Paint and Body Maintenance & Repair

cheerful · May 2005

Someone bumped into my car at the rear left corner and left a dent about 6" in diameter. I remember seeing some commercial about some kit to repair dent yourself. Since the dent is on the corner, it does not have that big flat surface as shown in those commercial. Has anyone here used any of them? Can anyone recommend one?

Or should I got to a body shop? How much would this type of fix cos

kudron · May 2005

Well, I used mineral spirits and a LOT of elbow grease. It took a while but I was able to get most of it off. I still have some remanants here and there, mostly on plastic (windshield cowl, rear-view mirrors, etc) but I will be getting those this summer.

lmacmil · May 2005

I got my first black car less than two months ago. I've already washed it 4 or 5 times, trying to be as careful as I could. I've already got a couple of fine scratches in it. I knew black would show every little flaw but didn't think it would be this sensitive. Any suggestions? Btw, it looks fantastic when clean which is why I got black.

dolt · June 2005

A week ago, I rear ended a guy in a Lexus. There's no real damages, just some marks on his bumper. So what I want to know is how much it's going to cost just to repaint his bumper, and if anyone knows even a rough guess that'd be really appreciated.

qbrozen · June 2005

$500?

Mr_Shiftright · June 2005

Yeah, I'd say $300--$500 to do it right.

dolt · June 2005

Seriously? Everyone has been telling me CRAZY stuff like 2800 dollars maximum and no less than 1200. I'm shakin' in my boots, man. Could it possibly be that much?

sairules · June 2005

Hi guys,

I got a Lexus RX330 and apparently I drove on a road that was fresh w/ new tar being put on. It got all over the wheel wells and on the bottom of the front door. I was able to remove the part from the front doors using a solution I bought at Wal-Mart, but how do I get rid of it in the wheel wells? It's UGLY and driving me nuts! Please help!

Mr_Shiftright · June 2005

Maybe to REPLACE and paint a bumper is $1,200 but surely not to just paint over a few scrapes. Given that the paint and materials could be $100, and given that a shop might charge $100 an hour, do they mean they are going to spend 11 hours repainting a car bumper? Seems hardly possible.

qbrozen · June 2005

shiftright is right, only if the bumper needs replacing. If its like you said (just scratched the paint), then that is certainly not necessary.

waynardferguso · June 2005

I have this teal colored Dodge Neon that was recently involved in a collision with another car. The damage is minimal. Some silver paint marks and some black stuff made a mess of my front-end bumper. Does anyone have advice on how to get this off myself? I really don't want to pay to fix this because it will probably cost more than the car is worth.

Mr_Shiftright · June 2005

I'd try a mild rubbing compound rather than solvents or liquid cleaners of any kind, at least for starters. Anything TOO abrasive or too chemical could harm the paint more than it is.

dolt · June 2005

WELL, BAD NEWS.
Talked to the guy in the Lexus. Things aren't lookin' so good. The bumper's cracked and I guess that means I have to replace it. Anyway, thanks for all the positive answers and stuff. Time to start saving cash. =(

Mr_Shiftright · June 2005

Have you seen this crack? Make sure would be my advice.

waynardferguso · June 2005

Ok, I used the rubbing compound and that got the silver paint off. But the black stuff won't go away. Some of it looks like the original car's paint has pealed off, but some of it looks like its actual black stuff thats attached itself to the front end. Anyone know what this is or how to get rid of it?

Mr_Shiftright · June 2005

You might have to examine this more closely with your fingernail and see if the black is actually above or below the level of the paint of the bumper. If it is in fact a deposit ON the bumper rather than a gouge IN the bumper, then you'd have to assume it's a hard rubber compound from another bumper I guess. You might try a very very fine grit of wet/dry sandpaper, at least 1000 or higher grit, and lubricate it liberally as you work. You'll know pretty soon if you are removing (black spot gets smaller) or expanding (black spot gets bigger because it's your own bumper underlayment). If you do get it off, the paint around it may be a bit dull so you'll have to polish that up.

polysorbate80 · July 2005

I have a 1991 silver Toyota Celica. On the top of the car on the driver side, some of the clear coat has chipped off and doesn't look too good. The area is maybe about 18 inches in length, 2 inches wide. I know the car has had body work and has been painted before I bought it four years ago. I asked a guy I know who fixes cars what to do about it and he said sand just that part, and mix the paint w/ clear coat and just spray it on. Well, I have no experience in painting...anything. What would be the best thing do do? Take it somewhere and have it done - and about how much can that cost? Try to do it myself or simply save my money since its a 14 year old car? Well, it's a 14 year old car I am kinda attached to.. Thanks - Catherine

Mr_Shiftright · July 2005

Well your friend's advice might fix it up a little bit but it's not going to look very good and it's not going to last and no you can't do it yourself without proper training.

One thing you should understand about modern paint is that you can't "blend" it into the rest of the paint....you have to paint a bordered section so that the paint "wraps" around a door edge or under a trim moulding. If the paint can't wrap to something it will chip off.

So you'd have to paint the entire roof at least. Depending where you live that could cost maybe $600-$1,000 if you want it to look very nice. This will probably increase the value of the car accordingly. Cars that are 15 years old with bad paint aren't worth very much, so....all the value of old cars is in how they look not how they run. That's the way it is in affluent societies.

badgerfan · July 2005

Just a general comment for anyone interested. There is a household cleaning product on the market called "Magic Eraser" It is a small mildly abrasive consummable "sponge" that you use wet. I have found it works great removing scuff marks and paint transferred from other car bumpers that have scraped your bumpers, and also can remove some of the fine scratches on clearcoat surfaces without a huge amount of rubbing. Be careful, and rub lightly as it can also produce superfine scratches in the clearcoat if you rub too hard and long, but this can be followed up with some product like Turtle Wax "Scratch and Swirl Remover" to remove these fine scratches.

The Magic Eraser also works great removing the grunge that forms on light colored interior vinyl and hard plastic surfaces, like door pulls or shoe scuffs on kick panels and glove box doors. On these surfaces, being dull to begin with, you do not need to be as careful.

lotsofqs · July 2005

I got several small scratches on the body just above the right back wheel of Jetta. I'd like repair it like new. Any idea about the cost?

jimstrenk · July 2005

Making a long story short, my girlfriend just bought a new Ford Focus about a week ago. While sitting in the batters box with the F&I guy, she was asked if she wanted to buy "The Protector" paint protection program. After listening to his presentation, she went ahead and purchased both the paint and cloth interior protection packages.

My questions are what did she buy, is it worth $600.00+, and could some other similar product be have been used instead?

After reading some of the posts here at edmunds.com, I'm starting to think that the girlfriend bought an expensive was job. True?

Any thoughts or comments on this matter would be greatly appreciated!

thazallfolks · July 2005

I just bought a 99 Rav 4 that has the black/grey plastic door guard trim that is about 24 inches high running along the bottom sides of the car. Some genius tried to wax the plastic and it has white residue all over. Silly me, I thought it would come off with a good washing. But it doesn't budge. Does anyone know what I could use to remove this wax? They did not stop at the trim, they even "waxed" the plastic bumpers. Any help will be appreciated.

hammen2 · July 2005

After reading some of the posts here at edmunds.com, I'm starting to think that the girlfriend bought an expensive was job. True?

Pretty much, yes. Paint protectant, VIN etching, and other "mop n' glo" are common additional sources of revenue for the dealer. The paint protectant may be "OK" but to me it wouldn't be worth the $$$ - best off to buy some Zaino, NXT, or your favorite wax, and "DIY".

Just my opinion,

--Robert

hammen2 · July 2005

peanut butter, or, better yet, peanut oil, is good for removing wax from textured plastic... I'd try that first.

thazallfolks · July 2005

I gotta admit guys, I thought you were a little "nuts" for suggesting using peanut butter to remove dried wax. But IT WORKS. I was shocked. Thanks for saving me $250.00 for a "professional" stripping and repainting.

hammen2 · July 2005

Now if you can just keep all of the neighborhood dogs from coming over to lick the plastic trim pieces on your car, you'll be set! :-)

jimstrenk · July 2005

Thank you Robert for your reply, it is appreciated!

mah1 · July 2005

I have leased a 04 Jag with 3000mi on it. I was told it was a demo and in "perfect" condition from a reputable Jag dealer. I am very disapointed with this car (That's another story) and brought it to Carmax for an appraisal. I was told that front fenders and the hood had been removed and repainted. They told me that the bolts holding the fender panels were chipped and therefore removed at some point. Also the front had be repainted ...they said that they can tell the "repaint" job because of the unsmooth nature of the edges...OK...is this FACT OR FICTION? Please, anyone with knowledge about repainting, bolts, etc. please respond..I appreciate ALL information. thanks

qbrozen · July 2005

yup. those are key telltale signs.

Mr_Shiftright · July 2005

Well those are not good signs but there are problems with the diagnosis IMO...generally fenders and hoods are not removed to paint them, but the bolts can be taken out to REPLACE fenders and hoods and THEN repaint the primed parts.

Carmax would not be considered a "dis-interested" party in any legal claim, so maybe you ought to go to a reputable body shop and ask their opinion. If the car was smacked hard in the front then you should talk to a lawyer right away and/or ask the dealer to unwind the lease OR get another car Or re-negotiate the price.

but you're going to need better weaponry than what CARMAX says. They aren't considered an impartial source of information.

qbrozen · July 2005

I beg to differ. You might also remove a fender to bang out the dent before repainting.

Mr_Shiftright · July 2005

I done see that done much GB because if it's that bad they usually don't save it, but I'm not saying it never happens. Perhaps because where I live, shop labor is $120 a hour you'd have over $400 in the fender before you even touched the dent itself. As you can see that's kinda crazy it would be easier to just replace the entire fender, than mess with a dent so bad or so awkwardly placed that it wouild require removal. Besides even though you might be dead right about it, he did say, or CARMAX said, that both fenders and hood were removed for repainting---which doesn't sound likely to me. If both fender bolts and hood bolts are molested, that tells me something catastrophic may have happen---a rather hard kiss frontally.

qbrozen · July 2005

OK, I hear ya.
I certainly could be living in the past here ... back in the days before everything was disposable.

Mr_Shiftright · July 2005

You got that right. You can't really work the metal in a new car very well, it just folds up to the windshield. Cars are built to be disposable in a crash, that's the point.

novice · July 2005

This may have been discussed on this forum previously--I looked back briefly and didn't see this topic. Okay--I like to keep my cars looking detailed. Washed regularly, etc. But I want a car polish/wax that: (1) doesn't leave any dust; (2) has a nice shine and will work on dark colors; and (3) really lasts. I've tried the fancy expensive treatments (carnubas, etc.) but they don't last very long though they give a nice finish. I'm in the northwest with a lot of rain. I don't want to explain, but I avoid Meguiar's products. Any suggestions welcomed. Thanks.

Mr_Shiftright · July 2005

We already have two very active forums on this subject.

Church of Zaino

and

Store Bought Waxes

either or both will be of great help to you I think.

MrShiftright
Host

koury · July 2005

"Church of Zaino"?

As the host, we'd expect less sarcasm, less bias, and more decorum/professionalism. Shame on you.

Mr_Shiftright · July 2005

Sorry, that's what they call themselves so I saw no harm in it.

I'll be more careful in the future.

Shifty

sandman46 · July 2005

We all know you were joking. People gotta lighten up in here!!!

The Sandman

breezley · July 2005

I bought this thingwhen I bought my Jetta in March. I can't remember the EXACT name of it but they said they would fix problems in the finish. I have tree gum all over my car I can't get off. So thought this would be a good time to use it since it will eat into the clear coat. I can't find my documents on it. Can someone direct me to a web site that describes this :sick:

kjmc · July 2005

I just got a Mazda 6s and my son coming into a garage had the rear scraped

near the door and around the rear wheel on the right side by taking a tight turn. Its got many dents and is scratched pretty badly. Tomorrow is sunday so I can't go to a place, but I would like to know the estimate to have body work done on the side rear door and near the rear wheel (one side only). Does anyone have a good estimate?

Mr_Shiftright · July 2005

There's a lot of variables but it sounds like $1,000-$1,500 if you have to straighten and paint two distinct panels of the car, the rear door and rear quarter.

kjmc · July 2005

Wow, how long will it take for a body shop? Seems like my son's gotta work hard now to pay for that

Mr_Shiftright · August 2005

Well I'm thinking worst case scenario here. You might get in cheaper. It depends on things I can't see, like how many panels need to be painted. You have to remember that you can't "blend" modern paints...you have to paint to an "edge", where the paint can "wrap" around the metal. So that's either to the edge of the panel or door, or to a trim piece that can be removed and then re-installed to cover the edge of the paint.

Well young men will hit things as they learn to drive, so if this is the worst damage he ever does, he's lucky and you're lucky.

Time-wise? I'm guessing 3-5 working days.

ace_263 · August 2005

I'm tryin to fix a rubber bumper for my IS300. It has a crack in it, and I would rather repair it then get a new one. Does anyone have any ideas how to repair the crack.

mataco · August 2005

What are the odds that I can make a couple small dents in a chrome bumper look better? I have access to the back of the bumper without taking it off. It seems like I could just try to push/bang out the 3-4 penny size dents back into position. Is this realistic? Also, some of the dents have small chips in the chrome. I already see small rusting on a couple of these after a week. I am hoping to buy chrome paint and fill the holes once I sand out the rust. Does anyone have a suggestion to my problems or comments on my method to make it look better?
Thanks

Mr_Shiftright · August 2005

Well you are on the right track but I don't think it will turn out right for you because really you need to remove the bumper, bang out the dents patiently with various small hammers and tools, grind it down and then re-plate it. Chrome "paint" will look like a patch, definitely. What kind of car is this? Sometimes replacement bumpers aren't that expensive.

mataco · August 2005

Sadly, it is a 1 month old Tacoma. The chips are really small (0.2 - 0.3 centimeters), so I was hoping the patch would not look obvious. I think the new bumper might run me in the $400 dollar range. Do they sell chrome plating patches for this type of application?
Also, I have some scratches on the black rubber area used as the step section of the bumper. Can I just sand these scratches out?
Thanks for you quick response.

Mr_Shiftright · August 2005

I don't personally know of any way to patch up a chrome bumper. You might be able to get it repaired cheaper than $400. Being a new truck you really don't want to do any home-made patchwork, as this would suggest the car was damaged when in fact it wasn't.

Sometimes you can fill in black bumpers but I wouldn't sand them, no. There are black bumper treatments or maybe even a black magic marker might fill in the scratches somewhat. You can test these thing on the underside of the bumper and see how they look.

300mess · August 2005

Recently someone suggested that if i wanted to locate any hidden signs of physical body damage that could possibly be hidden under my car's new exterior finish - all i had to do was take a common household fridge "MAGNET" and carefully run it over every inch of the my car's auto exterior... If the "MAGNET" forcefully clings to any area of the car's exterior panels - it's a clear indication that there's steel (as expected) beneath the layers of paint which is what you're hoping to find. However, if the magnet comes across areas on the car where it has no "cling" to a particular section, so much so that if you tried to let go of the "MAGNET" in that specific area, it would just fall straight to the car instead of "clinging" like it had in desirable areas constructed of steel - this clearly indicates that body filler or some other plastic derivative has been used to "re-shape" or "repair" physical damage (most likely as a result of a prior collision.) :confuse:

But what does it mean when the "MAGNET" doesn't fall to the ground when you let it go but only "gently" clings to certain outer areas of the body (unlike the intense "pull" that is evident when the "MAGNET" comes in contact with the steel sections of the car that are still in original factory form?)

Is this "half-hearted" connection the result of areas where the exterior finish has been applied particularily thick or could it also be an indication of minor body filler/plastic derivative that has been applied for whatever reason?

(If so, what possible reasons are there for using such a minimal amount of body filler or plastic derivative and what kind of repair would that probably be?)

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