Buff scratches out of the truck
 

My truck is starting to look a little rough. It has at least 1 scratch in every panel. I should take it to a professional and have it done, but I'd kind of like to learn.

Can someone point me in the right direction please?

Buffing a car or truck is nothing like doing a boat. It is very easy to burn through the paint/clear coat especially on the edges. If you have never done this before I would recommend an orbital waxer with a fine compound verses a buffer. The waxer may not be enough to get the scratches out though. For some one who has never done this I would say spend a few hundred and take it to a reputable detail shop and tell them what you want.

It's a truck. Let it ride....

To be honest, I have been letting my truck ride. However, my kids just put a nice scratch in my girls new car.

I have a big pile of shii sitting on the driveway that I can practice on. So I figured I could practice on the junker, get better on my truck, then fix her car easy.

But you guys are saying it's that hard?

Not hard. Just run the buffer at slow speeds. Keep away from edges and keep the buffer moving(don't stay in one spot). Definitely practice on the junker. I would recomend using a fine cut compound.

clay bar it first... the polish out scratches, then wax...

Check out www.adamspolishes.com. They have a lot of great products and instructional videos to get your paint looking better than new.

clay bar then a polish such as menzerna , also the best tool for this as you are a novice is the flex tool 3401, very pricey but worth every penny!!! i use it on my houseboat, supra 24ssv, truck and cars, check out properautocare.com outstanding customer service and support as to what products you need.

Thanks a lot guys this is the stuff I'm looking for. I'm a big do-it-yourselfer. I actually look forward to new challanges.

if they arent that bad you can get some polish put it on there then get a buffer and keep the buffer at about a 15 degrees angle and just go over the scratches 2 or 3 times if that dont work. you need to get some really fine sandpaper and wet sand it and then buff it out.

Just use a scotchbrite pad on the whole truck. Then at least it will all look the same, you won't have to worry about scratches.