-September 2024 Special Lease Deals-
2024 Chevy Blazer EV lease from Bayway Auto Group Click here
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee lease from Mark Dodge Click here
2025 Ram 1500 Factory Order Discounts from Mark Dodge Click here
2024 Chevy Blazer EV lease from Bayway Auto Group Click here
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee lease from Mark Dodge Click here
2025 Ram 1500 Factory Order Discounts from Mark Dodge Click here
Paint and Body Care
notmyrealname
Member Posts: 3
in General
I have a fairly new car and it has a small but
barely visible scratch above the front left wheel
rim, probably from some chrome that was protruding
from a car that I passed.
How can I prevent this scratch from really
deteriorating the condition of my car and
ultimately causing the body to rust? If repair
work is required what should it reasonably cost?
The scratch is probably less than 2" long and
1/16th of an inch wide, if that.
barely visible scratch above the front left wheel
rim, probably from some chrome that was protruding
from a car that I passed.
How can I prevent this scratch from really
deteriorating the condition of my car and
ultimately causing the body to rust? If repair
work is required what should it reasonably cost?
The scratch is probably less than 2" long and
1/16th of an inch wide, if that.
Tagged:
0
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
The only other alternative, for a "like new" look, is to respray the entire area, which is usually a $200-300 job where I live.
I wouldn't worry about rust of any serious nature, but you might get little brown staining if the scratch is down to bare metal.
I'm more worried about deterioration than appearance - but if it can be fixed well for a few dollars, that might be worth it. If I do nothing (and it's not scratched deep down to the metal - grazed is more like it) what happens to the body from ordinary weather conditions?
Have you tried Blue Clay Magic. This product is excellent for removing surface contaminants and making the surface as smooth and clean as you can possibly get it. It is non-abrasive. For more information on clay, how it works, and what it does, check out www.erazer.com. They make a clay product also. I have found the blue clay at Pep Boys. On the web, it is available at www.summitracing.com. This stuff is really magic! (no pun intended)
cdg19
Although I haven't tried it, a wax "pro" told me to use lighter fluid to remove wax residue off of rubber and plastic molding.
In any event, I'm wondering what I can do to repair this paint chip. It's a brand new car and I'm a little leary of my artistry, or lack thereof, regarding touch-up paint (the dealer says that the touch-up comes in two (2) tubes, one for the paint and the second for the clearcoat (?)). Should I take this course of action, and am not satisfied how can I then make the job unnoticable?
Any ideas? Thanks.
Back in the late 80's, GM had a ton of paint problems. The paint would flake off in large 6inch pieces, just as you mentioned. While there were no recalls, GM was helping or repainting vehicles for customers who complained. I worked for a Chevy dealer as the service manager in the early 90's, and I have seen Chevy completely repaint a vehicle with over 100,000 miles on it. I don't know if their paint problem still exists since I no longer own GM products. FYI
If it's the second one, is it your opinion that the trucks are not to be trusted either?
I would either use the touch-up paint, or just wait for other rocks to create matching stone chips for me.
I would second the opinion of krums who said McGuiars (Step 2) Cleaner. I'm having trouble finding it where I bought it last, Checkers. Pep Boys did not have it either.
left fender and on the lower "nose" portion of the
front clip. There are tiny bubbles on both surfaces. You can't notice them unless you catch them in the right light or you rub your hand over them. Anyhow, my fear is that they will get worse if I don't address them now. What is the best way to fix that type of problem, preferably doing it myself. Thanks a lot.
How do I go about fixing this? Scratch off bubbled up and touch up or try to fix the chip and worry about the rest later?
Suggestions on good touch up paints? Repair kits? Where to find them?
I buy an ultri fine sandpaper (about 1500 or 2000 grit), cut little pieces which I glue to a pencil's eraser, which can then be used to VERY carefully sand the d$%*'*#@NNNN chip!
Frankly I'm not very patient, but when I've done this right, it looks ok.
It beats swearing at the gods who frown on unblemished paint
I used to work at a dealership where I could walk down a long line of cars in the lot and every single one had a paint job that I would have rejected the car for if I were the buyer.
This dealer had a separate body shop off-site. I asked the bodyshop manager about this practice and he just shook his head and said they have tried to train the prep guys. There's nothing left to do but either fire the whole crew or just live with it.
On dark metallic colors it's so obvious I can't believe it. I guess it's not costing them any sales or they'd figure out how to solve the problem.
Three months ago, I bought a new van, and a few weeks after, I got several long scratches along the passenger side door. This probably happened from driving up against a thorny bush, not exactly sure. Needless to say, I wasn't too thrilled.
I tried clay, and that bearly did anything... the scratches were a little too deep. Touch up was out of the question, because some of the scratches were several inches long..., it would have just been too noticeable. I honestly thought I'd eventually have to repaint the whole passenger side door panel if I wanted it looking new again.
On my first dealer service (last week), the dealer buffed them out; it took all of a few seconds.... and they are now totally gone. The paint is smooth and shiny as though it had never been scratched in the first place. In addition, he did this gratis. ;-)
So, I wanted to suggest people try having try having scratches buffed out professionally, before they start messing with compounds and touch up paint... and making them look even worse.
My 2 cents.
Thanks for any suggestions.
Yesterday, while doing vehicular contortions, trying to back out of my kid's dentist's teensy parking lot, the bumper rubbed up against a bush that had -SURPRISE - a big old log under it. Pushing back into the bush...I rubbed into the log and PRESTO, it looks like I took the tines of a fork and played with a quarter-sized section of the bumper. It's not the worst thing...but can this be fixed with some miracle sander, buffer, waxer, etc.?
In advance, thanks.
Well, we are denying the obvious!!! Select your dentist based on the good doctor having the right sized parking spaces!!! Accept no less!!
"It's not the size... but how you use it." It's all a conspiracy, they gas you up, or put something screwy in the novacaine, and then send you out in the parking lot to drive home! Insurance nightmare...
-The Darkness
Can anyone kindly advise me how I can "deep clean" the window slots. I don't want to see my windows scratched with vertical lines. Would there be any service that helps this kind of problem?
Thanks,
Buddhaseed
I guess you could pop the rubber trim off and wash it. Some cars it might be tricky to get the stuff off.
This is a new one on me and I used to live really close to the beach, go there every day and sometimes drive on it.
Thanks,
Buddhaseed
Lisa
Sorry to hear of your paint problems, and just so you don't think you are going nuts, Chevy did indeed have all kinds of problems in the late 80's and early 90's with the paint flaking off in large chunks. I was a witness to this many many times as a service manager of a Chevy dealership. I even saw a 88 Chevy Suburban with 100,000 miles on it get a new paint job at no charge to the owner. I know this to be true because I filled out and signed the claim to Chevy.
The point is, don't give up. Yell, scream, write letters, and demand that action be taken to satisfy you, their customer. Document everything you do, and remember, the dealership can only do what Chevy will allow them to do, so direct your actions at the factory. The factory does not like to hear people bad mouth their product, especially if you tell them you will talk to everyone you know about the rotten vehicle you have the the poor service you have received.
The point is, they had a problem, they know it, and you have to fight for anything you get.
Goodluck
Are you sure that the used car (or demo, or whatever) is discounted enough to compensate for its sizable depreciation? Will you be sacrificing your deposit on the one you ordered, or were you planning to try to get that back when you break your contract?
Thanks for the response. The car in question is a 99 Carrera Cabriolet. No deposit was required and I can walk away any time before delivery in late June at no expense. Moneywise, I'm not sure if I am getting compensated enough for depreciation at $1000-2000 below MSRP,while new car sells for MSRP. Scarcity of this car is a factor. The key is I can avoid paying a roughly $3000 luxury tax. Otherwise, options are roughly similar, with exception of metallic v. standard paint.
Anyway, the other day I washed off one of these lumps and noticed that it had eroded the clearcoat. I now see a small crater where the lump was. I know I could polish the surface to get rid of the crater, but that would also take off clearcoat. Not worth it.
Anybody ever see such droppings on their car? Any idea where they come from? I now find myself looking over the car each night and washing off any lumps I find. The car was recently waxed, so evidently wax doesn't protect against whatever it is.