Scratch removal recommendations

[msan]

I went for a state inspection at a local Acura dealership yesterday. They asked if I'd like the free car wash and vacuum. I said yes. That's a big mistake!

This morning, after I parked my car in a outdoor under the sun, I noticed micro-scratches all over the car!!

Moral of the story: DO NOT accept free car wash unless you are absolutely sure it's touchless car wash.

My questions:
1. Do those scratch removers sold at auto part stores work on this type of scratches? Any recommendation?
2. I have never used an auto detailing service before. Can a detailer get the scratches out? If so, what service is it called, and what to look out for in order not to be taken for a ride?

Thanks!

 

[SJC3]

Yes a proper detail shop can take care of this. If you have a dark paint color, it’s easy to get the swirls back if you don’t wash with good technique. Look on yelp for a good detailer and they can assess, quote you and then likely fix it.

 

[SJC3]

If you want to learn how to operate a porter cable (buffer), you can fix this with off the shelf polishes but I don’t recommend it if you don’t have the time to do it right.

 

[dmd2005]

To remove the scratches, you can do it yourself with the proper equipment, products and time. If you don’t have time, let a professional detailer do a one step paint correction if the scratches aren’t deep.

If you decide to do it yourself, you’ll need to rewash your car, decontaminate the finish with a claybar system and iron oxide fallout remover, and then use a dual action/random orbital polisher with a polishing compound like Meguiars M205. I highly recommend putting on either a wax or sealant once you finish removing the scratches. All these steps can take a whole weekend to do properly.

You can get all this stuff at good prices on amazon. You can get away with a Harbor Freight DA polisher if you are on a budget.

If you let a detailer remove the scratches, ask what the cost is for one-step and two-step paint correction and what they charge for a sealant or wax applied afterwards.

1-step means they go over the paint once with a polisher and 2-step means they use a diff polishing compound to get out more scratches, marring, holograms, etc.