youngim87

Today when I was taking my laundry basket out of my trunk the metal leg on it put a semi deep scratch on the top of my bumper. The metal leg was painted white and there is a white 2'' long but thin line(probably less than 1 mm wide) scratched. I'm pretty sure it went through the clear coat because when I use my finger nail to see how deep it is, I can feel a groove in the paint. I dont think it went through the paint though, but I'm not sure because the scratch is white.

My question is which DIY product would be best in removing/fixing/covering up the scratch?

I have heard that the 3M Rubbing compound, Scratch X, and Quixx car care products work well, but mostly people with scrapes and large scratches use these products. I'm not sure if it will help with my scratch because it is thin, short, and semi deep.

I am considering on buying a custom mixed paint pen and clear coat to fill in the scratch: http://www.automotivetouchup.com/sto...n_matched.aspx

Has anyone had any success with a specific product on removing scratches similar to mine or any pointers for me to fixing the scratch? Thanks

eyezack87

iTrader: (4)

If it went through the clearcoat, your best bet would be to touch up, wetsand, then buff it. If you do not have experience with all the steps, I would recommend going to a pro

youngim87

hmm im not too sure if it went all the way through the clear coat, but if there is more than 2 or 3 layers of clear coat i dont think it went all the way through. kinda hard to tell because there was white paint on the metal which made the scratch white also. It is not a very deep gash, just enough to hear and feel a line when running your fingernail through the area.

anyone know of a great non-abrasive scratch remover. I have heard 3M rubbing compound is a bit abrasive

lexusscturbo

iTrader: (12)

Try an agressive claybar; then apply some ultimate detailing compound and scratch X last

MelYW

OK, hold on...will these products work on the bumper? This is a soft plastic...is the finish susceptible to marring that is different than the metal paint finish?

lexusscturbo

iTrader: (12)

Its all about the same, the paint on the edges of the bumpers aren't on there too well..
When doing bumpers I usually switch from my Makita to my porter cable, and do not go higher than an orange pad.

MelYW

LTURBO...OK, I have a few light white scratches on my navy blue GS350 rear bumper. Can I use Scratch-X to remove them? No risk of additional damage...that is swirling on the bumper surface?

edwinbong

iTrader: (2)

you can try to use scratchX on there..but try using light pressure first if not use more pressure then you will have to buff it out but dont go trying to rip the bumper off or anything like that. just gradually add more pressure until you see results. if not you may have to go with something stronger. check to see what version scratchX you have...V2 works better than V1

youngim87

i do not have much experience with detailing and have no tools to do so either. is the consensus for bumper scratches to use scratch-X? Is scratch-x non-abrasive because I dont want to do more damage to my bumper paint and end up having swirl marks in the area.

lexusscturbo

iTrader: (12)

You can try using Ultimate Detailing Compound then going to scratch-x to finish the small marring marks caused by UDC.

Theres a chart by meguiars to show what's the most aggressive to the least.

lexusscturbo

iTrader: (12)

Also here's what you can do with some UDC( Ultimate Detailing compound)+ a soft clean foam pad:


After 3 applications of it:

After a few more tries:


Hopefully that helps (and it was done by hand) at a class taught by Mike Phelps at Meguiars.

GS430V8

Which product is this in the pictures above?

MyfirstES

GS4: that was Ultimate Compound. Available in Walmart, Target and Auto Zone.

Lexusscturbo: You are on MOL? Do you use the same name as on here?

lexusscturbo

iTrader: (12)

I think I use Jay J as my handle there.

eyezack87

iTrader: (4)

OP, please post a close up shot of the damage. I'm sure that will help you more than just blurting out products