dry completely to see if you have done enough... repeat only if necessary. Once you have finished with the more abrasive stuff, you will have to do step 1 again and reglaze to get back to the perfect shine.

Good luck!

 

For a good line of polishes/compounds to have handy, I recommend the Sonus SFX line. SFX-1 is a paintwork cleaner / glaze. SFX-2 is a swirl-mark remover and SFX-3 is for the more serious paint issues.


http://www.autopia-carcare.com/pcdepot.html

 

Thanks! Going to give this a whirl...