New paint job or easy fix n' buff?

[ZeeZoo]

These scratches are all over my car. PO treated it terribly and was probably a girl from the scratches on the trunk and door handle (metal purse and key rings). When I wash my car, they are still visible and scratch remover doesn't seem to make it look any better. These pictures are from today after it rained but honestly it wouldn't change the look of the scratches if it were washed. I'm gonna give her a good wash after this next rain storm passes but here are the pics:







The one shaped like a "V" and by the antenna are pretty deep. The mild scratches on the doors are all over and on the trunk too. I can't trust any reviews for scratch removers so what would you advise I try?

[apocalypsegoat]

I'm pretty sure you won't need a repaint. Maybe that huge white scratch will need more attention than some polishing with a buffer, but the rest should buff right out.

[swanicyouth]

You need to determine if the scratches are white because they go below the basecoat (to primer); or if they are scratches in the clear coat that just have old wax in them. You can tell this mildly rubbing them with a microfiber towel soaked in a Dawn dish washing liquid solution. If the scratches are old wax in clear coat, the white should clean out. Either way, your paint can likely be improved with a full paint correction, but it does not appear you will be able to get all the scratches out. The scratches that are only in the clear coat can be leveled, and corrected - vastly improving their appearance. The scratches that penetrate below the basecoat and expose primer or metal will only be fixed with a repaint. If your not familiar with this type of work, find yourself a Pro Detailer in your area to assess your paint. A good full paint evaluation and correction can be several days to a weeks worth of work. Expect an evaluation for free, and the correction to start at about $400.00. Choose your detailer wisely, as no fifty dollar guy with a Crafstman buffer should ever go near your car. You probably have a mix of both type of scratches, and though a pro detailer won't turn your car into a show car, he likely will greatly improve the finish. To learn more about paint correction as a hobby or to maybe find a recommendation for a pro detailer in your area, check out Autogeek's forums online.

[boomersooner523]

A few of those may need a little wet sanding but other than that I think you would be really happy keeping the original paint and getting a really good detail done. I bet there is someone on here that is close to New York.

[ZeeZoo]

A few of those may need a little wet sanding but other than that I think you would be really happy keeping the original paint and getting a really good detail done. I bet there is someone on here that is close to New York.

If I don't need to paint it then I shouldn't need to sand it. I'm not much of a body work guy but I am planning to put some body filler in a pretty nice dent on my rear quarter and have that painted. A friend of mine said you don't need to paint the whole panel, just the general area being filled and sanded. I'll give her a wash tomorrow and show how it looks clean.

How do you get rid of the scratches with a rotary though? I have wax and scratch remover but I think I'm doing it wrong

[MarketMaster]

If I don't need to paint it then I shouldn't need to sand it. I'm not much of a body work guy but I am planning to put some body filler in a pretty nice dent on my rear quarter and have that painted. A friend of mine said you don't need to paint the whole panel, just the general area being filled and sanded. I'll give her a wash tomorrow and show how it looks clean.

How do you get rid of the scratches with a rotary though? I have wax and scratch remover but I think I'm doing it wrong

have the dent popped. Please dont just put filler in there.

[coolvegase34]

I recently have had good luck with meguiar's ultimate compound and ultimate polish.

[RyansBMW]

Most look like they should buff out. The only one I'm not sure about is the one near the antenna. Take it to a shop to get detailed. A few minutes with a buffer will produce results much much quicker and better than you will get by hand.

Look for a shop and call them up. These guys are some of the best in the area. They will have your car looking brand new, but they are kinda pricey.
http://www.detailersdomain.com/Detai...s_ep_45-1.html

[ZeeZoo]

have the dent popped. Please dont just put filler in there.

This is a pretty tough dent, more like a crater. Body filler is the easy way out though

[NYZ93]

Try detailers domain, they can correct that paint. I don't know if they will pop the dent though. Just look on craigslist, there are a bunch of dent poppers in the outer boroughs that will do it inexpensively.


Detailers domain is in Jersey

[Court M3]

Pop the dent out. Wetsand that big scratch and a good detail by the guys at Detailer's Domain and car will look like new!

[ZeeZoo]

I recently have had good luck with meguiar's ultimate compound and ultimate polish.

I got meguiars scratch remover 2.0 and I can tell that it definitely hides the scratches to the point where you couldn't tell unless you tried looking for them. MUCH better than the other garbage I've tried: "Will remove 100% of scratches or your money back" right... I have swirl marks all over my car and I'm debating if I should just treat certain spots or the entire car. In the end, it looks like a new gloss paintjob

One of these days I'll take it to a shop to wet sand the big scratches and maybe I'll clay bar it.

[michaele30]

Look up "AndrewbigA" detailing in Whitestone Queens....if you google him you can see some sample work...i think he also has a dent guy. He's active in the ny bmw community.

Good luck