scratch removal help

[mikevsop]

I could use some advice please. I have a silver 2004 Acura TSX. I had a problem with rail dust. I went through all the motions trying to remove it. I washed it, clayed it, used pre wax paint cleaner, all with no luck. Then I tried ScratchX and it seemed to work but took some elbow grease. My younger brother was helping me. When I went in the house he used a old green scrubby pad, like for washing dishes, with the scratchx. When I came out I flipped out on him. It took all of the rust spots off and didn't seem like it did any damage until I saw it the next day the way the light was hitting it. You all probably know it takes the right angle to see scrathes on a silver car. The problem is now I have these scratch patches on my car they look kind of like oxidation with swirl marks. They are not that bad but they stick out against the good paint. I have a Porter Cable buffer but I need help with which products I should use to get it out. I would post pictures but I don't have a camera.
Any suggestions on what steps I should take and which products to use?
Also what is the differance between #9 & #82 polish?
Thanks for any help in advance
Mike

[rusty bumper]

Hi Mike....Welcome to MOL!

I would use DACP to try and remove the scratches with.

There's not a lot of difference between #82 & #9, except that #82 has more gloss and little more bite to it.

[scrub]

Just a heads up!! You might not fully remove some of the deeper scratches. DACP should clean up a good portion of the scratches though. What doesn't get removed will be much improved too. Silver will help also. If it takes the right light, at the right angle, at the right time of day... See what I mean who's gonna play twister to find a scratch. Only you, your younger brother, and us will even know about them!

Good luck, not trying to be a bummer!

[Rick]

I have a similar story. A friend of mine was visiting some family down near Tucson (about 2 hours away) and overnight her car got tagged while parked on the street. It probably sat there for a few hours at least before anyone saw it so the paint had plenty of time to dry. They went out the next morning and tried to wash it off to no avail so her sister suggested using a dish scouring pad, which did take the spray paint off, but also left a very scoured paint surface.

When I saw it I didn't even bother trying anything by hand (didn't have the PC at this point in time either) and went straight for light cut cleaner on a cutting pad with the rotary, didn't budge. Medium cut probably could have gotten most of it but would have taken all day. I finally resorted to heavy cut cleaner, which got it back to a point where it looked good to most people, but to me it still wasn't quite perfect. She was extatic as she had planned on getting the car repainted in the mean time. Of course you shoudl try and find the minimal aggressive product first, but I found that I had to use a pretty aggressive one in my situation.

[mikevsop]

I appreciate all of the advice people. Thanks. I think I'm kind of ok because the scrathes are not deep at all. It was an old scouring pad so it wasn't that rough. I was just looking for an idea as to what I am up against.
Again thanks for all your advice