My wife used a shovel to remove snow from her car, it now has fine/light scratches on the paint.
Whats the best/safest way to remove those scratches?
WHat products do i need to get the job done?
THanks
JoJO
:ham: the Wife.
Clay bar…?
Aye. Her and nelstoys’ grandma should start a snow removal business.
The detailers will step in with the best advice but I’m guessing something to the effect of cleaning, polish with elbow grease or a proter cable, and wax. That’s what they told me when I got assaulted by a shopping cart a few months ago.
Clay bar will be the easiest way…
Ideally you could buff out the whole car, more effort for a couple of fine scratches.
Clay isn’t going to do it. You need a polishing compound and a orbital buffer.
A clay bar is basically a lump of clay that you press onto the paint and when you lift it off it takes all of the tiny little bits and pieces of dirt and debris with it. It’s a way of cleaning the paint for those of us with OCD. 
Eh, wait for stealtth or psphinx or someone to confirm. I’m pretty sure you want polish, not polishing compound…
Depends on the scratch. I’d start with a light polish and work my way up if need be. Chances are that a shovel left more that a light scratch, if you can feel it with a fingernail, it probably wont come out.
YES wait for the specialists. I don’t know the exact name, or have any good suggestions as to what products to use. But clay isn’t going to fill scratches…
Bottom line is you have to remove some of the clear coat, and if the scratches go deeper than the clear, you have to basically re-paint and finish…
This link has some nice little cross sections, just browsing the products: http://www.autopia-carcare.com/son-sfxscr-kit.html
THanks
WHere is the best place to go to buy all these products?
well its not deep. I can’t feel it with fingernail at all. IM thinking maybe just the clear was scratched. :gotme:
What kind of car?
With a polisher and a decent polish you should be able to get most of them out. They wont be as noticeable.
BTW, if this is honda paint its a lot easier to correct then VW/audi paint
Hit it harder with the shovel? Make those little scratches disappear by making them into deep scratches. Problem Solved! Sorry I’m useless.
From the way your describing the scratches, you should be able to get them out with a buffer and 3M machine glaze and swirl remover with a black polishing pad. If they don’t come out with that then use a fine grit compound first, wash the entire car, then do it with the Machine glaze. (All with the black pad so it won’t swirl)
You can get this stuff at any of the parts stores. Advance I know off hand has it all.
You might want to just buy a 6 pack for someone with a orbital buffer. I tried to polish out my scratch by hand and it just didn’t work real well. It was light too. Didn’t go through the clear, couldn’t fingernail it.
EDIT: Advance has cleaners & clay bars, polish. I don’t know if they have the more specific stuff that Jesse’s talking about.
^^^^ Clay bar will remove contaminants from paint not scratches…Jesse it right
Perfect.
I’ll give that a shot. IM heading out now to buy all this stuff.
Thanks guys