Aaargh! I've scratched my car against a wall. I want to try to touch it up with some touch up paint but I want to smooth down the rough bits first so that I have a smooth surface to work on. Can anyone suggest what I can use to smooth out the damaged roughened surface without making it worse (either going too deep into the bodywork or scratching the surrounding area as well)?
Any suggestions for using the touch up paint to the best effect will also be welcomed (it has a built in brush that you use to paint the paint on).
Thanks
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The best way to use the paint brush type touch up paint is not to use it at all. It will look terrible.
What car is it, what colour and what year is it?
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Try the likes of Chips Away unless you have serious skills for such a job. I don't.
But I can apply a bit of Meguiars Scratch-X to fine scratches and swirl marks. I mention this only because I've just bought a tube, having seen some very favourable comments about it in a classics magazine. I'm going to see what it will do to what I believe to be auto-carwash scratches; I'll report back.
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Well, is it metallic?
What is the value of the car?
If the car is worth more than £2000 I'd have a pro do it for about £30-50
If it's metallic, don't bother with a touch up stick.
If solid, lightly rub down and repaint, then when hard, just use 1000-1500 grade wet and dry with water and soap and a sanding block and make smooth like paper, then use a cutting polish to bring up a gloss.
Good luck..
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Its a black metallic car, '05 reg. Fortunately the scratch is not huge which is why I thought I'd touch it up myself (2 lines of about 3 - 4cm and a couple of small blobs) . I've painted over small stone chips in the past which looked OK.
Would the likes of Chips Away (generally) cost less than £50? Thought it could be in the hundreds which I can't justiy the expense for this size scratch. Do they do a good job i.e. you wouldn't know that there was a scratch there? Not sure how they do it but would they spray the paint on or do they have a steady hand?
Thanks
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Would the likes of Chips Away (generally) cost less than £50?
Why not ask them for a quote. www.chipsaway.co.uk/repair/costguide.asp
Do they do a good job
From previous posts on here, it varies from franchise to franchise. At the end of the day the work is only as good as the person who is doing it.
Not sure how they do it but would they spray the paint on or do they have a steady hand?
From what I've seen on various TV programmes and the like, they use a small airbrush (similar, if not the same type that the custom boys use to decorate motorbike petrol tanks and the like) and thus only spray the area that needs respraying.
www.chipsaway.co.uk/repair/chipsaway.asp
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Just following on from above, this is what Practical Classics (Jan 2007 issue) has to say about Scratch X:
". . . the excellent Scratch X. Rarely can any manual scratch removal procedure be described as enjoyable but Scratch X at least makes it bearable, while being hugely effective into the bargain. We've used it on a variety of projects including a bright red Fiat Spider that looked like its nearside had been assaulted by an angry hedge. The results were worth the £8.99 (for 207mL) without question. You can buy Scratch X direct from Meguiar's at
www.meguiars.co.uk
or by calling 0870 241 6696."
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Chips Away take on only the jobs that are suitable for their particular technique. Their prices are a tier below bodyshops, and this protects their market niche. Typically, they will range from high tens to low hundreds; from what you've said, that may be a high tens job.
As indicated above, quality does vary across the franchisees. I've had good work done at the St Albans operation. There are plenty of people (including mobile operators) competing in this market segment these days and you could do some local research by asking one or two main dealers who they use; they all use such services all the time, such is the ding rate on their premises . . . you thought that "new" car was completely blemish free . . .
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If it' just a couple of small scratches and you feel confident enough then go for it.
Get a good touch up kit from the dealer or www.paints4u.co.uk (possibly .com)
Mix the laquer with the paint 50/50 in a small pot (the ketchup pots from McDonalds and the like are ideal).
Use a mild polish to clean up the edges of the scratch, somrthing like Autoglym Super resin polish, or Meguires Scratch X are very good off the shelf items.
Then clean the scratch out with acetone (nail varnish remover)
Fill the scratch with the paint/laquer mix, but forget paint brushes, use a cocktail stick. Dip it in the paint, and just place the piont of the stick in the scratch and allow the paint to run off filling the scratch as it goes. This will give a very smooth and clean finish to the paint filling the scratch and may well ge good enough to leave alone.
If you want to flatten it down then be very careful, it is easy to go too far with modern paint being applied very thin at the factory.
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If the car is your pride & joy and is an 05 Reg - spend £60 or so @ chips away and get a proper job done.
My car was about 1 yr old when it was damaged at the local park - Chips Away came fixed it and now 7 years later you still cannot tell which side was damaged looking @ the bumper - the paint was off in an area 10cms x 15cms - so not just a scratch..
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Thanks very much for your replies.
I'll have a go with Scratch X and see if it makes any difference (I think I know someone who's got some of this stuff) but I think I'll be lucky if it does.
I'll also check out Chips Away and see what they got to say.
Also, thanks for the tips on how to do a DIY job - its good reference to know how to go about it if in the future I get something that I think I can comfortably have a go at.
Cheers
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