Product Description

Nu Finish Scratch Doctor

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #230 in Automotive
• Brand: Nu Finish
• Model: NFS-05
• Released on: 2005-01-04
• Dimensions: 6.50" h x 1.75" w x 2.50" l, 8.12 pounds

Features

• Rated #1 Surface Scratch Remover
• Will not leave scratches behind
• Safe for clear coat surfaces

Customer Reviews

Excellent product for those who know what to do
This is an excellent product for those who know a thing or two about car scratches and what to expect. If you are hoping to remove a deep key scratch, then this product may not be for you.


I have read several reviews that rated this product fairly poor. As somebody who has used Nu Finish Scratch Doctor many times, I believe that people who did not get good results either did not use this product correctly or tried to treat wrong kind of scratches with it. If you want to get ANY scratch removed completely, please see your favorite body shop. They will charge you a lot of money and they will definitely remove the scratches. However, if you want to save money and remove light (with emphasis on "light" scratches yourself), then Nu Finish is worth a try.

After putting my car through several Sierra Nevada and desert trails, I ended up with Arizona pinstripes all over the vehicle. Upon careful inspection, I concluded that the scratches were not deep enough and I used Nu Finish Scratch Doctor to remove 95% of them. It took several hours and of washing and prepping the car followed by several coats of the product. The results were marvelous! However, what worked for me may not work for you and here is why.

Let's take a clean un-waxed standard car. It will have the following layers:

1. Clear coat.
2. Paint.
3. Primer.
4. Body.

The scratch can be present in any of the layers shown above. Nu Finish will work only if the scratch is in the clear coat and if the scratch does not penetrate the clear coat layer too much (up to around 50-70% based on my experience). There are two ways to deal with scratches: Fill them in or smooth out the edges. Nu Finish Scratch Doctor takes the second approach. It is an abrasive-based product that will help you to sand down the scratch. What you have to do is to clean the car and then remove as much residue as possible by drying the car with a microfiber towel and possibly applying a clay bar cleaning system (search for Mother's Clay Bar). After all dirt and particles are gone, you have to apply a coat of Nu Finish and let it sit for some time. Then get a clean polishing cloth and rub it perpendicular to the scratch. You may have to repeat this process several times, but eventually it will either completely eliminate the scratch or make it almost invisible. The trick is to know what to expect. You should allocate enough time to complete the job because you have to be extremely careful about the application. Specifically, you will have to test this product in a safe place first and then after you are done you must apply a layer of wax in order to preserve the paint.

If the scratch is too deep, then your best bet is to see a detailing specialist. Run your nail perpendicular to the scratch. If it catches, Nu Finish will not help. As a matter of fact, no other hand applied product may work for you and what you need is a professional circular polisher and perhaps some wet sanding. If you are reading replies on Amazon, you are probably not a professional detailer and applying sand paper to clear coat may seem barbarian too you. That is why I strongly recommend anybody who have any doubts to do more research online, join an appropriate forum or see a body shop if products like Nu Finish or 3M Glaze do not help. These items are really good as long as you know what you are treating. Too many people buy scratch removers to treat deep scratches that go through clear coat, paint and touch metal. Those are extreme cases and you should not expect a product that costs less than $10 to fix them.

Job Well Done!
I am in the unfortunate position of living near kids that feel the need to write their names on my dusty pickup truck. And one of them decided to key a heart into the black paint of my hood.
Luckily whatever utensil was used for this artwork only effected the clear coat from what I could tell. It took several applications (about 4) for the scratch to be removed.

I was a little skeptical at first, but I am now going to use it to remove swirl/scratch marks that have been on my motorcycle for years.

Oustanding Product - I'm an auto NewBee - But I got some Amazing Results
Note: custom images above are mine, They are of my Dark Gray 2009 Toyota Camry

INTRODUCTION:

I recently bought a used 2009 Toyota Camry. I am very excited about this car. I found multiple scratches though in different areas, primarily on the back left side and the back trunk, as shown in the images. They made me sad. So I started reviewing scratch removers and came across this one, the Nu Finish Scratch Doctor, after comparing other products and reading Mr Z's outstanding review, I purchased the product. I also went and picked up; two microfiber pads, cotton hand towels, and some turtle wax.

Most of the scratches I was dealing, I presumed, were in the clear coat. I determined this by running my finger nail across them as Mr Z suggested and found my nail glided over most of them easily, it caught on a few including the one on the side shown in the lower left of the images I posted. There were a few chips from rocks, but there's not really anything I can do about those, I am guessing I just need to keep wax over them so that the paint doesn't start chipping away around them.

FIRST APPLICATION:

After giving the Camry a nice wash, I dried it off and stuck it in the garage where I could control the lighting as I took pictures and examined the scratches.

I started out by applying the Nu Finish product in small dabs to my microfiber pad and then running the cream along the scratches to outline them. I then proceeded to move along the scratch rubbing back and forth perpendicular to the scratch until it was all evenly spread out. I continued to do this on all the other scratches I could find around the vehicle while I waited for where I first started to dry. I even tried it on some bigger rock chips.

Once dry (10 mins for me on a 50 degree day, I probably could have waited longer), I took my second microfiber pad and wiped up the area.

FIRST APPLICATION RESULTS:

I was very impressed with the first application. It seemed to reduce the scratches visibility by 60%-70%. It didn't really do anything for the bigger rock chips, but I didn't expect it too, can't really do anything about those.

SECOND APPLICATION:

After 5 mins I proceeded with a second application in the same manner as the first, but this time, because I was so pleased with the first app, I purposely looked for the tiniest of scratches and applied it to them.

SECOND APPLICATION RESULTS:

It seemed to reduce the visibility to almost 90%. I could only see the scratches on the side if I look very close and at an angle where the sky reflected off of them, basically laying on the flow. I was very happy. I thought about doing a third coat, but I wanted to see how the first two coats hold up over the next few weeks. I'll give an update on that in a few weeks.

WAX TIME:

As suggested by Mr Z, I waxed the areas that I applied the Nu Finish to help reserve the paint. I think the wax helped even more.

CONCLUSION:

I am extremely happy so far. I will give an update in a couple of weeks to let you know if the scratches became more visible again over time.

I do want to reflect on what Mr Z said. If you know what you are doing and what to expect, then you will be satisfied. The products not going to take out deep scratches, but, for those encounters with trees, it should do the job well.

I could probably get even better results with more applications, but for now, I'm happy with two.