mazman

Just got my '03 Black on Black!!
Purchased it w/ just 2100 miles.
What is best for clear coat scratches?
Should I take it to a detailer?
Thanks,
Mazman

s2ksimon

it really matters how deep the scratches are

I've made scratches disappear into swirl marks, which then disappeared to nothing

Zaino's Z5 will mask or hide it after a few coats..

But a sure fire method is 3M swirl remover with the use of a Porter Cable ,with the new orange pad (yellow will do ).

and be sure to dry your car quickly and try to do most of the work in shade or covered environments as your car is black..

hope that helps..

s2ksimon

stingerbtry

Meguairs Scratch-X, hands down--IMHO.

wanabe

scratch-x is a great product if the 3m doesnt work...
i think that 3m is a bit less aggressive and eats a little less of the clear coat. i would first try the 3m (unless the scratches are really bad) and if it doesnt get them all, then go for the scratch-x.
so i agree with both of the above posts!!

mazman

Thanks for the feed-back.
The "scratches" are actually swirl marks, I need to get down with the lingo here.
Can you do the 3m by hand or is my buffer ok?
Sears brand, low orbit speed, 6"pad surface.
Thanks,
K

wanabe

i would use the orbital on the lowest setting and move front to back. you can do this by hand, but it is my preference to use the machine. btw, i assume that your machine is a random orbital. if not, i would not use it on the car at all unless you are an expert (very easy to burn your finish with a non-random orbital).

RazorV3

when i first got my s, there were a couple of clear coat scratches on my driver side door that were only noticable in the proper lighting. i put a coat of meguairs hightech yellow #26 wax and all the scratches are gone. im just saying, if the scratches aren't that deep, a simple wax job will take care of them.