Schpee007

Need some guidance from the community. I have a couple of paint issues on my Aqua Blue Metallic baby from the prior owner which I'm ready to get fixed. Pictures are attached for reference. The door scratch is a finger nail catcher. I've gotten quotes from "reconditioning" shops running around $500 for both to $1,500+ from auto body shops. I have no experience with the reconditioning path in terms of quality and durability compared to proper paint repair. Also concerned a proper repair could actually hurt resale value down the road because the door panel would be resprayed (though I'd document it all with pictures to show no accident involved).

What path would you all recommend?

Thanks in advance for the help.

myw

repainting the plastic front bumper to remove rock chips (with documentation/photos like you stated to prove not accident related) won't hurt resale value. imo after the paint cures i would apply full 3M to the bumper. as a temp solution, no harm in dr color chip/oem paint pen.

re the door and metal car parts/pieces in general, i would avoid repainting it whenever possible. again, dr colorchip/oem paint stick with clearcoat and touch that up.

while deciding what to do i would touch the door up sooner then later, you don't want the bare metal to get rained on.

jeffrec

I have personally used Dr Colorchip on my 2009 C2S Arctic Silver paint with good results. My only advice for the deep door scratches is to take your time and expect the process to take multiple applications in order to fill the deeper scratches. I have used the product on both simple stone chips and deep scratches similar on my door sills similar to yours (prior owner was not as **** as I am). The stone chips were easier and with better results but both types of scratches came out well.

beden1

The way the paint scratched off, it looks like that section was already re-sprayed to repair previous damage.

Chrono

If you want it to not show, you'll need a pro. My 2nd opinion is that those areas need more than touch-up paint, unless you're willing to wet sand and blend. That's not just a fingernail catcher - I think I see small farm animals in there.

The reconditioning shops are only as good as the people working there, and you can get great results from those places. I took my 997 to such a place and had the roof rails redone, for $150, and they look great and the work has a lifetime warranty.

Resale is tricky. Selling to a private person, if they see a touched-up scratch, they will talk you down. So will a dealer (I gotta recondition that!). If you respray, and sell it to an enthusiast or high-end dealer, they'll see the respray and talk you down. Personally, I'd give more money for the car that was repaired properly. I may not even see the repair. Do what makes you happy.

myw

how so? the front bumper looks like it took a mild scuffing to me.

Schpee007

Chrono, thanks for the laugh. Needed that today.

Volnomad

I wouldn't worry at all about the front bumper respray. I had to do that on my 2008 C2S PTS car because a piece of laminate tile flew out of a pick-up truck and hit my bumper. Bumpers are routinely painted. The door scratch is more problematic. If you touch it up, it will never look perfect. If you repaint the door, as many have suggested, it may cause a potential buyer to walk. Personally, I would have a good body shop do a touch-up repair before I would paint the full door. It might not look perfect but only you will probably notice the repair. Just make sure you choose the right shop. There are some really good ones out there, and some not so good ones as well. I see you are in Colorado. There have to be some body shops that do high-end work. I found a great one in Charlotte to do mine and the results were perfect. Good luck.

BrakingBad

Your car is far too pretty to not get it fixed the right way. You already have the pictures to prove it is not an accident repair.

n1gels

I had a scratch like the one on your door on my previous car. Plus a dent. The only damn dent on the entire car and the first thing you see when you walk up to the car. I hired a paintless dent removal guy to get the dent out, then a mobile paint guy to repaint the damage. He used an airbrush and you could not tell after the work was done that there'd been any damage. This was a green mica paint and very light sensitive, but no matter what light you looked at it in, and no matter what angle, you simply couldn't tell it had been damaged. I would test that approach on your bumper. If it doesn't work to your satisfaction, then you can always get the whole thing professionally repainted. Whatever you do take before and after photos and keep the receipts. Cars get rock chips and I'd much rather buy from someone who took the time to deal with the issue properly than someone who got out touch up paint and slathered it on.

Dr. Colorchip is great, but I don't think even the most experienced person would be able to repair your damage with that approach and have it look like new.

Beautiful color, btw!

beden1

The way the paint came off so jagged does not look like a normal scrape on factory paint. That's how re-sprays damage, from my experience at least. Plus, if you look above the ruler, the paint looks like a poor re-spray job. Looking below the ruler, you can see minute bubbles. The camera and lighting may be making it look that way, but it doesn't look like that on his door.

I've spent a fair amount of time in body shops growing up as my friend's father owned one and later a friend of my brother's owned a shop that restored Mercedes.

Schpee007

Interesting, beden. Could the paint have come off during a detailing/polishing? When I picked up the car the guy who had just cleaned up the car casually pointed it out to the sales guy as we walked up to the car. Made me think it had just happened during the car clean up.

beden1

Anything is possible but I doubt it. The damage does not look like burn marks from a buffer. The section looks like it was scraped, but like I said, a scrape typically would not produce those jagged edges on a factory paint job that adheres better to the undercoat.

myw

very interesting to know/learn. thank you.

Schpee007

Thanks, beden. I appreciate your perspective.