Buffing Scratches
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Senior User
Joined: Apr 2003
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From: Chalmette, LA
Buffing Scratches
I recently went camping two weekends ago until today I have not had time to clean my truck. I got some sap on my hood and to portion of my front quarter panels. Now I did know how to get this crap off so I took it to the local car wash. I pressured washed off the sap which I know is a cardinal sin most places but it was brief and it got the job done. I figured while I was there I would wash the truck well when I got home I noticed my whole damn truck was scratched from the brush at the car wash from front to back! I am horrified because I know it was stupid but now I am between a rock and a hard place. Now a friend of mine whose father owns a body shop told me to first go over with it with 10,000 grain sandpaper then buff it with a really good compund. Now I wax my truck regularly but I have never taken on a task like this. Now should I:
a.) Take up the advice and instructions and do it myself?
b.) have it done professionally and how much do you think it should cost?
Maybe one of you have been in a simliar predicament and can shed some helpful advice about what to do. I appreciate any feedback and have a nice day.
a.) Take up the advice and instructions and do it myself?
b.) have it done professionally and how much do you think it should cost?
Maybe one of you have been in a simliar predicament and can shed some helpful advice about what to do. I appreciate any feedback and have a nice day.
Elder User
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 999
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From: Willamette Valley Oregon
<cr>
In my part of the country, a complete colorsanding and buffing runs about $350. Having some scratches knocked off shouldn't run that much.
Colorsanding and buffing is an art on to itself. If you have the buffer & pad, your costs wouldn't be very much (a couple pieces of 2000 grit paper & some buffing compound). You have to be careful about 'cut-thrus'. This is where you sand and/or buff too deep and get into lower levels of paint, primer, and/or metal. Edges and what have you are the real problem areas.
In my part of the country, a complete colorsanding and buffing runs about $350. Having some scratches knocked off shouldn't run that much.
Colorsanding and buffing is an art on to itself. If you have the buffer & pad, your costs wouldn't be very much (a couple pieces of 2000 grit paper & some buffing compound). You have to be careful about 'cut-thrus'. This is where you sand and/or buff too deep and get into lower levels of paint, primer, and/or metal. Edges and what have you are the real problem areas.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jul 2002
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From: Broussard USA
Colorsanding and buffing is an art on to itself.
If you want to do this practice until you are perfect then practice some more!
http://www.goodspeedmotoring.com/?page=color_sanding
Go here for some tips but again no amount or reading is going to get your skill right. Find old parts, I bought some bad hood from junkyards and practiced on them. You can make even a stock paint job look awesome or you can screw it up and end up needing to re-clear or repaint you truck.
Last if the mark is through the clear or if you can feel it you need to fill it in. Many thoughts on this but for a good match (no perfect though) you can but the color rite clear in the fingernail brush pen thing. Sand the spot add clear let dry then sand flat, you might need to do it a few times. When it if flat and feathered with the surrounding area then buff it out.
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Senior User
Joined: Apr 2003
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From: Chalmette, LA
It's a 2000 F-150 so I decided to take to my friend's father who owns a body shop. He quoted me $75 to do the whole truck because it is scratched all over but the really bad spots are on my hood and front quarter panels. He did say that sometimes you can leave swirl marks because black is a difficult color to work with when it comes to buffing. Now he said it is a minimal chance but anything will look better then the scratches I have now. Plus a swirl mark will look more natural than the straight vertical & hortizontal scratches I have now. It looks like I ran my truck through a field of sticker bushes. He is a professional as to where I would be chancing it big time. Now the stratches do not catch my fingernail and can be buffed out. I still cannot believe I was stupid enough to use that brush but at this point I think $75 is fair which is a safer bet then me doing it. Furthermore I would rather fork out $75 to have it buffed than me just covering it up with wax. If you were in my shoes what would you do?
Posting Guru
Joined: Jul 2002
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From: Broussard USA
Ask him what he would charge you to re-clear the whole truck. I had one done and they charged me like 200 bucks, I scuffed everything to make it smooth then they shot it for me. It was also scratched up and the clear was thin in spots so I was not going to get it to right with just buffing.
