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Scratches caused by overhanging trees


Knauser

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I wonder if anybody can advise me how best to get rid of tree branch scratches that we sustained on a French campsite with quite low lying palm trees. The leaf edges are quite sharp and we scratches both sides and all along the length of our Knaus Sun ti

 

Thanks in advance

 

Nick

 

 

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I think you probably need to distinguish between sap stains and actual scratches, Nick. If sap stains from rubbing against vegetation, which is what I suspect, some careful polishing is all that should be required. The main warning is not to overdo it, especially on the relatively thin paint skin on coated aluminium sheet coachbuilt bodywork.

 

If there are actual scratches into the paint, or worse, creases in the aluminium bodywork, you'll need to touch-in and gently rob back and polish, or possibly fill smooth and paint, the marks, as for any damaged car bodywork.

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This Auto Express article may be of interest

 

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/86280/best-scratch-removers-2017

 

Some years ago I rubbed my Hobby motorhome against the overhanging roof of a Brittany Ferries check-in booth at Portsmouth, resulting in a long graze high on the motorhome’s right side-wall. Fortunately the paint layer had not been penetrated and the paint on the Hobby’s aluminium skin proved to be pretty thick. Eventually, after several polishing sessions, I managed to remove the mark so that it was virtually invisible.

 

Whatever scratch-removing/polishing product is used, great care needs to be taken not to polish right through the paint.

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Thank you to all of you have replied. Thankfully they are superficial, definitely no dents, so as Brian suggested probably sap related.

 

After i posted yesterday my wife did further internet searches and came across an old forum which mentioned Farecia G10 Finishing Compound, so a quick visit to Amazon had it delivered earlier today.

 

I'm now wondering to i need a bodywork finishing machine or should i just do it by hand.

 

I'm thinking hand to start with, and i take onboard advice to treat it gently!

 

Nick

 

 

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I've used this on my boat but you need to be very careful as it is slightly abrasive so removes a small layer of paint. It can be used by hand or machine.

 

If it is sap, you should feel a raised profile when you draw your fingernail over it. If it is, and it won't come off with hot soapy water, you could try a weak turpentine solution.

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Average thickness of paint including the varnich which is of the same material is about 100 Micron for cars.Only trucks have thicker layers on the varnish top coat. It is and always been a work for a craftsmen. This includes cleaning of the paint work. If you have them on the decorations it get even worser to repair. The paint on alu plate is not the same as on GFK like gelcoats. A huge problem is the UV impact of white paint on different subsrates start to be come yellow If you have this on your front mirrors, recoat them in black. You can also go for nano or ceramic coatng of tour top layer.
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Please don't use G10 on your motorhome unless you really know what you are doing as it is quite an aggressive compound for motorhomes. Better to use Autoglym Single Resin Polish, this will get light tree scratches out and is only mildly aggresive. Also remember when using any polish that you need to apply a wax afterwards, if you don't the surface will soon go dull as it's unprotected from the elements.
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I think you mean Autoglym “Super Resin Polish”?

 

https://www.autoglym.com/super-resin-polish

 

Autoglym markets “Paint Renovator” that’s more abrasive

 

https://www.autoglym.com/paint-renovator

 

and I used that initially on my Hobby motorhome’s ‘graze’.

 

But (as has been emphasised above) any approach using abrasive products needs to be carried out VERY carefully.

 

 

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Thanks again to all contributors. All excellent stuff. I'm thinking i'm going to try the G10 on my boat first, I race dinghies! Which is going into the workshop for a lot of dings and scratches to be fixed, so on the basis of its going back to the boat builder if i get too enthusiastic it will be fixed professionally next month!

 

I like the autoglym idea as that seems a safer option, so i'm going to explore that.

 

Nick

 

 

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