Cat Scratches on Hood
08-24-04, 01:31 AM
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Fine Scratches on Hood
Can someone, anyone, tell me if there is a way to get rid of these fine marks? Whether it be sending it to an auto detailer or if you know of a product(s) out there that will not harm the clear coat then I would really like to know. Fortunately, the scratches have not penetrated the clear coat nor are they deep because I can't feel it when I run my finger nail over any of them.
Last edited by delmo; 09-30-04 at 04:14 AM.
08-24-04, 09:16 AM
#2
The one thing in your favor is that cat claws *usually* don't scratch very deep when they're just walking on a car, so....
If you want to try to DIY, then something like Meguiar's Scratch X should help diminish or remove them. If you can feel them with your fingernail, the Scratch X won't work. I suggest you then move on to a pro;
Your best bet is to find a body shop or skilled detailer that knows how to wetsand or compound with a rotary buffer, and pay them for their expertise. Make sure they give you honest answers on whether or not any of the scratching *may* be too deep to remove safely. You don't want someone tearing away at your paint for a *maybe* result. Better that they tell you ahead of time that they will either all come out, or that some may not without removing too much paint. If that happens( removing too much paint), then you have an even bigger problem when the paint fails a year for 2 from now, and you need a repaint.
Below is a general overview of scratching for anyone that wonders about all this, and the various depths they can occur. This gives a good visual on what is required in order to remove them, as you must have paint UNDER the scratches when you begin trying to remove them via abrasives.You also don't want to remove more than .3 (3/ 10ths) of a MIL of paint to do it, otherwise you remove the UV inhibitors and the paint can fail prematurely.
So try a medium-cut abrasive like Scratch X or 3M Fine -Cut rubbing compound. They won't remove much overall paint by hand. That will either work well for you or tell you that you're going to need to cut deeper to remove them. That's when I think you need a pro to step in, unless you want to try your hand at light wetsanding followed by compounding and polishing. If you've never done that, you probably shouldn't start on your Lex.
I would be livid if that happened to my car. Good luck!
If you want to try to DIY, then something like Meguiar's Scratch X should help diminish or remove them. If you can feel them with your fingernail, the Scratch X won't work. I suggest you then move on to a pro;
Your best bet is to find a body shop or skilled detailer that knows how to wetsand or compound with a rotary buffer, and pay them for their expertise. Make sure they give you honest answers on whether or not any of the scratching *may* be too deep to remove safely. You don't want someone tearing away at your paint for a *maybe* result. Better that they tell you ahead of time that they will either all come out, or that some may not without removing too much paint. If that happens( removing too much paint), then you have an even bigger problem when the paint fails a year for 2 from now, and you need a repaint.
Below is a general overview of scratching for anyone that wonders about all this, and the various depths they can occur. This gives a good visual on what is required in order to remove them, as you must have paint UNDER the scratches when you begin trying to remove them via abrasives.You also don't want to remove more than .3 (3/ 10ths) of a MIL of paint to do it, otherwise you remove the UV inhibitors and the paint can fail prematurely.
So try a medium-cut abrasive like Scratch X or 3M Fine -Cut rubbing compound. They won't remove much overall paint by hand. That will either work well for you or tell you that you're going to need to cut deeper to remove them. That's when I think you need a pro to step in, unless you want to try your hand at light wetsanding followed by compounding and polishing. If you've never done that, you probably shouldn't start on your Lex.
I would be livid if that happened to my car. Good luck!
Last edited by Guitarman; 08-24-04 at 06:52 PM.
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