Had a small paint rub on the rear side bumper, no dent of any kind. The body shop near here said to just get a can of spray paint & fix it myself. The area is about 2"X2" so not too big. After I spray the area do I need to clearcoat it too? Such a small area I'm not sure if it is necessary.

 

DO NOT SPRAY PAINT YOUR CAR, it will never match the color and it'll be stick out like a sore thumb...Take a picture of it and post it up on this thread..If its not too bad then it can be polished out...

BTW, I would recommend another body shop..I would never bring my car to a place the would recommend spray paint, that is a very BAD suggestion..

 

Thanks, now that is the info I was looking for. I will try to get a pic posted ASAP.
I was only thinking that if it doesn't look good I can still take it in to the shop. I did take it to Lexus too & they quoted a price of $500 as they say they would paint the whole bumper not just one area. Since we are thinking of a new vehicle in 1 year was hoping to save the $500.

 

It's funny that this comes up. I have a roof spoiler that I've been wanting to paint for about a month or so. Anyways, I called this auto body supply store and ask them for a pint of matching paint for my car. The guy asks me if I have a spray gun to paint the roof spoiler, of course I don't have one or access to one, so he tells me that's the only way to do it. I was disappointed but the guy goes on to tell me that they can put the paint inside an aerosol spray can. All you do is give them your color code, they mix the paint and put it inside the spray can for you. Try an auto body supply store if you still want to consider spray painting it. I and most people I tell didn't even know that they could do that. Hope this helps.

 

Went to the paint store & they mixed up a can for me. I am still wondering if I have to spray clearcoat over the area after its painted? I forgot to ask them & they are 30 miles away from me so I thought a local auto parts store that should have clearcoat too.

 

Yes, you need to ask them for that corresponding clearcoat for the spray paint they're mixing up for you.

Otherwise, you'll see a substantial difference in fade and weathering in the mixed paint vs stock paint on the car, and probably the sheen as well ( depending on how good the quality of the spray paint is),

 

Yes I would go back and buy quality clear coat.

 

Thanks, its off to the store for a can of clearcoat. If this works it works, if not off to the body shop.

 

2004 RX330? Why take this route vs just getting it done the right way? If it was a 1987 Sentra I could understand.
Using spray paint even if color matched is not going to work properly. Then you have to deal with the clear on top of that.
The way is supposed to be done is the area is painted and then the paint is blended into the original finish. This cannot be done with a spray can. Finally the entire panel is cleared or in your case-bumper, not just a small portion. Do you plan on clear coating the entire bumper? If not then I guarantee the lines from the clear will be visible even if buffed and more so down the line.
If I was looking for a car and the owner used spray paint (I could easily tell) I would simply turn around and walk away while shaking my head without comment as I would surmise the engine was taken care of in a similar manner. Sorry, not being harsh, just factual.
Post your results for others to learn from though.

 

great advice pearlpower.

 

Would help if a before and after pic is available.

 

Not to threadjack, but on a related topic I think somebody clipped my car with a shopping cart the other day, because some mysterious white abrasions magically appeared on my front fender. It's possible I just never noticed them before, but that's unlikely. Anyway, like I said, the scuffs are white and rough, so I don't know if I'l be able to buff them out or if I need to touch them up. Anyone have a suggestion? I can have some pictures by Sunday if necessary, but I'd prefer to get it taken care of before the DFW meet.

 

Try to buff it out. Using fine polish and add liquid wax to it. White scuffs can be polished at least to a state that it is less noticeable. Post pics.