On my way back to work from lunch today I hit a tree. The city had the road narrowed for construction but didn't bother cutting back the trees on the right side. I tried to squeeze through but caught my mirror and dragged all the branches down the entire passenger side.

Non of the scratches go all the way to metal and I can't catch a fingernail on any of them either. Any recommendations on how to fix this? I would like to avoid having to repaint the entire side if possible.

Pictures:

Click to make bigger.

 

That's just surface scratches in the clear. It should buff right out. I have a Porter Cable buffer and use Adams products, so I would first attack it with the swirl and haze remover and follow with the fine machine polish. But if you wanted to keep it simple you could go to the store and get some Meguiars Scratch X and buff it out by hand, following that with a coat of wax to protect the paint. You could even clay it first if the paint is rough to the touch.

 

It's tough to tell from the pictures, but a general rule of thumb is that if you can feel a scratch with your fingernail, you're probably not going to be able to get it out. Another general rule of thumb is to start with the least aggressive product & process first. (So put away the rotary with the wool pad and fast cut compound unless you really know what you're doing.)

I'd be willing to bet that most of that will come out with the right machine, process, pads, pressure and products. What do you have available?

 

Glad to hear that most should come out.

Don't have any of the things mentioned here. I may just take it in to a detail shop and have them do it since it's the paint and I don't really trust my self not to mess it up.

 

just make sure you take it to someone good. There are a lot of good shops out there, and there are also a lot of hacks.

You usually get what you pay for. For example, if someone is willing to do that correction for $75, there is probably a reason.