Stealwool atacked my trunk! Need Help!

[rodgersj01]

The is a scratch on the truck of my car from stealwool pad. It is not deep at all, just on the surface, however it is very noticable. How can I get rid of this thing?

[BullShifter]

Good polish & a buffer in the right hands will do the trick. But since your asking you probably don't own or know how to use a buffer properly so another method can be done by hand.

Rubbing compound followed by polish followed by wax or sealer. It's hard to say exactly without seeing the damage.

[Les7K]

Without me actually seeing your scratch and knowing a bit more about your paint, it's really hard for me to give you an exact answer. Does your paint have a clearcoat or is it a one-step paint? Is my first question.

My hunch, based on your brief description, is that it probably has a clearcoat. And although it may not appear to be a deep scratch (i.e. it hasn't gone through to the metal), it probably has gone through the clearcoat giving you that cloudy effect. This could be a problem, but don't panic yet.

My suggestion to you would be to start out by using a good polishing compound. Use the brand of your choice just make sure it is a true polish and not a wax that calls itself a polish. A true polish works by abrasion (scary word abrasion, but it's ok). Because of its abrasive properties it's very good at removing scratches and swirl marks too. Work the area with the polish either by hand or with a buffer (if you own and feel comfortable in operating one, that is).

And while your at it, you may want to polish all of your paint. A good overall polish helps conditions the paint, eliminates light oxidation, and creates a high gloss not possible with car wax alone. But because it will leave nothing behind, make sure you followed it up with a good coat of wax.

After you've polished if your trunk still looks cloudy, then you've probably cut through your clearcoat which is gonna require re-clearing and color sanding. And unless you're very familiar with this process, I would highly recommend you take your car to a professional at this point.

[42adult]

when you apply water to the scratch does it go away?

Sounds like a surface scratch and should be very easy to get out.