My daughters new car was keyed down one side. It scratched the clear coat but not the color coat. It is just deep enough to be felt with your finger nail. I have a DA but very little experience with it. If it can not be polished out can a body shop spot clear it? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Mobey
If you can feel it with your nail, it might be tough to fix it with a DA. MIGHT be able to wetsand it out though. Or have it be professionally touched up...
Various factors play a part on what you do. Color, age of car, is the scratch broad in width or hairline. If its a hairline, you may be able to work it out with a da, with the right pad and polish, or if its severe enough, fill in with touch up paint, or as suggested also, wetsand. If not sure, or feel safe, you may have to go to a body shop. With out seeing the extent of the scratch, recommending a proper procedure is a little difficult. Good Luck.
Most body shops won't do this but, it can be done. If the scratch is only in the clear and you don't want to wet sand down that far, I have done this many times and works. You mix up a small batch of hardened clear(without reducer), only a cap full. Using a pinstripe brush you fill in the scratch with the clear using a pulling stroke, not a dabbing motion. The car needs to left to dry for at least 24 hours, depending on shop temp. Now that the clear is dry, carefully with a block(I use a 2x2" square wood), wet sand the new clear down to the level of the vehicle. Polish away. The scratch will not disappear, but it will be very hard to see, and will never be felt. Shops don't usually do it because it is not a money maker. The car just sits drying and taking up space. If you can find somebody to do it will be the hard part.
