mcy

It's not a huge scratch but for the size it did some damage that I can see metal. Should I take it to LEXUS to fix or find a bodyshop to do it? Atomic silver is the color.

lesz

I'd find the best body shop that I could.

Unfortunately, atomic silver is one of hardest colors, even for a skilled paint technician, to get an accurate color match with. A non-metallic color, like most blacks, is a simple match, and 2-stage metallic colors, especially if they are darker colors aren't too bad. But, a 3-stage pearl finish is much more difficult to get a satisfactory color match, and the atomic silver is actually a 5 stage finish, which makes it even more difficult to work with. In order to get a satisfactory match, the shop might have to blend the paint repair into adjacent panels, and that means refinishing more of the factory paint, which is not desirable, and it also means added cost.

mcy

THX! WOW that means more money for lexus shop. They will probably charge a arm n leg to do it.

lesz

I'm assuming that the scratch is deep enough to have gone through the clear coat. If that is the case, re-finishing is the only option. If, on the other hand, it is just a surface scratch that hasn't gone all the way through the clear coat, there is the possibility that it could be polished out.

It might help others to give you advice if you could post pictures of the scratch.

sessionstu

That sucks. Sorry to hear that.

Here's what I would do...

If you can see bare metal, then the scratch has gone through the clear coat and the layers of paint. First, buy a tube of atomic silver touch-up paint. It's cheaper online. While you're there, buy some extra fine or fine buffing & polishing compound. IMHO 3M makes the best stuff.

Basically what you're going to do is fill the scratch with a very thin layer of touch-up paint. Use a fine-tipped brush to apply. Don't use the one that comes with the touch-up paint. It's too thick. Wait for the paint to dry (obviously). Then put some buffing compound on a rag (an orbital polisher if you have one lying around) and buff the edges of the scratch. The idea here is that you are softening the edges. Don't apply too much pressure. Watch a couple of YouTube videos on how to buff it out. Circular motion is best, but it can leave swirl marks if you don't do it right. You may have to repeat the steps several times (apply touch-up paint, buff out the scratch). It all depends on how bad the scratch is.

Lastly, you'll want to wax the affected area. This will seal it from the elements.

The only way to fully remove the scratch is to respray the affected body panel. And that's not going to be cheap. And who knows, that same body panel may get a scratch a month later.

bc6152

Like most owners of cars, I've also had scratches on my cars. When it is of the severity that you describe, and the paint is a complicated procedure, there is but one remedy to eliminate the damage and that is to have a professional refinish the panel. Using touch-up paint only makes it look worse IMO.

lesz

I agree.

If you use touch up paint, the key to a good repair is to keep the newly added touch up paint at the same level as the original factory finish. To do that, you need to be very careful, and you need, as suggested, to use a brush much finer than the one that comes with the touch up paint, and they can be purchased at stores that sell supplies to artists. You need to be careful not to overlap the touch up paint beyond the edge of the scratch. Since the touch up paint will shrink quite a bit as it dries, you need to start out with putting on the touch up paint a bit higher than the factory finish and, then, letting it shrink down to the same level as the factory finish.

That said, even with very careful application of touch up paint, it is likely to give a satisfactory repair only on pinhead-sized stone chips. For larger scratches, the problem is that the metallic flakes in the paint are not going to lie in the same direction as the metallic flakes in the factory finish, and the result will be that, from one angle, the repaired area will look darker than the factory finish, and, from a different angle, it will look lighter than the factory finish. And, as I explained in an earlier post, this will be especially true with a multi-stage finish like the 5-stage atomic silver.

The unfortunate reality is that the two realistic options are either to live with the scratch or to pay for an expensive refinishing of the damaged area, and, with the atomic silver, there is no guarantee that even that expensive refinishing is going to result in a perfect repair because there are some colors, including the atomic silver and pearl whites, that make even the best paint technicians cringe when they have to work with them.

The Lexus dealer may well have a great body shop or they may farm out their body work to another shop, but there is also a good chance there are other shops that do better work than the dealer's shop. Again, if it were my vehicle and, especially, if I had a color like the atomic silver, I would do my research and use the very best shop in your area.

mcy

Thanks all for your responses. Here is the picture its small but pretty deep damage, I'm afraid they have to replace the whole bumper.

lesz

It is hard for me to tell from the picture, but it looks to me like there are actual holes in the bumper. If that is the case, the only possible repair is to replace the bumper cover. Depending on costs in your geographic area, replacement of the bumper cover and painting it should run between $1000 and $1500.

It also looks to me like the damage was caused by another vehicle. If that is the case, the good news would be that your insurance should apply, and, if that is the case, your out-of-pocket costs would only be any deductible that you have.

wasjr

Check your deductibles. If hit by another car and driver cannot be located to have his insurance pay, then your Collision coverage will probably pay. If damage was caused by vandalism, then your Comprehensive coverage should pay. Often these deductibles are different.

Also need to consider whether to just eat the cost rather than risk higher insurance rates due to insurance company paying a claim.

bc6152

Looks to me like your bumper was struck or the bumper struck something. Takes a considerable hit to make a hole through the cover. Could it be a parking lot collision?

lesz

If collision insurance is used and if the insured was not at fault, his/her insurance rates should not be affected, and, if a claim is made with comprehensive coverage, that also should not affect rates.

Dave Mac

My insurer's position is that if they pay out over I think $500 on my collision coverage that counts as an accident even if the damage is the fault of an uninsured driver. And comprehensive would not likely cover the OP's damage although my comprehensive has paid for running lights and parking lights that were struck by flying objects (rocks) as compared to say a minor parking lot accident.

That is quite a cut in the OP's bumper although it might be worth a try to have a bumper repair guy try to fix it without replacing the bumper skin - this isn't always successful.

Dave Mac

mrBillFL

I can see from that scratch, you were backed into in a parking lot. by some truck. file police report. call insurance, get it done at dealer.

lesz

I think I'd be looking for another insurer. About a month ago, a guy who wasn't paying attention stopped in the middle of the road and, for some reason, started to back up without looking. Even though I had stopped a good 50 feet behind him and even though I leaned on the horn, he continued backing up until he smacked the front end of my ES. The bumper, bumper shock absorber, grille, and other assorted parts had to be replaced. And, of course, he had no insurance. My insurance covered the almost $3000 in repairs to my vehicle minus the $250 deductible, and, because he was fully at fault (and received several tickets), the accident was not charged to me and will have no effect on my rates.

I agree that comprehensive would likely not cover the repairs in this case.


The bulk of the cost in the case of the OP is going to be labor and refinishing. The cost of the bumper cover itself is $435 (per my recent experience). Trying to have the bumper repaired would still require refinishing, and the labor cost to repair the bumper would be greater than the labor cost of just installing a new bumper. Thus, the cost of replacing the bumper is likely to be only a couple of hundred dollars more than the cost of (trying) a repair of the bumper, and, if it was my car, I'd have it done right and replace the bumper. Further, if the OP uses insurance coverage, the deductible will be the same regardless of whether the bumper is repaired or replaced.