paint fix

[wrparks]

Hey guys. I'm flaming mad. Last weekend at work, somebody sideswiped me in the parking lot. No idea who. No body damage, just one deep scratchin the paint in front of the rear tire well. There was some red paint around it, but that is all I know and that buffed out with some polish.

How do I fix the scratch? It's deep enough that you can see either primer or the galvanized steel under the paint (looks grey). The scratch is about 15 inches long, so I don't feel good about touchup paint being smooth. I've heard about touchup paint and some kind of clay bar to buff it out once dry, but know nothing about it.

Thanks for any help.

[JCL82]

When someone slid their ass(their actually ass) on my truck they had something in their pants or something because it had a long scratch all the way down to front tire to rear tire. I was talking to my dad about it and he told me to get some rubbing compound. It made the scatches go away. But it might not work if the scatches are really that deep.Worth a shot i guess, i got mine at pepboys.

[kenwood guy]

Originally Posted by JCL82

When someone slid their ass(their actually ass) on my truck they had something in their pants or something because it had a long scratch all the way down to front tire to rear tire. I was talking to my dad about it and he told me to get some rubbing compound. It made the scatches go away. But it might not work if the scatches are really that deep.Worth a shot i guess, i got mine at pepboys.

rubbing compound??? can you explain

[idmetro]

First the disclaimer: I HAVE NOT TRIED THIS! I unabashed plaguerized it from another forum...
However it looks to be enough of a pain in the !@# that it might work very well:
FIXING PAINT CHIPS AND SCRATCHES

Materials
1. Small bottle of the proper manufacturers touch up paint and clear coat, if needed
2. DuPont PrepSol (available from autobody supply).
3. Disposable touch-up microbrushes made by ProTouch (from an autobody supply).
4. 3M Perfect-It II Rubbing Compound, Fine Cut (from an autobody supply).
5. Lacquer thinner to keep brush clean.
6. Wet-dry sandpaper: 1000 grit, 1500 grit, and 2000 grit (there is a new product out that is an alternative to wet sanding for use in auto touch ups - check it out at http://www.langka.com).

Procedure - Scratches
Use this procedure for long scratches and for large chips.

1. Use 1000 grit paper and wet-sand the scratch and the area around it. Make sure to use lots of water when sanding. This keeps scratching to a minimum.
2. Use DuPont Prepsol to clean wax off before touch-up.
3. Using microbrush and liberal amounts of paint, touch up the full-length of the scratch. As soon as the paint drys (10 minutes) do another coat. Repeat until you have done sufficient coats to have built a small mound of paint over the length of the scratch.
4. Let dry for 24 hours.
5. Now wet-sand the touched up surface with 1500 grit wet sandpaper. Sand in a front to rear motion since that's the direction the car is painted with, hence: you're going with the grain of the paint. Sand until you have eliminated the mound and any touchup paint outside of the scratch.
6. Clean area thoroughly and let dry.
7. Take a clean microbrush and begin to apply the clearcoat to the area. Don't be afraid to be liberal with it and don't try and keep the clearcoat within the scratch area. Apply approximately 3-4 coats, again until there is a small mound. Let it set and completely dry for 4-5 days.
8. Now, wet sand with 2000 grit wet sand paper. You will begin to see the clearcoated scratch blend into the rest of the paint - thus disappearing. (It produces a very gratifying feeling!)

Procedure - Chips
You can use this abbreviated procedure to fix the many small chips on the hood and front fascia.

1. Use 1000 grit paper and wet-sand the scratch and the area around it. Make sure to use lots of water when sanding. This keeps scratching to a minimum.
2. Use DuPont Prepsol to clean wax off before touch-up.
3. Using microbrush and liberal amounts of paint, touch up the chip. As soon as the paint drys (10 minutes) do another coat. Repeat until you have done sufficient coats to have built a small mound of paint over the expanse of the chip.
4. Let dry for 24 hours.
5. Wet sand with 2000 grit wet sand paper. You will begin to see the touch-up paint blend into the rest of the paint - nearly disappearing. The repairs are not noticable to passersby, and look much better than the chips did.

Note: The clear coat on the flexible plastic parts doesn't rub back as well as the rest of the paint, probably due to the flex agents in the paint..

[wrparks]

Originally Posted by idmetro

First the disclaimer: I HAVE NOT TRIED THIS! I unabashed plaguerized it from another forum...
However it looks to be enough of a pain in the !@# that it might work very well:

BUMP
Wanna see if there are more ideas.

I would agree metro, seems like it may work if I was patient enough, because it sure looks like a pain in the a$$. Cmon guys, any more ideas, or do I take it to a body shop and get a few quotes?