# Car Wet Sanding Mistake **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [October 16, 2023, 4:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wet-sanding-mistake/193401 "2023-10-16T16:23:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sup111port\_187284](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@sup111port\_187284](https://community.cartalk.com/u/sup111port_187284)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2023, 4:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wet-sanding-mistake/193401/1 "2023-10-16T16:23:58Z")
Hi guys. I was trying to repair a scratch and after wet sanding it I see a patch appeared. I think I might of over sanded my scratch with the 3000 grit sand paper. (I was using my hand directly, not with a block) But I’m not sure. Does someone know how to fix this? Please help, thank you! ![IMG_9487](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/7/1/71937b22d83a2f32c2ca9e4625b40f1fe2b9e87a.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2023, 4:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wet-sanding-mistake/193401/2 "2023-10-16T16:41:04Z")
> **[How to Wet Sand a Clear Coat: 14 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow](https://www.wikihow.com/Wet-Sand-a-Clear-Coat)** > > Nearly 95 percent of all cars manufactured today are finished with a clear coat paint job. This is the glossy finish that most drivers expect from a new car's body, and it helps protect the paint on your car. Tester ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2023, 5:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wet-sanding-mistake/193401/3 "2023-10-16T17:20:30Z")
You sanded through the clear. You need to re-spray the clearcoat. There are internet sources for spray cans of the proper clear as well as liquids that can be sprayed with a paint gun. ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2023, 5:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wet-sanding-mistake/193401/4 "2023-10-16T17:27:08Z")
Looks like the scratches went through the clear coat and it is peeling. What about these other marks? Looks like a rough bumper cover. ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/e/2/e22fa1d093296d2b880882de56a9d6e425143627.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2023, 6:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wet-sanding-mistake/193401/5 "2023-10-16T18:52:05Z")
Yeah sometimes you just need to know when to stop. You use the high grit paper to remove dust nibs, over spray, or orange peel. Then you polish with compound. once you expose the color coat underneath the repair will always show. As suggested, the quick answer is just to spray a few coats off clear on top for protection, sand the overspray, and polish. Might be time though to order some matching color and clear and re paint the entire section. Trying to level a deep scratch with clear is easier said than done though. ---
**Author:** ![sup111port\_187284](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@sup111port\_187284](https://community.cartalk.com/u/sup111port_187284)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2023, 8:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wet-sanding-mistake/193401/6 "2023-10-16T20:30:54Z")
Okay thank you! ---
**Author:** ![sup111port\_187284](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@sup111port\_187284](https://community.cartalk.com/u/sup111port_187284)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2023, 8:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wet-sanding-mistake/193401/7 "2023-10-16T20:33:21Z")
Yup I haven’t worked on those part yet. I have scratches at multiple places and I thought I would work on a small part first to see how it goes as this was my first time doing something like this. ![IMG_9492](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/6/0/60710fa161c61f605380ccebaf146c3de4e41411.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![sup111port\_187284](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@sup111port\_187284](https://community.cartalk.com/u/sup111port_187284)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2023, 8:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wet-sanding-mistake/193401/8 "2023-10-16T20:35:38Z")
Yeah thank you. I didn’t expect it to be so hard, I was following some YouTube videos , and the scratch just wasn’t disappearing even after sanding. I think I misjudged it as a clear coat scratch. And after sanding the patch appeared ☹ ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2023, 8:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wet-sanding-mistake/193401/9 "2023-10-16T20:39:20Z")
Therefore order two or three cans of color and the same clear from and do the whole dang bumper. Cost will be around $100 and a month wait but the match will be perfect. Our friends from automotive touch [up.Com](http://up.Com) agree. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2023, 8:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wet-sanding-mistake/193401/10 "2023-10-16T20:40:32Z")
> [@sup111port\_187284](#): > > I didn’t expect it to be so hard, It’s not “hard” so much as it is time consuming. You seem to be on the right path. Suggest to just take your time. If it takes 6 week or 6 months to complete the job, that’s how long it takes. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2023, 8:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wet-sanding-mistake/193401/11 "2023-10-16T20:45:42Z")
You can do the whole job on a Saturday, but if you don’t know how to use a spray can, go buy a couple cheap spray cans from the farm store and practice getting no runs on a wheel barrow or something. ---
**Author:** ![sup111port\_187284](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@sup111port\_187284](https://community.cartalk.com/u/sup111port_187284)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2023, 8:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wet-sanding-mistake/193401/12 "2023-10-16T20:48:47Z")
Yeah I actually bought the paint already. They come in primer, paint and clear coat. I bought it in paint form instead of spray as I thought it would be easier to work with ☹ I worked on a part of the scratch yesterday and applied primer. I wasn’t sure how long I need to let the primer rest, I searched online and it said a day. ---
**Author:** ![sup111port\_187284](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@sup111port\_187284](https://community.cartalk.com/u/sup111port_187284)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2023, 8:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wet-sanding-mistake/193401/13 "2023-10-16T20:52:03Z")
Okay thank you! It definitely is time consuming! ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2023, 9:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wet-sanding-mistake/193401/14 "2023-10-16T21:33:51Z")
Are those scratches or paint scuffs? Because if they’re paint scuffs, before I would go at the body with sand paper, I would try this. [![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/8/f/8f7251d7de71507e54128449488fbd2ccb71d5d9.jpeg "Nu Finish Scratch Doctor Commercial") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koOZ87rjJ6w) Tester ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2023, 9:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wet-sanding-mistake/193401/15 "2023-10-16T21:45:57Z")
I think we are missing something in the translation. Did you buy the little touch up bottles with a brush in them, or did you get a pint of automotive paint mixed and the proper reducer, hardener, etc? If just a spot, no big deal, but you can’t do the whole bumper with a brush. That’s why you just get the spray cans if you don’t have a spray gun etc. if you just plan to touch up all the spots, fine, but if you want a new looking bumper, gonna need to spray it. ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 10:23am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-wet-sanding-mistake/193401/16 "2023-10-17T10:23:57Z")
I agree, those white areas look like paint transfer. Commercial products designed to remove paint scuffs would be my first attempt or actually, something more generic like mineral spirits. Make sure the area is clean and dry first. You don’t want to scratch the paint because there was dirt on the paint before you started rubbing it with mineral spirits…