fixing scratches and paint loss from bumper-bumper collision
#1
10-26-2007, 12:52 PM
fixing scratches and paint loss from bumper-bumper collision
on the left side of my car, near the front wheel and back wheel, both bumpers have equal amount of scratches
now i have a metallic silver/grey color on an 04 civic lx, and these scratches look like a bird shaped feet clawed my bumper
imagine if wolverine clawed the back of ur bumper and front too. The dmg is loss of paint, revealing black streaks where the paint is gone. Its been like this for a while and since im buying more parts for my car i would like the exterior to look clean
can i just go to like pepboys or autozone to buy something to fix the paint?
i have no money due to buying a catback exhaust+ strut bars and cant get a job for a few months, so i need something cheap and fast and effective
i dont need the paint to fix the problem 100% but at least take care of the blackness that is revealed. It really makes the shine from my car nonexistant because the random black marks make it hideous
now i have a metallic silver/grey color on an 04 civic lx, and these scratches look like a bird shaped feet clawed my bumper
imagine if wolverine clawed the back of ur bumper and front too. The dmg is loss of paint, revealing black streaks where the paint is gone. Its been like this for a while and since im buying more parts for my car i would like the exterior to look clean
can i just go to like pepboys or autozone to buy something to fix the paint?
i have no money due to buying a catback exhaust+ strut bars and cant get a job for a few months, so i need something cheap and fast and effective
i dont need the paint to fix the problem 100% but at least take care of the blackness that is revealed. It really makes the shine from my car nonexistant because the random black marks make it hideous
#2
10-26-2007, 04:51 PM
RE: fixing scratches and paint loss from bumper-bumper collision
Go to the honda dealership, they'll match the color of your car with some touch up paint. It should only be about $10 or so. Take your time when you're touching up, if you rush it it'll end up looking crappy. I'd suggest applying a series of thin layers. If you do it this way you'll fill in the chip that gets made when you take off that much paint. I'd also suggest getting a bottle of clear coat to protect the finished product. That should be about $10 too and you should be able to get it at any auto parts store.
If you're feeling particularly saucy you can buy some super fine sandpaper (1000, 1500, or 2000 grit) and, once you've filled in the chip, you can sand it down super smooth so the final product is flush with the existing paint. The hardest part is getting the color to match up exact. Even though the dealership's paint will match the color of your car, depending on how you use it the finished product will be off. I have a silver, 04 civic as well. Since there are flakes of metal in the paint putting it down really thin will make the flakes lay flat, therefore they'll reflect more light and you'll get a brighter silver. If you put the paint down thick the flakes have more space to move and more of them will stand on edge so the color will be darker. I've never been able to get the color to match perfectly but for small marks you can usually get away with it.
There's also a cool trick you can use for silver paint. This might work on other colors but i've never tried it. Sometimes you get small scratches that just discolor your paint (the paint will look dull, faded, or lighter). Usually this is because your clear coat has been scratched off. That being said the paint underneath is usually legit and undamaged. Sometimes you put a little clear coat on it and the scratch will dissapear. This helps if you decide to sand down your finished product to make your touchup flush since its very easy to sand nondamaged paint around you scratch.
That being said its still not gonna look fantastic when you finish. I've seen pros do touchups at dealerships and auto shops and even their final product isn't perfect. I wouldn't suggest trying to touch up any large scratches. I've been trying to fix some nasty marks on my front right bumper but I think the damage is too great. Since the scratches are so large you can pick out the discoloration pretty easily. I'm going to do some more experimenting but in the end I think I'm going to just get the bumper resprayed.
As with everything else this takes alot of practice. I'd suggest experimenting on a small, unnoticable scratch first until you get the hang of it. I made the mistake of going straight into my touch ups without practicing when I started. As a result my bumper looks super sketchy if there's any sort of light hitting it. Take your time and good luck.
If you're feeling particularly saucy you can buy some super fine sandpaper (1000, 1500, or 2000 grit) and, once you've filled in the chip, you can sand it down super smooth so the final product is flush with the existing paint. The hardest part is getting the color to match up exact. Even though the dealership's paint will match the color of your car, depending on how you use it the finished product will be off. I have a silver, 04 civic as well. Since there are flakes of metal in the paint putting it down really thin will make the flakes lay flat, therefore they'll reflect more light and you'll get a brighter silver. If you put the paint down thick the flakes have more space to move and more of them will stand on edge so the color will be darker. I've never been able to get the color to match perfectly but for small marks you can usually get away with it.
There's also a cool trick you can use for silver paint. This might work on other colors but i've never tried it. Sometimes you get small scratches that just discolor your paint (the paint will look dull, faded, or lighter). Usually this is because your clear coat has been scratched off. That being said the paint underneath is usually legit and undamaged. Sometimes you put a little clear coat on it and the scratch will dissapear. This helps if you decide to sand down your finished product to make your touchup flush since its very easy to sand nondamaged paint around you scratch.
That being said its still not gonna look fantastic when you finish. I've seen pros do touchups at dealerships and auto shops and even their final product isn't perfect. I wouldn't suggest trying to touch up any large scratches. I've been trying to fix some nasty marks on my front right bumper but I think the damage is too great. Since the scratches are so large you can pick out the discoloration pretty easily. I'm going to do some more experimenting but in the end I think I'm going to just get the bumper resprayed.
As with everything else this takes alot of practice. I'd suggest experimenting on a small, unnoticable scratch first until you get the hang of it. I made the mistake of going straight into my touch ups without practicing when I started. As a result my bumper looks super sketchy if there's any sort of light hitting it. Take your time and good luck.
#3
10-26-2007, 04:55 PM
RE: fixing scratches and paint loss from bumper-bumper collision
I would take it to a shop. I tried doing some on my car. Eventually I had to end up painting my whole trunk and rear bumper all because of some tiny little scratches. It was fun learning how to paint a car, but it took a lot of time and money when I could have just taken it to a shop and had them fix it for $40. I spent about $90 doing it myself.
-Kelleykid
-Kelleykid
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