Atlas Owners? or Anyone with Atlas knowledge

[foleyx4]

Anybody out there own an Atlas? We are wondering how to remove scratches from a tree branch that hit the top, side and the right window. We tried some wax that says removes scratches, but only helped a little.

[lsbrodsky]

I am only jumping in here because I own an Airstream also in New Bern. From what I can see about the Atlas, it has metallic paint. But whether it is fiberglass or metal, painted, you have no doubt scratched the clearcoat and maybe the paint. Treat that as if it were a scratched car. If the clearcoat scratch is not too deep there are some products that will buff it out; if it is deeper then you may have to fill and blend more clearcoat. If you scratched the paint underneath then you need a paint scratch repair kit for the specific paint. I think many of us have simply endured tree scratches as a badge of use, especially after the first one....
Larry

[Lily&Me]

You can buy little clear coat pens that do an amazing job on scratches.

Maggie

[foleyx4]

Thank you. Now you are sounding like my husband. I understand scratches, but it hurts to get the first "set" of scratches.

[foleyx4]

Thank you. We will try anything!

[Hawk-ination]

Go to a body shop, they buff their own issues out all the time. Probably charge you a hundred or two to fix it up for you. There are specialized mixed paint in what amounts to fingernail polish bottles even. We sell it in our store. Shouldn't be a problem for them if you don't want to go it alone. There's buffing compound and polish available at most real auto parts stores and you can use them yourself, but I personally wouldn't want to learn how on my high dollar vehicle. Easily fixed by experts.

[foleyx4]

Thank you for your advice. It is not that noticeable, except to us when we wash it. We used some wax that we had on hand and it didn't do a lot of good. We will probably go to the auto store and buy some better compound and polish and try that the next time we wash it.

[ScottP]

Originally Posted by foleyx4

Thank you for your advice. It is not that noticeable, except to us when we wash it. We used some wax that we had on hand and it didn't do a lot of good. We will probably go to the auto store and buy some better compound and polish and try that the next time we wash it.

Why?

If you have a laceration on your forehead, would you use a needle and thread instead of seeking a trained plastics professional?

Is there a badge of honor for “learning” on your $200k vehicle?

What’s to be gained by trying to fix it yourself? What’s to be lost?

Strategy:

Will you get polishing compound or rubbing compound?

Will you apply from the can, or will you dilute the substance?

How hard will you press down?

Will you rub in-line of the scratches or in a clockwise circular motion?

Or should you rub counterclockwise?

Will you buy or rent a buffing wheel?

How many layers of clear coat will you go through? Is that good or bad?

Can you blend the clear coat and achieve a uniform appearance or will the area you’ve scratched and rubbed look flat in appearance?

Are there more products to try after that?

How large will the area expand to outside of the scratches?

After you’ve “learned” on your new $200k vehicle, I promise you’ll be visiting a body shop, and the invoice will be a lot more than $100-$200.

[ScottP]

Originally Posted by ScottP

Why?

If you have a laceration on your forehead, would you use a needle and thread instead of seeking a trained plastics professional?

Is there a badge of honor for “learning” on your $200k vehicle?

What’s to be gained by trying to fix it yourself? What’s to be lost?

Strategy:

Will you get polishing compound or rubbing compound?

Will you apply from the can, or will you dilute the substance?

How hard will you press down?

Will you rub in-line of the scratches or in a clockwise circular motion?

Or should you rub counterclockwise?

Will you buy or rent a buffing wheel?

How many layers of clear coat will you go through? Is that good or bad?

Can you blend the clear coat and achieve a uniform appearance or will the area you’ve scratched and rubbed look flat in appearance?

Are there more products to try after that?

How large will the area expand to outside of the scratches?

After you’ve “learned” on your new $200k vehicle, I promise you’ll be visiting a body shop, and the invoice will be a lot more than $100-$200.

Ok - I apologize if that sounded grumpy.

Not my intent.

Let’s just apply a bit of common sense and a measurement of Risk vs Reward

[Hawk-ination]

Not to come back in, but if I sounded grumpy from my first sentence, I apologize also. I think I missed a word or two that would have softened my comment.

Seriously, a body shop would not flinch at that. I owned one with my ex and stil sell paint to them being in the automotive aftermarket business. They could fix you up in about 20 minutes or less. They buff out scratches and paint gobs even on their own paint jobs all the time. Do not fret! But your choice by far!

If it makes you feel better, we put our coach in storage for less than a week at one of our stores, and had to take it in for an EGR valve to the shop. It was out of our hands for less than a week as I said, and it has a pretty big scarf on the back corner and in the bumper that I'll have to take in to get fixed. I'm not pleased at all, it barely has a scratch in it, well, until now. I know every little paint chip on my baby...

[Krikati]

Hi all,

Glad I ran across the Atlas Forum. We're new Atlas owners so we'll appreciate any advice or hints. Anybody out there towing a vehicle with their Atlas? We're thinking about buying a dolly and towing our Prius. What do you think?

Thanks, Krikati