What Have I Done!?!?!?!?!!!

[stateproperty3423]

Hi all,

Last week there was some bird crap on the roof of my LS so as I usually do I took it off since bird crap is harmful to paint. Well, there was no towels around so I looked in my glove box and found a napkin so I thought hey if I wet the napkin I should be all set....man was I wrong! I guess i rubbed a little too hard cause not the are a nice series of scratches where the crap use to be. My question to all of you is what can I use to take the scratches off I tried the mequires 3 step was twice but it did not help at all what else can I try? To be more specific on the scratches they are not deep cause I can not fell the scratches when i rub it with my finger but it looks pretty bad. I'll try to snap a pic when there is not so much glare outside.

 

[J3FF]

Damn birds!!! I had the same problem man! I rubbed the crap off with a napkin and had a series of tiny scratches. And to make it worse, the car is black. You can go into Walmart and find this stuff called Chip Stick. They have alot of different colors, but if you rub it on there and rub it off you should see that the scratches are fading away. Try this a few times and it should come off.

 

[01lssport]

I have used 3M finish restorer on my car many times to get rid of fine scratches, works great. Got it at Walmart.

 

[steagle]

if that happened to me id just go and get a full buff job, cause there are swirls all over my paint. fortunately no scratches tho.

 

[ToddG]

Hi all,

Last week there was some bird crap on the roof of my LS so as I usually do I took it off since bird crap is harmful to paint. Well, there was no towels around so I looked in my glove box and found a napkin so I thought hey if I wet the napkin I should be all set....man was I wrong! I guess i rubbed a little too hard cause not the are a nice series of scratches where the crap use to be. My question to all of you is what can I use to take the scratches off I tried the mequires 3 step was twice but it did not help at all what else can I try? To be more specific on the scratches they are not deep cause I can not fell the scratches when i rub it with my finger but it looks pretty bad. I'll try to snap a pic when there is not so much glare outside.

The reason that happens is that birds frequently have sand and rock chips in their stomachs to help them digest their food. Ya'll should be aware of this before you wipe up bird poop with a dry napkin.

To help your car, you need a more aggressive polish, like Meguiars #9 Swirl Remover or ScratchX. The 3-Step stuff you used contain only chemical polishes, but in this case you need something more aggressive. Try one of the polishes I suggested, followed by some good wax, and hopefully you'll be all set.

 

[beaups]

scratch x isn't agressive at all. it's just a filler. if you want to do it right (permanantly) use #9 or a different fine to fine-medium cut polish.

 

[stateproperty3423]

Question: Do all these polishes like the 3m or #9 actually take the scratches off the paint for good or just cover them up until the polish wares off...I've had this question for a while like when i wax my car i wonder if the fine scratches that disappeared are ever going to come back?

 

[ToddG]

Question: Do all these polishes like the 3m or #9 actually take the scratches off the paint for good or just cover them up until the polish wares off...I've had this question for a while like when i wax my car i wonder if the fine scratches that disappeared are ever going to come back?

It depends what type of polish you choose. There are various types depending on what you're trying to accomplish. If your finish is in pretty good shape with only a few light scratches and swirls, you can get away with a lighter polish such as Meguiar's #7 Show Car Glaze. This polish contains a light abrasive to remove fine swirls and scratches, but won't remove more prominent scratches. For that, you need to move to a more aggressive polish like Meguiar's #9 or in more extreme cases a paint cleaner with even more abrasive. In general, you want to use the lightest/gentlest product for the task at hand.

Also, polishes can be entirely chemical (no abrasive) or contain some abrasive. All contain some amount of fillers to fill in some swirls too. A good polish will remove the swirl marks and scratches so they will not return.

 

[stateproperty3423]

as in my case my paint is in excellent condition only a couple light scratches and maybe because my paint is silver but i do not see any swirls what so ever under any lighting conditions only these annoying series of scratches from the bird stuff (it looks pretty bad) so I guess my best bet is the #9 stuff on the problem spot only right?

 

[ToddG]

as in my case my paint is in excellent condition only a couple light scratches and maybe because my paint is silver but i do not see any swirls what so ever under any lighting conditions only these annoying series of scratches from the bird stuff (it looks pretty bad) so I guess my best bet is the #9 stuff on the problem spot only right?

Yes, I would try the #9 first on those spots and see how it works. It may take several applications, but be patient. If you find it is not doing the job, we can move on to more aggressive products.

Good luck.

 

[2001LS8Sport]

Just an FYI.....NEVER, EVER use anything paper on the finish of your car. Paper will scratch!! (as you found out) That is why you never use a napkin to clean your glasses...you always use cloth. A napkin will scratch glasses too.