So I tried to get some minor scratches out of my wife's Passat with some buffing compound and immediately realized that I screwed up. The compound was way too abrasive. I've tried to recover the surface with scratch remover, less abrasive compound, among other products to no avail. Now the surface is very smooth, but you can still see where it's cloudy. My next thought is to wet sand with 1000, then 1500, then 2000 to bring back the clear coat. Then compound with the correct product and then use a sealant. Did this to my boat and it came out great.

What do you guys think?

Thanks

 

I would avoid the sanding and stick with less abrasive polish as you have a very limited amount of clear coat to work with.... it may take repeated polishing but the less aggressive the better and try to spread out the area you are polishing so it blends.... and keep that rubbing compound far away!
(I did something similar with my Thule roof top carrier )

 

your boat is gelcote, much, much thicker and harder than car paint...

 

yeah definitely polishing, try a good polish like the meguiars mirror glaze 205 ultra finishing compound, then wax