I have a small scratch on one of my wing mirrors. It’s annoying more than anything else. I’ve never used t-cut so I’m unsure whether to try a dab or buy a touch up pen, just to hide it.

Any opinions welcome

It depends how deep the scratch is but best to start with a body paint and see if you can cover the scratch so it doesn't show, Straight (original style) T-Cut is a bit harsh to start with and more generally a restorer / renovator. You always try the least abrasive first and only use more abrasive as required.

Clean and dry around the scratch, put a fingertip of liquid polish on to a clean microfibre cloth and with one-finger rub the polish into the scratch area back and forth in line with the scratch using a medium pressure, stopping as the polish begins to thin and dry. Allow the polish to haze, this shouldn't take very long, buff out with a second clean microfibre cloth and inspect the result, repeats as many times as required. If after a number of times you don't seem to be getting anywhere then try with the T-Cut but with more caution as it's harsher, if you get the scratch out with T-Cut you will still need a gentle polish.

If the scratch is too deep and wide then touch-up paint is required and you may need to apply the paint with a wooden toothpick for narrow scratch and blunt the end for wider scratch as the brushes you get in the cans are normally too wide unless you are good at pinstriping or painting generally.

HTH.

Bad advice, all our vehicles for the last 2.5 decades have had a base and clear paint finish, if you want to touch in a light scratch then it should be with clear lacquer followed by polishing.

If the scratch appears white against a dark paint colour its a sure fire sign its a lacquer coat scratch.

The clear coat is very hard and very deep, it takes a hell of a lot of flatting and polishing to go through it, filling scratches with lacquer and then flatting & polishing down flush with the surrounding lacquer is desirable to maintain the thickness.

Filling a clear coat scratch with body coloured touch up paint stands out a mile!

Here's my troll, again, taking a position without enough info on the particular issue and twisting what I've put, the clear coat comes with the touch up, if you need to add paint then the clear goes on top and the two come as a pack. Yes filling a scratch with just paint will stand out. But this all depends on whether the scratch can be polished out or not which really needs looking at in the metal, a photo might help a bit or it might not.

I've polished out minor small scratches on wings, doors, bumpers, door mirrors, etc. on our cars, friends and neighbours' cars over the last 25(+) years with success. If the scratch is too deep or it's part of a dink there might be a fail or only partial success.

It doesn't take much effort and time to find out if you can polish out the scratch and if you can't not much lost and unless you've been careless it'll not make things worse.

Sometimes scratches are not actually scratches in your paint (paint used as a general term here) but a transfer of whatever has touched at that paint so is actually only on the surface or not too deep into the surface so easily polished off.

Dealing with minor small scratches is not a workshop, specialist, involved job otherwise it'd be well beyond me but if you want, or you think the scratch you have needs it or you want more involved info you could look at and ask in the Styling and Car Care forum. - https://www.briskoda.net/forums/forum/8-styling-and-car-care/

Edited 4 March4 Mar by nta16
typos

I think it's all been said. If the clearcoat and the paint are gone then it's about building the layers back up.

If it's black or dark grey in the pit of the scratch then you are through to the plastic.

So first a good clean and a wipe with alcohol. Then (cocktail stick is good used as a pen) some of the colour in the bottom of the scratch. Let that dry then apply some clearcoat. Build it up in layers slowly and don't do it on a damp day. If you let the last layer go slightly above the surroundings then you can polish it back once it's dry. (and I mean really dry.)

If, as has been said, the scratch is white then it might polish out.

TBH nowadays I get a mobile company like Chips Away in.

Thank you all. I’ll take a photo tomorrow. The car is graphite grey and it’s now showing as white. I think it was from another car wing mirror.

There’s a less dense longer scratch that I think will polish out. It’s just so this is covered/protected really and doesn’t stand out, that I’m aiming for

8 minutes ago, ffiscool said:

The car is graphite grey and it’s now showing as white.

Then whatever you do do not touch it up with "body paint" use lacquer (clear coat).

Keep adding layers until it is standing proud after drying then leave it for several days (unless you mix up a 2 pack clear coat) before flatting, compounding and polishing.

Thank you. Is there a particular make you’d recommend?

I can go to a Halfords or Skoda

If the scratch is white (and presuming it’s definitely a scratch and not transfer), then the colour has come off and the paint is down to the primer. On that basis, putting clearcoat on is not going to sort it, it’ll just be coating the scratch and locking in the appearance. You need colour paint back on to have any chance of reducing the look of the scratch.

The toothpick is a classic tool for applying tiny dabs at a time as a touch-up stick.

Clearcoat doesn’t have to be applied. It’s there for UV inhibition to stop damage on the colour but some paints will have UV inhibitors in so it won’t need it. But if you do, then you’re starting to go down spraying/sanding it on.

Worst case, you’re not happy with it and get someone to do some scratch repair.

If I was going to use anyone, I definitely wouldn’t use ChipsAway. Plenty of Detailers can do scratch repair.

Thank you.

I had similar on my last car, yet again a non careful person, but as I was selling that car, I just bought a new casing from the dealer

I’ll def try myself and if not maybe I’ll ask about the cost of detailed and new casing

1 hour ago, travs said:

If the scratch is white (and presuming it’s definitely a scratch and not transfer), then the colour has come off and the paint is down to the primer.

Incorrect, the finish is base & clear, a scratch in the clear coat that does not go as deep as the base coat will appear white, the OP's car base colour is graphite grey (the scratch colour is white), this would not be applied over a white primer.

I can’t agree with that.

Scratches in clear don’t show as a colour; they just diffuse the light more than marring but the underlying colour coat still shows through. It doesn’t diffuse the light to the point of creating another colour. If there’s a definite colour that’s a loss of base coat and it’s the primer (in this case, plastic primer on the mirror caps) showing. Never heard of not putting graphite grey on white plastic primer either.

I have flatted out far too many clear coat scratches over the last few decades, they all showed distinctively white over dark colours like a girlfriends black MX5 and my blue Yeti, the ones on my previous silver Octavias were not so distinct against the light base coat but white nonetheless.

An easy trick is to flood the scratch with water or smear silicone from a rag into the scratch with a pointed implement the white scratch will momentarily or temporarily disappear.

The MK1 eyeball is the best arbiter of the depth of the scratch and whether its gone through the very thick clear coat and through the base coat underneath to the primer or bare metal.

My input to this thread was to ensure that the OP did not follow bad advice to touch in a clear coat scratch (and its up to him to decide if it is) with "a body paint"

14 hours ago, travs said:

Scratches in clear don’t show as a colour; they just diffuse the light more than marring but the underlying colour coat still shows through.

When you flat clear coat it becomes white in colour, granted it does not obliterate the base colour underneath, rather it looks like the first coat of white emulsion over a previously painted wall.

If I could get my phone to connect to the computer to upload photos I could show you the white gashes on my front bumper that are clear coat scratches and the couple of deeper ones that go through to the base colour and the primer underneath.

While I don't like to take sides J.R. has the cure more correct IMHO.

The problem is we are typing on keyboards not looking at the scratch i.r.l.

White showing up could be:

The primer showing

Paint transfer

Damage only to the clearcoat.

Frankly impossible to say from reading what is written.

OH yes, our Chips Away bloke is good but it is true the standard does vary a lot. As it does with "detailers". To many car cleaners claim to be "detailers" now!

Thanks all, I appreciate all your comments.

A friend of mine is going to take a look in the next few days. Once I cleaned the area, it’s smaller than I thought, just shows a lot due to the colour of my car.

I spoke to Skoda and I’ve ruled out a new case for the wing mirror based on cost and size of the scratch. The scuffs I reckon will polish out.

I’ll upload a photo. My partner has the car today.

12 minutes ago, Aldfort said:

While I don't like to take sides J.R. has the cure more correct IMHO.

The problem is we are typing on keyboards not looking at the scratch i.r.l.

White showing up could be:

The primer showing

Paint transfer

Damage only to the clearcoat.

Frankly impossible to say from reading what is written.

OH yes, our Chips Away bloke is good but it is true the standard does vary a lot. As it does with "detailers". To many car cleaners claim to be "detailers" now!

You’re right the picture is needed to ascertain. Although my primer is white and my car is black.

As for detailers - that’s why I only recommend to people to search for someone on IDA or PVD websites as they will be properly trained and certified.

Not fussed about sides or who’s right. I think the problem is different situations are being used to justify a solution to this one.

When clearcoat is rubbed down there is so much damage to it the diffusion is pervasive so it appears to be opaque. But that’s a different scenario to this scratch.

Either way - I’m sure polishing will reduce the effect and whether clearcoat or colour is needed, it’ll get sorted. Best of luck OP

Edited 6 March6 Mar by travs

Thank you

Looking at my post there's a typo(s) I'd not noticed as my troll is so quick to jump in on me I originally missed it, my fault for letting him get to me, he's not so much my shadow as brown stuff to my blanket. 😄 .

What I really meant is, as has been put, (I'd) start with trying to polish out before even thinking about adding paint (clear coat), if the scratch or marking does one-finger polish out/off then that's the end of it, if not next-to nothing lost by trying other than then taking the polish off for paint/clear touch up

I originally thought about for my post putting questions about the scratch but the answers wouldn't mean a lot and as I put a photo might help a bit or might not and descriptions like deep or light scratch are relative - but if it's not too deep then worth trying to polish out.

Good Luck.

Thank you 🙂

3 hours ago, nta16 said:

Looking at my post there's a typo(s) I'd not noticed as my troll is so quick to jump in on me I originally missed it, my fault for letting him get to me, he's not so much my shadow as brown stuff to my blanket. 😄 .

What I really meant is, as has been put, (I'd) start with trying to polish out before even thinking about adding paint (clear coat), if the scratch or marking does one-finger polish out/off then that's the end of it, if not next-to nothing lost by trying other than then taking the polish off for paint/clear touch up

I originally thought about for my post putting questions about the scratch but the answers wouldn't mean a lot and as I put a photo might help a bit or might not and descriptions like deep or light scratch are relative - but if it's not too deep then worth trying to polish out.

Good Luck.

Thank you for your apology. I had not "twisted what you put" as I quoted your exact words each time so you had plenty of opportunity to see what you now call your typos.

Next time try to avoid the insults, you may have noticed some of your postings have been removed by the moderators recently, they were the ones containing threats.

Though you normally quote me out of context you have not quoted me at all in this thread just taken the context you want. As I put before a long time back if you wanted to help rather than just troll you would have put or asked about where I had mad a mistake (in this case and were you thought I'd made a mistake in other cases) rather than always nasty sniping.

I was not apologising to you on this as you have never apologised to me despite me bending over backwards to put up with you and apologising when it wasn't my fault just to keep the piece and you happy, but I stopped that long ago.

There wasn't an insult only facts of what you do and a sarcastic remark as that's all you understand and you give sarcastic remarks out to me and others frequently, even those new to the site. You are happy to dish sarcastic remarks out by the bucket load but not take anything back.

Are you just making things up - I haven't noticed any of my posts removed, no moderators have contacted me. How can I threaten you, to me you are an anonymous troll in the ether, and what could I even threaten to do, that's ridiculous. 😆 As I've put before I have to put up with and ignore you as much as possible but I won't let you bully me. And as I've put before you could ignore me.

You don't just look for my mistakes to prevent others not realising these mistakes as you consistently hammered me on at least a couple of things that you later found that you was wrong about and I was correct about but no apologises to me for those or the sarcasm and snipping.

In the early days we exchanged quite friendly posts and I was accommodating to you even you were a bit brittle but then I don't know if you put too much about yourself and regretted it but I have never referred to it so can see no reason for your later nastiness.

As I've put before I don't mind having my mistakes pointed out but you don't do that you just insult and belittle. IF you had just pointed out where I was wrong I would agree and apologise to all, including you, I have posted (many) other mistakes and typos that you have not seen or posted about and when I notice them I edit (clearly showing the edit if required rather than just covering up) and thank those that point out any typos or mistakes or when I'm wrong.

Mainly for you, as you know I used to put "Please note - I am not a mechanic or expert in anything." at the very start of every post I made but other members put that this was unnecessary on an open forum and too repetitive so I have just left it in my signature. And I often include in my posts that others should check and cross reference for themselves any information they get from any source.

Once again you've put us on the same boring merry-go-round and we get nowhere, try altering your attitude to me or ignore me, there's a setting on the site for this if you want to use it. I don't have the 'Ignore' setting for you as when you are in better moods you post lots of useful info and when you don't I don't comment, I post without reference to you, you could do the same.

Edited 7 March7 Mar by nta16
spelling

Chaps you both have plenty to offer the forum - let's draw a line under this one; all is good and Happy Friday etc. etc.

OP is getting someone to look at it so the topic is sorted for now I think, unless he wants to post back with a resolution and update @ffiscool do let us know what happened and how resolved.

I will update, with what was done etc 🙂

Well in the end I attempted it on my own. I’d bought the paint, matched to the car. The thing it comes in has a brush one end and like a pin the other. Stabbed myself taking the top off, lol. I made it worse, so got most off again that I’d added, I’m leaving it. It’s not big enough and I’m useless