Ouch, A Scratch!

[lemonfootball]

I just got my car for less than a month 2007 IS250/NAV/AWD/smoky granite.

I parked in the supermarket and there it was...a shopping cart next to my car when I came out. I slowly moved it away and looked at my car and noticed a series of scratches, smoke was coming out of my head, some selfish people pushed it really hard from their car to mine..anyway, I went and wash my car right away and bought some Maguiar's SCRATCH X, raved by the some autoblog to remove scratches...it had made it less noticeable, but still it's there, can anyone recommend a better product???

It's fairly light scratches, but it's visible to my eye but not really be able to tell by finger...3

THANKS any advice would be great!

[SW03ES]

Scratch X is really the only thing I would reccomend you try by hand. The next step will be either getting comfortable with a machine polisher or hiring a detailer.

If you run your fingernail across the scratch, does it catch?

[bartkat]

I'd just pick a spot and start waxing and buffing, waxing and buffing and see if sooner or later it would kinda just become really hard to see.

[Rx330driver]

that sucks i was parked next to this car, and as i was getting in ready to leave, some couple leaves their cart, and it falls over the hood of the car next to mine. if it was my car, i woulda been hella *BLEEP*ed. THEY DIDNT EVEN MOVE IT!! selfish people...

park far away as possible and at a corner spot

[jasonviper04]

Eagle 1 Nano wax is good for fine scratches.

[lemonfootball]

Thanks guys, the scratch X is ok and made it very non noticeble, but it's still there, it still there....

[SW03ES]

Eagle 1 Nano wax is good for fine scratches.

Nanowax will just temporarily hide the scratch, not remove it.

[LexXxus_007]

Eagle 1 Nano wax is good for fine scratches.

Nanowax will just temporarily hide the scratch, not remove it.

Hi Guys,

I'm a Marketing Director for a bodyshop in Canada and I myself just purchased a 2007 IS250 AWD.

If the scratch has gone through the clear coat, then no matter what product you try using, you'll always see that scratch. The only way to get rid of it is to paint. Your car is black, so in order to do a Spot Paint Only is possible, and its the most economical way to repair such scratches. Spot Paint Only repairs do not require blending or painting of any adjacent panels, so beware of shops that try to charge you extra for this. They should be able to repaint just that spot and match it perfectly. An average Spot Paint Only repair will cost you from $80 to $150, depending on the shops hourly rate.

If the scratch is not under the clear coat, bring it to a professional detailer to buff it out. Do not, and I repeat, do not try to buff anything out yourself if you've never used a buffer before. I've had many customers come to our facility with damage that was caused by self buffing. You can easily go through the paint if you've never tried buffing before...which in the end will cost you even more to repair.

Some shops will charge you $50 to buff that area....some may even do it for free just to get you as a customer...I know I would.

I hope this helps.

-Ron

[SW03ES]

If the scratch has gone through the clear coat, then no matter what product you try using, you'll always see that scratch. The only way to get rid of it is to paint.

Thats why I asked him if his fingernail caught in the scratch, thats the best way to tell if its through the clear.

Your car is black, so in order to do a Spot Paint Only is possible, and its the most economical way to repair such scratches. Spot Paint Only repairs do not require blending or painting of any adjacent panels, so beware of shops that try to charge you extra for this. They should be able to repaint just that spot and match it perfectly. An average Spot Paint Only repair will cost you from $80 to $150, depending on the shops hourly rate.

I don't agree, I don't see how a spot paint with no blending would work on a clearcoated black.

Do not, and I repeat, do not try to buff anything out yourself if you've never used a buffer before. I've had many customers come to our facility with damage that was caused by self buffing. You can easily go through the paint if you've never tried buffing before...which in the end will cost you even more to repair.

This is true if we're talking about a rotary polisher, but this is not true if we're talking about an orbital or dual action polisher. It would be extremely hard to damage the paint using an orbital or dual action polisher.

[LexXxus_007]

If the scratch has gone through the clear coat, then no matter what product you try using, you'll always see that scratch. The only way to get rid of it is to paint.

Thats why I asked him if his fingernail caught in the scratch, thats the best way to tell if its through the clear.

Your car is black, so in order to do a Spot Paint Only is possible, and its the most economical way to repair such scratches. Spot Paint Only repairs do not require blending or painting of any adjacent panels, so beware of shops that try to charge you extra for this. They should be able to repaint just that spot and match it perfectly. An average Spot Paint Only repair will cost you from $80 to $150, depending on the shops hourly rate.

I don't agree, I don't see how a spot paint with no blending would work on a clearcoated black.

Do not, and I repeat, do not try to buff anything out yourself if you've never used a buffer before. I've had many customers come to our facility with damage that was caused by self buffing. You can easily go through the paint if you've never tried buffing before...which in the end will cost you even more to repair.

This is true if we're talking about a rotary polisher, but this is not true if we're talking about an orbital or dual action polisher. It would be extremely hard to damage the paint using an orbital or dual action polisher.

Black is the easiest color to do a spot paint because black is black, it doesnt have many variances like a red or silver. Contact any reputable bodyshop and they'll be able to determine if a spot paint is possible...its hard to tell without seeing an image of the area where the scratch is and the extent of damages.

[SW03ES]

Black is the easiest color to do a spot paint because black is black, it doesnt have many variances like a red or silver. Contact any reputable bodyshop and they'll be able to determine if a spot paint is possible...its hard to tell without seeing an image of the area where the scratch is and the extent of damages.

But you still have an issue with the clear, if you're spraying color and clear onto a section and not blending it through, how can you possibly have a result that would look halfway decent?

No, a spot paint is a stopgap cheapo way to do a body repair. You'd be better off letting a professional touchup the scratch with an airbrush and then polish out the panel.

[larry chester]

All the comments about waxing and waxing to remove the scratch are just plain wrong, unless you are using a wax with a polishing compound in it, and I wouldn't do that. The only way to remove a scratch is to fill it, or to buff (or polish) it out. There are a number of polishes on the market that will allow you to remove the swirls caused by buffers, but a scratch is probably too deep to buff out.

You can use 3M Hand Glaze mixed 50/50 with Blue Magic Metal Polish. That is about as tough a compound as you will want to use. Or, you can use one of the Meguaire products. Use a wet cloth to add some lubrication, and go forward and back (front to the back of the car) as the air flows across it. That is how I have removed swirls and small scratches from my classic Porsche, and honestly, your Lexus has a tougher finish, because it is clearcoated.

But if the scratch is through the clearcoat, you're basically screwed.

larry

[bartkat]

I'm not even sure if the 2nd Gen IS black has a clear coat. Many previous blacks did not.

[lemonfootball]

Hey guys, thanks for all your inputs, my car is NOT black, it is the smoky granite GRAY/SILVER. I am not going to any body shop for the moment, but so far that's what everyone suggested since SCRATCH X is not removing the whole thing. But I am going to wait until the car is less NEW, it's ridiculous since I just bought it, I dont' think I will go to the bodyshop everytime I get a scratch, I will wait and then probably buff the whole car when it's less new. THANKS people.

[SW03ES]

You can use 3M Hand Glaze mixed 50/50 with Blue Magic Metal Polish. That is about as tough a compound as you will want to use.

You are correct in what you're saying, I just got tired of arguing with people about what wax will do years ago lol

I don't however thinki creating a mixture using metal polish is a good idea, at least not on a clearcoated car. There are plenty of safe abrasive products you can buy, no need to make something that will be REALLY abrasive and could potentially harm the clear.

Bart, All Lexus black is clearcoated after 2002.