2wheeledlifer

I used a scrubbie on my cannondale r200 frame to clean a spot (i could kick myself) and now the clear coat is cloudy in that area.

Is there any way to regain that high gloss look again.

DannoXYZ 

TurtleWax has a product called Color Back. It's a mild polish and wax. Read and follow the instructions.

ivan_yulaev

Get some sandpaper (400, 600, 1500 grit) and some rubbing compound, and some polish, and some wax. Can probably get all of these for well under $50 from an auto parts store. Gently wet sand the area until it is shiny, then rubbing compound then polish, and finally a bit of wax. Good as new!

Burton

Toothpaste might work. Anything more abrasive may leave you looking at even more paint damage.

Spld cyclist

+1, but be careful. The point of the procedure is that you use each grit, from coarse to fine, only until you have erased the scratches from the previous grit. Therefore, go slowly so you don't take too much material off. Use a raking light (light is off to the side so you can see the reflection of the light bouncing off the surface you are polishing). Use water as a lubricant, but wipe it dry pretty often and look at the reflecting light to gauge your progress. This isn't hard, but you need to go carefully to get good results.

You might want to start with the 600 and see how it goes. If it's taking too long to obliterate the the scrubbie marks, drop down to 400, then back to 600.

FBinNY 

Wet sanding paint will restore the finish, but IMO (opinion so weigh this accordingly) it may not be a good idea for salvaging clear coat. Clear coats are usually pretty thin, so there's not much to take off before you're through it. Use the rubbing compound/wax finish restorer from the auto supply. Even if you don't restore it 100%, it'll look better than if you burn through to the base paint.

cydewaze

Try ScratchX from Meguiars. ALWAYS start with the least abrasive solution first, and only go harsher if that doesn't work. ScratchX is designed to clean up minor scuffs and scratches in automotive paint, and I've had great luck with it on bikes. Even ultra-fine sandpaper will likely leave the finish hazy, so you'll need something like ScratchX to get the shine back anyway.

Looigi

IMO, 400 and 600 is way too coarse for what you need. I would try some of the automotive finish restorers first.

Spld cyclist

The OP may have burned through to the base paint already with the scrubby, but it can't hurt to be careful and try a milder abrasive first.

If the clear coat is gone, it might still be possible to make the paint underneath shine similarly to the clear coat.

FBinNY 

That was my point. Scrubbies aren't all that abrasive, so there's no point in making it worse with anything more abrasive or with a coarser grit. The operative rule in finishing is to start with a grit one level finer than the existing patina, so a superfine polishing media is called for here. If the OP hasn't done anything yet He might try a product made for removing the cloudiness from the vinyl rear windows of convertable. If he does he needs to read the instructions and use a light, fast motion rather than using any pressure.

ultraman6970

Sand with 600 grit sand paper just a tiny bit (will get dull) then you have to use paint polisher. All the autoparts sell a tiny bottle of 3m paint polisher, not the same than car polisher or wax polisher ok? Rubbing compound is called...

Like this one...

2wheeledlifer

Thank you very much for all the responses.I haven't done anything as of yet and i'm carefully considering what i should do based on what i have been seeing here.

My haste caused this problem and i don't want to make it worse!

Thank you again!

DannoXYZ 

It also depends upon the scrubbie sponge used. If the scratchy side was plastic, it caused roughly 1500-grit roughness. If it was one of those 3M green sponges with coated steel-wool, you're looking at a 800-1000 grit roughness.

In either case, 400-800 sandpaper is way to rough to repair this damage and will make things worse. Even rubbing-compound is a little too rough at this point; it can be used to remove a top-layer of oxidized paint. At this point, you'll want to start with polishing compound which is about 1/2 the roughness of rubbing-compound. Follow the instructions on the container, use with lots of water with a little soap for lube. On a soft rag.

ultraman6970

If you are in DC metro let me know, I'll fix it for you.

Spld cyclist

How much damage has been caused totally depends on the scrubbie used and how long it was used. Some scrubbies will make visible scratches in steel. Sandpaper may or may not be needed. Hopefully, the OP will not need it. I've done this before with automotive paint, so I'm not entirely without experience in this. However, I've made my point, so I'll let this go.