MelYW

Thanks ytee, I burned it hand polishing.

Car is navy blue metallic. It is on the back side driver quarter panel by the gas tank. I am keeping it waxed as much as possible.

My car is garaged at home and at work so I am hoping that with a coat of wax on it, it will not fail (in the 8+ more years I hope to own it). Am I dreamin'?

How much will shooting it cost? I assume all of the trim will need to come off, etc. Greater than $1,000?

Right now, I think I will only fix IF it fails or if someone nails me in that spot!

MelYW

Turns out that the recoat can be done for less than $400. Found a reputable shop, so I am going to get the back quarter panel reshot before UV damage occurs to the base.

Let this be a lesson to all of you who get overly obsessive with the polishing!

ytee

400 sounds very reasonable. And they shouldn't have much trouble color matching that blue.Make sure the entire panel gets cleared and out of curiosity find out what they're using

MelYW

Glad to hear that $400 sounds approriate...if you told me it was way too low for a job like this, I would also worry.

As for the clear they will be using...any brands to stay away from?

One type of clear over another? ie lacquer vs acrylic?

The body shop indicated that this is a very straighforward job...one that they do all the time. In what ways could they screw it up? If they are a decent bodyshop is it a real risk?

Yep they said the entire panel will get shot. Thanks for your help ytee.

ytee

Sorry I took so long to get back to you.I'm just really not a computer guy. No no no to lacquer.I know the paint is illegal.Here in L.A.,they fine you and atually go after the guy who sold it you,too.Lacquer is an inferior clear,anyway,it lacks the luster,durablitiy.It's solvent based and dries through evaporation.That's why it's usually illegal,becasue that solvent ends up in the air. Urethane's will dry in a vacuum,they're chemically activated.I mean there is some evaporation,but the VOCs released into the atmosphere are almost nil.

400 bucks to shoot a panel is very reasonable if the body shop is truly reputable as you said. Good paint is frikkin' expensive.The clear I use is over 300 a gallon,including hardener.If I shot your panel I'd be applying three coats of clear,add paint cost,labor cost,shop costs,etc. You feel me?

MelYW

Ytee,

A shop did an actual visual inspection and it turns out it is not strike through. He was reluctant to buff any more for fear of doing more damage however.

If I do a reshoot of clear, will it require painting for the affected spot?

My paint is a three stage paint. And if painting is needed $300-400 may be too cheap for a "good job"?

ytee

Hi Mel.
So if it's a tri stage and an older Lexus,than it's probably a white. Probably 051,I'm just going off memory. There were some tristage reds I believe,but nowadays I'm seeing tristage in lots of colors,solids included.They're running out of colors . Remind me to tell you the story about R81,a solid red that Honda put on their cars in the 80's and how they screwed with American paint manufacturers. Pretty funny stuff.

So yes,if you burned it and you want it to look right,then it has to be repainted. I'm just going from what you're telling me,though,pal. If the base and pearlcoats were absolutely uneffected by the buffing,then he might get away with just clearing it again,but I just don't see how it didn't damage the pearl coat.

Mel,a tri stage pearl is like a snowflake. I did a four door sedan that had a scratch in the right rear quarter. Man it took me two hours to match that color.The painter better know the base is the key and he definitely has to use a test panel for the pearl coat if you don't want a taxi cab,meaning the panel doesn't match the car. He better be damned good if he's just shooting the panel and not taking it into any adjoining panels.

Most of the clears nowadays are adequate. Stay away from anything,anything associated with "synthetic". PPG,RM,Dupont and on the lower ends Transtar,Valspar,they're all very adequate,when applied properly.
However,maybe I misunderstood you when you said there was no "strikethrough". If you're saying there was no damage to the clear,then just leave it alone and take it easy on the spot you're concerned with. If there is a burn spot where the clear has been removed and it's noticeable and bothers you,then yes,you have to reshoot it. You're also right,3-400 bucks for a tristage job is very very reasonable. Your call on the shop
Good luck pal.lemme know how it turns out

MelYW

Thanks YTEE. Hope this was helpful to others as well.

My car is actually midnight blue metallic. Really appreciate your guidance on this.

ytee

Just for the heck of it,do you have the paint code?It's on the black tag on your door jamb. It will be the 2 number/letter combo that comes after C/TR.
I just don't remember any tri stage blues for Toyota from the past;maybe nowadays.It doesn't matter if it's a Lexus or a Corolla,everything comes from
Toyota.
Regardless,if it's a midnight blue,forget everything I said about the difficulty in color matching it. My baby sister could match a midnight blue in a closet with sunglasses on. Good luck Mel

MelYW

ytee, here it is: 8U0

It is called black sapphire pearl.

You can see it at this link: http://www.automotivetouchup.com/cho...us&model=Gs350

This helps to know that dark colors are easier to match as this was one of my main concerns. Are you saying there should be no issue? (Q1)

I am also concerned I might see a difference in the metallic flakes in the paint if they touch something up. Is this a non issue? (Q2)

While I am at it, I might have them look at a small area on my bumper where I backed up into a snowbank. The area is not scratched but it shows a spiderweb crack about the size of 2 inch by 3 inch area. Looks like the paint or plastic got stressed where it made impact.

If given the option to do a spot repair, should I do this or should I pay the dough (if I decide to do it) to get the whole bumper redone? And what are the tradeoffs? (Q4)

Here is an option: remove the bumper, spot repair the affected area than clear the whole bumper to eliminate the chance of peel in the future. Thoughts on this? (Q5) as this might be the most cost effective?

So five questions in total. Thanks for the insight.

ytee

Answer to Q1-2. Matchiing the color should not be a problem at all.A dark blue,even though it's a tri stage pearl shoudn't be that difficult. The problem with flake shouldn't be be an issue either,unless he uses an inferior paint or doesn't apply the pearl properly. I have noticed that RM and PPG metallics are finer than Dupont and Valspar in some instances. But 8U0 is a simple color,he shouldn't even have to go into an adjoining panel.On dark colored pearls you do,however, have to be careful with the second stage.If it's not applied properly sometimes the flake can stand up and be a little sparkly.

Q4-5. If the guy is using a quality paint,there should not be a problem with a blend. Dupont and PPG both guarantee their paints and the clears designed for spot blends for the life of the car. I have never had a comeback in 38 years. I spotted the quarter on my 2003 pewter 350Z two weeks after I bought it off the showroom floor(my wife backed into my neighbors van) 8 years and it still looks perfect.

So if you want to spend the money to have them do the whole bumper it's up to you. But if he's already in the color for the panel he should cut you a break for spotting the bumper.There shouldn't be much of a tradeoff between spotting and doing the whole bumper if the damage is as minor as you described.Bottomline,everything depends on the quality of his materials and the talent of his painter.

Good luck chief

MelYW

Just got my car back and it looks back to original.

Thanks for your guidance ytee...very helpful.

They recleared the back quarter panel where they had to add a touch of color over the effected area. They fixed the stress cracks in the bumper, repainted that area and recleared the entire bumper. Total bill was $700.

They used PPG paints so I feel good about the quality of materials. Time will tell, but I dont suspect I will have any problems.

Final question: How much time should I allow before I put on the first coat of wax?

ytee

Hey,I use nothing but PPG for light metallics. The only paint that I feel might be of higher quality is RM.
The clear should be completely cured.Use a good polish and then wax and it'll be around when you and I are long gone

SoHappy

Just wanted to say thanks to ytee for all the detailed info here.
I decided I'm going to try to fix my own scratches in my 2012 Lexus, Matador Red Mica.
If it doesn't work out, I'll have it done professionally, but I'm feeling better about my ability to do a good job since reading your posts. Thanks for being so generous with your knowledge and time.

I'm going to try this product and will let you all know how it goes. http://scratchwizard.net/photos/

Thanks again!

ytee

I'm glad I could help.Just remember,if you drag your thumbnail over a scratch and it doesn't stop your nail,it's most definitely,9 out of 10 times, something you can polish out with some compound wax and polish,oh and some good ole elbow grease. Remember wax and polish aren't the same thing.Wax protects,polish shines