What solvent to remove sill scratches in thin clear coat?

TrevorS

New member
Hi,

I had to take my Scion to the dealer to have some small scratches removed from the drivers door sill a few years back. I was expecting them to buff them out, but the detailer said the clear coat was too thin in that area for buffing. Instead he poured some solvent on a soft cloth and passed it once over the scratched area. I took a look and the scratches were still evident and so he repeated it, but with a different solvent. It still wasn't right and he did another pass with yet another solvent. That third solvent did the job and had a fairly powerful smell -- had to let the car air out for awhile after getting home. His solution, of course, was to melt the adjacent clear coat into the scratches. I'm trying to find out what that solvent probably was. I noticed my factory touch up paint lists Toluene as its first ingredient. Was the solvent probably Toluene?
 
Last edited:

TAZ

Administrator
Staff member
I have no idea what that could be. Possibly they told you they put on another coat when in fact they spot it in, and you are smelling the clearcoat fumes.
Sounds like it would have been better just to at least 'try' to wetsand and buff them out. If it doesn't work out, then spot it in.

How does he know how thick the clear is lol?
 

TrevorS

New member
This isn't a question of what I was told -- I was right there and personally evaluated the scratch improvement, step by step. I'm just trying to figure out what solvent that guy probably used that did the job. I know it wasn't Acetone or Naphtha. I'm thinking it may have been Toluene, or perhaps even Benzene, though the closest to those I've spotted available is Xylene.
 
Last edited:
Top