BobDoLe

iTrader: (11)

i've had this on my bumper for over a year now, but want to do something about it. i've thought about taking it to a shop, but i'm wondering how much they might charge for something like this?

i have no paint/body experience, but i do have some stuff i picked up from paintscratch.com (basecoat pen, sheets of 220/600/1000 grit sand paper, and i think some kind of clearcoat).

i could take a better picture - this one was taken in the rain.
it doesn't look like the scuffs go too deep, but they can't be rubbed off. i think a 90's dodge minivan nudged me.

what would you guys do?

Hugger-96-lt1

iTrader: (8)

If they are just small scratches i would sand them down with 320 and shoot some primer. Then block with 400 then 600. then go over the whole bumper with 800. And in paint seal the spot with white sealer. Then paint the spot till you covered good and then blend to the sides. Then go over it with a tack rag and then clear it. 2-3 coats is what i do.

Fast_94_Z

iTrader: (12)

how deep are they? depending on the depth will tell me what method to give you. the only thing i have to add to that is use a grey scuff pad and scuff pasteon the bumper aswell because its hard to get into the license plate area with sand paper. also on the edges your less likely to burn through.

BobDoLe

iTrader: (11)

they're deep enough that they have some texture, but that's about it. i can't tell if it could be buffed out or not. any suggestions on how to buff it out by hand ?

hugger-96-lt1, thanks for the suggestion. it is way above my level of experience, though. should i just take it to a shop? how much might they charge me?

Fast_94_Z

iTrader: (12)

take it to a shop if you have feel it then its not going to come out and wetsandings just giong to burn in. i dont see it being more the 150-300 to do it right and fix that and then reclear the whole bumper.

Hugger-96-lt1

iTrader: (8)

Maybe you can find someone to do it on the side i usually charge around 100 for a bumper. Good luck.

BobDoLe

iTrader: (11)

i just got to taking care of the scuff.
i picked up quixx scratch remover which is basically 3000 grit sand paper and two tubes full of some liquid ("polish" and "finish").

i wet sanded the spot for a bit. 3000 grit didn't seem like enough at some parts, but i just kept it clean and used a little more pressure. i still need to take a good look at it in different light conditions to see how it is, but so far it looks pretty good.


before...


after.




it feels pretty smooth, but that could be the finish compound. i'm not sure how much damage you can do wet sanding with 3000 grit, but is it possible that i removed enough clear coat to cause eventual clear coat failure?

i remember hearing somewhere that there was a spray-on clear coat somewhere that would blend in with the existing factory clear coat, but i cant remember what it was called. any suggestions?

camarox302

iTrader: (2)

If it was 3000grit, you should be fine. Just keep an eye on it. If the clear fails there you will need to reclear the entire bumper anyway so no use doing the work now if it ends up being fine.

Looks good though! My girlfriends bumper had what we thought was a deep scratch with paint rubs on it. I buffed it out just to make it stand out less and it took the whole thing out. Sometimes you get a pleasant surprise, othertimes you find more work for yourself..

BobDoLe

iTrader: (11)

how can i tell if i did burn through the clear?
if i did burn through it, how long do you think it would take before clear coat failure?

should i just keep the bumper waxed? if i did burn through, i'm thinking the factory basecoat wouldn't last too long. that bumper is going to see a lot of sun. should i just apply wax every month?

Thanks!

fccs

iTrader: (26)

Basically if your applying wax every month you should be fine. Try and smooth everything out with a porter cable so everything on the clear is even also. That could help when waxing with it.