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I've had the new car ONE DAY, and some inconsiderate twerp (my sister, actually), has tried to squeeze past it in a Devon lane and put a nice long scratch right down the side. Dammit, it was pristine prior to this. She has been despatched to Halfords for the touch-up kit.
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That's really tough luck, David. But isn't it often that way? I went to UK a couple of years ago to pick up a car, left it outside my friend's house 24 hours later and some twerp drove into it. I just wanted to walk away and forget the car but couldn't, of course.
When I was a youngster I had been the proud (and then skint!) owner of a one-year-old Wartburg for two weeks when a bus drove into it!
I think it's best to describe something like that as 'character building'...
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owner of a one-year-old Wartburg for two weeks when a bus drove into it!
I think it's best to describe something like that as 'character building'...
Think its best described as a blessing
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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You don't know my character, TVM. ;-)
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for two weeks when a bus drove into it! ...
Of course TVM, dont you tend to do it the other way around?
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David,
I'll help you dispose of the body and provide you with an alibi.
--
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Could be worse - assuming not brand new????
Picked up my Passat years ago. Given keys and told out back. It was boxed in but thought I could get out. Bakc and forth and watching metal post.... but the lower part of the post was wider and not visible. End result a gouge out of the paintwork on the brand new company car!!! 0 miles.
Problems with Passat and so I said "tell you what as compensation, how about you fix the door" and they did for free. Saved me claiming accident via company procedure :-) Thank goodness for unreliable VWs that time :-)
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It happens in Devon, you'll notice that many people there have cars covered in scrapes and dings.
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Are you sure it needs touch-up paint? it may be resolved with a small amount of T-CUT which will be significantly easier to do and be a much better finish. Touch-up paint is very difficult to get right.
Carse
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Sadly, it's along one of the colour-coded bumpers on the door (down to the plastic in a 4mm wide stripe), and an area the size of a 5p on the wheel arch which shows the bluey-white primer.
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never mind ,you can stop worrying about it now and start enjoying driving it without fear of doing it yourself .
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never mind you can stop worrying about it now and start enjoying driving it without fear of doing it yourself .
Yup once you get that first incidnet out of the way, life can get back to normal
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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I know its a new car, but since it is on the side trim and small area on arch, But I have repaired such scratches on a 6 month old car with spray paint and UV setting plastic filler. Spraying on the plastic bits seems to be easier than than the metalwork. The crucial thing is to get a good colour matching spray paint. But you need to be practiced at this sort of thing, Otherwise it is £100+ at the bodyworkshop.
How come your mirrors didn't clash first as a warning she was too close? Or was it a hedge scrape? (Welcome to Cornwall).
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Isn't there an old cartoon depicting that 'first scrape'?
An excellent advertisement for 'bangernomics' - hey, what's one more scratch..... :-)
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My Yaris came with a few little strips of original paint on transfer sheets for scratches - might be worth checking with the dealer if your manaufacturer does these. Could be a neater solution than touch up paint.
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My local bodyshop mixed up some duplicate paint for me from the car's colour code - it comes in a little bottle with a brush, so I'm going to wait for some dry weather and build it up slowly and carefully in thin layers over the course of a week or so. I suspect I might need a bit of primer for the strip on the bumper, as I'm not sure if you can paint directly onto plastic. Fortunately, the wheel arch scrape is only the size of a 5p and hasn't gone through the primer.
I'm impressed by the colour match, though. I placed a dab of the paint on an inconspicous spot inside the bonnet and two hours later can't tell where I did it. :)
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Be careful - using a brush you need the paint to be at the right thickness/viscosity otherwise you end up with a "blob" or brush marks that do not flow out. At least the bodyshop will be able to thin it out.
Plastic - if there is any scratching into the plastic - it may need filling. But if it is a long scratch, I dont think a brush will give a good finish - it will always be noticable in certain circumstances. Depends whether you just want to look Ok from a distance or whether you want to get as close to the original finish as possible.
Sometimes these types of repairs look good when looking face on, but get the sun on it at an acute angle, and they can show up a mile off, especially with lighter colours.
I fairly certain you can paint direct onto plastic (well I have with cellulose paints with no problems).
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At the end of the day you might be better off with a "smart repair" that companies such as Chips Away, dentsrus, Halfords, etc can offer.
www.chipsaway.co.uk
www.dentsrus.co.uk
tinyurl.com/2ldacg
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