How do I get rid of that Big A$$ Scratch

[Guest]

Honestly, I feel like I would have remember doing it, but a few months ago, oneday, I noticed a long scratch running vertically down the side of my tank. with my fingertips, I can FEEL the scratch.

While my bike is now running like it should, I'm fixated on this annoying scratch to my tank. Please tell me there is a method in which I can remove it or at least make it look...less there

thanks

[paco13]

Is it down through the color or just in the clear?

[maro]

not sure if I can tell. Any way of knowing for sure? any tricks?

[Quandryron]

To fix most scratches I just wetsand the area with some 1000 grit paper. Then I use some 3M rubbing compound. It doesn't usually take very much compound to do the job. Don't worry about sanding too far away from the scratch. At that grit the rubbing compound can make the scratches go away and leave a nice shine. Although, as an afterthought, if you do this it may make the scratched area shine more than the rest and you end up doing the whole part just to make it shine evenly.

[maro]

3M rubbing compound.

Where do I find this? thanks for the help

[Quandryron]

I picked it up at Autozone. I believe it was less than 10 bucks. Been a few months... memory is NOT what it used to be.

[bonanzadave]

Let us know the buffing results. Last spring, while moving the snow shovel from the garage to the back yard shed, I had a little contact with the side of my tank. I hate when that happens !

[TurboChris]

Keep in mind.....theres "Rubbing compound" and theres "Polishing Compound".......they often come in a tin can like car wax used to.....you kinda want them both. Rubbing compound is significantly more abrasive then the Polishing compound.....you can actually feel the grit on you fingers.....so.....use the rubbing compound FIRST...but be care ful as you can buff right through the paint....especially on an edge.....then follow up with the polishing compound to smooth out the roughness in the paint that you've just created......I would try that before wet sanding....THEN if you want to do more......do the wet sanding then the compounds....

[maro]

Keep in mind.....theres "Rubbing compound" and theres "Polishing Compound".......they often come in a tin can like car wax used to.....you kinda want them both. Rubbing compound is significantly more abrasive then the Polishing compound.....you can actually feel the grit on you fingers.....so.....use the rubbing compound FIRST...but be care ful as you can buff right through the paint....especially on an edge.....then follow up with the polishing compound to smooth out the roughness in the paint that you've just created......I would try that before wet sanding....THEN if you want to do more......do the wet sanding then the compounds....

good look on this. thanks for the info. I almost went to the auto store tonight, but it got dark and I got busy with something else. Okay, I'll try that first. Hard to tell how deep the sratch is, but it looks deep. I honestly don't remember anything scratching the tank that hard. annoying.