When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Just noticed a scratch on the rear bumper, I have always been careful when parking and leave enough space to other cars around me but still
I Feel the roughness when touching the scratch, should I sand it down gently then touch up with a paint pen? Or better take it to a body shop?
I would try Dr. Color Chip first too, but think given the length and depth you are going to need a body shop to sand it down (or replace the bumper cap) and respray it to make it perfect again. Might be worth making it as good as possible with Dr Color Chip then consider living with it, unless your OCD gets the best of you.
If you decide not to DIY the scratch, call your dealer and ask the service manager who they use to do their touch up painting. All dealers have someone who does this for a living. They are indelendant operators who go to the dealerships on a regular basis, just like the paintless dent removel guys.
They generally conduct this service for many of the dealerships in the area; Ford, Chevy, VW, Honda, etc. Some have a set schedule and know that they will be at the Ford dealership on Monday, VW on Tuesday, etc. That scratch should cost you $100 to $150.
After reading and watching videos I finally got up the courage to try fixing a scratch like this (down to primer) myself. Only mistake I made was using what I had on hand when I should have gone out for some finer paper. I started with 400 which is too coarse. Even then nobody would ever spot where the scratch was, maybe not even if I told them where to look. So you definitely can DIY these things.
Wash and clay the area. Touch up paint. Don't bother trying to be perfect, just make sure to fill it all in. Trim level with a razor blade when its dry. Next day, wet sand the touch up with 2000 grit. Should not take much gentle sanding to bring the level down. Watch for low areas, they'll stay shiny when the rest is sanded. If there are any, stop! Touch up and start over again. Because, its easy to make scratches disappear. The hard part is having everything level when you're done.
Continue wet sanding with 4000 and then 5000 or 6000. Widen the area being sanded with each step. This helps blend in the area being worked on. Then polish. You can start with an aggressive polish like Griot's Machine 1 or 2 before moving on to Machine 3 or 4, or just use the finer polish, but the finer the polish the more passes it will take. Finally, wax.
Making scratches completely disappear like this turns out to be surprisingly easy. No way you will ever spot the scratch. What is hard is doing it in a way that leaves the whole area level like it was before. Take your time, baby steps, frequently check your work, and you can do it right the first time.
Looked up Dr. Color chip and according to the review it is best suited for touching up stone chip but not on scratch, I will probably ask the dealer to touch it up (after some thought I am not the best DIYer out there and don't want to take chance). Thank you all for all the good suggestions!
While Dr. ColorChip is good for smaller chips, it looks like that scratch could be problematic because of the plastic that is gouged out - getting the surface smooth again will take some body shop work in my opinion.
If you decide not to DIY the scratch, call your dealer and ask the service manager who they use to do their touch up painting. All dealers have someone who does this for a living. They are indelendant operators who go to the dealerships on a regular basis, just like the paintless dent removel guys.
They generally conduct this service for many of the dealerships in the area; Ford, Chevy, VW, Honda, etc. Some have a set schedule and know that they will be at the Ford dealership on Monday, VW on Tuesday, etc. That scratch should cost you $100 to $150.
I took my last porsche to a touch up guy that was highly recommended. He just dabbed some paint in the chips and scratches and sent me on my way. I think I could have done just about as well.
If you decide to take it to someone ask ahead of time what they plan on doing and what the end result might be.
The pleasure that I derive from Porsches is driving them and not washing, detailing or servicing them. Although I do wash my car, I have others do the servicing and body work.
Unless you enjoy doing body repairs, I'd recommend taking it to a good detailer. In my area they have mobile vans that enable them to do the detailing at a location of your choice. When someone performs a task on a daily basis and has access to all the required equipment, they will likely perform that task much better than the average guy who does it for the first time and may or may not have the appropriate equipment.
How did this happen? Was it the garage door? I did this on both of my cars a few years back and then finally got smart enough to put a sensor at bumper level so the door won't come down if I am not in far enough.
How did this happen? Was it the garage door? I did this on both of my cars a few years back and then finally got smart enough to put a sensor at bumper level so the door won't come down if I am not in far enough.
Well I can't tell but definitely not from garage door, I had sensor on the garage door if it sense any obstacle the door would stop.
I parallel parked it on the street the day I found the scratch, my car was sandwiched in between two but I had enough space to drive out without much turn on the steering, didn't pay attention to the bumper when I drove it away until I got home, I guess someone must have walked by and scratched it (either he/she just left or didn't even know). I know a car is supposed to be driven on road and when you are on the road this is likely to happen, just bad luck on me but I am glad there is a fix to it.
The pleasure that I derive from Porsches is driving them and not washing, detailing or servicing them. Although I do wash my car, I have others do the servicing and body work.
To each their own. Some of us enjoying driving and nothing else. Others enjoy the OCD process of washing and detailing. A smaller minority enjoys learning new skills and dealing with challenges such as a minor paint repair like this.
So far, I'm practicing my touch-up, sanding and polishing on the Mercedes. It's black, so it shows every little mistake that I make. Hopefully I'll never have to do anything to the Porsche, but if I do, my skills will have been honed on lesser cars.
To the OP: my garage door sensors are lower than the bumper on any of my cars, so it is entirely possible for the door to hit the car even if the car doesn't trip the sensor. Food for thought. Good luck with the repair!
08-23-2014, 10:43 PM
Scratch on rear bumper
