Detailing

[andyman32]

Hiya guys,

My E34 is Calypsorot Red, and came complete with 95k miles of DD usage - read: too many unsightly scratches around the door jambs and on the deck lid that are driving me BATTY.

These are more substantive scratches than waxing will hide. What do you suggest? Is there any magic product I can use to fill them in and make them "disappear"? I got a paint "pen" that matches the color but that doesn't bring back the even clearcoat polish over the scratch. Should I just take it to a professional shop and have it detailed?

Thanks -

Andy

[George M]

No silver bullet...some wonderful detailing products out there. You have to polish the clear coat which is not unlike a crystal on your watch that is scratched. You could take it to a professional detailer or develop this talent yourself...something I decided to do. If you have time, I believe a lifelong adjunct to the car hobby is learning how to detail your car yourself. You can make your driver look close to show quality with some effort. You need a good random orbital...Porter Cable is acknowledged to be about the best for even professional detailers...they are easy to use and won't burn your paint like a rotary will in a heart beat. The array of fine polishes, glazes and waxes out there is pretty overwhelming. On my BMW I use P21 GEPC and P21 Concours Carnuba and the shine is simply outstanding. First you need to prep the paint with one of a number of good polishes out there...Meguairs No.2 polish has been a long time favorite...3M Swirl Mark Remover is a couple of notches below a fine cut rubbing compound and therefore not too invasive to eat up a lot of your clear coat to restore surface integrity. Choice of polish and stiffness of pad and orbital speed etc is in accordance with the condition of your clear coat. There are some excellent tutorials out on the web if you want to develop your talent...again, I believe it is perfectly within the scope of a car hobbyist to make their car look close to original...perhaps even better in shine than original...with some effort.
George