Just had car detailed - questions

[blinkme323]

Hey guys, I just got my car back from getting detailed yesterday. Before taking it in I let the detailer know that I had a few horizontal hariline scratches on the hood. These scratches had a faint white appearance and were visible from most angles (still not sure how they got there, although my car is black). After I got my car back, it initailly appeared that the scratches were gone. However, when I got the car home and inspected it further, I noticed that the scratches were still visible, but only at certain angles, in certain light. They had also lost their "whitish" appearance and were now basically the color of the car, but still there (if that makes sense). Does anyone know what this might mean? If so, is there any way that I could remove them permanently?

Thanks

[Shawn T.]

Re: Just had car detailed - questions

The scratches may have been too deep for the detailer to remove completely. If he had, it may have resulted in premature clear coat fading or even failure. Or, he may have only filled them in and after a few washes you will tell. If the scratches show up again like the way they were before the detail then they were only filled in. I will give the detailer the benefit of the doubt and say that he only improved the scratch, not removing it. Once again, in some cases that is necessary because removing the scratch may leave the clear coat too thin in that area.

The fact that they were no longer white means that their depth was reduced (at least thats my understanding). If you ask him his process and then post it, we can tell you for sure whether he reduced or filled the scratch.

[MrCLRider]

Re: Just had car detailed - questions

I would assume that prior to the detail your scratch had edges that were quite sharp that would allow the them to pick up light alot easier. The detailer softened the edges so that in certain angles the light would not hit them like before and shine back in your eyes.

[blinkme323]

Re: Just had car detailed - questions

The scratches may have been too deep for the detailer to remove completely. If he had, it may have resulted in premature clear coat fading or even failure. Or, he may have only filled them in and after a few washes you will tell. If the scratches show up again like the way they were before the detail then they were only filled in. I will give the detailer the benefit of the doubt and say that he only improved the scratch, not removing it. Once again, in some cases that is necessary because removing the scratch may leave the clear coat too thin in that area.

The fact that they were no longer white means that their depth was reduced (at least thats my understanding). If you ask him his process and then post it, we can tell you for sure whether he reduced or filled the scratch.

Good points - it's strange though because the area feels perfectly smooth and I can't catch the scratches at all with my fingernail.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Just had car detailed - questions

Did you talk to him about these scratches before he started work?

It could be that you and he contracted for a "typical" paint correction that did not include him spending additional time to wet sand and buff (likely the only way to fully remove these scratches, if that is even possible - kind of hard to tell without seeing them in person). No harm in talking to him about the scratches in a little more detail after the fact though.

[blinkme323]

Re: Just had car detailed - questions

Did you talk to him about these scratches before he started work?

It could be that you and he contracted for a "typical" paint correction that did not include him spending additional time to wet sand and buff (likely the only way to fully remove these scratches, if that is even possible - kind of hard to tell without seeing them in person). No harm in talking to him about the scratches in a little more detail after the fact though.

I talked to the detailer and he said he did notice the scratches, but the paint on the hood was much thinner than the rest of the car for whatever reason, so he didn't want to polish them down too much. He said he would do so at my request though.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Just had car detailed - questions

Sounds like he was being cautious, and smart.

[Hemin8r]

Re: Just had car detailed - questions