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So i debadged the "G37S" from my car and all is good, but theres a couple of scratches that feel like they are indentations, like i run my hand over it and it feels very lightly indented in the paint. Am i screwed or does some wax and buffering do the job?
If i was in your shoes i would wash the entire back area where the G37S was and all around the logo and lettering and reverse lights.
Then use some clay bar in the area where the scratches are then the rest of the trunk. If you did it just where the G37S was you would see a shiny spot in one little area while the rest of the trunk seems blurry or dirty is why if you haven't clayed recently. It may help push back in any paint that may have beveled up around the scratches back into the scratch itself and make it look much better. It may not completely fix the scratches but it should help some.
Then depending on if it did help any, i would judge for myself if i need to try and slightly buffer it. You be the judge on that if your satisfied enough. Good luck in whatever you do and hope you get it right...
Then use some clay bar in the area where the scratches are then the rest of the trunk. If you did it just where the G37S was you would see a shiny spot in one little area while the rest of the trunk seems blurry or dirty is why if you haven't clayed recently. It may help push back in any paint that may have beveled up around the scratches back into the scratch itself and make it look much better. It may not completely fix the scratches but it should help some.
I believe you're very much misunderstanding the purpose of a clay bar and the abilities it has... detailing clay will not remove defects. Its sole purpose is to remove bonded contamination from the paint to create a smooth feeling surface. It will not dramatically alter the appearance of a vehicle on its own.
OP - without seeing the defects it is difficult for me to recommend an exact course of action, but here is how scratch removal goes...
If the scratch has NOT penetrated the clear coat, it can be repaired relatively easily using abrasives such as compound, polish, and/or sand paper depending on the severity of the scratch.
If the scratch has penetrated the clear coat, exposing the base coat, primer, or metal substrate then the only way to repair it is to apply paint to the area. This can be as simple as applying touch up paint if you want a quick and inexpensive cover up, or if you want it to look like new, a body shop would need to refinish the panel.
First, thoroughly wash and dry the car. Pull the car into the garage, or into the shade, and make sure the paint is nice and cool before proceeding.
Assess the scratches by gently rubbing your fingernail over it. If your fingernail easily catches the scratch, it may be too deep to remove with this technique.
Apply a small amount of cutting compound to your microfiber applicator. Rub the compound over the scratch using moderate pressure. Work the compound for 30 seconds or so, then wipe the residue away and inspect your results. If needed, repeat this step until you see some results. If the finish is hazy after using the compound, apply some polish to your foam applicator pad and rub it against the paint in a similar manner, but using a little less pressure. This will restore clarity to the paint.
*Note - Please understand that removing scratches means you are removing clear coat. The deeper the scratch, the more clear coat needs to be removed. If you remove too much clear coat and expose the base coat, the only way to fix the damage is to repaint the area. This is not likely to happen with this hand polishing process, but it is worth understanding the potential risks involved*
If you are dealing with deeper scratches that have not penetrated the clear coat, and are feeling up to the challenge, wet sanding is involved and the risks are significantly higher. Let me know if you need/want some guidance on that.
Awesome reply Zach, and to the OP, if you're going to a chain auto store like Autozone or O'Reillys look for Meguiar's Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish, it's similar to the ones Zach listed above, just a bit watered down IIRC, and these products are good to have regardless as they should be part of your detailing arsenal.
G/L and hopefully it's easily corrected.
In your case, the only thing I can assume is that you had traces of adhesive on the surface and not actual scratches... the clay bar would help to remove adhesive residue as it is a type of bonded contaminant.
I promise, detailing clay cannot and will not physically remove or repair defects in the paint. The only thing it will do is pick up above surface bonded contamination.
Twice i've scratched the surface of my G while rinsing it off at the car wash with the water gun tip. Once on the passenger door under the mirror and once on the rear windshield pillar. Deep enough that they showed up as white marks on my graphite shadow/gun metallic sedan. Both a little over an inch long.
Very similar to the OP description, when i ran my fingers over them you can feel a slight indention. Since i already had just finished washing the car and after i kicked myself in the buttocks a couple of times, i popped the trunk, busted out the clay bar and commenced to claying over the scratches. Very lightly at first then added a little more pressure as i watched the whiteness begin to go away.
Like i said, it worked for me. That's why i shared what i did to remove the 'visible' white scratch marks on my G. I apologize for completely misunderstanding the abilities of a clay bar on soft Infiniti paint.
If i was the OP, i would absolutely do as you described in your post. Detailing is your business and your reputation speaks for itself...
Twice i've scratched the surface of my G while rinsing it off at the car wash with the water gun tip. Once on the passenger door under the mirror and once on the rear windshield pillar. Deep enough that they showed up as white marks on my graphite shadow/gun metallic sedan. Both a little over an inch long.
Very similar to the OP description, when i ran my fingers over them you can feel a slight indention. Since i already had just finished washing the car and after i kicked myself in the buttocks a couple of times, i popped the trunk, busted out the clay bar and commenced to claying over the scratches. Very lightly at first then added a little more pressure as i watched the whiteness begin to go away.
Like i said, it worked for me. That's why i shared what i did to remove the 'visible' white scratch marks on my G. I apologize for completely misunderstanding the abilities of a clay bar on soft Infiniti paint.
If i was the OP, i would absolutely do as you described in your post. Detailing is your business and your reputation speaks for itself...
Ah, what you're describing is material transfer, not surface scratching. The plastic sprayer tip is softer than the paint, and therefore the paint actually scratches the plastic tip... but it appears as a scratch on the car because the plastic leaves a mark on the car, but it is above the surface (on top of the paint). This again makes sense as to why a clay bar would have helped you
I have just finished debadging my G.Had some ghosting and tons of scratches,swirl marks.I used good gone to take 99% of the glue off.Clay bar next.I used poor boys cut n polish..2.5 cutting 1.0 polishing with lake view buffing pads.Orange for 2.5 cutting compound.Black pad for 1.0 and blue finishing pad for sealant and wax by hand.posted some pics for you.
The nervous start of debadge.
Almost done.
Ghosting image of the lettering.Tons of scratches under 2x1000 watt lights.
Products i tried.never done this before and was sweating bullets.cutting and polishing compounds.sealent.wax.
Started cutting polishing bumper first to test the waters.worst case scenario, repaint bumper.lol.hrs of polishing later.bumper looked good.imo.you can see the difference from trunk lid.
Phew....polished up nicely.
No ghosting,swirls or light scratches.some were too deep to polish out.I think it looks 85% better than when i started...Rookie detail.
I have gained a ton of respect for pro detailer.It is very time consuming and tedious work.you cut wipe look repeat over and over.I ended up clawing,cutting and polishing my whole car.Labour hrs was well over 20 hrs.I was glad with the end results but would say if you don't have 20+ spare hrs + money for polishes,pads,ect,ect.
Spend the $500. Plus dollars and have a pro detail your ride.This was stressful,time consuming,and alot of hard work.If I knew before what I know now I would have booked my car for a pro detail.lol.They are worth every penny if there very good IMO.
08-10-2016, 03:38 AM
