Last month I made the mistake of actually using my SUV "off-road" in Dolly Sods wilderness area. We ended up going through an area where the right side of the car was scratched by bushes. None of the "scratches" can be felt with my fingernail and everyone tells me I should be able to buff them out. Anyone ever done this and what is the best way to go about it? Should I buy one of those orbital buffers and just use regular wax? Or just terrycloth and elbow grease?
That ChrisFix video scares me. If sandpaper is needed it is going to the pro's for that. I think I am going to try some terry cloth and elbow grease on a couple of areas if it ever stops raining here long enough for me to do that and hopefully the majority of it is just sap and debris that will come off with some work. If that doesn't work then I will try the Maguires on a small area and depending on the results.I have.
Depending on how large the area is, I would recommend spending the money on an orbital buffer and a few pads. (I'm glad I did.) But I am also a lazy SoaB.
Whether you use power tools or elbow grease, if they're very shallow scratches (just in the clear coat) then you just need some time and polishing compound.
A pretty good explanation with links to the products he used is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPjlkEmbn44
(You wouldn't need to do the whole car, just the affected areas.)
You may need to do the process more than once, depending on how deep the scratches are. When I did it, I did it twice and it got maybe 90% better. A third round might have cleaned it up completely but good enough is good enough.
If it's just sap, try a squirt of goo-gone.That ChrisFix video scares me. If sandpaper is needed it is going to the pro's for that. I think I am going to try some terry cloth and elbow grease on a couple of areas if it ever stops raining here long enough for me to do that and hopefully the majority of it is just sap and debris that will come off with some work. If that doesn't work then I will try the Maguires on a small area and depending on the results.
If you had fun then keep taking it off road. It adds character.
I've always had poor results when it comes time to break out the sand paper. The end result is usually a dull scratched up mess worse than when I started. Studied the youtubes, followed the directions, used the best compounds with orbital sander and still a turd.
Now I can fill and sand body panels to perfection and even half way decent at shooting paint but just can't seem to get the hang of the finish work.
I would suggest practicing on an old body panel or somewhere inconspicuous like lower rocker first.
We did have fun but the road was really only passable with a jeep outfitted with proper tires for off-roading. Most of the roads in Dolly Sods are gravel fire roads but this one section was marked not maintained, 4 wheel drive only and we found out exactly what that meant lol.If you had fun then keep taking it off road. It adds character.
I've always had poor results when it comes time to break out the sand paper. The end result is usually a dull scratched up mess worse than when I started. Studied the youtubes, followed the directions, used the best compounds with orbital sander and still a turd.
Now I can fill and sand body panels to perfection and even half way decent at shooting paint but just can't seem to get the hang of the finish work.
I would suggest practicing on an old body panel or somewhere inconspicuous like lower rocker first.