Light scratches on carbon fiber TZ lid

Hey everyone,So I bought this TZ as a refurb from Sony. I didn't notice at first, but there are a couple superficial scratches on the lid that are apparent in direct light. What would be the best way to get rid of it? I have some auto paint buffing products that I've used on carbon fiber pieces, but those had been clearcoated IIRC. What can I do about light scratches on the TZ's lid?

 

i'd forget about em, and just think about them as giving character to your laptop. trying to fix it may make it worse.

 

I have a whole whack of scuff marks on my TZ lid, not from abuse (there are zero scratches on the LCD screen).. but, just battle scars i guess since i use it daily. Maybe you could try applying automotive clearcoat for carbon fibre?

Otherwise i would just forget about it. If you use it as much as i do, its going to get scuffed up anyways and you are back to square one.

 

Don't bother will automobile products. Just adapt to it.

 

Automotive products = bad idea.

There's no lacquer on the lid as such. The 'carbon fiber' is actually just fancy reinforced (with carbon fibers, but moulded like any old plastic case - not baked like 'real carbon fiber') plastic, so products which restores finish on plastic might work.

 

Where did u get the refurb laptop?...I also want one...Please PM me..

 

Just check the Sony outlet store. They are ridiculously cheap right now.

Problem: My TZ seems to be accumulating scratches even within a soft CaseLogic sleeve. ? Is the CF lid seriously this delicate? I'm a little upset. What are some good ways to keep it protected?

 

One aspect of plastic - as I said it's not 'CF' - is that it is not that hard a material. Carbon-reinforced plastic has superior impact resistance but it's not particularly abrasion-resistant. It's in fact just like - well, regular plastic in that respect. Perhaps it's particles in the sleeve - which may end up especially abrasive the more anal you are about putting the machine back in the sleeve - or you have a particularly dusty house / environment?

Apart from around the keyboard which is unavoidable of course, my TZ's only started showing definite signs of wear on teh outer casing around the time I replaced them, the oldest being about 10-11 months old (bear in mind however that I used to use 4 rotating, but they weren't pampered - although they weren't abused either). I never use sleeves, but just pop them into a bag.

 

Yikes! It's really shocking how many ugly scratches this thing has picked up in a week of use. I'm not even very anal about my stuff, but this is ridiculously scratched up already.

 

care to shoot a pic?

 

This is after a week of use...

 

WHAAAAAAT?!?!??!?!

What the hell are you carrying it in? Sandpaper?

Could you give us a better idea of your portage arrangements please?

 

That seems very abnormal.. i just stuff mine in a mall laptop bag and its not nearly as bad as yours.. this is after 1.5 yrs of use and many many flights, meetings, etc.

 

I'm carrying it in one of these:

http://www.buy.com/prod/case-logic-12-ibook-powerbook-shuttle/q/loc/16234/202474526.html

Any options? I might give plastic buffing compound a try. The scratches don't seem deep. I had a black TZ for a short while and it never took any damage even though I carried it in the same bag, so I don't know what the deal with this CF model is.

Sony does accept returns for 30 days, so if I'm unable to remove the scratches, I think I will just return it and buy a Lenovo or something.

 

I had once stuffed mine naked into my backpack and there were no scratches at all, something is definitely wrong here.

 

I dunno. Plastic finishing issues are something I can definitely equate to Apple - but also definitely not to Sony's flagship models.

Could we see a shot of the inside of your sleeve, open?

The patterning seems quite random and not particularly directional - so I'm a little confused. It looks like as one of the guys above says, multi-year use. A friend of mine has a TZ which he uses without even a laptop bag - and after about a year and a bit, it looks like that - actually, better.

 

That doesnt look to good, do you keep your keys with the TZ in the bag or something? Or other stuff in the side pockets? I have the same bag (not the 12" but the 10" version) and my vaio still looks prestine after carying it around a lot.

 

I've carried it in my bag naked a couple times. I looked closely and there's some very find grains of sediment (might be sand or something) on some of my books--maybe there is sand in the bag that is causing these scratches... The CaseLogic sleeve is neoprene, but the interior is rougher than other sleeves I've had. Maybe the combination of those two factors are causing heavy wear. I'm going to give Meguiar's Scratch X/PlastX a shot. Meguiar's products have worked well on light scuffs on my car, so maybe it will work okay on this.

 

Look into getting a replacement lid housing. I don't know how expensive they are, but that would be the best way to go. Auto products are too abrasive for this purpose.