[Apollo18]

i assume someone hit a zipper or backpack against my car, i got a long scratch, it doesnt seem too deep so i dont think anyone did it delibretely or maybe it could have been a small rock that grazed my paint on the highway, who knows.

here are some pics! and im wondering what you guys recommend for me to get done to get it fixed, i want it hopefully to dissapear enough to pass the lease-end inspection, however i do have bmw excess wear lease protection so that should cover something atleast. its a thin and long scratch and kinda hard to see, so im trying my best

i want to get this fixed before the lease inspection because i dont want them to note this down and then expect me to pay for a whole panel repaint or something.


i have looked locally and it seems like one shop is willing to try a wet sand and polish to see how much we can make it dissapear and another shop has SSR paint technology so idk which one i should goto. any recommendations on what to get done for this scratch?

thx!!

[Billfitz]

Wet sand and polish, yes, but first it has to be filled. By the look of it just clear coat might do it.

[B1ue52]

It depends how deep it is. If you can't get a finger nail in it, it would polish out with a DA or rotary polisher and some heavy compound. Would take about 10 mins. It looks to me like it would from the pictures.

Have a look around in your local area to see if there are any detailers that could do it, or alternatively, buy a DA polishing machine, a spot pad and backing plate and some Menzerna FG400 cut compound for admittedly more than you would pay to have someone wet sand it, certainly more than a detailer to polish it out with a rotary.... but, then you'll have a DA to use on your next car.

If you go that route, PM me and I'll give you instructions on how to use it and exactly what you need

[sean2648]

by the looks of the picture a nail would definitely catch on that, so youre going the route bill mentioned or if you're just worried about your lease turn in, just blending it into the paint around it to make it less noticeable and hope the lease turn in inspector doesn't really notice it or ding you for it

[Apollo18]

thanks a ton for the replies guys!
i actually will be getting a shop to do it! but im having troubles picking the shop

one shop im talking to said "For the scratch it’s a multi step process of polish paint fill, polish etc."

while another shop i have been talking to said:
The scratch does look a little deep which may be tough to completely remove. I would do a light wet sand and polish and should see a 60-90% improvement without painting. But definitely something I would like to see in person"

is it better just to go with shop 1 because they mention filling with paint and then polishing? or does this damage seem repairable by the recommendation of shop 2 in which there gonna do a wet sand and polish


thanks!

[Billfitz]

If you just sand and polish the only way to get rid of the scratch is to sand the surrounding paint down to the depth of the scratch. If it's deep enough to catch your fingernail it's deep enough to require filling.