Help with scratch removal

the other day the snow plow decided to remove snow and asphalt from the street and onto my truck. I tried very carefully to remove the snow but it wasn't enough unfortunately. Is this something that can be removed by hand or do I need a machine? It's a 2017 MGM fwiw . Some scratches cannot be felt with a fingernail besides the deeper one on the left which is barely felt

 

Were they big rocks? Just from looking at the photo, it doesn't TOO bad (except for the big one). If your fingernail doesn't catch, you can usually get 'em out. Doesn't hurt to try. If you can't get them out, a pro can.

You're best bet is almost always using a machine, especially because it saves your arms from wearing out! If you don't have one yet, Harbor Freight sells a good, inexpensive dual-action polisher, and I've had good luck with it. Otherwise Porter and Cable is the usual Go-To DA polisher.

Scratch Remover => Polish => Sealant/Wax => good to go!

 

thanks for the help.. i did a quick attempt today. I used a clay bar, 3m compound by hand then glaze and a quick coat of wax. Luckily most of it came out. the deep part is still barely visible under a certain angle. I'm sure when the temps come back up and i hit it with a machine ill get it back to almost good!

 

Good to hear! I've tried removing scratches by hand, and they never really come out very easily. Using a machine is much faster and does a better job, in my experience (or I'm just not that good at doing it by hand).

 

Looks pretty good, but I think you'll find that a glaze does quite a bit of (temporary) filling / hiding of defects and will wear off pretty quickly. If that's all you want to do, then I guess that's ok. But if you really want to remove / correct the scratches, then you've got to go a bit further. And remember, compound it pretty aggressive and although it will correct quickly, you need to back down a few notches after using it. That would mean a less aggressive polish, pad and technique to finesse the area and blend it in with the rest of the hood. The last step of course is to protect it with a good coat of your favorite wax or sealant.

 

Thanks appreciate the info. When the weather allows I'll hit it with a polish.. just have to buy a machine first. I saw chemical guys have a sale today on eBay with some pads that I may buy

 

Used correctly (proper pads, products & process), a machine not only makes the job a ton easier, but dramatically improves the end results.

 

Use some Mequir's Ultimate compound, then polish and rewax. The scratch will be gone.

 

Well you are right. The scratch came back

 

You could also try using a one of the power drill polisher attachments. The one I have is called a gumball (IIRC), not to be confused with a power ball, and it has gotten out some pretty nasty scrapes that looked like they were going to require paint work at a body shop. These have not been scratches either, they have been full-on scrapes from asshats in parking lots, or trail damage. I usually go back afterwords with some Meguiar's polisher like @Boilerman mentioned, and have yet to be unsuccessful fixing them on my own.

 

Bummer. I hate it when I'm right. But as my fiancé always says, "Fortunately, you're not right all that often."