Wet Sanding to correct scratches

[Black94rt/10]

My car is in pretty good shape for a 94 with 55k...but there are a few scratches that my detailer couldnt work out by traditional polishing. Has anyone ever had a detailer wet sand there car to remove scratches in the paint? My detailer has a gauge that reads depth of paint, but since our cars are fiberglass...the gauge is useless.

Thanks all!

[MH60M]

There has to be a better way. That is scary!
Cracks in the paint or scratches?

[Black94rt/10]

There has to be a better way. That is scary!
Cracks in the paint or scratches?

No cracks in the paint at all anywhere on the car....just some slightly deeper scratches that polishing and paint correction didnt get out.

[Martyb]

It's a crapshoot, if he sands through the paint it's time to paint the panel. I've done it before with success, and it has bitten me as well.

[BlknBlu]

if you can get a fingernail to catch the scratch it is probably too deep. You don't want to go past the clearcoat either.

Bruce

[ZZ SRT]

Honestly, if you use 2000-3000 grit one time, the chances of you going through the clear are pretty minimal. There are actually circumstances where you will remove less clear doing a quick wetsand of that local area as opposed to sitting on it with a buffer over and over again trying to get out the localized scratch. Is there a risk? Yes. I would consider it a small risk though unless your car has been paint corrected multiple times. In my experience, even if the scratch is deep and you can't remove it fully, by wetsanding lightly, you can soften the edge of the scratch and make it much less visible to the point that no one will really know it's there without an inspection light.

[Black94rt/10]

Great info. Thanks. I was hoping to find someone with actual experience with this. My detailer is good and ill just confirm that he performs as you described

[SnakeWatching]

Has anyone tried LANGKA fluid after filling a scratch with clear coat? I have used it with paint chips with good results, just not clear coat scratches.

http://www.langka.com/

[My98RT10]

Very important when sanding out scratches is to use a sanding block. NEVER!! use sandpaper just with your fingers as you will be sanding "dents" into to clear.

[MacGyvers Mullet]

I just went through the same process. Someone put some deep scratches into my rear bumper, most of which my fingernail would get stuck in. I took it to a body shop, and they mentioned that it would most likely have to be completely sanded down and repainted. So, they recommended a known detailer, who wound up saying the same thing.

The detailer said he would try his best to get the scratches out, but didn't want to go too far into the clearcoat, hitting the paint layer. He was able to get 80% of it out, and it is much better, minus the two deepest scratches.

Just be careful in wetsanding it. You may ring a bell that can't be unrung. If you have a black car,, guessing from your handle, it is not easy to re-paint to match.