Scratch Removal Recommendations

[Colivia]

Now that I've had the car a few days I'm starting to notice that there are several scratches. On this deep sea blue the white undercoat just makes them stand out even more. I think a body shop repaint would be overkill (and too expensive).

My only prior experience with external detailers wasn't good. On my 2007 328i Sparkling Graphite Metallic I had it detailed and the swirl marks left by the detailer made it look worse than just living with the scratches, and this was from a 5-star rated Angie's list firm at the time.

I emailed a few auto detailers and they are saying that since I can see the white primer, despite being very thin, that an external detail and wax/buff may not blend them out anyway.

I noticed there are some scratch removal companies around here in the DC Metro area. Any recommendations?

I am not opposed to trying to wax/buff myself but have never done it personally before and would need some handholding.

Damn this OCD!!!

[pseto]

If you're talking just swirls, you may want to look into detailers that perform paint protection where they specifically remove the swirls; a general wax job won't really do anything to get swirls out of the clear coat. And then there's always ceramic coatings and/or clear bras once you have the swirls gone for the ultimate protection.

[John in VA]

If you have scratches through the clear & color coats down to the primer coat you're stuck touching up or repainting. Are you certain the white is not wax or polish residue embedded in the scratches?
There are detailers, and there are detailers (sorry, Angie's List!), with varying skills & experience. If you've not buffed or polished before (especially with a machine, as correction by hand is very tedious & time-intensive) I would not suggest your first try be with a dark blue car! Bring it to the detailing workshop on April 3rd and get an in-person professional opinion:
http://forum.nccbmwcca.org/showthrea...A)-*-New-Date*

[Colivia]

If you have scratches through the clear & color coats down to the primer coat you're stuck touching up or repainting. Are you certain the white is not wax or polish residue embedded in the scratches?
There are detailers, and there are detailers (sorry, Angie's List!), with varying skills & experience. If you've not buffed or polished before (especially with a machine, as correction by hand is very tedious & time-intensive) I would not suggest your first try be with a dark blue car! Bring it to the detailing workshop on April 3rd and get an in-person professional opinion:
http://forum.nccbmwcca.org/showthrea...A)-*-New-Date*

I'll be there, thanks!