ok, i am new to Dark colored vehicles... or vehicles that look nice enough for me to even care about for that matter... so what do you do when you get a scratch in the paint.. im not talking a tree limb scratch that you can cover with wax im talking a tiny scratch the isn't as thick as a fingernail but appears white as in i scratched past clear coat maybe three inches long.... is there anything i can do at home other than take it to a dealer and have them buff it?

 

dont look at it.. scratches you can feel with a fingernail typically dont come out with a buffer or anything... youll get used to it but the first few hurt.

 

I feel your pain scratches suck

 

well, in JAN of last year i picked up a scion XB and it had some scratches that wouldn't buff with wax alone so the dealer had his detail shop match up paint and buff it out and they never showed back up... however to take a truck in and do this im sure would be expensive.

it's for my chevy not my jeep and i've had it like 4 days

 

With some nice weather in the DC area I went out and washed the Jeep yesterday. So this is fresh in my mind. And believe me, those scratches that go from the mirror, across the doors, and back to the hardtop can't be missed (at least to me). Yes, I would question buying a black Jeep if I did it again. This is also my first new vehicle short of the family minivan and I enjoy cleaning it as much as I enjoy getting it muddy. But, after a year of owning the Jeep, I am glad I can look at the scratches when I wash it and think about the trail rides I went on as opposed to obsessing about keeping it perfect. But the first ones hurt a lot...

 

I had a Black Titan before the Jeep, and you can ask my wife I am maticulous when it comes to my vehicles....(yes even the Jeep....I rush home and wash it when we go offroad). The best thing, and I have tried them all, to remove scratches is....



You can get it at Griotsgarage . com use an orbital polisher with it and walla....scratches are gone. If they are fine scratches you can use Machine Polish 1 and a good terry towel. You can find a cheep orbital at PepBoys. Make sure you get a decent one though because if it goes to fast you will burn the paint.

 

I think I got lucky... I got a nice pinstripe back in December on a narrow trail that went mirror to hard top on the drivers side. But with the jeep being in the body shop right now and them having to paint the side to blend the new door, I think the pinstripe will be gone!

The first few hurt but then they become fond memories of great trail rides and reminders of lines not to take the next time.

 

i have lots of trail scratches (branches)... only a couple are deep and those have been buffed out using a heavy rubbing compound and wax. I was going to address the lighter surface scratches... but they add character... and frankly... i am too lazy.

 

Similiar, but much easier to find locally is 3M Finesse-it. It is a polishing compound for clear coats. It gets the job done without being too aggressive.
I did my S-I-L's black Jetta with 120k miles on this fall. She came back from shopping with the wife and her jaw just about hit the pavement. Looked better than new. Any quality part store will have it. You can also find it in marine chandleries. About 19 a pint or 32 for a quart. Expensive but well worth it. If you have a buddy in the autobody trade, you may be able to burn an oz to fix your scratch for free or a beer (shops buy this stuff by the gallon).

homer

 

Consider a scratch a scar. And, you know what they say...scars are tatoos with better stories!

I want to get this in the open now in hopes that I don't come off as an ass because that's not my intention.

It's a Jeep. If it was bought to cruise in and go get groceries, a scratch is devastating. But, if you bought the thing for off roading and it's scratched while doing that, well it's the cost of doing business.

That's one of the things that made me decide to get a used Jeep instead of a JK. It was a very small part of decision on my part, but it was Mrs. Lawdog's FIRST concern. Oh, yeah...and YOU PEOPLE helped to talk her out of a JK. I was on the forum looking at some action shots and she came in the room. You'd have thought I was looking at porn by the reaction I got from her. "If you THINK we're paying $27,000 for you to do THAT, you'd better think again!". Of course, that laid the groundwork for me to get the TJ !