Wet Sand the Buff.. what do I need/what to do?

[Bemanix88]

OK, so I have a couple pretty deep scratches on the right side of my Solara, color is red flame metallic (3N5). I went to the body shop and they quoted about 1.5-2 hours of labor which equates to maybe $150-200 to get them out. However, the guy said I could try to do it myself if I was up to it. Since I'm home from college for another 2 weeks I figured I'd make it my project.

I need a nice guide on how to wet sand and buff, as well as a list of materials I'd need for the job. The scratches are deep but they do not cover a large area, and were created because *someone* was an idiot and scrubbed too hard at bird crap with a rough towel. I'd appreciate any suggestions you guys might have, thanks!

[woa_its_j3ff]

same problem with my car. any info on this would be great.

[Solarafreek]

Dont do it if you dont know what your doing. You can really fuk your paint up. I would leave it to the professionals.

[un0john0fodg]

any feedback on this would be really helpful...I also have paint minorly scratched from a hit and run

[sparc]

"Proper" way to wetsand and buff.

As other people have said, DO NOT try this if you're afraid of making a little mess. It takes a lot of practice and a good touch to do it well.

First, wash the car and go over it with a clay bar. Clay should be readily available at any autoparts store. The clay will remove any major debris from the paint; if you skip this step you will likely add more scratches. Rinse well after the clay bar.

Now the wetsand. DON'T try and do it to corners, edges etc. It takes a TREMENDOUS touch to do this right. Get some extremely fine sandpaper, I usually go for 2000 grit because I don't trust my hands with anything rougher. Get an old-fashioned sanding block to keep things flat. Get some water, either a nice bucketfull or continously running (i.e. hose). GENTLY sand, either wetting every few strokes or just letting the water run continously. DON'T overdo any section or you'll rip a good deal of the clearcoat off.

Get some mid-strength rubbing compound. Not the heavy duty crap - that was what the sandpaper was for. I usually start with the liquid 3m stuff and go over the spot two or three times. It's fairly fine, so it takes a good deal of effort. Use as you would use a rubbing compound any other time. Use a CLEAN towel, low speed buffer is fine. Again, CLEAN SOFT towel (terry is ideal).

Follow this up with extra fine rubbing compound, something like a swirl mark remover. Again, readily available at any auto parts store. This part I personally like to do by hand but a low-speed buffer is okay too. Again, do it GENTLY and with a CLEAN SOFT towel.

Next, theee glaaaazeeeee. Since this whole process essentially took a small layer off the clearcoat, you need to shine it back up. Most people prefer Meguiars Show Car Glaze - I ran out of this stuff and used the Deep Crystal Polish. Any sort of powerful glaze is good. DO THIS STEP BY HAND. A buffer will result in buildup and will likely be difficult to remove.

Then wax. If you need a tutorial on how to wax .............. buy a Kia.

If you have a junk car around to practice on, DO IT. I used my old accord to practice detailing crap back in the day and I got fairly good at doing my moms Denali. The darker the paint, the more your mistakes will show up.

Some additional tricks; If you have any touch up paint, put it into rock chips and deep scratches BEFORE performing the wetsand. Let it dry for at least a 24 hours, 48 is better. Then do above process. The finish won't be perfect, but it looks a lot better than bare metal.

Hope this all helps - Again, PRACTICE FIRST, I'm not taking any responsibility if you screw up

[QuickSEV6]

"Proper" way to wetsand and buff.

As other people have said, DO NOT try this if you're afraid of making a little mess. It takes a lot of practice and a good touch to do it well.

First, wash the car and go over it with a clay bar. Clay should be readily available at any autoparts store. The clay will remove any major debris from the paint; if you skip this step you will likely add more scratches. Rinse well after the clay bar.

Now the wetsand. DON'T try and do it to corners, edges etc. It takes a TREMENDOUS touch to do this right. Get some extremely fine sandpaper, I usually go for 2000 grit because I don't trust my hands with anything rougher. Get an old-fashioned sanding block to keep things flat. Get some water, either a nice bucketfull or continously running (i.e. hose). GENTLY sand, either wetting every few strokes or just letting the water run continously. DON'T overdo any section or you'll rip a good deal of the clearcoat off.

Get some mid-strength rubbing compound. Not the heavy duty crap - that was what the sandpaper was for. I usually start with the liquid 3m stuff and go over the spot two or three times. It's fairly fine, so it takes a good deal of effort. Use as you would use a rubbing compound any other time. Use a CLEAN towel, low speed buffer is fine. Again, CLEAN SOFT towel (terry is ideal).

Follow this up with extra fine rubbing compound, something like a swirl mark remover. Again, readily available at any auto parts store. This part I personally like to do by hand but a low-speed buffer is okay too. Again, do it GENTLY and with a CLEAN SOFT towel.

Next, theee glaaaazeeeee. Since this whole process essentially took a small layer off the clearcoat, you need to shine it back up. Most people prefer Meguiars Show Car Glaze - I ran out of this stuff and used the Deep Crystal Polish. Any sort of powerful glaze is good. DO THIS STEP BY HAND. A buffer will result in buildup and will likely be difficult to remove.

Then wax. If you need a tutorial on how to wax .............. buy a Kia.

If you have a junk car around to practice on, DO IT. I used my old accord to practice detailing crap back in the day and I got fairly good at doing my moms Denali. The darker the paint, the more your mistakes will show up.

Some additional tricks; If you have any touch up paint, put it into rock chips and deep scratches BEFORE performing the wetsand. Let it dry for at least a 24 hours, 48 is better. Then do above process. The finish won't be perfect, but it looks a lot better than bare metal.

Hope this all helps - Again, PRACTICE FIRST, I'm not taking any responsibility if you screw up

Thats a great tutorial, but the heart of the matter is still the indiviuals talent. You can tell me how to paint, but it doesn't mean I can make a Mona Lisa.
I think I would prefer taking it to a professional. I don't think I posses this talent.

[un0john0fodg]

WOW! thx sparc.. its greatly appreciated

[Bemanix88]

Wow, thanks for the detailed response. I ended up going to this small local body shop and the guy was really nice, said I could just pay him $30 cash and he'd have it out in 30 minutes. When I came back the car looked perfect, like nothing had happened to it. Damn dealer body shop tried to rip me off and said it would cost like $150 to do the job.

So now my problem's solved, thank god I didn't go with the dealer.