[Tom M5]

So I'm driving on 355N and a delivery truck looses the card board cap on a major appliance he is delivering. Too much traffic to brake hard, can't move left or right so have to take the hit. Cap hits the hood, hits the front window and goes over the car. Guy behind me saw what was happening and backed off a bit.
My wife closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
After getting home a reviewing the damage it seems only the clear coat too a hit. I washed the car and waxed over the crapes. Couldn't see any damage to the paint only the clear coat.
Any ideas how to get the scratches out of the clear coat. I just order soem Zainos Bros. polished, maybe I need the scratch remover ?

Let me know what has worked for you, and thanks.

 

[greg]

Glad you're OK, Tom.

Which product to use depends on how deep the scratch is. Any polish formulated for clear coat is a good place to start. I have the Zymol kit so I use theirs, but Zaino or Meguiars are fine too - Meguiars has a whole numbered series of products - generally, the lower the number, the more aggresive the product is.

It will take some rubbing - polish is after all an abrasive - just a very fine one. Rub back and forth with good pressure in the same direction as the scratch. Check your progress frequently. Use a light colored cloth. If you start to see any of your car's color, stop immediately- you're through the clear coat. (Won't happen quick if it's truly a polish.)

Stronger compounds (such as rubbing compound) are more abrasive and cut faster. If you have to use something like that, you'll have to follow up with a polish to remove the "swirl marks" it leaves.

Wax over it when done.

 

[bobafett]

Wow. Quick thinking, good reactions. Glad you're ok.

--Dan