Removing very slight scratches from vinyl stripes?

[nhs156]

I've noticed some very, very fine scratches in one small section of my vinyl stripes. Impossible to see unless you stare at them from just the right angle and in the right light - i.e. VERY fine.

Question is: is there anything I can do to remove them / buff them out? I realize it's vinyl, so the answer may be "no". But they are very slight -basically hairline thin, but about 10 inches long. Possibly achieved from the last time the car was detailed. Any thoughts on how to remove / what product(s) to use?

Thanks guys.

P.S. I love the look of the stripes but the maintenance requirement for the car is a total pain in the rear. Knowing what I know now - I probably would have ordered the car without stripes so that I could just stick it through a car wash without worrying about stripes peeling or scratches!

 

[l337]

I don't have a good answer for you on this one.

However, I don't think deleting the stripes would save you from not being able to go through a car wash. I believe the manual states you can't go through due to the wheels themselves. Not sure if the vert has this problem (18's vs. 19's). Either way, touchless car washes is probably the only automated setup that would be safe and I'm not a big fan of those personally.

Just treat her well (hand washes) and she'll treat you the same. No, that doesn't mean she'll sponge bath you. epper:

 

[Imatk]

I wouldn't bother with trying to correct them if you're going to go through car washes... you'll likely just get them again.

If you are hand-washing just take care around them since they are vinyl and aren't as tough as the paint.

I don't know what kind of stripes you have... if they are matte black (or matte anything) I'm not really sure how you would get the scratches out of the stripe without making the area shiny so in that case, just leave it alone.

If they are shiny stripes, they actually have a small amount of clear on them just like your paint. You could buff them, with a very mild polishing compound. I would definitely do this by hand since it's a small area.

Scratch-X is probably ideal for this situation... comes in a little bottle you can get at almost any auto parts store... follow the instructions and you're good to go.

Having said all of that, if they are truly that hard to notice, you may just want to leave the area alone... you might wind up causing more harm than good.

Difficult to comment on that though without seeing pictures.

 

[5.0 guy]

I think there was a thread about this a while back and the determination was you cannot remove scratches from the stripes, I love the stripes but will never go through an automatic wash due to the fact that my 08 was driven from the dealer to the auto car wash and they damaged a rocker side strip with no miles on the car.

 

[Husky44]

1) Don't try to remove them.
2) Don't stare at them from just the right angle and in the right light. Only you know where that is.
3) If you see someone else standing at just the right angle, and in just the right light, kick them in the shin if they start to stare. They'll move, and won't see them.

FWIW: These stripes are pretty stout; unless you're a knot-head, and aim a pressure washer right at the seam, a car wash is not going to pull them loose. Recommendation on car washes addressing the fact that the wheel faces will rub on steel tracks used in some washes. Don't go in those. The new automatic ones that are suspended from above, without any tracks on the floor won't hurt anything--unless you're trying to keep show-car mirror-perfect paint... Which I'm not.

 

[nhs156]

Thanks guys. Fwiw the car's never been through a car wash. The slight scratches were the result of a very gentle hand wash. I thought I'd read something about a product that would remove very slight scratches in stripes - cant remember the name but saw it posted on here along with a YouTube how-to video. The scratches are matte btw.

 

[289HiPo]

I had some scratches in mine when I first picked up car. White w/ blue stripes. I'm sure from the knucklehead that washed the car at the dealer. Probably had a rag that had been laying on the floor. Anyway, I did the whole zaino treatment. Buffed right out. Looked awesome when finished. Spent about 1/2 day doing the whole deal. If you go on their website you can read all about. Any questions give them a call. They'll give you good recommendations!

 

[Kapy]

Take this advice as you want it.

Get over it. If that is the worst you have to deal with, you are blessed.

If it was one of 5 known original Daytona Coupes hanging around, well maybe and I say maybe a different story.

However the paint quality on your GT500 is way so much better than it was on a original Daytona Coupe.

Hope that helps with your huge dilemma.

Cheers!

 

[5.0 guy]

I disagree, doesn't need to be 1 of five built for a person to want it to be perfect simce its still an abpve averaged price car but I'm on the extreme level of OCD which drives most people nuts. I also used the Zaino products back in the day on my 03 and thought they were great so it's good to know it helps with the stripe scratches. But I think the best point was made by saying dont look at the scratches to long and if someone else notices give them a smack on the back of the head.