My g/f Mini Cooper got keyed a week or two ago, they got the fender, door, and rear quarter. Some places worse than others, the worst is when it goes panel to panel they chipped off a little bit of paint.

I have a PC RA and I figured I can probably buff out the majority of the scratch and make what is there very unnoticeable.

Can anyone recommend what pad(s) I should purchase along w/ compounds and give me a quick run-down on steps? It would be greatly appreciated!

 

The rule is usually ifyou can catch a fingernail in it, it is too deep to buff.

Some places may be able to repair the clear coat. Paint work is most likely required if the depth of the clearcoat has been penetrated.

Not being a downer- I went through this a few years ago with a previous car that got keyed.

 

The majority isn't, like I said the worst is just a tiny spot at the end of the panels, other than that it should be light enough to remove.

 

2000 grit and a spray bottle of water. Sand until you see the orange peel go away, and then stop. Buff. What you get is the best you'll do without practice. If it's a solid color you may have more luck. I'm sure some of the more heavy hitters can chime in.

See how you can still barely see the scratch? That's when to stop.



Polished out was 90%



Don't expect 100%, you won't get it. But you can make it better. Good luck.

 

Impressive

 

I would have never imagined that possible. Well done. I stand corrected.

 

As long as bare metal is not showing through wet sanding does wonders. You need balls though bc if you F up you just bought a paintjob. Of course you would have had to anyways if you didn't try.

 

Here was that Audi before above. You could definitely catch a nail in this:




Good results are not impossible, but do take some patience:

Before:



During:



After:




Before:


After:

 

I've wet sanded before so I'm not worried about that aspect, I just need to know the pads and compounds I should use.

 

I'm a big Gloss-It fan so I'd use Gloss-It Extreme Cut on a fast cut orange pad, followed by Evolution Cut on a yellow. Then Gloss Polish on a green. Then wax.