Scotch Brite Pad Debachle! Help Needed

[JGeorge027]

Hello everyone...first post, and I'm slightly embarrased to be typing this.

Here's the scoop...This past weekend, my girlfriend decided to surprise me by washing my 2002 Nissan Altima. There was some road tar on the door panels, and she decided it would be a good idea to try and remove it with a Scotch Brite pad...you know the one with the green abrasive attached to a sponge.

Well...long story short, she got the tar off, but now there are a ton of spots on the car that look like someone took sandpaper to them.

I'm writing to get your expert opinions on the best way to remove these scratches / abrasions and what products I need to buy. At this point, I'll try anything. Please note that the scratches are not only on the doors, but on the front and rear bumpers, which I assume are rubber / plastic.

Any and all help will be much appreciated.

Thank you, and while I'm waiting for replies, I'll do some searching on ScratchX. Sounds like a good place to start.

Jack

[Pete TSX]

Where is she buried?

[sneek]

to MOL
try some scratchX working with a lot of passion behind the pad

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX
Meguiar's 5-Step Paint Care Cycle

Step 1 Wash

Step 2 Clean

Step 3 Polish

Step 4 Protect

Step 5 Maintain

[JGeorge027]

Pete: Trust me, she's very close to being an "ex-girlfriend"!!!

Sneek: Thanks for the links...I'll be referring to the ScratchX article this weekend as I try to get these scratches out!

Jack

[TrufflePig]

man i'd freak and i don't even have me mini yet.

but yeah look at those links Sneek gave you and you'll learn tons.

there are also a ton of links in a thread I started called WAXING A CAR. where i asked for help as well

cheers

GOODLUCK

[sneek]

wow more and more canadians ! 3/4 in this thread ... sry off topic

do you have any sort of machine that you can work with?

[JGeorge027]

Sneek:

Unfortunately, no...it's all going to have to be done manually / by hand.

They're not big scratches (in general), but some are a few inches long and about an inch wide. Not deep or anything, just "unsightly"

ScratchX seems to be the best place to start, unless you've got some other ideas...

[Pete-FWA]

Body Shops use certain grade Scotch Brite pads to "scuff down" before spraying paint. What you have not only look like sanding marks, they ARE sanding marks, just in a very scattered, uneven pattern.

You're not the first one to have this done to your car. Hopefully she didn't grind into the paint too deeply because you're going to have to remove some material to level that damage and make it shine again. Virtually every time, though, these marks will come out.

Often times you'll have to step up to serious paint cleaners with abrasives. This situation generally requires some work with a rotary polisher as well.

Certainly it can't hurt to being with ScratchX, so your search on that is a great idea. See how that product works by hand; however, I'm fairly certain that you'll need the assistance of a machine to work some of these marks out.

Keep us posted, ask questions, and show picture(s) if you can.

[JGeorge027]

Pete:

Thanks for the info. I'm gonna give the ScratchX a try this weekend, and will take some before / after pics.

Hopefully, the "after" will be better than I (and you) expect...but if it comes down to a rotary polisher, I guess I'll have to take the plunge.

I'll keep you posted! Thanks again

[Pete-FWA]

By all means, use the hand method first.

Put the rotary idea on hold without experience.

Perhaps the ScratchX and some heavy effort with it on multiple applications will do the trick.

If nothing else, give that a shot, then come back to get some more coaching.

[Godiva]

Think of it this way.

She washed your car.

She washed your car without being asked (or told).

It was a voluntary act of love.

She cared so much and wanted it to look so good she took extra care to remove the tar.

She....didn't really know how to go about doing it correctly. But her heart was in the right place.

So....buy the videos, a DA polisher, some pads, some product...and invite her to join you. Make it a positive experience, teach her. If she's willing to learn and hasn't been scared off she might like it. I really like using my DA. If she likes to make things clean and shiney....all you have to do is show her the correct way to do it and then step back and let her go.

And years from now.....on perhaps an anniversary....you can both laugh about the time she brillo-padded your car.

[Godiva]

Originally posted by JGeorge027
Pete:

Thanks for the info. I'm gonna give the ScratchX a try this weekend, and will take some before / after pics.

Hopefully, the "after" will be better than I (and you) expect...but if it comes down to a rotary polisher, I guess I'll have to take the plunge.

I'll keep you posted! Thanks again

You'd be surprised what you can accomplish by hand with ScratchX. Check out this link. I used ScratchX to take out some scratches my dogs put on my former car.

I did it by hand with ScratchX

I did go over it three times. And I really worked the product in. Don't be afraid to use some elbow grease. With the diminishing abrasives you can't really hurt it.

[sneek]

lol i just came back from scuffing my little model car with a scotch brite pad
and most of the scratches came out with scratchX but i guess i must have scuffed some parts harder than others because there are some RIDS but it looks a lot better!

i tried a scotchbrite pad like you discribed! i think the sponge is yellow?

[Jeff Smith]

Ouch. My kids did that to my former Toyota Sienna.

They were helping me wash the thing and I had a bucket with one of those things in it that I used to scrub the bucket out with. There were some tar specs on the van from recent road construction. When I went into the house to get something, one of the boys decided to remove the tar with the scotch brite. Well, You know the story obviously.

Anyway, we had a good talk about things but I doubt they were old enough to remember it very well. Now, a few years later they help me out and have a good concept of "if you don't know, ask"

My oldest is only 12 and has already asked me if I would help him take care of his car when he gets one.

[jfelbab]

My uncle had a senior moment a while back. After driving through some fresh road tar and oil his new Ford got all ugly so he decided to wash it. The tar didn't come off so he grabbed a box of SOS pads and got it right off.