Scratches, Scratches and More Scratches :(

[fortehlulz]

A couple of days ago, I noticed scratches(I think?) all over the right side of my front bumper. I can't imagine how I could've gotten them. Could someone please give me guidance as to how I should proceed. I took a couple of pictures so please feel free to have a look at them! Thx in advance. (:


Update!(Aug 24, 2011)

Thanks for everyones' input so far! I bought a bottle of Scratch Remover from Mothers and rubbed it over the scratches on my bumper. (: Most of it went away but there some still some small rock chips and a couple of scratches. The product wasn't perfect and I didn't expected it to be. Anyway, I then applied a layer of wax over it. So far, I am very satisfied with the results(Pics below)! The only other thing I am concerned about is the white spots near my trunk. D: Perhaps I should just apply some touch up paint over those?

Pics:

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First Set of Pictures:


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Second Set: (I tried scratching it but it doesn't come off.


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[Beetlescott]

Hello, you have a beautiful New Beetle, one of my favorite colors. The problem with the darker colors even the smallest of scratches do seem to show up worse. There are different ways to approack scratches. you can order a "paint stick" from VW, it will come it 2 seperate sticks, one the paint, the other the clearcoat. If it were me, I wouldn't do that thou. If It were mine, i would think of getting some of the colored polish/wax. When you rub this in, the scratches vanish! Especially the light scratches like on your baby. This is just a preferance. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

[fortehlulz]

Originally Posted by Beetlescott

Hello, you have a beautiful New Beetle, one of my favorite colors. The problem with the darker colors even the smallest of scratches do seem to show up worse. There are different ways to approack scratches. you can order a "paint stick" from VW, it will come it 2 seperate sticks, one the paint, the other the clearcoat. If it were me, I wouldn't do that thou. If It were mine, i would think of getting some of the colored polish/wax. When you rub this in, the scratches vanish! Especially the light scratches like on your baby. This is just a preferance. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

Thanks for your response! I am sort of new to this vehicle stuff... In fact, I've only gotten the beetle roughly a month ago. Can you sort of walk me through the entire process of polishing the scratched surface? Is waxing and polishing the same thing? Is there a specific kind of wax I should get? I was thinking about purchasing a bottle from Mothers(Mothers® Polishes·Waxes·Cleaners) but I am not entirely sure which bottle would work best for my car? :/ Would the bottle of Scratch Remover from Mothers do the job? Any help will be greatly appreciated!

[Volkswoman]

Hi there! I am a professional auto detailer and this is what I do to my NB and other cars that I detail. First off, if the scratches are shallow, first try using a polish. A polish or polishing compound is NOT the same as a rubbing compound. Stay away from rubbing compounds, they add more scratches!! You can tell how deep a scratch is by looking to see if it has gone thru the clear coat AND thru your color coat. Often these nagging little scratches are surface scratches. If your finger nail doesn't get caught in it, it's a surface scratch. Use your tube/bottle of scratch remover or polishing compound, according to directions. Then, I would use the colored wax, as Beetlescott recommended. That usually will blend away the scratch visually. You will need to re-apply the colored wax when the car wash removes it. Turtle Wax makes it and it is called Color Magic. Available at auto parts stores or Amazon.com. It comes in the most popular car colors. I have a whole other method for deep scratches. If you find you need that, send me a PM and I will outline it for you. Good luck!

[fortehlulz]

Thanks for everyones' input so far! I bought a bottle of Scratch Remover from Mothers and rubbed it over the scratches on my bumper. (: Most of it went away but there some still some small rock chips and a couple of scratches. The product wasn't perfect and I didn't expected it to be. Anyway, I then applied a layer of wax over it. So far, I am very satisfied with the results(Pics below)! The only other thing I am concerned about is the white spots near my trunk. D: Perhaps I should just apply some touch up paint over those?

Pics:

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Products Used:

[lilu05]

Originally Posted by Volkswoman

Hi there! I am a professional auto detailer and this is what I do to my NB and other cars that I detail. First off, if the scratches are shallow, first try using a polish. A polish or polishing compound is NOT the same as a rubbing compound. Stay away from rubbing compounds, they add more scratches!! You can tell how deep a scratch is by looking to see if it has gone thru the clear coat AND thru your color coat. Often these nagging little scratches are surface scratches. If your finger nail doesn't get caught in it, it's a surface scratch. Use your tube/bottle of scratch remover or polishing compound, according to directions. Then, I would use the colored wax, as Beetlescott recommended. That usually will blend away the scratch visually. You will need to re-apply the colored wax when the car wash removes it. Turtle Wax makes it and it is called Color Magic. Available at auto parts stores or Amazon.com. It comes in the most popular car colors. I have a whole other method for deep scratches. If you find you need that, send me a PM and I will outline it for you. Good luck!

i dont want to hijack this thread with my own problems but could you please explain to me your method for deep scratches? i backed into somebodies car yesterday whoops. im such an idiot. anyways, there are some deep scratches and light scratches and also my car took some red paint off of the other car and it now has a red scratch mark on it. i could show you pictures if you like. do you have any suggestions for fixing the damage. thankfully i was only going like 3 mph so there is no dents!