I went out of town this week and decided to take the FD for a change. Get it out on the highway and stretch it's legs. The buddy I stayed with has a 2 car garage but half is filled up with crap and he keeps his S4 in the other half. So I parked in the driveway. Came out on the last day in the morning to find cat claw scratches on both sides behind the doors before the hatch. It looks like a cat decided to perch on my car overnight and went up one side and down the other.

This is one of those things that is no ones fault but I would sure like to kick someone in the shin to vent my frustrations. I hope they can be fixed but I am doubtful as black shows everything.

Paint is the only thing I dont mess with on my car - I suspect wet sanding, buffing, clay bar, or something would be the way to possibly fix that but I have never used any of that stuff and am scared to experiment on my car...

I guess its not the end of the world as I still have my health but it sure does hurt my feelings.

 

are you sure that they're scratches as opposed to skid marks from dirt on their paws? have you even tried washing it?

my parents have always had 6 or more cats at their house in the country and i have never seen a cat scratch a car... i've seen hundreds of paw prints and skid marks... they just wash right off though. this is with 4 and at one time 5 cars with good paint. the cats like to sleep on the cars when it's cold.

their australian shepherds can do some damage though, if they get excited when you come home or are chasing something...

 

I can't imagine cat claws are hard/sharp enough to scratch paint... and if they were they should be minor enough to have buffed out worst case scenario.

You sure they're cat scratches, and not evidence of someone tring to break in your car, or another kind of animal outside?

 

Definitely cat scratches...My spit and a finger didnt touch it. It is right on the base of the pillar behind the doors so it was likely skdding down and claws were extended.

I cant feel it with my finger nail but it doesnt wipe off.

 

same thing happened to my fd a few times. damn cats getting into the garage.

 

i'm surprised... must be some rowdy cats out west and down south.

yeah, the first day i got my fd one of the aussies immediately put it's front paws on one of the rear quarter panels trying to get my attention. i love them, but they're such clumsy, stupid animals. try bench pressing in a s4 transmission with a stinky beast licking your face... true story

 

Yah, I have cat scratches on my front passenger fender too. Can't buff those out at alllll. They're really deep.

 

Arrrrggg.....I just called my buddy and gave him instructions to kick every cat in the neighborhood.

 

One time I tried to buff out some deep scratches on my car and I couldn't completely remove them. They were deep enough to catch them with my fingernail. I took my car to a body shop for an estimate to repair the damage expecting a complete respray on the hatch. Instead, the guy assured me that they could just buff them out. Sure enough, went back later to pick up my car and the scratches were gone!! And then they only charged me $25!! Just take it to a body shop and see what they tell you, they shouldn't charge you just to take a look at it.

 

Clay bar doesnt polish.. it lefts off contaminates... dont get mixed up with clay bars and polishers...

 

get a light cut compound and an orbital, you'll be fine, just don't stop moving the orbital. and don't push down.

 

actually clay bars are abrasive. i consider claying like using sandpaper with super fine grit. like 20,000 vs finishing paper that is usually 2000.

 

Yes, you can buff out some fairly deep scratches with great results. A bit of polishing compound and some elbow grease works wonders. If you are GOOD with an orbital polisher, you can try using it, but...be warned, you can go ape-**** on your paint REAL quick this way!

 

That sucks Shawn, sorry to hear it. Sounds like a body shop will be able to take care of the problem pretty cheaply.....

 

About seven year ago I left my windows down and a cat spayed all over the inside of the car. Even after several professional cleanings the car smell like car **** on hot days for years. I almost traded it in over that.

 

That means it isn't too deep and there's hope.

This would be my first line of treatment. You don't even need a power buffer. Some good soft rags and microfiber polishing cloths will do it.

Start with Meguiar's Mirror Glaze #9 Professional Swirl Remover 2.0. Don't let it dry too much. Remove while still a little wet.

Then follow it with Meguiar's Gold Class liquid wax.

 

My car has been sitting out at a track for practically a year and a half...and due to the dust, disuse, etc...it's got a hundred deep scratches everywhere.

After we get it running again, it's getting a repaint, definetly. It's just too damaged to buff out.

 

I couldnt find meguiar's #9 but did find a tube of mequiars X scratch and swirl remover. It did take the scratches out to 95%. I can still see them but it is likely that others can not.

Thanks for the advice and I recommend this product for scratches you cant feel with your fingernail.

 

Yes, it could be hard to find but it's great stuff. If I remember correctly, I bought mine at a classic car museum that has since closed. It's probably available at a place that supplies body shops, or maybe from Meguiar's directly. You could check their website or call them.

Try putting Meguiar's Gold Class or some other super-primo wax over the spot you've treated. It may minimize it even further. So long as the paint isn't down to the primer you can have great success treating these scratches in various ways.