Hey Guys, new to the forum, have a challenge paint related

[atl944]

Hi, looking for some expert advise here, I had a 2 inch scratch, not deep, I could not feel it with my nail. Anyway, here are the steps I took to correct it and left with a new problem.

Steps taken:
1) 1500 Wet sanded the scratch very lightly, by the way the paint color is a dark green olive metallic
2) Dual Action polisher using Meguiar's 205 compound scratch remover
3) Dual Action polisher using Meguiar's 105 finishing polish
4) Applied a carnauba wax

And see the pic what I am left with???? Kinda weird, like a lite area, lighter than the paint color. No clue what this is.....sorry for the bad pic, but you can see the issue. Sorry, there is a lot of paint reflection from the shine on the paint.

Anybody can offer some good advise on the next steps or am I messed up :O

thanks, david

[The Guz]

Re: Hey Guys, new to the forum, have a challenge paint related

Welcome to the forum.

It is possible that you have sanded through the clear.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Hey Guys, new to the forum, have a challenge paint related

Steps taken:
1) 1500 Wet sanded the scratch very lightly, by the way the paint color is a dark green olive metallic
2) Dual Action polisher using Meguiar's 205 compound scratch remover
3) Dual Action polisher using Meguiar's 105 finishing polish
4) Applied a carnauba wax

Hi David, and welcome to MOL!

Your comments above are a bit unclear (we're assuming you've typo'd a bit as well, since M205 is the finishing polish and M105 the compound) since you don't mention what pads you used, speed settings on the DA, your experience level, etc. You also didn't mention whether a backing pad was used with that 1500 grit paper, or it was cheap hardware store wet/dry paper or quality automotive grade papers - yes, that can make a HUGE difference in both aggressiveness and ease of buff out. Oddly enough, not all 1500 grit paper is created equal. What we do know is that 1500 grit is actually pretty aggressive when it comes to hand sanding and those sanding marks alone can be a bit of a challenge to remove with certain DA polishers and pads, regardless which compound is used. It all works together as a system, so an old Porter Cable with large foam polishing pads won't do nearly the correction that a modern MT300 with microfiber discs will accomplish, even if both processes use M105.

From the image, this appears to be on a contour, with could mean high spots and low spots as you're sanding. this can easily lead to a higher level of paint removal in the high spots while barely touching the low spots. Especially interesting is that the dull looking area is only on the right side of the scratch in this image, but the paint looks clear above it. What's troubling here is that we don't see any straight line scratches in that area, but we do see a feathered edge toward the bottom. Straight line scratches would indicate that you just hadn't removed all of the sanding marks - no big deal, just compound some more. But the feathered edge looks more like you've gone through the clear in that area. Did you happen to notice any of the underlying green color showing through on your buffing pads? That would be a sure sign of burn through.