Well, I went to my truck yesterday morning to discover a 2-3 foot long key mark down the driver's side rear door. I was parked in the same place I always do so it appears that it was just some random lowlife.

It appears to be pretty deep but not all the way into the paint. The dealership wants $450 to repaint the door so I am going to give it my best to remove it before I go that route. Is my best bet to use Meguiars Scratch-X and then wax with NXT or are there better options?

Thanks.

 

Can you feel the scratch with your fingernail? If you can the only way to fix the scratch is with paint.

 

Well first off can you feel the scratch with your finger nail? If the answer is yes your plan of action is going to be different. So find that out then lets us know and we can help you from there.

 

Just saw the post above me and his answer of the only way to repair it is to paint it is wrong there are other ways to do this without painting.

 

No.....

1. Purchase touch-up paint (yeah dealer or duplicolor)
2. use alcohol/lacuer thinner yo clean the area
3. Feather any rough edges using 2000 grit sand paper- wet
4. Re-clean surface
5. use a brush to fill the groove- starting with color. Apply only 1 coat and contain the fill ot the scratch area as best as possible. Wait 24 hours and apply 1 more coat- this may take several days as the T.U paint shrinks considerably.
6. get a soft cloth and a bondo spreader or something similiar, wrap the cloth around the spreader, dampen the rag with lacquer thinner, working in 1 direction, in the same direction as the scratch, wipe the touch up paint with light pressure. It's like wet sanding without the sand paper- since the touch-up paint is lacquer based, it allows you to "wipe" away the excess paint. When level, let dry for 24 hours.
7. Apply a single coat of clear- let cure for a week (depending on temp), lightly wet sand using 2000 or finer grit (when sanding use just the tip of 1 finger or place the sand paper on a old fashion erasor- otherwise your hand or multiple fingers will create different pressure points and - well, it will be ugly) Polish with a polish such as 3M finesse II, wax and you're done.

Remember, this takes a little practice and a lot of patience- a sip or 2 of Labatt's prior to starting and during the paint removal process is not a bad idea- and you may have to go bak and refill the are because, well, we overdid it a tad..

There are other options also...depending on a lot of factors, depth, location of scratch- crayons work very well in concealing a scratch also and with the variety of colors, a color match is almost guranteed! Rub the scrath area with a crayon, use a cloth with warm water, rub the area until the wax smooths out- let dry, wax and you're done.

 

How would you suggest he go about fixing it with out paint? I wouldnt use an agressive polish and machine on it because in my mind the risk is to high that you will do more damage than good now that the clear in comprised and run the risk of eating through the clear around the scratch because of the sharp edges of the scratch. You may be able to use M105 or somethis like it BY HAND to diminish the scratch but the scratch will still be there but with thinner clear coat to protect the paint. Depending on the OP's insurace coverage this may be covered completely by comprehensive and wont cost a dime but if the deductable is 500 you are SOL.

 

Well, I can feel the scratch with my fingernail but it feels more like a rough spot rather than a gouge. The scratch feels kind of like a chalkboard would if you rubbed your fingernail on it and the entire thing is white.

I'm more looking for a way to minimize the appearance of it without actually getting into sanding, painting, and clearcoating, etc. If it comes to painting and clearcoating, I'll put it on insurance and take it to the dealer.

Is there anything I can do at home by hand that is fairly straightforward? My friend tried a little rubbing compound and wax on a small area and it did a good job but you can still see it if you look close. We didn't spend too much time on it, though.

Thanks!

 

You could try Scratch X that is available over the counter to try and diminish the scratch and the wax it and see what happens but just take it slow and check your clothe and door often when doing this. I just had 1100 in damages fixed a couple months ago on my truck because someone wanted my PowerStroke badges off the doors of my truck and the insurance covered it with no out of pocket expense to me.

 

If you feel something, and its white... it's usually too deep.

You can try the touch-up method, but you have to know what your doing. Check your insurance company and see if they cover it under comprehensive. Mine does, only have to pay deductible.

Mine was from front headlight to the beginning of the side of the box. Pissed me off so much. ON a day that I had just detailed it, by some a** hole punk that was just walking by.

Regardless, Scratch-X doesn't do much when it is that deep, but it might cure some of the pain in your mind at least. I used Scratch-X with two coats of Kobe-beef style NXT 2.0 massaging. Still didn't do much, but it does make a difference that will make you feel a little bit better.

 

Well if you want to do it buy hand yet dont want to wet sand and polish after this limits you even more but there is still something you should try before you have the truck painted, because lets face it they(i.e. dealership or whoever paints it) will never be able to match the factory paint, color might be right but orange peel will be different and to a trained eye this will be noticable. So since you want to work this by hand I recommend quixx scratch remover. It is about 15 dollars at you local oreillys auto parts store. Check there website and you can search you local dealers of this product. I have used it on my truck and others vehicles with great results. Try it and let us know how it worked for you.

 

Thanks for all the info on this question. Here is a picture of what we're dealing with - it was taken with a phone so not the greatest quality but you get the idea. The scratch actually goes almost to the end of the door - the right side is where we used the rubbing compound and wax to diminish the appearance of it. The small dot on the very right side of the picture is where the scratch ends.

Is Scratch-X my best bet at this point or should I go with the Quixx? I'm kind of partial to Mequiars....

Thanks.

 

Wouldn't you have liked to see the scumbag in action?

I think I would have had a dent in my front bumper shortly after! hehehe

 

I might not be seeing that correctly, but that looks like it is only in the clear coat.

I would start with a polish like #81 on an Orange power pad, and use as normal prior to messing with wet sanding.

This is if I am seeing it correctly, I just took something similar out of Nikki's door handle with PB polish, and followed it up with Black Hole, and it is greatly diminished. I can still see part of it, but until I do the car this weekend, I am holding off on getting after it again.

To explain what I see, this looks to be a drag line in the clear coat, kind of what wet sanding would be prior to polish, but it is focused in one spot.

Again, this is just what I see with the picture.

 

Quixx, it's a 2 part system which is going to work better for this scratch.

 

Touch up paint, let it dry for 24 hours, then wet sand and buff.

OR...you can try this, http://www.langka.com/