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Dec. 24, 2011 12:07 a.m. nderwater SuperDork

I hit some debris on the highway which scraped the side sill of my car. I cleaned the area and luckily the scratches buffed out after wet sanding with 1500 grit sandpaper. The 'fixed' area looks great when wet, but the finish in the sanded area is cloudy when dry. Will waxing the sanded area resolve the cloudiness, or does the spot need to be re-cleared? If so, is there a cheap way to DIY the job? Will waxing a sanded spot cause more problems if I do decide to paint it later?

I know very little of paint care or detailing (paint doesn't make the car faster) so I'd really appreciate the advice. Thanks!
Dec. 24, 2011 12:43 a.m. DuctTape&Bondo Reader

Polishing compound if you didn't go too deep on the wetsanding. Dual action polisher with an aggressive polish for best results, almost foolproof for anyone as long as the area is and surrounding is clean. Waxing may hide the defect but wax is meant more for protecting and enhancing gloss, not fix them, and wax is temporary. If you wanna try by hand, Meguiars swirl x or scratch x, a foam applicator and lots of muscle and multiple passes.

In the future, try polishing the scrapes out first, you'd be amazed. Always a good idea to start with the least aggressive options.
Dec. 24, 2011 8:00 a.m. Tim Suddard Publisher

Yes, you can always get more aggressive if you need to. You could even try feathering a little clear in and buffing that, if nothing else works. And by feathering, I mean you don't want a hard edge, unless it is along a moulding seam or door gap.
Dec. 24, 2011 8:59 a.m. gLockman37 New Reader

as the others have said, sounds like you have to polish out the area you color sanded, the fact that the color looks good when it gets wet is a good sign so it should polish up ok. If you have a DA it or orbital I'd use that, in a pinch I've had good luck using the Mother's power ball that chucks up on a power drill (just use a cordless drill, more powerful corded models can blow it apart). As others have said I'd start with something less aggressive (meguiars scratch x should do you fine) if you need something more aggressive I'd try meguiars fine cut cleaner (its a mirror glaze line product, in the beige bottles), I've had pretty good luck with it by hand and with a machine.
Dec. 24, 2011 9:11 p.m. nderwater SuperDork

Thanks everyone!
Dec. 25, 2011 8:23 a.m. motomoron HalfDork

^ Yes ^

2500 - 2000 - 1500 - Heavy cut polish - Medium cut polish - Fine cut polish - Swirl remover - glaze - Wax.

I had to take down a couple small sags in the clear when I shot the bed of my truck recently. I cut them back with a nib file, brought the sag to level with 600 wet, feathered w/ 800/1000 wet, the brought the gloss back with 1500/medium polish-fine cut cleaner-wash-wax.

(Note: I use the Meguiars products + their 8" foam pads: Burgundy cutting, yellow polishing, beige shine)
Dec. 25, 2011 10:10 a.m. wclark New Reader

Regarding clearcoat. If you dont get the body color on your polishing pad or cloth when applying polish then the clearcoat isnt gone, just dulled by the 1500 sanding. All you need to do is go thru a progression of finer and finer abrasives/polishes until it is shiny when dry.