Hello Al,
I have never done any buffing although I have done about a dozen body and paint jobs in my life. I have a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta that my dog scratched up this winter trying to get at a squirrel that was pestering him. The paint isn't broken or flaked but you can see his nail marks in the clear coat.
I tried some "Scratch Doctor" but it didn't remove the marks. I purchased some 1500 and 2500grit paper and some 3M medium rubbing compound and I do own a variable speed polisher / sander / buffer.
Could someone give me some advise on the best way to approach these dog nail scratches in the clear coat please. Also - would this be "water-borne" paint ? Can I use 2K clear coat over it if I need to repaint?

Thanks in advance for any guidance.

I moved this post out of the thread in the forum Q&A section; I think you had accidentally posted it there.

Sure a 2009 VW might have been painted with waterborne base at the factory...maybe someone here knows I really don't know for sure, but it's possible. The clear coat is definitely a traditional solvent/ISO based 2K clear, though.

If the scratches are just in the clear you might get away with brushing some clear into them, then once enough time to dry/cure you could hard-block the clear down flat with 1500 grit (wet), then buff it out. Or if the scratches are superficial enough just careful wet sanding and buffing alone might do it.

If the scratches are down into the base then it'll require a repair/repaint in that area.