Suggestions on how to repair these problems (not 56k friendly)

[Asad_A203]

I have a couple scratches on my car that I was wondering I could fix or would it result in a repaint of the panel.



1. 2 paint chips on the driver side of my door

My fingernail does catch in the scratch and it goes through the clear. Would I just be able to apply touch up paint using that Langa thing; followed by claying (heard this removes the top layer of most touch ups) to blend it in? I am pretty much an amateur when it comes to cleaning cars and would not trust wetsanding on my car over a scratch to blend it in, but would the Langa (sp?) do a good enough job in blending it in?



2. Scuff on seat

Well I am an idiot, should get that out in the clear before I explain what happened here. My seat accumulated alot of dirt and my Eagle 1 leather cleaner was doing a horrible job in cleaning it up, so I asked some G35Driver members what to do, and a couple users suggested using a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Well after that; it went from being dark to being that shade... I have tried Lexol leather cleaner and conditioner to get out the original scuff mark as well and same (nill) results. It was pretty cold and the Lexol was freezing on my applicator pad so that might be the reason as well; but it seemed like it was doing nothing for those scuff marks. Will I have to get the seats dyed to correct the magic eraser mistake and if that is the case; would that take care of the scuff marks as well?





3. Front Bumper

Pretty horrible looking in these pictures; mostly because the car was dirty but the paint chips are pretty obvious on the bumper. As mentioned before would applying touch up paint be effective on all the multiple chips and blending in well enough or am I going to have to go aftermarket/repaint? How much can I expect to get a bumper repainted for? I was looking at buying the OEM front lip was so hoping someone can let me know if it would just be cheaper to buy a Nismo bumper instead of sinking cash to make the OEM come back to OEM standard.



Sorry for the newbie questions; everyone tends to reference this thread for answers so hoping you guys could help me out :bow . Thanks in Advance!

 

[imported_truzoom]

You aren't near the point where a repaint is necessary, imo.



All the chips look small enough that you could get them filled in and polished within a week of time.



I would do the following:



1. Get all the needed supplies. 1000 and 2000 grit wetsanding paper, isopropyl alcohol and a spare MF or cotton rag, touch up paint, touch up primer, touch up clear, compound/polish.



2. On a day when the weather is nice (at least 65*F, less than 30% humidity), cut off a piece of the 1000 and 2000 grit sandpaper (use them dry) and use them to clean up the chips. You mainly want to remove any remaining paint that would flake off and level the surface. After sanding, wipe the chips down with the rag and isopropyl alcohol. Lightly fill each chip in with touch up primer. Don't put too much; you just want to fill them in so you aren't painting on bare metal (which you may sand down to in the process).



3. Wait at least a day or two for the primer to dry. Once again with the dry 2000 grit sandpaper, go in and sand the primer down lightly to level it off. Do all the chips, then go and clean each one up with the rag and alcohol. Get the touch up paint and make sure it is stirred well. Lightly touch up each chip using the touch up paint. You are better off doing many light layers versus one huge blob. Wait a few hours between layers and use the alcohol to clean up each chip before applying paint.



4. Once the paint has been built up to an almost level to the rest of the paint height, clean up each chip with the alcohol and apply the touch up clear. Once again, use small, light layers. This time you want to add enough layers so the touch up clear is slightly higher than the surrounding paint.



5. Wait a few days for it all to cure. The night before you do this next step, soak the 2000 grit sandpaper in some mildly soapy water. The next day, go to each chip and sand down the clear lightly until its about level with the rest of the paint. After this, use your preferred polish to clean up the haze on each chip. I would probably hold off on waxing for a week or two.



This is the process I usually use on chips and scratches. The total cost shouldn't run you more than $30 if you have access to the small Du-Pont touch up bottles. Since your paint is metallic you may have some difficulty matching the touch up to the rest of the finish. I would also go with white touch up primer if you have the option, as silver is a lighter color and you don't want your worked on areas to appear darker. If you have to use gray, you'll need to layer the touch up paint a lot more to come out with a more consistent shade.

 

[Asad_A203]

You aren't near the point where a repaint is necessary, imo.



All the chips look small enough that you could get them filled in and polished within a week of time.



I would do the following:



1. Get all the needed supplies. 1000 and 2000 grit wetsanding paper, isopropyl alcohol and a spare MF or cotton rag, touch up paint, touch up primer, touch up clear, compound/polish.



2. On a day when the weather is nice (at least 65*F, less than 30% humidity), cut off a piece of the 1000 and 2000 grit sandpaper (use them dry) and use them to clean up the chips. You mainly want to remove any remaining paint that would flake off and level the surface. After sanding, wipe the chips down with the rag and isopropyl alcohol. Lightly fill each chip in with touch up primer. Don't put too much; you just want to fill them in so you aren't painting on bare metal (which you may sand down to in the process).



3. Wait at least a day or two for the primer to dry. Once again with the dry 2000 grit sandpaper, go in and sand the primer down lightly to level it off. Do all the chips, then go and clean each one up with the rag and alcohol. Get the touch up paint and make sure it is stirred well. Lightly touch up each chip using the touch up paint. You are better off doing many light layers versus one huge blob. Wait a few hours between layers and use the alcohol to clean up each chip before applying paint.



4. Once the paint has been built up to an almost level to the rest of the paint height, clean up each chip with the alcohol and apply the touch up clear. Once again, use small, light layers. This time you want to add enough layers so the touch up clear is slightly higher than the surrounding paint.



5. Wait a few days for it all to cure. The night before you do this next step, soak the 2000 grit sandpaper in some mildly soapy water. The next day, go to each chip and sand down the clear lightly until its about level with the rest of the paint. After this, use your preferred polish to clean up the haze on each chip. I would probably hold off on waxing for a week or two.



This is the process I usually use on chips and scratches. The total cost shouldn't run you more than $30 if you have access to the small Du-Pont touch up bottles. Since your paint is metallic you may have some difficulty matching the touch up to the rest of the finish. I would also go with white touch up primer if you have the option, as silver is a lighter color and you don't want your worked on areas to appear darker. If you have to use gray, you'll need to layer the touch up paint a lot more to come out with a more consistent shade.

Thanks for your informative response. Do you know where I can get automotive primer and any brand recommendation; I don't mind waiting a couple months since it is too cold to do anything effective right now (-40C outside...). Any recommendations on my leather seats or am I looking at getting them dyed? How much would be acceptable to die that segment of that seat?



I have heard some people say that a clay bar (like Mothers) tends to better blend metallics by rubbing the area after you apply it. Is that true? I am also consider using Langa (sp?) for the blob remover when you use touch up; but would it not return results similar to the sand paper?



Sorry for the whole bunch of questions; but I am really a newbie to detailing. In the summer I have a 99 Accord which I am going to practice with all my detailing crap before I touch my G.



Will take some clean pictures of my car to let you see how my front bumper really looks.

 

[Accumulator]

Thanks for your informative response. Do you know where I can get automotive primer and any brand recommendation; I don't mind waiting a couple months since it is too cold to do anything effective right now (-40C outside...). ..

You might try PaintScratch Touch-Up Paint (rs), Spray Cans, Spray Paint, Paint Pens, Car Paint, Automotive Paint or AutomotiveTouchup.com (sorry, no link handy but I *think* that's correct). Sometimes the paint from both places matches great, sometimes not. They also sell primer/etc.

Any recommendations on my leather seats or am I looking at getting them dyed? How much would be acceptable to die that segment of that seat?

I'd look into buying some dye and trying it yourself. Not sure where to go for leather dye stuff though, guess you'll have to google it. If you pay somebody else to do it the cost should be pretty low as it's a small area.

I have heard some people say that a clay bar (like Mothers) tends to better blend metallics by rubbing the area after you apply it. Is that true?

No. Whoever said that must not've actually tried it The Mother's clay is nice and mild and won't do much (if anything) to touchup paint if it's used correctly and using clays incorrectly isn't something I'd recommend. Harsher, "overspray clays" will do more but they're really for *removing* paint, not smoothing it. Using clay for something it's not designed for is, IMO, not as smart as just using the proper stuff (properly).

I am also consider using Langa (sp?) for the blob remover when you use touch up; but would it not return results similar to the sand paper?

IME Langka works OK and is a viable alternative to wetsanding. It's never left as nice a finish as wetsanding (and then compounding and then polishing), but it still makes things better. The worst that'll happen is that the Langka will remove too much of the touchup and you'll have to redo it. I'll sometimes use Langka to thin the basecoat and then apply the clear (nice and thick, leaving a new, clear, "blob"). Then I'll wetsand the clear.



But sometimes I just do the touchup, leave the blob of (clear) touchup paint, and live with it like that. Doesn't always look as bad as you might think, and IME metallic touchups usually show anyhow. Last two touchups I did on the (silver) S8 I left that way, and I'd consider myself pretty fussy about how that car looks. Those spots aren't all that much worse looking than the previous ones, which I wetsanded. Just something to think about...you could always do the touchup and live with it for a while, see what you think after a bit of time.



The potential problem with wetsanding is that some people get sanding scratches in the factory paint surrounding the touchup and then have trouble compounding/polishing those marks out.

 

[Saintlysins]

“TruZoom� gave you professional, well instructed advice that if you had been shown how to do it, then practiced a multitude of times I’d say to go for it. It takes an experienced pro to get that advanced technique done well. However, once you’ve mastered it, it’s one of the best ways to resolve your (common) dilemma.

I am not trying to insult your abilities ... only respecting your admission of inexperience and novice to basic detailing ... therefore, I don’t think you have the experience to handle this advanced technique and only say this to prevent you from having a worse case scenario than you have now ... and as happened with the interior.

With your admissions, I say take it to a pro and let them do it for you. Have them start with the imperfections on the bumper, if you like the job, then go onto the door.

If you plan on replacing the entire bumper with the new profile and lip – then have the body shop you choose to do the paint-work and mounting, also do the door chips.

If you do decide to tackle this one yourself, note how detailed “TruZoom� mentioned the temperature and atmospheric conditions ... that’s truly the voice of experience talking!

Take those same temp and humidity advisement and apply it to the interior cleaning & conditioning.

The Langka Paint Chip Kit is surprisingly effective, (but not as good as “TruZoom’s� professional process), and they too insist on proper temperatures. My sister lives on a farm. The front of her truck is blasted with pea-gravel. On her own, she did the front end of the truck with the Langka System and I was pretty impressed. She didn’t sand it, wheel it, nor wax over it, only ran it through the car wash, yet it was substantially better than the last time I saw it (4 months earlier). We wet-sand and wheel the thing, it all stayed in place and came out looking better than I could have imagined.

I don’t say this as an endorsement, but only as a compliment to a solution you’ve already researched. Always practice on something less valuable than your prized sled a few times first.

Clay Bars are only for cleaning up impurities in the paint finish before you wax/detail/etc, they won’t do much/anything to clear up imperfections in painting/chip-matching irregularities.



Good luck.

 

[Asad_A203]

“TruZoom” gave you professional, well instructed advice that if you had been shown how to do it, then practiced a multitude of times I’d say to go for it. It takes an experienced pro to get that advanced technique done well. However, once you’ve mastered it, it’s one of the best ways to resolve your (common) dilemma.

I am not trying to insult your abilities ... only respecting your admission of inexperience and novice to basic detailing ... therefore, I don’t think you have the experience to handle this advanced technique and only say this to prevent you from having a worse case scenario than you have now ... and as happened with the interior.

With your admissions, I say take it to a pro and let them do it for you. Have them start with the imperfections on the bumper, if you like the job, then go onto the door.

If you plan on replacing the entire bumper with the new profile and lip – then have the body shop you choose to do the paint-work and mounting, also do the door chips.

If you do decide to tackle this one yourself, note how detailed “TruZoom” mentioned the temperature and atmospheric conditions ... that’s truly the voice of experience talking!

Take those same temp and humidity advisement and apply it to the interior cleaning & conditioning.

The Langka Paint Chip Kit is surprisingly effective, (but not as good as “TruZoom’s” professional process), and they too insist on proper temperatures. My sister lives on a farm. The front of her truck is blasted with pea-gravel. On her own, she did the front end of the truck with the Langka System and I was pretty impressed. She didn’t sand it, wheel it, nor wax over it, only ran it through the car wash, yet it was substantially better than the last time I saw it (4 months earlier). We wet-sand and wheel the thing, it all stayed in place and came out looking better than I could have imagined.

I don’t say this as an endorsement, but only as a compliment to a solution you’ve already researched. Always practice on something less valuable than your prized sled a few times first.

Clay Bars are only for cleaning up impurities in the paint finish before you wax/detail/etc, they won’t do much/anything to clear up imperfections in painting/chip-matching irregularities.



Good luck.

No problem. Thanks for being honest; that is why I ask you guys haha. Weather dropped to -3C outside so it was warm enough for me to do a quick rinse with ONR, clay the car, and wax it. Damn is the paint ever marred. Haven't noticed since it usually sits outside. Will need to have be polished out. Now my detailer wants $30 per touch up; and the bumper; well getting that touched up is going to be quite expensive. I was wondering how much I would pay to get it repainted; becuase I think I am just going to put a clear bra on it afterwards along with the hood and not deal with the rock chips. I was thinking to use Langka; do the touch ups myself. Then get the car detailed (4 step polished); and see if the scratches are noticeable. If they are; I will just get the bumper repainted.

 

[Accumulator]

... I was wondering how much I would pay to get [the bumper cover] repainted; becuase I think I am just going to put a clear bra on it afterwards along with the hood and not deal with the rock chips..

Depending on how much work is involved (I have such panels removed from the vehicle when they're repainted and matching the color on plastic parts can be a *real* challenge) it can vary...but it can't be *that* expensive or I'd remember how much it costs- I have this done on one vehicle or another every few years.



Note that just as you shouldn't wax a fresh repaint for 3-4 months, 3M says you need to wait 6 months (IIRC) before putting Paint Protection Film over a repainted area.

 

[Asad_A203]

Depending on how much work is involved (I have such panels removed from the vehicle when they're repainted and matching the color on plastic parts can be a *real* challenge) it can vary...but it can't be *that* expensive or I'd remember how much it costs- I have this done on one vehicle or another every few years.



Note that just as you shouldn't wax a fresh repaint for 3-4 months, 3M says you need to wait 6 months (IIRC) before putting Paint Protection Film over a repainted area.

Thanks for the heads up. I would've put it on right away. I remember George over at DI saying that it is best to keep the paint looking the best and polished to perfection before puting on a clear bra; will just need to get the paint polished I guess before the clear bra goes on.

 

[Asad_A203]

Well after claying, and washing my car on the weekend I discover someone either rammed something into my bumper or drove into it :furious:. The pics seem to not capture that the bumper is actually now dented. Will probably need to file an insurance claim now to get the bumper fixed (no worries; 5 merits and accident forgiveness for me as well). Here are some pictures of the bumper. Just as a side note; anyone know what those white spots are on the bumper? I have tried removing them several times; but it seems like they etched through the clear. Might be bug splatter as the car is a Florida car (used to be; sure is glad to be in Winnipeg with all the snow now!).

 

[Accumulator]

Sorry to hear about that, but at least you know what you're gonna do about how the bumper cover looks.

 

[i12flytoday]

That is a non-insured motorists claim here in NC. Don't know about up north, but here, they can't penalize you at all because of it. My C Class was totalled a couple months ago by someone without a drivers license and without insurnace that was deported shortly after he was arrested. My insurance covered it under the non-insured motorist coverage, - the 500 for deductable, and it was confirmed by their rep of all people that they can't count it against me at all.



Just a thought,



Wade