Dealing with paint scratches

[tclelland]

OK experts, I need some advise on cleaning up the paint on my '97 TA. It was the previous owners daily driver for five years and was parked outside. Now my baby is always garaged and hybernates in the winter under her warm blankie. The problem I have is the paint shows the scars of being a daily driver. Don't get me wrong, it is still glossy but has those minor scratches that are all so visible on black paint. I suppose they are "in the clear coat" but I want them gone. I want to move up to Zaino, but am unsure if I should get the car professionally detailed ($$$)? or if I can do it with the labor of love and some elbow grease. Previous experiences / advise please.

[Mike71]

if they are in the clear coat and u they do NOT catch your finger nail u can probably just wet sand them out

if they DO catch ur finger nail u will run the risk of sanding all the clear off when u try to sand out the scratch. if it does catch ur finger nail then u need to take it to a really really paint shop and have them do some touch ups..i say really really good because if its a good shop they can fix it to the point that u couldnt even find the scratch if u wanted to

hope that helps

[Joe 1320]

Unless you are experienced, do not wet sand or machine buff. It's all too easy to ruin the paint.

Zaino is your best bet. Z5 will help fill the swirl scratches and hide them. Use miltiple coats and the result is magic. If the scratches are deep enough to leave a ridge or catch a fingerhail that goes across it, Zaino will not do much but it will still help.

[SS_CarGuy]

If you want to save yourself a lot of grief and aggravation, I would first polish out all those scratches before using Zaino. I definitely wouldn't count on Z5 to eliminate your scratches unless they are extremely superficial. I had some of these same issues on my black SS...........that's why I suggest you consider a good polishing process first before starting to use Zaino. There are a lot of products on the market than you can use. If you want some how-to knowledge, here is another site to look at: http://properautocare.com/noname5.html

[DWS'95Bird]

Zaino Z5 is good to hide swirl marks, but with scratches, I agree with the others.......don't start the Zaino process until you address the scratches to your satisfaction, especially since it is a black car

[LoudLT1]

tclelland,
i'm in the same bout as you. i went to a couple of body shops this week to see how much they would charge for professional detailing. compound etc...i have very light scrathes on my clear coat all over my paint. i was quoted $150 twice and $350 once i'm going to take it to one of the shops that quoted $150 the guy siad my paint should look awesome after they work on it.
eddie

[Joe 1320]

If you are determined to do it yourself, the only product that I found that works well and is safe for a novice, try and find 10,000 grit aluminum oxide sanding gel. Nicsand used to make the stuff and comes with a foam pad to be used with a common drill at 1500 rpms. It literally micro sands and polishes out imperfections and unless you do something really stupid, it is hard to hurt the paint. I love the stuff. It's agressive enough to level out the imperfections but you won't burn through the paint.

[lt14mla]

I had 2 decent key scratch the length of my passanger door because people are jerks. I picked up some Blue Coral Scratch Repair. Worked wonders. Just used a applicator pad and a towel to buff it off. Couldn't show you where the mark was today.