What's the best product for cleaning scratches?

[HSVJAKE]

Hello HSV forum,

Unfortunately, I am here today due to terrible events. About a week ago I was relaxing at home after long days work when my car alarm started screaming outside. I went out saw nothing and no one, so I switched the alarm off and went back in. Anyway, the next day, I was just om my way to work about to jump on the driver's side when I noticed a long scratch down the side of my car (in the picture below sorry about the quality). Some had keyed my car. Angry is an understatement. It runs just about the whole length of my rear passenger door and you can just about feel the scratch.

My misses came up with a great idea to use her nail polish, and to be honest, it actually worked unless you knew it was there. But it is driving me kinda crazy now and I'm wanting to get it sorted. So, what would you guys recommend I do before I take it into a spray shop? I will give pretty much anything ago, I can't make it look much worse right? Really looking forward to speaking with you all to get some tips and ideas on how to fix this mess. I have seen plenty of products on this site http://www.used.forsale/australia/brisbane so getting the items I need won't be a problem it's what I need which is the problem.

It would only let me place a picture from the internet so this isn't my actual scratch but it's the same color Subaru as mine and the scratch is similar in thickness.



Thanks guys

[white_lie]

If it's cut the paint, only way you'll properly repair it is to get the panels sprayed. You might be able to touch them up but will you be happy with it?

[rodders188]

give meguiars generation scratch x a go, but its gonna take a lot of elbow grease looking at that scratch.

[voodoo_sv6]

If you have a Random Orbital Polisher and the range of cut option pastes, you could try that and minimise it, but if it's all the way through the colour and showing undercoat like in the picture, not much is going to work 100% without visiting a paint shop.

Try the polisher then something like Meguires NXT wax which is actually a sealant and it will fill the gouge with clear sealant and it will be much harder to notice.

[HSVJAKE]

Taking it in to get the whole panel sprayed is an expense I could do without. I am going to give the ideas above a try first because as I said "I can't make it much worse" And if all goes wrong It will have to get sprayed. First off meguiars generation scratch x see how that works out for me.

Thanks guys and back soon

[GTS Happy]

Need to establish if the scratch is in the clear coat or down to the paint/primer. If it's in the clear coat then polishing or sanding/polishing will remove it. If it's down to the primer/ paint then your options are touch up or respray.

[Z16]

That looks like its well and truly broken through the clear to me. Touch ups generally look pretty ordinary unless its a solid colour. (not clear over base) just straight colour with hardener.
Touching up any colours with a brush that are metallic always look terrible. The colour goes down really dark.

I'd be getting some quotes from some local shops on a little cashy.

[Remdogg]

Insurance? Get it done professionally.

[HSVJAKE]

I haven't tried anything as of yet but there seems to be a lot of options which is good. But from what is written above it might be a spray job.

[vz hsv]

u could try getting touch up bottle of ur colour, then aply with small brush.ur aiming to not only fill up the scratch but go over the top with a small mound.then u wet sand it back slowly (use not smaller than 15oo grit wet sand paper). watch some u tube videos and u'll see what i mean. but this is and art and hard to really remove the fault. best to respray it.or get a mobile repair guy to quote u.