I scratched my trunk, hitting it against my Christmas tree, which was mounted on the roof.

Next time, I'm going to make sure I never have to open my trunk, when I go get my Christmas tree.

What does everyone think of the scratches? Is this something a detailer can make better?

I texted a detailer I'd used before last year from some scratches, but I never made an appointment. I'm thinking that if these new ones can be fixed, I'll make an appointment and try to get all of these things fixed that are possible.

They're the vertical marks on the bottom. I can take more pictures if necessary.

 

Kinda hard to tell how deep they are in the pic... but I would think there's a fair chance a detaler could use a rubbing compound and possibly buff them out completely... certainly make it a lot less noticeable.

 

From your picture, I can't tell at all what I'm looking at. You need to post some pictures taken in better light.

 

Hmmm. Placing a tree, any tree on your roof is a no-no... No trees, furniture, groceries, etc...

 

Yep. I would never put a Christmas tree or anything else on the roof of any vehicle. At a minimum, doing so is likely to cause surface scratches. Also, I would never set a package or anything else on the trunk lid. Doing so is likely to cause whatever you have set on the trunk lid to act like sandpaper and result in, at a minimum, surface scratches. And those surface scratches are going to be more visible on a horizontal surface than they would be on a vertical surface.

 

Millions of people strap christmas trees to their roofs guys. I've done it many, many times (every year, to be exact). I don't use a sedan, but I've always had an SUV/minivan in the house to use. As long as you're careful, use a blanket or something to protect the paint, it will be fine.

As for the scratches, can you feel them when you rub over them?

 

I've been doing a tree on my roof since 2016, when I switched to getting larger trees, instead of a tabletop size (which would fit in my trunk). Haven't had any issues before.

Also, I only have one car.

I probably didn't have to open the trunk, in prior years. This time, I had to open the trunk to get something out, and I banged the car trunk against the tree trunk. Next time, I'm going to make sure I put anything I'll need in one of the passenger door areas.

Yes, a blanket / towel is a good idea, I'm going to bring that next time too.

Yes, I can feel the scratches. I'll take another picture and post it.

 

If you can feel them, they cant be fully removed. That doesnt mean they cant be made to look much better.

 

https://i.imgur.com/uq9J4HO.jpg

 

Thanks.

I'll probably bring some kind of towel or bed sheet to cover the top of the trunk area for next time too.

 

So what you need is a tube of Meguiars Scratch X and two microfiber towels. Put a pea sized amount on the one towel, and rub it into each scratch paralell to the scratch, and work it in until it breaks down and goes almost clear, then buff off with the clean MF towel. You may need to do that several times, switch to a clean section of the first MF towel for each application of Scratch X

You can buy the Scratch X wherever car products are sold.

 

"Careful" is the key word. Yes, using something like a soft blanket can help to protect the paint, but, if the car has lots of dust/dirt sitting on its surface, the slight movement of the cargo over the blanket and the slight movement of the blanket can cause the dust or dirt to act like sandpaper on the car's finish, and that can put surface scratches, or worse, into the car's finish.

 

I also always make sure the car is clean before strapping a tree to the roof.

 

Another good tip, thanks. The roof was fairly clean because it had rained the day before. Not saying that's the same as a car wash, but the rain did remove some of the dirt that had been there.

 

My preferred choice of products to use for minor scratch removal or reduction would be the 3M Machine Glaze and 3M Hand Glaze. I would start with the Machine Glaze, which is a bit more abrasive than the Maguiar's Scratch X, but it is still only mildly abrasive. Then, I would finish with the Hand Glaze. It's level of abrasiveness is similar to that of the Scratch X, and finishing the job with Hand Glaze will restore any shine that might have been slightly dulled by the Machine Glaze.

A good number of shops use the 3M Machine Glaze and Hand Glaze. They aren't cheap. A bottle of each costs between $25 and $30, but they do a great job, and a bottle of each should last for quite a few years. I've probably had the same bottle of Machine Glaze for 25 years, and there is still plenty of product left in the bottle. As long as you don't let the bottle freeze, it will not deteriorate over time.