Thoughts to correct marks on paint

Ilikemy3s

Original poster
Member
Dec 3, 2011
367
Greetings all. Got an issues I am trying to solve and after searching the various posts and Threads with no luck, I figured to reach out here. My kids wanted to be nice and clean my truck for me while I was out. But in there over jealous attempt to get some road tar off my door, they used one of those sponges with the green rough backing on one side, which left some circular marks on the paint. (see attached pic) The truck is not flawless by any means, but I would like to get these spots less noticable to gone. I cant really feel a difference between the circle and the surrounding paint so I am thinking it is just surface layer. Was thinking on some rubbing compound or related then a good coat of way. I am planning on clay barring the entire truck prior to a good coat of wax, but wanted to treat this first. Any thoughts other then telling anyone that asks that they are filled in bullet holes ?door.JPG
 

mrrsm

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Oct 22, 2015
7,642
Tampa Bay Area
There is a VERY Good Reason why there are almost 10 Million Hits on this Rust and Paint Repair Video created by one of Our GMT Nation Members... "ChrisFix": It's because the information and sub-topics that follow are Well Explained, using Common Tools and Materials for these Repairs and will produce Professional Results if the steps are adhered to when doing each portion in turn.

The part(s) that concern you the most come towards the end of the Video and involve using Clever Techniques for Smoothing out any discrepancies in the Clear Coating that have been abraded off of the Body Panel in circular erosion patterns on your Vehicle.

His method is to gradually Blend Sand each area with Finer and Finer Grain Sand Paper Strips-Blocks and then also gradually apply multiple Clear Coats in such a "lighter" way that it "CLEARLY" smooths and evens out the Final Results; becoming an AWESOME Factory New Finish...with NO obvious signs of Overspray Deposits to draw any attention to what was wrong.

IMHO... Everything you Need To Know and Practice doing to achieve the right results with this repair is all inclusive within this Excellent Youtube Video. Hope This Helps:

 
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Maverick6587

Member
Dec 16, 2018
730
Sterling Heights, Michigan
Those don't look too bad at all. If you do not feel a difference than the marks did not go past the clear coat. @MRRSM provided the perfect video for you to watch!

If you do not have access to an electric buffer as ChrisFix used, I would follow all of his instructions and disregard the rest of my post. If you do however have access to a buffer I recommend following the instructions below. It'll look great and take half the time.

I don't suggest using all of those higher grits of sandpaper at all. I would go to your local parts store and get an assorted pack of sandpaper that contains at least 600, 800, and 1000 grit sandpaper. You should be able to get them out starting with 600 grit. I would take a close up picture of those scuff marks before you start so that you know exactly where they were and how the scuff marks looked. Honestly, you could just start with 1,000 grit dry then wet sanding and you won't notice the difference. You would just be sanding with the one grit a little bit longer.

I also do not suggest sanding the entire door panel either. You'll end up having to sand/buff the entire vehicle if you do that. I would just sand exactly where the marks are connecting them all with your sanding strokes though. So you have one area to work with and not 3-5 smaller areas.

It looks like you would have about a foot or so of area to work on from that picture. Make sure you stay a few inches away from that door handle or any other panel lines/moldings near those marks with your sanding as well.

Start by taping off the area that you plan on sanding into a square around those marks. 600 grit is key as you need to get the scuff marks to "disappear" with the 600 grit. Once the area you chose looks uniform, jump to 800 grit and do the same. Make sure that you are not sanding very long at all on the area you chose. You do not want to eat through your clear coat. I would sand for a few minutes with each grit, you do not want to eat through your clear coat.

At 800 grit you are still sanding dry to start but, add water to wet sand now. Only sanding for a few minutes again. After a few minutes of wet sanding, switch to 1,000 grit. At 1,000 you can start dry and then wet sand if you want. I would just start with wet sanding using 1,000 grit.

Once you finish wet sanding with 1,000 grit. Now you would need to start the buffing process. I would just follow ChrisFix's guide and he did a good job with his buffing instructions. Make sure that you rinse and wash that compound off IMMEDIATELY though. That stuff will cake on if it's in the sun.
 
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hockeyman

Member
Aug 26, 2012
726
Tough to say with just pics here, but I would not take any 1k or lower sandpaper to that. If I were to use sandpaper, I'd start with 1,500, then slowly move up in stages until I reached 3,000.

Anything lower than 1,000 grit is used for substantial paint defects (or damage) and should only be used if you're preparing FOR paint, or completely pissed off at your finish and want to experiment with Frankenstein.

There are lots of different polishing compounds out there these days. A harsh compound is nothing you should use as a starter.

First, I'd clean and slightly fill that scratch with touchup. Try to fill the scratch only and not the surrounding area. For this, I use micro-detail paint brushes. -->> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016JR44A4/?tag=gmtnation-20
You can thin the paint out a bit with paint thinner to help it flow into the scratch better.

Apply the clearcoat with the same brushes, but overlap the scratch by a very little bit. Do not thin out the clearcoat. I use at least two layers of clear. Sometimes more. Allow the completed layers to properly cure for at least 24 hours.

For wetsanding, I use a common spray bottle filled with fresh water and a few drops of dishwashing liquid. The added soap helps the sandpaper glide over the area(s) much nicer. If a large buildup is felt in the recent touchup, I'd start with 1,500 and spray liberally. I also soak my sandpaper in warm water for about 15 minutes before I begin to help soften up the material to prevent excess scratching. Lightly sand in one direction and only until the buildup is mostly gone. The other 2k, 2.5k and 3k sandpapers would be in very light single direction motions also.

*Never-Ever wetsand in circular motions!!

For polish, I personally use Menzerna. You can also use Meguiar's polishing compounds and polishes, but do not go heavy on the cutting ability. I would suggest that you start with an orbital polisher and an orange pad, but start on it's lowest RPM setting. It doesn't take much to buff out scratches. Move your way through a few compounds by going lighter for each type, finishing with a glaze and a white or black polishing pad (which are much softer than orange pads).
 

hockeyman

Member
Aug 26, 2012
726
On a side note;
When using a claybar on a vehicle, I use the same spraybottle w/a few drops of dishwashing liquid technique as a replacement for detail spray. It's MUCH cheaper and works perfectly to help the clay glide across the surface.
 

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