Scratches

[hogger]

Hello again funsters

Just back from our two week big trip of the year (I won't talk about the weather honest )
I made the mistake of using google maps for my trip so a lesson learnt the hard way and we were taken down some very iffy roads including those lined with lots of bushes so the van has a lot of fine scratches on it now.
Is there a way of polishing these out? I'm off to halfords today to have a look at what's available in the autoglym range.

 

[dunnah01]

This was all I could get hold of during the 1st lockdown in France

Turtlewax Scratch Repair & Renew | Car Parts 4 Less

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- I was amazed at how well it covered small scratches and also removed the edge from where I'd decided to remove the graphics.

 

[hogger]

Once again people are blaming everyone else for their own mistakes Google maps as far as I'm aware do not drive your van they just inform of the most direct route its up to the driver to look out the window and make a decision that the road looks OK or go oh shit that's a bit narrow there must be a wider road somewhere i will drive on for a bit till an alternative route appears and a satnav of any make may well still send you down unsuitable roads
As for the scratches you need a cutting compound not a polish "T CUT" is a light cutting compound or waot till tomorrow and talk to your local car bodysuit supplier and get something like a Farecla" compound its not the cheapest stuff on the market but its good and it might make think you think about where you drive in future

Well that's me 'telt' then
In real life it's often too late to turn back

 

[hogger]

The scratches may only be in the lacquer finish which can be removed with polish, be wary of using any coarse compound.

I'll take heed thanks. Got autoglym polish for the moment and will see how I get on with it

 

[hogger]

Other navigation apps will take you down the same narrow roads. I bought CoPilot Caravan thinking it would avoid these but it was just as bad and a waste of money. I have gone back to Google Maps but now review the awkward parts of the route in advance using the satellite view and Google’s Street Scene. Usually A roads are ok but in some areas such as the South Hams part of Devon even the A roads are notoriously narrow in places. On B roads I look in advance for white lines and tight bends, if there is no white line you know that the road is not wide enough for 2 large vehicles to pass easily.

It might sound like a long and tedious task to review a day’s routes in advance but with practice it only takes about 5 or 10 minutes to pick out the problem roads and probably saves all of that time by avoiding having to reverse or drive slowly through awkward narrows. As Grummyb says navigation apps have their limitations and if a road looks bad drive past and let the app reroute. It is also worth paying careful attention to the advice given by camp sites, there are many that say do not follow navigation apps and direct you along less direct but better roads.

Many thanks and that is probably the best advice I've had on this subject. I've downloaded and paid for copilot but will heed your advice after talking to a campsite manager who does the same. Review the route on google maps/street view etc and re-route accordingly. We've also decided for any long distance trips in the future we'll buy good old fashioned maps for the areas we're heading. I'm glad I didn't shell out for the Garmin 1090 I was thinking about. For once I was cautious and took my time to read all the reviews. I'm on the Hymer owners forum on FB and many say that the input for dimensions/weight/height are a waste of time.
Thank you for the constructive advice

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[Larrynwin]

I'll take heed thanks. Got autoglym polish for the moment and will see how I get on with it

I remember on one occasion getting scratches along the side of my last RV which had a full paint finish and thankfully polish did the job .

 

[Howard B]

I managed to put some light scratches on my matt black vinyl decals and side window. I have a Fenwicks window scratch remover for the windows, anyone recommend a product fir use on wrap material?Ta H

 

[Speve]

Autoglym resin is a fine cutting polish and will do the trick but make sure you wax it afterwards or you’ll lose the shine pretty quickly

 

[Al n Val]

Cheers, Yes I have scratches right down the decals too going to get a garmin for next trip. I've read about using the apps on your phone but mixed reviews on those.
I just watched a vid of a guy removing fine scratches using 3000 and 5000 grit sandpaper.... then polish then wax, came out good but I'm not sure about putting sandpaper near the van

whoever said sandpaper needs gelding, how misleading can anyone get

wet & dry yes but definitely not sand paper

 

[andy63]

As it happens I've just been cleaning up bits on my hab area.. if its just light marks the liquid compounds are good.. Still hard work
If its a repair them once you have it down to say 1200 wet and dry you can finish with the rubbing compounds..