So just got my brand new Superb 220 L&K Petrol Blue, 5 days ago and yesterday when I got back to the car after work there was a 2 to 3 inch shallow scratch on the offside passenger door, so now a bit sad  .

It was not there before yesterday so must be some sod in the car park - but probably just brushing past I suspect.

 

Loving the car in the first few days, but any advice on what is the best way to remove the scratch? Its not deep, only 'surface' level. Also can I leave it a while, as I don't really want to mess with the rest of the surface quite yet given it is so new, or should I really look to fix it immediately?  Advice on which products are best to remove it and how? 

Thanks

Depends what you mean by "shallow"  If it's not deep enough to drag when you run your fingernail over it, then it might polish out by hand.  If your nail gets stuck in it, it could be a deep-ish scratch in the clear coat which will take more work to remove.

As above, if you can't feel any depth when running your finger tip/nail over it then it will likely polish out. 

 

I'm going to assume you don't have a machine polisher(?)

 

By hand these pads will make your work much easier:

 

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/accessories/sonus-sfx-pro-applicators-pkg/2/prod_31.html

 

They are dual sided; yellow side to work the compound, black side to buff.

 

The pads work well with: 

 

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/car-polish-compounds/meguiars-ultimate-compound/prod_554.html

 

and 

 

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/car-polish-compounds/sonax-perfect-finish-profiline/prod_1209.html

 

But I personally prefer the Meguaiars ultimate compound. 

 

Thanks guys.  So some answers to your questions (just been out to check - bad piccy attached)

- I can't really feel it at all and no way will nail catch on it...So assuming polish will be enough

- Nope don't have machine polisher. I have polished and scratch removed a couple of times by hand before on old car, but the car was 4 or 5 years old by that time so was not so 'bothered', and generally not confident about doing it.

 

Quite nervous and really not confident on a car so new!  

 

I will take a look at the pads and compound.

 

Thanks

Obviously it's hard to judge the depth by a pic.  How you can do that and not realise?!; is it a shared/public car park or exclusive to you and your colleagues?  Twunts.

 

The megs compound I posted is safe enough, I've used it a few times when scratches and imperfections didn't warrant the polisher.  Just make sure you clean the car first and don't just work dust and dirt into the paint. 

 

Try a small section of the scratch first and reassess as you go.  At worst you will reduce the scratch and make it less obvious but hopefully it's not too deep that it can't be rescued. 

 

Do try and get a pack of the Sonus SFX pads though, they make hand polishing much easier as they have a bit more 'bite' and are easy to hold and the large surface of them also helps. 

 

Good luck. 

 

EDIT:  As a rule of thumb, use petite pois pea size amounts of compound/product unless the instructions say otherwise.  The megs stuff will take a minute or so to 'break down' so work in small overlapping circles  (£2 coin size) until it has a greasy like haze, almost like you've rubbed butter on the car.  Then buff and repeat if necessary. 

Edited 24 April, 20188 yr by penguin17

17 minutes ago, BenSh said:

Thanks guys.  So some answers to your questions (just been out to check - bad piccy attached)

- I can't really feel it at all and no way will nail catch on it...So assuming polish will be enough

- Nope don't have machine polisher. I have polished and scratch removed a couple of times by hand before on old car, but the car was 4 or 5 years old by that time so was not so 'bothered', and generally not confident about doing it.

 

Quite nervous and really not confident on a car so new!  

 

I will take a look at the pads and compound.

 

Thanks

 

As @penguin17 has said - its hard to tell depth in a photo, but on first glance, I've dealt with slightly worse ones by hand (and some simple T-Cut) then some Polish and Wax.  Should come out fine.

 

Again, as has been said, ensure you wash the vehicle first, and take it slowly (the little scratch to the left would be a great tester).  Once it's gone, polish the whole panel (or the entire car) and then apply some wax for a bit of protection.

The small scratch looks as though you can see the paint lifting off...

 

My advise on such a new vehicle, is go to or call out a mobile repair specialist such as "Chips away" And get them to do it professionally. Might cost around £100 but you will forget it was ever there! Many of these repairers even do pointless dent removal, depending on the severity of the dent in question.

46 minutes ago, mrgf said:

The small scratch looks as though you can see the paint lifting off...

 

My advise on such a new vehicle, is go to or call out a mobile repair specialist such as "Chips away" And get them to do it professionally. Might cost around £100 but you will forget it was ever there! Many of these repairers even do pointless dent removal, depending on the severity of the dent in question.

Why?  A pro detailer could probably remove that (or close to) for beer money with a few passes of a machine polisher.  @Svend  would be a good person to ask for advice on this; detailer and petrol blue S3 owner.  

 

For the sake of £15-20 the OP will have not lost anything by trying to have a go at buffing it out himself.    It ultimately may need a smart repair or similar but it worth trying to go down the cheapest route and the worse case is that the OP has some kit to use in future when other scratches appear on the car.  

 

I also can't see what you mean about paint lift but one thing I can see is a metallic paint flake just off centre (to the right) of the smaller scratch, those same fllakes are present on the rest of the pic of the door. 

9 minutes ago, penguin17 said:

 

 

I also can't see what you mean about paint lift but one thing I can see is a metallic paint flake just off centre (to the right) of the smaller scratch, those same fllakes are present on the rest of the pic of the door. 

 

The point of paint flake is that its not just a lacquer scratch, the colour has been (If only slightly) Damaged... Rub it down, and you may not see it but I guarantee you will always look for it.

 

The O.P. obviously wanted advice as he may not know how to deal with rubbing, cutting etc and on a 5 day old car, I wouldn't want to do it myself!  Granted it MAY come out for beer money and a bit of luck but a professional will get professional results and on a car costing around £23,000 A £100 bill IS beer money! Try to repair it yourself and ruin it, will almost certainly mean an even larger bill. 

 

Also, bear in mind, OTHERS with similar issues, will read this as they have an interest in the replies. Their scratches and knocks may be more severe so advice and points of veiw,  such as this are relevant. 

Remind me to avoid the pubs you drink in then. 

I think it would take some serious effort to leave yourself worse off trying to polish it out.  Worse case it looks dull and still visibly scratched afterwards.  You'll need a smart repair to fix that.  The same smart repair needed for the scratch.... 

Hard luck getting that scratch, and is why the wife and I never leave our car in pub car parks.

 

We had an almost identical single 2" scratch on our Yeti rear door caused by a dogs claw. Fortunately our car is black, and easier to conceal, but I mixed a tiny amount of ultra fine body paste with genuine factory paint and used a section of wiper blade to run it over the mark. 3 or 4 polishes a week or so later, and it's invisible. 

 

Your colour is more difficult to conceal, so I too would spend the £100 and get it done professionally. 

Thanks all, very much.  Will get the right kit and have a go very very carefully, taking it step by step and small sizes (Yes will fully wash car first). If there is any doubt at all will stop and call professional !

 

There are no flakes or lift I can see or feel, its just the bad picture and the dust from the dried rain over the last day or two that makes it look slightly wrong in the piccy.

 

FYI: Its in a large works car park(s) with multiple occupiers, but I did park down the end away from most, but there was someone parked next to me after I arrived I noticed, but that car had gone before I left. Also the public use it as cut though so could be anyone, and not sure I can identify car next to me....but too late now - its the fix to concentrate on!

 

Will try and remember to update here when done, probably in a few days once got kit and given it a very careful go. 

However hard we try, our cars pick up little scratches if we drive them often enough. In most cases a rub-over with a compound (I like the Meguiar compound too but there are plenty of others) and a couple of coats of wax will see to them. So I'd recommend the OP to give it a go. Nothing lost if it still needs to be done by a professional, since no doubt the next one won't. 

IMO a lot of OTT replies. If it's not a fingernail catcher, it's likely they are just stress induced scratches. They could even be surface deposits rather than scratches, rubbing gently with your fingernail will  test that. Simply wash the area with wash/wax. Then take a clean duster or microfibre cloth and using a tiny quantity of ordinary car polish (NOT cutting compound or other aggressive stuff), polish it out. 

 

Edited 24 April, 20188 yr by xman

Yes maybe given the size  I will be trying simple stuff first as they might just go... Did try a quick bit of water to clean the area and microfibre cloth to buff it a bit already but that was not enough for them to go, so not just simple surface ones/dirt I don't think, but still hoping not much more than that. Will do full wash/wax then small polish and try that. If not will go to the compounds - carefully! 

 I wouldn’t worry to much because as soon as you fix it it will get scratched some where else, lot of hard work for nothing after a couple years it will be covered in small scratches, it’s a new car thing, have it a couple of months and you won’t be  bothered 

Edited 24 April, 20188 yr by Blowhard

Wash/clean the scratch then run water over it… if it disappears when wet then it’s just the top coat and a DIY candidate. Remember to use a decent sealant once buffed out

I've tackled such scratches by myself using Farécla G3 Professional Scratch Remover. Any such compound will do the job and the only one who will notice the repair will be you. If you want invisible, then pay a pro. Maybe it's because I live in London, but the cheapest quote I could get was closer to £200. Beer is just more expensive down here! 

So spent a few hours before the rain, cleaned the car, waxed etc. The scratches were much better but still visible, so used a small amount of the ultimate compound and using the pads had a go! And yes much improved. Still visible with really bright torch (and will be in bright sun I guess) but much better - probably being too careful. Waxed and sealed after and looks good. I will give it a few weeks and at next full clean have a further - careful - go to improve more.

 

Thanks for all the advice.

Oddly enough I had to fix one myself today. Spotted by SWMBO (she has seriously fallen in love with this car) so ignoring it wasn't an option. I used the Meguiar scratchx 2.0 as it was only 1 cm and completely superficial, but very noticeable. Great product - removed it completely. Two coats of Megs Ultimate over the top and you would never know it was there in the first place. Brownie points duly earned. 

This one most definitely wasn't going to buff out. It happened when I was viciously attacked by a mobile crowd control barrier - I blame the Royal Wedding!

 

When I'd finished swearing I gave it a clean to assess the full scale of the damage. It was through the clear-coat and the paint, with a nasty scuff to the leading edge. 

 

So I did what I always do in such circumstances - I swore quite a lot more. Then I got on the phone to my trusted local paint shop. This is the outcome.

I'm a hundred notes lighter, but having the Superb back in full fettle is well worth it. Do you think I could send the bill on to Buck House?

No it's your fault. You shouldn't have such a big backside ! 

2 hours ago, BriskodaJeff said:

I'm a hundred notes lighter, but having the Superb back in full fettle is well worth it. Do you think I could send the bill on to Buck House?

 

Good price! Um, unless the notes are fivers...