Considering buying a black car with bad car-wash scratches...

[MWP]

Hi guys,

Im looking at buying a black 2005 RAV4 that has some pretty bad scratches the length of the car from what i assume was a course auto car wash.
Normally i wouldn't consider buying a black car with paint this damaged, but its mechanically very good and at a decent price.

The scratches are mainly down the sides of the car, and run the full length in the same direction from front to back.
Its like really bad swirl marks i guess, they dont go through the clear coat.

Difficult to judge from my description i know, but im wondering if you guys have any idea what kind of work would be required to restore the paint?
How much would a decent car detailer charge?

Hopefully i can use a $$ value to help knock down the price, or if too bad, not consider buying it.

Thanks!

[zahmad]

From what you've told us, it might be a simple job for a very good detailer, but not necessarily cheap....

[BEVANI]

kitten cutting compound no#2 works well for cut and polish if its only on the surface and hasn't cut through the clear. What is the clear coat like otherwise?
A good detail will set you back about $200 from memory..
do you have the gear to do it yourself?

[Silly Rabbit]

Use a product called Meguiars Ultimate Compound. Only about $17 a bottle and works a charm. My brother has a Black 100 series Landcruiser and takes it off road pretty frequently. Scratches up and down the sides from sticks / branches etc. Good wash and then using this it comes back as shiny as new. I have used it on my TA22 that had some really deep scuffing on the paint from being covered by a scratchy tarpaulin and you now can't even see it. Definitely recommended.

Meguiar's Ultimate Compound : Amazon.com : Automotive

Oh and you don't have to use 2 or 3 different products to bring the paint back. Just use this and if you are really pedantic you can use a clear wax to finish it off for a higher shine. All easy enough to do by hand without machines etc.

[BEVANI]

aww man how could i forget that stuff! rabbit is right i used that stuff on a mates fresh paint job(black paint i may add) as there was orange peel through the clear coat, WOW.. soft buffing pads and micro fibre cloths a must for a glass finish

so did you end up buying the car or still deciding?

[trd_st184]

I've seen some really scratched up paint come up to a really nice finish with the right products. Could be a great learning step in Car Detailing to give it a go. Worst case scenario you could always take it somewhere.

I'd be keen to try that Meguiar's stuff myself. Heard great things about it.

I've always still found that microfibre clothes still left swirl marks, even brand new ones and I always polish under cover. Maybe its my technique lol

[MWP]

Thanks guys... im still deciding.
Im not in any big rush.

If i do decide to buy it, i think ill first arrange to take it for a 1hr+ test drive and run it into a detailers for a quote.

[maj]

I've seen opaqued up clear coat full of swirls on a red FD3S go to looking like new, crazy deep gloss.

They used Dode Juice detailing stuff though, and it wasn't cheap. I'd say $200 for all the products, but you'd get a few good years out of them.

[worldwalker]

I remember Damien from Final Inspection posted photos of an S15 that looked like it had been washed with steel wool and he managed to get it looking like new. He sells whole detail kits from his site; despite the high price tag, I've never heard a negative comment about his products or service. I'm not able to justify it myself but those that have, are always very happy. Even if you're not able to take the car there, it can definitely be done.

[king-szeitszam]

+1 for the Meguiar's stuff, use it on everything. Cleaned up my TA22 beautifully. Slow work to do it all by hand so I ended up buying an el-cheapo buffer from Supercrap and it made my life much easier. Finished the whole thing off with Turtle wax.

[pete05]

If its Black I would seriously pay a GOOD detailer to fix it, if its as bad as it sounds you would be looking at a 2 or 3 step process to sort it out properly, you need to be sure of who you take it to as there are a lot of hacks out there that will make it worse.
Proper pain correction will cost you around $500 depending on how bad it is, if they tell you they can do it for $150 or $200 walk away. Have a look at my build thread link below as there is some detailing info in there.

[Xauterus]

Look up youtube videos by The Junkman, he goes through all the detailing stuff really well.

[king-szeitszam]

Might be a stupid question but would one of those paint touch up pens do the trick or are the scratches too serious? I had some minor light scratches from driveway branches and it cleaned them up pretty well.