Scratches from a Raccoon

[TireMeltingRSX]

I pay to rent a garage in my apartment complex. It is not attached to my building, and a raccoon has been using my garage to walk all over my new car. The damage doesn't look too bad, but I haven't been able to fully examine. There is definitely one scratch on the hood that looks deep, and I can feel it with my finger nail when I run it across the hood.

I know without pics it's hard to answer, so I'll try to take some and posted them up later (but it's raining). It's finally going to be warm enough this weekend to do a good detail. My question is will ScratchX be enough? Should I use a cleaner wax? Which pads should I use on my portercable?

My last detail went great. I used a plethora of Meguiars products, I'm looking for more great results.

Thanks in advance!

[Mike Phillips]

Hi TireMeltingRSX,

Reality is, if you can feel the scratch or scratches with your fingernail, then chances are very good it's too deep to remove. Machine cleaning should improve the appearance of the defects, but in reality they are likely too deep to completely remove.

As for product recommendations, you can use ScratchX with a dual action polisher, but often times, if it becomes warmed or heated it can become gummy and difficult to remove. It works great by machine as far as removing defects, but it's the removal portion of the process that can be difficult.

Another option you might consider would be to get one or two cleaner/polishes from our Professional Line such as M83 Dual Action Cleaner/Polish and M80 Speed Glaze and then follow the process outlined here,

Using the G-100 to remove swirls with the Professional Line

Good luck and try to find a solution to the Raccoon issue so this doesn't continue after you remove the defects.