I've got a number of small scratches on my paint for my '04 Discovery II. What's the best approach? Has any body tried the Autosharp Paint Pens that Atlantic British offers? How well do they worK? I imagine that light rubbing compound would mess up the clear coat finish. Just looking for some ideas...

 

How deep are they?
If they are just in the clear coat, polishing can get them out.
If they are deeper (into primer or deeper) then some sort of paint product will likely be needed. I've tried the DR Colorchip product on other cars and it works fairly well. If it is a linear scratch using a little rubber "squeegie" will help keep the paint in the scratch and not heaped up over and around it.
Good luck!

 

Depends on how deep the scratches are. If they are down to the primer or metal do a couple coats with the paint pen followed by wet sand with fine sandpaper (1000 - 2000 grit or so - don't be afraid of the scratches it will put in your paint) then a rubbing compound then polishing compound to get rid of the fine scratches from the sandpaper and make it shine. I got rid of some pretty serious scratches on my bmw doing this. I would start off with a kit like "Quixx scratch remover" (most auto parts stores will have it) first (without the paint). You might be amazed at how well that does.

Getting the paint in the scratch smoothly is the tough part. I used a fine paint brush and a rubber gloved finger (probably like the squeegie method just mentioned) to keep the paint in just the scratch and not smeared all around.

 

Go to Rennlist Forums, it is a Porsche site. There is a detail section that has great suggestions from some very knowledgeable uber **** detail freaks, meant in the most loving way. After doing some research and some reading on the Rennlist site, I picked up a Porter Cable 7424xp buffer/polisher. It works great at taking out swirl marks and light scratches. Cleans up stuff that you just can't get out by hand. You can find the Porter Cable on ebay or at Autogeeks (you can get it as a package with some pads and polishes, cleaners and sealers) I have no affiliation to Autogeeks but find their prices to be great and their customer service to be second to none. If you get a buffer, make sure it is a dual action model. A simple rotary buffer can burn through your paint finish before you know it. Depending on the extent of the scratches and the color of your truck, the touch up pens can screw up the finish worse than doing nothing at all. I was amazed at the way my 2000 came out after an hour with the Porter Cable, polishing compound, wax and sealer, it looked almost new. Too bad we can't fix the motors with a little polish.......have a very Merry Christmas and good luck with the detail. Phil

 

Thanks, guys. I'll give it try after the holiday and let folks know how it turns out.

Merry Christmas!